So, after a very interesting side trip to Political Land (wedged between the Harvey the Rabbit's House and a traffic-free L.A.), PfG is back to doing what it does best: unpacking cultural dilemmas and travel blogging. Assuming, of course, that is what this blog does best...
Anyway, this particular topic has been bouncing around my head for the last couple weeks, and is posed in the form of a semi-rhetorical question, but more on that in a bit. The background of this week's topic lies in the seemingly mountainous list of tasks I need to accomplish to legally and successfully leave Germany. It includes an Abmeldung (officially letting the gov't know you're leaving and canceling visa), closing bank account, fixing/inspecting apartment, turning off the internet (lip trembles in sadness...), selling one's furniture, and then packing and leaving. If it seems like a lot, it feels like a lot. My semi-rhetorical question is this: Is it this hard to leave America? Or perhaps another country? Or is this experience perhaps unique to the Bundesrepublik.
I would love comments or feedback from everyone if they have done this sort of thing personally or known someone who has. I really am curious as to what leaving America entails. Having just read an article regarding the experiences of illegal immigrants returning home, I intend to further my research with the beacon of all academic research: Wikipedia! In all seriousness, I am pursuing some investigations in the matter, and would love some guidance.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wenn dumme Menschen eine Partei führen...
So this blog ordinarily is about matters of a German or cultural exchange persuasion, I simply couldn't resist commenting on the news of today.
While it might not seem particularly newsworthy to those outside of well, Alaska and more generally the Republican Party, Sarah Palin stepping down as Governor is just that. And after reading some commentary from NBC and examining the writing on the wall, the conclusion for me is that this is bad. Very bad.
However, bad not for the reasons that are springing to mind. As a young fairly moderate conservative, this is terrible. For starters, (and I'm paraphrasing here) Sarah Palin for all intents and purposes is the front-runner of the 2012 Republican ticket. Given that there are no real political contenders (well none that AREN'T sleeping with someone not their wives) and those that do remain are decidedly unimpressive. *cough*Romney*cough*Huckabee*cough
Having come out as to where I stand, a candidate like Palin is the worst possible direction the GOP can orient itself. The conservative, married, religious percentage of America's population is in no danger of being alienated by the Republicans. Why then, is everyone who has a mike in the party right now pandering to this very demographic? After the disastrous "Party of No" debacle and the wrangling of former Vice-President Cheney within the party, the focus of the GOP should be getting young, energetic and motivated people within the party and putting their ideas forward. They do exist! And the people most likely to be swayed by them, a demographic of younger, perhaps more liberal (and I use this word with great caution and disdain) people within America might actually see the GOP as somebody worth listening to. Take our incumbent President for example. He ran on a platform of great soundbytes and the prospect of change, for good or ill I might add. Since then, there have been inklings of some interesting ideas at the core of what is a very run-of-the-mill politician. The GOP most definitely has the young, motivated and full of fresh ideas kind of people that our country definitely needs. They need full run of center stage though. I guess the point comes down to this: Where is the Republican's answer to Obama? (And if anyone says McCain, that ship has sailed...)
And because others say it so much better, a link to a great great article here. I look forward to having some discussion on this, so please sound off.
While it might not seem particularly newsworthy to those outside of well, Alaska and more generally the Republican Party, Sarah Palin stepping down as Governor is just that. And after reading some commentary from NBC and examining the writing on the wall, the conclusion for me is that this is bad. Very bad.
