I'm once again visiting Hawaii, this time on the island of Maui. Since 2010 I've been on a continuing quest for Germanic-Hawaiian connections. Even here in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, 12 time zones away from Europe, there are many more than one might think....
The GW Expat Blog
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German culture in America
Guide to German Nutcrackers
I had a nutcracker or two growing up, gaily dressed as soldiers and watching over me as I slept. Once I moved out, my mom pulled them out for the holidays and added a few new friends. Then a few more..til there was a horde of nutcrackers to accompany our tree for the...
Goethe and Schiller in San Francisco
German Culture at the "Goldenen Thor" During a recent visit to San Francisco I got a surprising reminder of how truly widespread and important German culture once was in the United States – before two world wars drastically changed the role it played in America. My...
A Prussian in Hawaii: Heinrich Berger and the Royal Hawaiian Band
The story of Heinrich (later Henry) Wilhelm Berger has fascinated me ever since I first learned about the Prussian military musician. Berger traveled all the way from Berlin to Honolulu in 1872 - no simple journey in that day and age. Prussian Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm...
Losing Language
It was inevitable. Our German was bound to get worse upon departure. The first year, mine seemed to remain intact. I was still feeling pretty German, and I spoke German almost daily with our German preschool teachers, with other German-speaking parents, and with our...
German Cuisine: a Comforting Constant
One of the small things that charmed me about our San Diego neighborhood when I first visited it, was the presence of a small, independent used cookbook store. Sadly, it's closing this Christmas. The owner explained to me that she can make more money working less...
“Almanya” in San Diego
San Diego kicked off its first German Film Festival, German Currents in 2011. It seemed to be a long time coming considering that there are an estimated 100,000 Germans living in the San Diego metro area and Orange County. The festival opened with the screening of...
Credit card differences
I was planning to write today about the problems sometimes encountered by Americans when they try to use their US credit card in Europe. As fortune would have it, I experienced exactly the reverse yesterday: Trying to use a German card in the US. I was helping a...
How many Germans are international travelers?
Germans have a reputation as travelers. They even claim to be the Reiseweltmeister (world champions of travel). Indeed, many citizens of Germany do travel abroad and in Germany. If you visit US national parks, as I did this month, you could get the impression that...
“Kölle Alaaf” in San Diego!
It's February. In our process of settling in as a Korean American German family here in San Diego, the next event on the calendar was Karneval. I mentioned the holiday to my daughter expecting her to recall some of it from her Kindi days in Aalen at least from...
Living the German Way in San Diego – Part 1
I admit that I was probably a bit whingey in my last message. I've had some time to get over my homesickness for Germany and Europe and embrace San Diego. It's nothing like Deutschland, but the living is so easy and the weather is as perfect (always in the 20s C/70s F...
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