Thank you Barbara. It does take some adjustment because of bureaucracy, but I find my life here easier. For one, it just has a much lower cost of living than in the US. Since I am retired that is a consideration.
A long read but well worth it. It appears that Linda has great understanding of German politics and the wider European Union, we would all do well to follow her. I totally agree that musk must be somehow reined in, but how that’s gonna happen I don’tknow. It seems he has unlimited power and influence, at least in the United States. I have great respect and admiration for Brazil, having stood up to him. I can’t believe these days I’m living in. I fear for my nieces and nephews, my great nieces and nephews and all those generations coming after me who will need to somehow find a way to deal with all of this. I am not optimistic
Maggie, Trump is not even in office and he is reminding us even more of why we did not want him. The constant and escalating chaos are hard to bear. Here is a piece I wrote on making a decision to leave your state or the US.
I really think that you can encourage them to have more choices than just staying and fighting. Some people can do that from Abroad. I know it is something I am trying to do. Of course, as you see, I have to be concerned of the global right-wing alliances trying to take over democracies like the one I live in.
Hallo Linda! I am THRILLED to have come across your Substack this evening here in New Jersey. I returned home a week ago after visiting family in Northern Germany (Cloppenburg) with a side trip to Berlin. My German cousin and I commiserated about our dread of the incoming U.S. president. Your thorough article has been eye-opening to me. My cousin speaks primarily German, and I English, so in-depth political points weren't communicated that well. I had learned about coalitions previously, but you explained it so well that I have a better grasp now. Danke schön.
I recently learned that even though I was born in the U.S., I have been a German citizen my whole life. My parents immigrated to the US but had me before they were naturalized. I now have a German passport and am thrilled to have more extensive options as a dual citizen.
I look forward to your future newsletters and learning more from you.
Illona, Thank you for your support. My daughter and I just returned from visiting family in the US. You do have options as a dual citizen. My daughter and I are both duals. It really has its advantages when traveling. I am in Northern Germany too. Coalitions are different from how things are done in the USA, so it helps to understand what is different.
So, do you think you will be coming to Germany more often? All of the Americans I know here in my German city speak German to varying degrees, but my German friends mostly don't speak English, so I can imagine that it would be that way for your cousin.
I am also hoping that Germans react differently to Elon Musk's meddling than Americans have. We shall see how that plays itself out in the upcoming election. I will be discussing the election a couple of times. I also wrote an article about the AfD that you might like to read as well.
Yes, I do plan on visiting more. I have a whole other contingent of cousins in Bremerhaven so I hope to visit there next time. German was my first language, plus I had 8 years of German weekend school growing up. I don’t know the big words though as they relate to the world, business, government, etc. Duolingo is helping as they had a whole section on German election lingo.
I will definitely check out the link on the Afd. Thanks 😊
That is great that you can find that vocabulary on elections in Duolingo. It is great that you are reviving your German. Coming here for a course would help too. Actually I don't know where you live, but besides the Goethe Institute, Chicago has course at the DANK Haus Kinder Schule, but they also have them for adults, and most of them are taught online. My daughter took her C1 test with them. She was in Chicago, but there were people in her class that were in other cities. Her instructor, who was great, was in a city in Northern Germany as well.
Wonderful essay!!!! I can’t tell you how much I learned from your article. Being isolated in the middle of America we do not know what is going on in the world despite access to the internet. As an historian of mid 20thC
European and American religious history has its pitfalls in not knowing what is happening now in Europe or the EU. Thanks for all your work on making the article very comprehensive!
Good evening Linda. Thank you for your comment - see "Muskwatch" - and invite. As someone further downthread said, I have learned a whole lot from reading this piece.
Thank you, Linda, for your fascinating observations on life in Germany.
(I spent some time there in 1969 and 1974, but have not lived there.)
Thank you Barbara. It does take some adjustment because of bureaucracy, but I find my life here easier. For one, it just has a much lower cost of living than in the US. Since I am retired that is a consideration.