However, bad not for the reasons that are springing to mind. As a young fairly moderate conservative, this is terrible. For starters, (and I'm paraphrasing here) Sarah Palin for all intents and purposes is the front-runner of the 2012 Republican ticket. Given that there are no real political contenders (well none that AREN'T sleeping with someone not their wives) and those that do remain are decidedly unimpressive. *cough*Romney*cough*Huckabee*cough
Having come out as to where I stand, a candidate like Palin is the worst possible direction the GOP can orient itself. The conservative, married, religious percentage of America's population is in no danger of being alienated by the Republicans. Why then, is everyone who has a mike in the party right now pandering to this very demographic? After the disastrous "Party of No" debacle and the wrangling of former Vice-President Cheney within the party, the focus of the GOP should be getting young, energetic and motivated people within the party and putting their ideas forward. They do exist! And the people most likely to be swayed by them, a demographic of younger, perhaps more liberal (and I use this word with great caution and disdain) people within America might actually see the GOP as somebody worth listening to. Take our incumbent President for example. He ran on a platform of great soundbytes and the prospect of change, for good or ill I might add. Since then, there have been inklings of some interesting ideas at the core of what is a very run-of-the-mill politician. The GOP most definitely has the young, motivated and full of fresh ideas kind of people that our country definitely needs. They need full run of center stage though. I guess the point comes down to this: Where is the Republican's answer to Obama? (And if anyone says McCain, that ship has sailed...)
And because others say it so much better, a link to a great great article here. I look forward to having some discussion on this, so please sound off.
Monday, June 22, 2009
45 Flaschen Bier an der Wand...
So as the title would suggest, I do in fact return home to America in a scant 45 days. As a sort of sendoff, I am titling all posts from here on out in German, but most of them speak for themselves if your German is not up to par.
It seems weird to have spent such a period of time in another country (almost a year!) but to have it feel so natural and to be frank, like home. I then examine somewhere that I've called home for 3 years and come to know and love, and it just feels so alien. A lot of discussion around our apartment has centered on this debate and just how it will feel, combined with a healthy (or perhaps the opposite) discussion on the merits of In-N-Out and Taco Bell.
It seems weird as well to have such a concrete endpoint to all of my affairs here in Germany! I feel like there is so much to be done, with school and logistics, but also with fun and experiences that I won't be able to get it all done and squared away with. Even that term, "squared away" has become rather ingrained in the thought processes of my mind. I find myself making lists, and running through all the things that need to be done before I can have fun, and ultimately leave. Oh well. I would appreciate your thoughts as well as I collect the pieces of me and return to my American self.
On another note, I would be happy to take requests (within reason of course) for souvenirs! I am of course buying various things for the folks and family back home, but if there is something you would like, I would be happy to take a note of it and put it on my list of things needing doing. Just drop me a line.
It seems weird to have spent such a period of time in another country (almost a year!) but to have it feel so natural and to be frank, like home. I then examine somewhere that I've called home for 3 years and come to know and love, and it just feels so alien. A lot of discussion around our apartment has centered on this debate and just how it will feel, combined with a healthy (or perhaps the opposite) discussion on the merits of In-N-Out and Taco Bell.
It seems weird as well to have such a concrete endpoint to all of my affairs here in Germany! I feel like there is so much to be done, with school and logistics, but also with fun and experiences that I won't be able to get it all done and squared away with. Even that term, "squared away" has become rather ingrained in the thought processes of my mind. I find myself making lists, and running through all the things that need to be done before I can have fun, and ultimately leave. Oh well. I would appreciate your thoughts as well as I collect the pieces of me and return to my American self.
On another note, I would be happy to take requests (within reason of course) for souvenirs! I am of course buying various things for the folks and family back home, but if there is something you would like, I would be happy to take a note of it and put it on my list of things needing doing. Just drop me a line.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wie amerikanisch bin ich? Questions...
So this has been a tough sort of time for me, intellectually speaking that is. I have given a lot of thought and energy to discussions about my experiences thus far, but I am having real trouble articulating this to everyone back home. Part of me is ready to come home and see all the things I've missed, but another equally valid and entrenched part of me would love nothing more than to stay here in Germany and continue my studies and explorations.
My questions for the readers out there: How do I reconcile the two of these ideas? Is there some sort of middle ground, particularly when there is no geographic middle ground? Another thing I have been ruminating on is the idea of a "reverse culture shock", an idea my roommate and close associates have discussed. Can I successfully reintegrate into an academic milieu so much more defined and regimented than Germany? Will I be able to sort of assume the "Berkeley Will" outfit that I left behind?
