World beware: Right-Wing Populism is on the Rise!

This blog has been silent for (almost) the past two years ... Oops!
But I don't feel like keeping it quiet anymore.



Back in Germany, today was "Super (Election) Sunday". Three states of Germany elected their regional (= state) parliaments. Here in the United States, there currently is a caucus or preliminary election in every state every week or so trying to determine a suitable candidate for presidency with the big election coming up in November.

We are allowed to vote in Germany on the federal level only (as "Germans living abroad"), but not lower than that. We will most likely never be allowed to vote in the US because it would require U.S. citizenship. So we are only observing.

Interesting observations: Back in Germany, the Green Party (Die Grünen) won the elections in Baden-Württemberg, a traditionally conservative state where the CDU has been the strongest party since WW2. Here in the U.S., Bernie Sanders is challenging Hillary Clinton more than anticipated - and Donald Trump is (still) highly popular.

Donald Trump as presidental candidate is still a thing. Nobody would have anticipated that one year ago. From John Oliver to SNL, not to mention several Late Night Show hosts - everyone has their own take in ridiculing this supposedly unlikely presidential candidate. Questionable hair (hamster? grass mat?), a tie matching his regular face color, an outspoken, but continously self-contradicting personality (see the John Oliver segment) - and currently leading GOP polls. (Whether he will actually be nominated is another question.)

He is "not from the political establishment" and "speaks out what we think" - those seem to be the two leading causes to vote for Trump. Channeling fears of migration issues and the promise to build a wall at the Mexican border ...

... sounds rather familiar compared to a newly risen star on the German party horizon: AfD (Alternative für Deutschland = Alternative for Germany). They started their campaign a couple of years back fighting against the common currency Euro, but no one took them seriously. The European refugee crisis has helped them gain popularity. As determined by today's election results. Two digit percentages in all three states. They even made it to be the second strongest party in our previous home state of Saxony-Anhalt with a whopping 20-25% of votes (based upon recent predictions, final results still pending). And I am rendered speechless. 

Similar to Donald Trump, the AfD channels fears.

In the current situation of Germany, they particularly channel fears of "Überfremdung" or "over-alienation" of the (Christian) German nation by (Muslim) Arab refugees taking away their goods, their jobs, their girls.

Stupid if you ask me. Or everyone else with any sense in their body and minds (= most people I know). But I am fairly educated, lived most of my life in a re-united Germany and have extensively traveled and - in the past years - experienced living abroad, meeting people from different countries. At least the first three things are true for most of my friends back in Germany. But most of them had to leave Saxony-Anhalt after their studies because there were no jobs available. I feel confident that among those who stayed, none voted AfD.

But that is also part of the special demographics in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Saxony-Anhalt has always had a very low percentage of foreign nationals living in its boundaries. Nevertheless (or because of that?), it has always had a relatively high percentage of political right-wing motivated offenses. "Being afraid of the unknown" taken to the extreme. And many educated people followed job offers from elsewhere, leaving the less educated, maybe jobless people behind.

Combine that with a sense of "not being understood or feeling represented" by the regular parties. And unlike the US, there are more than two, namely five major parties covering the whole political spektrum: Die Linke (Left Party), Die Grünen (Green Party), SPD (Social Democratic Party), FDP (Liberal Party) and CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic/Social Union) besides countless others.

The rise of the AfD started with demonstrations in multiple German cities against "the islamization of the western civilization". The refugee crisis divides Germany, showing both its pretty and its ugly face: More volunteers and donations than could be handled on one side, demonstrations and attacks on refugees asylums on the other. The more refugees came, the louder voices got. Criticism against Chancellor Merkel rose: "We can't take all refugees!" vs. her (truly Christian if you ask me) determination to grant asylum to every refugee as stated by the law. And this decision does not agree with the more conservative wing of the CDU and her (Bavarian) sister party CSU - while Merkel steers towards the middle, the most conservative former CDU voters switch further right welcoming the ideas of the AfD.

I am not naive and I don't believe every single one of those one million refugees Germany took in in 2015 came with good intentions. There are enough cases proving otherwise.
But there is no reason to fear them, either. Germany is a dying nation, we need new, young workers. But it's a long way from arriving at a refugee group home here in Germany to finally being allowed to work. Paperwork has to be filed, background stories and origin to be checked. Frustration is building among the refugees who feel stuck. I understand (having been through a lighter version of this when coming to the USA).