A long read but well worth it. It appears that Linda has great understanding of German politics and the wider European Union, we would all do well to follow her. I totally agree that musk must be somehow reined in, but how that’s gonna happen I don’tknow. It seems he has unlimited power and influence, at least in the United States. I have great respect and admiration for Brazil, having stood up to him. I can’t believe these days I’m living in. I fear for my nieces and nephews, my great nieces and nephews and all those generations coming after me who will need to somehow find a way to deal with all of this. I am not optimistic
Maggie, Trump is not even in office and he is reminding us even more of why we did not want him. The constant and escalating chaos are hard to bear. Here is a piece I wrote on making a decision to leave your state or the US.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/a-plan-b-for-catastrophe?r=f0qfn
John Howard also wrote a piece today on called The Pervasive Vulnerability of Life in America, which gets at what you are feeling.
https://open.substack.com/pub/leavingamerica/p/the-pervasive-vulnerability-of-life?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
I really think that you can encourage them to have more choices than just staying and fighting. Some people can do that from Abroad. I know it is something I am trying to do. Of course, as you see, I have to be concerned of the global right-wing alliances trying to take over democracies like the one I live in.
Hallo Linda! I am THRILLED to have come across your Substack this evening here in New Jersey. I returned home a week ago after visiting family in Northern Germany (Cloppenburg) with a side trip to Berlin. My German cousin and I commiserated about our dread of the incoming U.S. president. Your thorough article has been eye-opening to me. My cousin speaks primarily German, and I English, so in-depth political points weren't communicated that well. I had learned about coalitions previously, but you explained it so well that I have a better grasp now. Danke schön.
I recently learned that even though I was born in the U.S., I have been a German citizen my whole life. My parents immigrated to the US but had me before they were naturalized. I now have a German passport and am thrilled to have more extensive options as a dual citizen.
I look forward to your future newsletters and learning more from you.
Illona, Thank you for your support. My daughter and I just returned from visiting family in the US. You do have options as a dual citizen. My daughter and I are both duals. It really has its advantages when traveling. I am in Northern Germany too. Coalitions are different from how things are done in the USA, so it helps to understand what is different.
So, do you think you will be coming to Germany more often? All of the Americans I know here in my German city speak German to varying degrees, but my German friends mostly don't speak English, so I can imagine that it would be that way for your cousin.
I am also hoping that Germans react differently to Elon Musk's meddling than Americans have. We shall see how that plays itself out in the upcoming election. I will be discussing the election a couple of times. I also wrote an article about the AfD that you might like to read as well.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/the-afd-in-germany?r=f0qfn
Yes, I do plan on visiting more. I have a whole other contingent of cousins in Bremerhaven so I hope to visit there next time. German was my first language, plus I had 8 years of German weekend school growing up. I don’t know the big words though as they relate to the world, business, government, etc. Duolingo is helping as they had a whole section on German election lingo.
I will definitely check out the link on the Afd. Thanks 😊
That is great that you can find that vocabulary on elections in Duolingo. It is great that you are reviving your German. Coming here for a course would help too. Actually I don't know where you live, but besides the Goethe Institute, Chicago has course at the DANK Haus Kinder Schule, but they also have them for adults, and most of them are taught online. My daughter took her C1 test with them. She was in Chicago, but there were people in her class that were in other cities. Her instructor, who was great, was in a city in Northern Germany as well.
Wonderful essay!!!! I can’t tell you how much I learned from your article. Being isolated in the middle of America we do not know what is going on in the world despite access to the internet. As an historian of mid 20thC
European and American religious history has its pitfalls in not knowing what is happening now in Europe or the EU. Thanks for all your work on making the article very comprehensive!
Yes, yes, what all the others said!
I might only caution against casual endorsement of the United Arab Emirates. UAE appears to be funding half the huge war on civilians in Sudan.
UAE also has a controlling interest in the largest military company in our tiny state of Vermont. Global Foundries.
UAE is perhaps another musk in waiting.
Re: the UAE. Agreed!
Good evening Linda. Thank you for your comment - see "Muskwatch" - and invite. As someone further downthread said, I have learned a whole lot from reading this piece.
I'll be back.