As my time here in Germany draws to a close, I am faced with ever more questions, and me being me (I love knowing the answer), have encountered frustration in that there seems to be no satisfying answer. On another note, I turned 22 this last weekend, and I feel loads smarter and more worldly. :D
My questions for the readers out there: How do I reconcile the two of these ideas? Is there some sort of middle ground, particularly when there is no geographic middle ground? Another thing I have been ruminating on is the idea of a "reverse culture shock", an idea my roommate and close associates have discussed. Can I successfully reintegrate into an academic milieu so much more defined and regimented than Germany? Will I be able to sort of assume the "Berkeley Will" outfit that I left behind?
As my time here in Germany draws to a close, I am faced with ever more questions, and me being me (I love knowing the answer), have encountered frustration in that there seems to be no satisfying answer. On another note, I turned 22 this last weekend, and I feel loads smarter and more worldly. :D
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Just Call Me the Lazarus Man...
Hey there sports fans! After a technology-inspired leave of absence (my internet went down, and the last two months were on vacation and trying to fix the damn thing), Postcards from Germany is back. I know all 7 of you are very pleased to see me back on the web.
Anyway, there is simply so much to talk about since my last post, thus I will bullet point my experiences and expand as you, the reader see fit.
-finished Winter Semester (and got some good marks to boot)
-saw Ireland for St. Patty's
-lounged in beautiful Croatia
-saw Berlin again!
-perused every new release in theaters
-started new semester at school! (tons of work this semester, though last one certainly wasn't a cake walk)
-fixed internet
-loads more
I look forward to posting more often these days, letting all of you back home in on the wonderful world of Berlin, as well as some of the musings that are presented from the downhill slope of my year abroad. I will say that now spring has sprung, Berlin is a beautiful, vibrant city with loads to see and do. The cafes alone seem to outnumber the people...
On another (and entirely selfish) note, should anyone wish to send me letters, post, or birthday greetings, my address here in Berlin is as follows:
William Jacobson
Wrangelstrasse 71
Berlin, DE [Germany] (note: the brackets and this sidenote are not in fact part of my address)
10997
Anyway, there is simply so much to talk about since my last post, thus I will bullet point my experiences and expand as you, the reader see fit.
-finished Winter Semester (and got some good marks to boot)
-saw Ireland for St. Patty's
-lounged in beautiful Croatia
-saw Berlin again!
-perused every new release in theaters
-started new semester at school! (tons of work this semester, though last one certainly wasn't a cake walk)
-fixed internet
-loads more
I look forward to posting more often these days, letting all of you back home in on the wonderful world of Berlin, as well as some of the musings that are presented from the downhill slope of my year abroad. I will say that now spring has sprung, Berlin is a beautiful, vibrant city with loads to see and do. The cafes alone seem to outnumber the people...
On another (and entirely selfish) note, should anyone wish to send me letters, post, or birthday greetings, my address here in Berlin is as follows:
William Jacobson
Wrangelstrasse 71
Berlin, DE [Germany] (note: the brackets and this sidenote are not in fact part of my address)
10997
Sunday, February 1, 2009
(Another) Night at the Museum...
This winter's installment of one of the coolest city-wide events I've ever seen took our intrepid explorer to some amazing exhibits. In case you missed my blog about Lange Nacht der Museen (Long Night of the Museums), this event is a Berlin-wide event in which all of the city's museums (84 at last count) are not only open late, but for the price of one ticket, you can visit as many as you can in one night. A truly amazing way to experience the amazing cultural smorgasbord that is Berlin's museum scene.
This time, as I said above, took me to some amazing exhibits, though mostly with an animal theme. Regrettably scheduling difficulties got us on the road late, but our first stop was at the German Natural History Museum. I don't know if you gentle readers have ever made it as far as New York to see the American Natural History Museum, but Berlin's could certainly give it a run for its money.