But I do not understand how so many people can fall for right-wing populism. You don't have to have a degree in History to figure out similarities between Germany in the early 1930's and today. You don't have to follow every single move or word or tweet of those populists to see how they are contradicting themselves or actively opposing human rights. The AfD feels attacked by mainstream media and is calling them "Lügenpresse" (= "mendacious press"), but does not condemn attacks on mainstream media which have reportedly happened during their demonstrations and ralleys. I hate double standards. 

And I wonder: Does this statement make this blog post a hate speech?


Maybe it just shows that I have more in common with those voters than I thought: I feel helpless. But not because I don't feel represented by the political establishment. I feel condemned to observe.



Oh, one last word, dear USA: Bernie Sanders is far away from being a socialist - based on European standards.

Until TÜV does us part ...

This is about cars. Yes, I am seriously writing about cars.
 

TÜV is one of many German abbrevations. It is short for "Technischer Überwachungs-Verein" which translates roughly to "Technical Surveillance Society". And it is very often a nightmare for German car owners. Why?

Well, TÜV does not only stress-test every masterpiece of (German) engineering that appears for sale on the market - no matter if bike helmets, car seats, or wheelchairs. No. It is mandatory for every car in Germany to pass an inspection by TÜV biannually. New cars have three years only their first inspection. But afterwards - every two years. No exemption. And a hefty fee of at least 100 Euro (about $130) is charged for the main inspection and an exhaust emission test.

Of course, this fee increases when the inspector thinks that your car needs repairs because it is a "danger for the road" in its current condition: Relining the brakes, remove rust from critical parts of the underbody, new tires as the tread pattern is no longer existing ... Whatever they say, it needs to be done. And a second inspection within a month needs to be passed, too.

Sometimes they would even declare a car a complete loss or economical wreck. Therefore, a very popular saying in Germany among owners of those mainly older cars is "I am driving my car until TÜV does us part." You got the reference?! - Well, my first car nearly went that way, but in the end was sacrificed for the Abwrackprämie, Merkels answer to the economical crisis of 2008. (Everybody received €2,500 bonus for purchasing a brand new car. For my little Fiesta with a value of about 10% of that, that was an offer not to be declined. My parents got a new car, I got their old one.)

Why I am writing this? Well, you have to understand why some vehicles that are driven on streets here in the US are simply ridiculous through our eyes.  TÜV would have parted owner and car long ago under German laws. Need examples? Here we are!

Happened to be parked in front of a walmart. No surprise here.

 Well, in this case the visible tires obviously don't match. The back left one was a significantly smaller spare tire. Unfortunately, you can barely see that the trunk and bumper were connected with a lot of transparent duct tape. And yes, there is a large rust hole.

But that is nothing compared to this one ...
Yes, Minnesota winters are harsh and not very car friendly - because of the cold, the salt, whatever. And not everybody owns a garage to keep the car safe from weather hazards. 
I wonder if this one has the Fred Flintstone brake system ...

Seen in St. Paul, MN.

And our latest discovery, on the parking lot of the movies. Toyota advertises that "90% of our Corollas are still on the roads after ten years" - but doesn't mention the shape they are in for a reason. This must be the Home Depot SE.

On our weekly phone call, I showed this picture to my parents. Their faces were priceless!


After living in the US for more than 20 months now, we got used to the amount of cars with bumps and dents. We also know why - car owners did not insure self-inflicted damages. Or somebody hit their car and left - they have no one to blame and their insurance won't pay. 


By the way, we took self-inflicted damages out of our insurance policy, too. Our rate is still ridiculously high, but went down by about 40% after this reduction. Since our driving history in Germany (both Alex and I have been driving for 12 years!) was not taken into account by our insurance, we carry the risk factors of young, unexperienced drivers. Yeah. Then why is our mechanic full of praise for the extraordinary shape our 10 year old car is in?

