Korean American in Germany

  After the horrific news of the mass shooting in Boulder Colorado two days ago, I was sad, numb and angry again like so many of us. Why is this happening again and again? Not now, since we are still in shock form the shootings in Atlanta....enough is enough.  And here we go again... One of the reasons why we moved to Germany is because we were tired of gun violence in the US.  This was not the only reason of course.  We were looking at moving to Europe for several years and wanted to try it earlier, actually.  But the timing was not perfect when we decided to move, since the kids were in high school and it was a really tough move.  It was expensive and stressful and just a lot of work.  But Marc had a job offer and we took the chance.  We were 50 and not getting younger.  We were getting worried about the expensive healthcare and the rising college tuition too.  Socially and politically the US was not healthy. Marc also has family in northern Germany and so this was a good choice. So,

  Last week there was an awful shooting in Atlanta where another unstable young white man killed 8 people including 6 Asian women. 4 of them were Korean, and some of them were similar in age to my mom.  My mom is 76 and more than ever, I am worried for her and my dad‘s safety. I was on a Zoom call with some Asian American community members and activists in Milwaukee a few days before this attack happened. We were discussing the intersection of Black Lives Matter and Asian Lives Matter.  And one the day after the tragic event, I attended a meeting for the Democrats Abroad AAPI Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus celebration and opening meeting for our Germany chapter.  We finally created our own caucus in Germany! Well, it was definitely not a celebratory atmosphere but we all felt relieved and supported surrounded by other Asian Americans and allies. It was comforting for me and not feeling isolated far away from the US. I felt like there were some folks who understood me and knew e

  Germany is known for its commitment to protecting the environment.  Before I moved here, I heard and read that Germans are really good at recycling and they are passionate about environmental issues.  And according to DW news, Germany was named recycling world champions in 2017 by the World Economic Forum.  Wow!  That is pretty impressive, I would say... The full article is interesting and speaks to how challenging it is to truly recycle all the materials and that not all can be recycled completely with lots of materials ending up in the landfills.  I am sure this is a problem in many other nations too. https://www.dw.com/en/plastic-waste-and-the-recycling-myth/a-45746469#:~:text=Germany%20is%20hailed%20worldwide%20as,a%20national%20pastime%20in%20Germany. When I first moved here, Marc had to educate me and the kids on which bins to use and where to sort out different materials.  You have the garbage bin, usually black, then the green Bio bin, where all the compost materials end up,

  Losing a Friend in Germany It was not an easy two weeks after leaving the hospital and recovering from the stress.  I know how stress affects my body and I can feel my body feeling out of control.  Also, I lost a  lovely friend, Liz Davis, last Sunday March 7th to cancer.  She was one of my first American friends I met in Erlangen!  We had a lot of fun when we met at the International Women's Group Christmas Party in December of 2019.  I remember her big smile and we were both just so happy to find each other!  We met for coffee to really get to know each other, and she opened up about her cancer diagnosis too.  But what I loved about Liz was her positivity and her passion for travel.  She and her family moved to Erlangen from Singapore and was excited to explore and learn about German life.  She was the one who inspired me to stay positive by telling me funny stories of her own cultural adjustments and interesting episodes!  She said to me very clearly, "I will keep smiling

 After all my venting and complaining during my adjustment process there are some things I do like about Germany.  I guess the longer one lives here some things you get used to and enjoy! Nature:  I love the beautiful forests in Germany.  I heard and read that Bavaria is very green and has tons of forests everywhere.  It is easy to get to a wooded area in 10 to 15 minutes by car or sometimes quite close to the cities.  We now live in Kraftshof, a small farming village, and the forest is literally 10 minute walk from my house.  I love exploring and wandering around and literally getting lost in the amazing forests.  Momo absolutely loves her long walks in them.  She is always super excited to be in the forest especially when she can meet some wild pigs and other critters!   Public Transportation:  I love the different types of public transportation around here, especially in Nuremberg.  There are subways, street cars, buses and trains and all quite well connected.  It is accessible and

 I started my German integration and language  class in February of 2020. It was an interesting class and I met some lovely new people.  Some of them are still friends and I am grateful to have new friendships here. We finally completed the language test and the Living in Germany orientation test in October and November of 2020.  It was a long and time consuming process especially due to the pandemic lockdown but I am glad I finally completed it.  But I am still very far from fluent and acculturated! One thing I particularly enjoyed about the class was that there were so many foreigner students.  They came from India, Bangladesh, Romania, Poland, Philippines, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, Russia, Iraq, Ukraine and Syria.  It was one of the few places where I interacted with different people from all over the world on a daily basis. We were definitely in our international/foreign bubble but so what, and at least for me, I felt totally comfortable in my diverse United Nations like environment. I