The museums foyer consists of a giant vaulted hallway, in which 5 fully complete and full size dinosaurs are on display. I had quite the dinosaur fetish as a kid, and I must say it took me back to see Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and a relative of the stegasaurid family on display. (I still remembered the names! Amazing.) The museum did not disappoint after such a grand entrance, with fascinating exhibits on Earth Science, some neat and historical displays on mammals and fossils, and a fabulous multimedia planetary display. But for me, the real treat was the biodiversity and the Darwin exhibit. Now I'm not sure where you come down on the whole issue, but it was utterly fascinating to see facial reconstructions of all the hominid predecessors, as well as some helpful English displays to help Luddites such as myself understand what I was seeing. On top of that, realistic and often life size models of over 200 species illustrated the overwhelming degree of biodiversity on our planet. and as if that weren't enough, the museum had a bit of a behind-the-scenes display, with a very engaging (and discomfiting to boot) of how the museum makes the models of all of the animals, extinct to modern, from enormous to microscopic. (It really is quite something to see a house flea rendered as large as a small house cat.)
After touring the Natural History museum for what seemed like five minutes, we set out to discover the Berlin Zoo Aquarium. After some initial missteps in trying to locate it, eventually we arrived and set out to see some fishes. I'm not sure if it's because I've been spoiled by some great aquariums back home (Monterey, Chicago [Shedd], etc) but I was a little disappointed. To be fair, the aquarium took great pains to highlight endemic species and those threatened in N.Europe, but aside from a couple gorgeous Blacktips and Wobbegong, I came away less than satisfied.
At this point, we ran out of time, it being 1:30 in the morning. Though once again, Lange Nacht der Museen has proved to be one of the most fun things I've done here in Berlin. Maybe I'll make it for this coming summer's again!
This time, as I said above, took me to some amazing exhibits, though mostly with an animal theme. Regrettably scheduling difficulties got us on the road late, but our first stop was at the German Natural History Museum. I don't know if you gentle readers have ever made it as far as New York to see the American Natural History Museum, but Berlin's could certainly give it a run for its money.
The museums foyer consists of a giant vaulted hallway, in which 5 fully complete and full size dinosaurs are on display. I had quite the dinosaur fetish as a kid, and I must say it took me back to see Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and a relative of the stegasaurid family on display. (I still remembered the names! Amazing.) The museum did not disappoint after such a grand entrance, with fascinating exhibits on Earth Science, some neat and historical displays on mammals and fossils, and a fabulous multimedia planetary display. But for me, the real treat was the biodiversity and the Darwin exhibit. Now I'm not sure where you come down on the whole issue, but it was utterly fascinating to see facial reconstructions of all the hominid predecessors, as well as some helpful English displays to help Luddites such as myself understand what I was seeing. On top of that, realistic and often life size models of over 200 species illustrated the overwhelming degree of biodiversity on our planet. and as if that weren't enough, the museum had a bit of a behind-the-scenes display, with a very engaging (and discomfiting to boot) of how the museum makes the models of all of the animals, extinct to modern, from enormous to microscopic. (It really is quite something to see a house flea rendered as large as a small house cat.)
After touring the Natural History museum for what seemed like five minutes, we set out to discover the Berlin Zoo Aquarium. After some initial missteps in trying to locate it, eventually we arrived and set out to see some fishes. I'm not sure if it's because I've been spoiled by some great aquariums back home (Monterey, Chicago [Shedd], etc) but I was a little disappointed. To be fair, the aquarium took great pains to highlight endemic species and those threatened in N.Europe, but aside from a couple gorgeous Blacktips and Wobbegong, I came away less than satisfied.
At this point, we ran out of time, it being 1:30 in the morning. Though once again, Lange Nacht der Museen has proved to be one of the most fun things I've done here in Berlin. Maybe I'll make it for this coming summer's again!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Social Networking: Just Friends?
