GPRS

GPRS is the abbreviation for General Packet Radio Service – the abbreviation is used in its English form in German, but with the letters pronounced the German way.

GPRS is a method of transferring data over a GSM mobile phone network.  Previously, data users had to use a so-called dial-up line to access their e-mails or the internet.  This was similar to using a modem on a land line and was incredibly slow and expensive, as the it was in effect a normal phone call.  GPRS allows the data to be transferred through the network as data, meaning that it is often billed by the kilobyte and no longer by the minute.

GPRS also forms the basis for services such as MMS – multimedia messages that are often used for sending photos from one phone to another.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Bolivian Restaurant in Germany

One of my favourite restaurants in Germany has moved, so this is a good opportunity to write about it.  For the past 10 years I have been going to “Restaurant Latinoamérica” in Budenheim, just outside of Mainz.  The restaurant has recently moved to Mainz-Finthen, where I visited it last week for the first time.

This family-run business offers specialities from Bolivia, that you are unlikely to find in many other restaurants in Germany.  And it is a family from Bolivia that cooks and serves it!  (I even met them once on a flight from Santa Cruz to Sucre).

One of our favourites has to be the Pique a lo Macho – spiced strips of beef with jalapeño slices, served on a bed of chips with salad.  Be aware that one of the spices is locoto – which can be very hot.

Another good dish is the Aji de Pollo, aji being another spice which is made of ground red peppers and in this dish it is a sauce that the pollo (chicken) resides in.  Pre-booked, even Salteñas can be ordered.

As a starter, we often have strips of deep-fried yuca, covered in melted cheese and served with a red dip called llajwa.

The restaurant also serves Bolivian wines, and a special type of schnaps called Singani, made from distilled grapes.

El Latino, Mainz-Finthen
El Latino, Mainz-Finthen

The new address is: El Latino, Borngasse 59, 55126 Mainz-Finthen. If you are going there on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening, then it is advisable to book a table in advance.

Opening Times

Wed & Thu 6pm – 11pm
Fri & Sat 6pm – 12am
Sun 12pm – 2pm & 5pm – 10pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Telephone: +49 (0) 6131 / 6693550

P.S. Don’t forget to say that you read about it on AmigosDeSucre!

Homework in German primary schools

Did you know that primary school children in Germany have homework (“Hausaufgaben”) – from DAY ONE!

This is no joke – on her first day at school our daughter was given homework to do, which of course had to be done after opening the Schultüte.  She has had some to do every day since.

For me, this is something completely new, as I am pretty sure that I did not have this sort of set homework until I changed schools at the age of 11.  I believe that my primary school did use to give homework to classes 4 and 5 (called years 5 and 6 these days!), but this was abolished before I was old enough to be in them.

The homework that our daughter receives is supposed to take up to 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week.  Which has led me to start thinking about how much we are meant to help or guide her through it.

Do we sit with her for the entire 30 minutes and guide her through?  Do we help her work out the solutions to the tasks she is being set, so as to get her started, or do we wait for her to say that she doesn’t understand the problem?

At what stage should we step in, if we notice she is making a mistake?  Should we explain the mistake to her and let her correct it, or should we leave that to the teacher the next day?

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

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