Earlier this month there was heated discussion on defining the difference between a “German” vs. “German national” on the German Way Forum. This debate hits close to home as my husband and I have lived seemingly parallel lives as second-generation Koreans. The difference being that I was born and raised in the U.S. and he in Germany. More than geographic though, the greater difference is that I grew up in a culture where I was eventually encouraged to embrace my American identity as both an American citizen and an ethnic Korean while he remained a Korean citizen till he was in his late 20s and considered himself Korean rather than German for a long time. While he has since resolved his internal debate, it’s the external one that continues to ensue.
Debates relating to the German vs. German national difference abound as we have seen in the Forum discussion. To name a few more which I have witnessed while living in Germany: I was astounded to learn that a good friend of mine here, who was born and raised in southern Germany to Croatian parents, chooses to have a Croatian passport rather than a German one. READ MORE »
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