My (imaginary) shopping list for Germany

We are leaving for Germany and some time with friends and family in a week from today. The flight is long, but however – usually the entertainment isn’t that bad. It’s a night flight, too, leaving at 8:00pm, so we hope to be able to sleep a bit on the plane.

Meanwhile, we have pretty much adjusted to most things that still seem strange to someone living in Germany. The variety of bread isn’t too small at all and if we have a real craving for bread with a crust – well, I bake a loaf myself. But there are some things I’d really like to bring from Germany although there are limitations – like costums or the lack of practicality. So this is my (partly) imaginary shopping list of “German” things I’d like to bring here.

A hair cut

Okay – this is easily achieved. Maybe it is my lack of vocabulary when it comes to hair and styling, but somehow I usually don’t look like I wanted to when leaving the hair dresser. Or maybe she’s just not very good at her job. However, I want to have my hair cut in the two weeks in Germany. Where I had my hair done for our wedding. Nothing more, nothing less.

Deodorant

In the US, I ended up buying deo sticks which are quite uncommon in Germany. We mostly use roll-ons. I have no idea why this difference exists, but however. I want to restock our supplies, especially for my husband. First and foremost: Roll-ons have the big advantage of not ripping out armpit hair … and secondly, I am kind of addicted to the smell of the German brand Nivea for men on him. ;)

Bath tissue / toilet paper

Okay, let’s dig deeper into toiletries: 1-ply or 2-ply in the US vs. 3-ply or 4-ply in Germany! And why less plies are more expensive – again: no idea! I miss 4-ply paper from time to time and will definitely enjoy using it in Germany. (Yes, I know why weird this sounds.) Once I have read a study about the way of using bath tissue in different countries: folding vs wrapping vs clewing. I am a folder, most Americans are supposed to be “clewers” – maybe that’s why my husband and I like our hiney paper thicker?

Coffee pods

Alex and I have a single serve coffee maker called Senseo. This system is quite popular in Germany where we have had one before, coffee pods are sold in every supermarket. However, since the system is far less popular in the US, we are forced to purchase our refills on amazon. But we always restock our coffee supplies in Germany, too.

Dad’s smoked ham (in German: Schinken)

How I would love to introduce Schinken to our bacon loving Texan friends! But unfortunately, costums don’t agree. It is not allowed to bring meat products into the US. *sigh* But well, at least Alex and I are most likely to be fed with all the good German meat stuff while we are there …

Mom’s strawberry jam (Erdbeermarmelade)

I’m not sure if it is allowed to bring canned fruits into the US … Last time we did, packing the jam in socks and then forgot to report them on the costums form. Actually, we really forgot. 

Actually, I also miss Quark - Greek yogurt is quite close, but not the same. But bringing a dairy product is nonsense.

German-Spanish dictionary

Since I am planning to continue taking classes at community ed, a German-Spanish dictionary would be much more helpful to get the nuances. Though it is fun to learn a language based on my second language, I sometimes need to go back to my mother tongue. For the same reasons I now know that calling a Radiergummi rubber (BE as learnt by me in fith grade) causes at least irritation among US students. Especially in junior high it might be better to go by eraser in order to avoid giggling.

Optional: Dress up for work!

Though my husband would call that not necessary, I might order some more tops and pants suitable for work. Especially tops – so far they have mostly been either expensive or too short in length. Maybe I’ll be lucky and make a good bargain.

And I also have to learn some more math vocabulary on the plane in order to prepare for my teaching job …

Easter – and we went to church

The Easter weekend is a long one in Germany. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays. In Minnesota, both days are regular workdays – except for the fact, that there was no school on Good Friday, but the first day of spring break.  

My friend Steph was really surprised by the fact that Christian traditions cause most holidays in Germany, for example the long weekend off, while Christianity is not that important in German daily life. That is the complete opposite of what we experience here in the quite conservative Midwest. It is a little unthinkable for most people that Alex and I still have not joined a church community – we haven’t found one yet, but haven’t searched actively.

Though Germany celebrates its Christian roots a lot, most people do not attend church service though they might belong to a church (and therefore pay taxes). About 58% of the more than eighty million inhabitants of Germany are listed as Christians, the numbers for Protestants and Catholics are nearly equal in total. But traditionally, the southwest has always been more catholic and the northeast more protestant. A rising percentage of 38% is “unaffiliated with any religion”. The biggest minority are muslims (less than 3% of the population in total). And yes, there are also Jewish communities in Germany – as far as I know, mainly in Frankfurt and Berlin, but there are smaller communities in and around every larger city (even my former university city Halle has a synagogue).

