English speaking courses at vhs Stuttgart – my personal highlights

Hand lettering for kids (April 6, 2019)

vhs stuttgart also offers courses for kids. One of them is Hand lettering where the little students design their own greeting card.

more about Hand lettering for kids

Swabian Humor for Beginners (April 11, 2019)

This is a course I am looking forward to in particular. I know that most people think Germans don’t get the concept of humor. And this prejudice is even worse when it comes to us Swabians 🙂 But this course will proof them all wrong. The event will be held by Christiane M., trainer and comedian, who will introduce you to odd habits and the hidden humor of an ancient funny German culture.

more about Swabian Humor for Beginners

Yoga (May 7, 2019)

When you love Yoga prefer to be taught in English this is your class. Practice classical Hatha-Yoga in an international and relaxing atmosphere at vhs stuttgart.

more about Yoga

Whisky Tasting (May 17, 2019)

Why do some single malts taste smoky? Why do others taste of vanilla and honey? Enjoy an entertaining evening with interesting legends, facts and stories about our six selected Single Malt Whiskys and enjoy pictures and music from Scotland in a sociable environment.

more about Whisky Tasting

Qigong (between June 25. and July 23, 2019)

If you need something to bring you down, relax you and make you more focused, Qigong is your thing. It comprises slow movements that are integrated with conscious breathing and focused attention

more about Qigong

Empower yourself by Thinking like a Drag Queen (July 7, 2019)

This is another course I can’t wait to join. It offers you a practical guide to grow by learning lessons taught by drag queens. You will learn five keys to channel your inner queen: creating the person you always wanted to be, power dressing and -posing, how to quiet inner and outer critics and why it’s important to start taking small risks to boost yourself to taking even bigger ones. Shouldn’t we all be a bit more drag?!

more about Empower Yourself by Thinking Like a Drag Queen

Stuttgart for women (July 10, 2019)

Moving to a new city in a different country can sometimes be a daunting experience. This class will help you settle in as it will focus on a range of important topics such as transportation, housing, school system and more.

more about Stuttgart for women

Handmade Ravioli (July 22, 2019)

Who doesn’t like pasta?! In this course you will learn how to prepare handmade pasta. A glass of wine and some nice antipasti might also come into play… 🙂

more about Handmade Ravioli

Watercolor painting (July 20, 2019)

Watercolor painting is not just for small children. It’s actually an art in itself. In this course you will get to know most watercolor techniques, materials as well as some basics of color theory, drawing, perspective and composition.

more about Watercolor painting

Sommerspektakel: Dinner & Dialogue (July 30, 2019)

Summer in the city! As part of the 100 years of vhs summer week celebrations, the last Dinner and Dialogue will take place at the Ökostation, the vhs’s department for environmental classes. Join us for an end-of-semester talk around the barbecue in the public gardens in the north of the city!

more about Sommerspektakel: Dinner & Dialogue

More information about the English speaking courses at vhs stuttgart

For more information about all English speaking courses at vhs stuttgart visit vhs-stuttgart.de or download the brochure here (PDF)

Transparency: This post is part of my non-paid partnership with vhs stuttgart. The opinion and recommendations shared here are my own.

Title picture: canva.com

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I am a huge fan of the new English-speaking courses because I know that it is hard for some of you guys to act out your hobbies, learn something new or make new friends when everything is always offered in German. That’s why I reached out to vhs stuttgart and teamed up with them. In an interview Daniele Nuccetelli, supervisor of the international program, told me all about the new program and pointed out several fun English-speaking courses for us.

Daniele, vhs stuttgart is launching a very new program for the international community in Stuttgart. What motivated you to do so?
The English-speaking program is a further step to making our institution more open and appealing for new residents and visitors who don’t speak German or are not fluent yet. And the truth is… our city is really international! Did you know that Stuttgart is home to people from over 180 countries and around 40 percent of the total population have some foreign background? It’s quite impressive, isn’it?

It really is! Who can attend the new courses? And who benefits from them the most?
The program is specifically aimed at expats and foreign students and professionals who maybe don’t speak German yet but don’t want to miss the chance to learn something new or stay healthy. More generally, the program is open to everyone comfortable taking classes in English – regardless of their nationality or native language. We’d love to see new and local residents get together, exchange ideas and opinions, and learn more from each other.

