All the snow is gone - no wait ... we have snow again - no wait ... all the snow is ... You get the idea. Even this morning, we are going from blue skies and moderate breezes to sudden blizzard like conditions. It is really wild. Apparently, last night we had a sleet storm in the night, and yesterday into the evening was on and off again rain. I'd say that this must be typical for the start of spring which the local forecasts sum up in one word: changeable.
We all know the stereotypes about German women. There have been more than a few jokes about the one known as Helga, with the great personality. And the teenie movies of the 80s didn't help with their portrayals of thick accent, dim-witted Gretchens. But behind one of these typical names is an actual beauty, Heidi Klum. Recently, she has been featured in the online German paper I read, The Local. Here is what they say about her and a little more I gleaned from the web.
Heidi Klum is from the NorthRhine Westphalia region from the town of Bergisch Gladbach, near Cologne. She has been modelling steadily since taking over the German spotlight from another German beauty, Claudia Schiffer (who, coincidentally, is from the same general region as Heidi, within 50 km.) Although she is only 3 years younger than Schiffer (she was born June 1st, 1973), she seems to be an enduring figure in the fashion and beauty industry. This is in part due to the brains behind her beauty. She registered her name as a trademark in the mid 90s and built a fashion and media empire around it. She became an international star in 1998 when she appeared on the cover of the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. She was the first German model to get this honor. She works not only as a model, but also on her own TV show in Germany, Germany's Next Top Model, as well as others both nationally and internationally . She herself was chosen from a similar styled contest to become the next top model when she had her big break. She also has her hands in designing, make-up and clothing lines, producing, singing, painting, sculpting and acting.
It hasn't all been easy and glamorous for her, though. She has survived one failed marriage, a bout with a womanizing Formula One car driver that resulted in an unplanned child, and a string of high-profile failed romances. However, now she seems to have found the right match and has been married happily since 2005 to the British singer Seal with whom she had two more children with mega-long names: Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, age 3, and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel, age 2. She still stays active with advertising campaigns, television shows, and, despite having had three children, still modelling on the catwalk for Victoria Secret's famous lingerie show.
Since 1993, Heidi has been living in Manhattan or Los Angeles, and in 2008, she became an American citizen.
The word for today is beauty: (die) Schönheit (shern hite).
The question for the day is: Do Germans go to the dentist?"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