Alex and I are both evangelical Lutherans which is kind of synonym to Protestant – at least in Germany. The variety of churches offered in the U.S. was (and still is) something completely new to us! However, Easter Sunday seemed to be a good starting point for going to church. In my case, it was the first time of attending service in the U.S.

The easter cross waiting in the lobby.

 

We joined our friends at the traditional service at Autumn Ridge Church: Classic church choir and a small orchestra instead of gospel choir and band (in the contemporary service). The church building itself was highly functional as so many in the U.S. are: One room for child care during service, a café and many more. The hall itself reminded me more of the auditorium of my high school than of a church back in Germany. A stage instead of a presbytery. Huge screens instead of hymnals. A speaker's desk instead of a pulpil. The pastor wearing a suit instead of a cassock. At the end of service no “Our father”, but “only” intercessions.

Yes, I know that I do compare apples to oranges (by the way: in German we would compare apples to pears) and of course – in the end the style does not matter. Besides, I also found similarities: The amout of singing, for example – and I recognized the melodies from two of three songs (though they are all kind of logical), but one of them was the melody of a Christmas song (“Tochter Zion”). The sermon itself was more evangelical (about the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead) and less appealing to our conscience. But again: That is only something our Lutheran souls would have expected. I enjoyed the service, after all.

We are currently thinking about attending a Lutheran church service (maybe for Pentecost?). And there are plenty of Lutheran churches in town: Lutheran Missouri Synod, Lutheran Wisconsin Synod, Lutheran ELCA … The latter is considered to be more progressive, they do for example allow female pastors and do not exclude anybody because of his or her sexual orientation. They even support same-sex marriage which is currently discussed at the Supreme Court. I could not join a church community who does not support this.

At the moment, the campaign on facebook and other social media is still running, many have chosen the pink and red = as their profile picture as a sign of support. I put it here in my blog. 

= Yes, I do support same sex marriage.

More facts and numbers about same-sex marriage here: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/11/politics/btn-same-sex-marriage/index.html

Nobody chooses his or her sexuality. No one should be excluded because he or she loves a person of the same sex. No one should be forced into a heterosexual, maybe unhappy life. We are all God’s Children, no matter what. Just my two cents.

And yes, I know that Germany is also lacking the support of same-sex marriage since the law there only allows “civil unions”. Let's see what happens after the election this fall. But there will always be people argueing with the bible about this issue - on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Life in comparison – our personal FAQ

After three weeks in Germany to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with family and meeting friends, we are back in Minnesota now for a month. My nose has already adjusted to the slight smell of chloride the tap water over here has (luckily not as bad as in Houston, but of course worse than the natural water from my parents’ own fountain). And so did my scalp which awfully reacted to the combination of dry and cold weather at first, making my hair look awfully greasy. Hum, working on that.

Further, I am now a patient of the very huge Mayo Clinic: Got a general check-up and all kind of blood tests taken (mostly because of my thyroid malfunction). And I have started taking a Spanish class (provided by Rochester Community Education) and want to continue that since I love (learning) foreign languages. And though I mostly let Alex drive when the two of us are on the road especially with the snow and unsure road conditions, I really enjoy the more relaxed way of driving here. And meanwhile, we also got our Minnesota plates: Good Bye, Texas plates!

Standard plate: Minnesota (land of) 10,000 lakes

Upon our visit in Germany, we were asked a lot of questions about living in the USA. Some prejudices could already be eliminated by showing some of our photos: “Look, there are wind power plants!” (Somewhere in Iowa.) Though I must admit that most of my born and raised in the countryside friends were highly impressed by pictures of downtown Houston.

So here they are, our very personal FAQ from Germany, asked somewhere between caring and winking.

FAQ1: “What do you eat?”