What type of courses does vhs stuttgart offer with the new international program?
The program is very diverse and interdisciplinary. This semester, we’re offering courses and events in 10 categories: meditation, yoga, qigong, and pilates classes in Body & Mind, zumba classes in Move it!, regional and international cooking classes in Taste the world,  city tours in Exploring Stuttgart, special language courses for international learners in the category Languages, Literature & Film, singing classes and music workshops in Rhythm & Music, thought-provoking seminars for women in Style & Personality, practical courses for creative minds in Arts & Crafts, computer courses for work and leisure in Go digital, inspiring travel talks in the category Talks. And there’s much more to come in 2019!

A lot of expats who are new to Stuttgart want to learn more about their new hometown, the Swabian culture and history. What courses would you recommend them?
I would definitely recommend the city tour Pearls of Architecture in the Swabian Metropolis to all those who want to know more about the fascinating urban developments of Stuttgart over the centuries till now. And for the ones who want to learn how to cook local specialties: Classics of Swabian Cuisine and Veganese Schwabinese for vegans.

A lot of my readers are passionate foodies. Are there any other classes you would recommend?
Absolutely! If they love Italian food as much as I do, then they should learn how to make Pasta Amatriciana with an experienced chef from Rome. The Lebanese cooking class and Korean cooking class are not to be missed either! Needless to say, at the end of each class the participants will sit together with the teacher and savor their self-cooked specialties in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

When I want to be creative, which courses can I choose from?
If you want to create your unique style and learn how to make your own clothes, you should take one of our sewing classes for beginners and intermediate learners. Children can create their personal greeting cards with Hand Lettering for Kids. And for art enthusiasts we offer a Watercolor Painting course.

What courses are best for meeting new people and making new friends?
We know it can be really hard moving to a country where the language and culture are so different. That’s why all the courses in the English-speaking program focus on bringing people together and helping them build new meaningful relationships. Besides the cooking classes and fitness courses, I would suggest joining our international choir led by a trained opera singer: music has this magic power of bringing people together. And we’re also planning a special Christmas choir for the Advent Season!

Apart from the courses you just named, what other highlights await us this semester?
The Whisky Tasting is definitely not to be missed! It’s going to be an entertaining and educational evening about Scotland’s favorite drink with live music, snacks and… whisky, of course! For the category Music & Rhythm, I can recommend a seminar on K-Pop, the world sensation from South Korea. And for those who have wanderlust, the speaker of the travel talk Camino de Santiago will explain how to follow the pilgrim route from Germany down to Santiago de Compostela.

Can you tell us a bit more about volkshochschule stuttgart? What type of school is it? What is its goal?
volkshochschule stuttgart, or vhs stuttgart, is one of the largest centers for adult education in Germany. It was founded in 1919 during the Weimar Republic, the first democratic phase in the history of Germany. And now that we’re approaching an important milestone – our 100th anniversary in 2019 –, we believe that although things have changed and evolved dramatically in Europe and the world over the years, vhs stuttgart will stick to its original credo: making education and culture accessible and affordable for everyone.

Thank you very much for all this information, Daniele! And see you soon at vhs stuttgart 🙂

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When it comes to Swabian cuisine, Maultaschen for example, our version of ravioli, are a must-try. You can have them in a soup or roasted with potato salad on the side. Fun fact: The “tasty tasches” from Germany are even a topic within the L.A. Police ;-):

Or Spätzle, the famous Swabian noodles. We have them in many dishes: Lentils with Spätzle is something, every child knows and loves. You find Spätzle in the soup Gaisburger Marsch, that stems from the quarter Gaisburg in Stuttgart. And of course there’s the all-time-favorite Kässpätzle (cheese noodles).

One of my favorite dishes is Schupfnudeln with Sauerkraut. You can even tell yourself you’re having a veeery healthy meal because of the Sauerkraut 🙂

And for very brave eaters, the Swabian kitchen offers Saure Kutteln (pickled tripe). I actually never had them but maybe you’re brave enough 🙂

Trying these dishes in a restaurant is one thing, cooking them by yourself another. If you want to impress your family and friends with a Swabian meal, you find the 30 best Swabian (and Baden) recipes in the Swabian cooking book “So schmeckts bei uns” (That’s how it tastes here) by Katharina and Nikola Hild, published at Silberburg-Verlag. The recipes are in German, English and French and cover soups, main courses and desserts from all over Baden-Württemberg. All the dishes I mentioned above are covered in the book, too.

The book comes for 9,90 Euro and can be bought in regular book shops or here (affiliate link):
So schmeckt’s bei uns: Die 30 besten schwäbischen und badischen Rezepte

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