Recently on Facebook (any collegian's best friend and time-waster) I've noticed a fairly new trend, in which various friends write 25 things in a note and tag other friends, who in turn post notes of their own. I don't necessarily have any +/- feelings on this particular phenomenon, nor is that the point of this post. I was simply curious as to the origin of this particular trend. With MySpace, such trends are often commonplace, if not somewhat expected. Why now? Why with notes on Facebook? Part of what inspired this particular blog is the unexpectedness of this note thing. To be fair, I too wrote a note about this particular topic, but in writing, I found that it is rather hard to conjure up 25 things about one's self. In addition, it raises the prickly problem I (and I'm sure it is by no means restricted to me) have with social networking sites. At what point do our private and public lives separate? Where is the line between appropriate and "over-sharing" get drawn? I found myself wondering about that as I went through my own list.
Anyway, to those of you interested in what I deemed random enough to share, here is the list in all its glory.
1. I love the word potato. And pistachio. I have no idea why.
2. I have full-on dialogues with myself (posing/answering questions) even with others around.
3. Rather unfortunate, but I am a hopeless romantic.
4. I hate sharing a bed. But I can sleep anywhere.
5. I sleep like a rock.
6. I have really random, often disturbing thoughts about things.
7. I have real issues with my weight, and cannot stand the nickname "Big Boy."
8. I would love to move back to Texas.
9. I love watching movies. I know no one else that has seen as many movies that I have.
10. I am excellent speller, and cannot stand (I mean it) when other people misspell things. Its so irrational but there it is.
11. I tend to regret a lot of things, and wish that I was a better person sometimes.
12. I wonder what people think about me, and how I get related to other people by my friends and acquaintances.
13. I wonder if I can think of 25 random things about myself.
14. I am one of the biggest nerds you could meet.
15. I love comic books (and graphic novels), and can read them all night and day.
16. Encyclopedic knowledge frequently coincides with occasionally epic failures.
17. I can sleep all day and stay up all night.
18. I love not sleeping. Its so bizarre, but sometimes I like to see how long I can go without sleeping.
19. I would like to rob a bank.
20. I am really rather secretive. I keep them well, and like secrets for some reason.
21. One of my all-time favorite things to do is to lay out on the sidewalk on really hot days and soak up the warmth.
22. I can't swim in bodies of water where I can't see the bottom.
23. I have been religious and atheistic at different times in my life.
24. I am left-footed, left-handed, and generally prefer things on the left or that associate with the left-hand side.
25. I have a coin that I regularly use to decide things.
Anyway, to those of you interested in what I deemed random enough to share, here is the list in all its glory.
1. I love the word potato. And pistachio. I have no idea why.
2. I have full-on dialogues with myself (posing/answering questions) even with others around.
3. Rather unfortunate, but I am a hopeless romantic.
4. I hate sharing a bed. But I can sleep anywhere.
5. I sleep like a rock.
6. I have really random, often disturbing thoughts about things.
7. I have real issues with my weight, and cannot stand the nickname "Big Boy."
8. I would love to move back to Texas.
9. I love watching movies. I know no one else that has seen as many movies that I have.
10. I am excellent speller, and cannot stand (I mean it) when other people misspell things. Its so irrational but there it is.
11. I tend to regret a lot of things, and wish that I was a better person sometimes.
12. I wonder what people think about me, and how I get related to other people by my friends and acquaintances.
13. I wonder if I can think of 25 random things about myself.
14. I am one of the biggest nerds you could meet.
15. I love comic books (and graphic novels), and can read them all night and day.
16. Encyclopedic knowledge frequently coincides with occasionally epic failures.
17. I can sleep all day and stay up all night.
18. I love not sleeping. Its so bizarre, but sometimes I like to see how long I can go without sleeping.
19. I would like to rob a bank.
20. I am really rather secretive. I keep them well, and like secrets for some reason.
21. One of my all-time favorite things to do is to lay out on the sidewalk on really hot days and soak up the warmth.
22. I can't swim in bodies of water where I can't see the bottom.
23. I have been religious and atheistic at different times in my life.
24. I am left-footed, left-handed, and generally prefer things on the left or that associate with the left-hand side.
25. I have a coin that I regularly use to decide things.
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