A lot. Containing a lot of fat. And we do always eat. So far the cliché. In fact, nothing has changed that much about our diet. Since we have moved to Rochester and it is everything but too hot to use the stove, I enjoy cooking as much as I did back in Germany. Mostly soups or stews because they perfectly match the cold weather. Casseroles or a hearty “hot dish” would also be typical for Minnesota, but I haven’t tried one yet (and am just wondering why).

noodle soup with meat balls

I have even started baking my own bread because I do miss bread which cannot be squeezed (and then pops up again): a healthy 3-grain whole wheat flour bread with buttermilk – a recipe my mom gave me. And I want to try another German recipe with carrots and walnuts. But the local grocery stores like HyVee or Trader’s Joe (organic) also offer some good quality “like German” bread. We even have an ALDI food market here! Great for stocking up the pantry, but also offering some German products including Spätzle (Swabian noodles) or Pumpernickel (really dark rye bread). And the selection of reasonable priced cheeses is great.

But we adopted several things from over here: oatmeal (but made from scratch and milk, please!) or waffles for special occasion breakfasts (we usually have some toast). Alex has discovered peanut butter, while I prefer to stay with (Canadian) Nutella. In Germany, we mostly had warm lunch and a cold dinner – that has changed now, too.

German Bread can't be squeezed!

FAQ2: “In the supermarket, you can only buy everything in huuuge containers.”

Well, that is true – but I am getting used to it. Half a gallon of milk is what we mostly buy, the usual German size would be one liter – a little more than a quart. But milk – and orange juice as well – is also available in close-to-four-liter containers. I have not bought frozen pizza yet (and don’t think I will), but the standard size seems to be larger than the German one – and I am not talking about a family pizza. I don’t think I would be able to finish a standard pizza over here on my own. Eggs usually  go by the dozen (10 in Germany). Cheese and cold cuts are in size comparable to Germany, at least in the quality we usually buy. And that is mostly organic, especially when it comes to eggs, milk, potatos and salad. If the farmer’s market is going to be more frequent, I would shop there, too.

And comparing prices for eggs from cage system housing (which is, by the way, forbidden in the European Union) to those from organic growth – well, though I like to eat chicken:  I simply fell pity for the hens whose eggs are worth less than a dime…

Huge for German standard: flour and sugar are usually sold in 2 pound packages (1kg)

FAQ3: “You have a huge car, that’s for sure. Everyone does.”

Pictures often tell more than words, don’t they?

It still drives ...

But no, that is not our car! But that is what they could look like, especially for www.peopleofwalmart.com. Duct tape helds either the trunk or the whole backside of the car in place, the car is obviously rusty and – not to be seen in this picture – the tire on the back left was a lot smaller.

But well, compared to the Renault Twingo we had in Germany, everything is bigger. We now are proud owners of a sedan which would be a perfect car for senior citizens on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in color and size: a golden Kia Optima, nine years old. It came with an automatic theft control – commonly known as manual transmission. We have no plans of purchasing a SUV since we invested a lot in that car. For example, we needed a new crank shaft sensor after our road trip.

Kia, back in Houston

FAQ4: “Have you already purchased a gun?”

No. And that won’t happen that fast. If I am informed correctly, we would at least need a green card for purchasing one in a store. And though hunting is a common hobby up here in the north, we have no plans of buying. (By the way: After the shooting in Connecticut – what a tragedy – in December, the sale rates for guns have risen, mostly because people are afraid of stricter laws.)

FAQ5: “How about folks?”

Well folks, folks is different. As different as in Germany! Not all Germans drink beer, eat sausage and love eating kraut all the time while listening to German folk music. And not all Americans shoot from while driving their Ford V8 pick-up. It is more likely they would be texting or talking on their cell phone. But however, on both sides of the Atlantic, there are such folks.

When it comes to the Upper Midwest, the people here are best described as being “Minnesota nice”. That implies being kind of friendly in general, based on the principle “Don’t believe you are better than others.” So far, we have not have the chance to get to know people better – except for the Auton family. On first sight, most contacts are made by either having children or church. Both things do not apply in our case. We still feel not comfortable with how important church and faith over here is, therefore we don’t involve in church. You would say “keep your fingers crossed” or “wish me luck” in Germany, over here it is called “I pray for you”. That still feels strange, even to my German Lutheran heart and soul.

I am sorry it took me so long to post …