French politics is hard to grasp if you reside outside this beautiful country. It’s still hard to grasp after living in Paris for five years. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised during my vacation at home this summer that Austrians know about the possibility of swimming in the Seine with a huge orange buoy, but have never…
This essay dates from the beginning of September, a period the French cherish as “la rentrée”. The words spilled out of my fingers right before plunging into my final months of PhD research. My train arrives at 22:13 on a Sunday. I hop on the métropolitaine, barely squeezing in between what feels like a thousand…
While travelling the beautiful country of Ecuador in July of this year, I had a new realization about our free market economy. I was aware that brutal market dynamics could kill small innocent businesses or that fierce competition in Europe could lead to horrible working conditions in Southeast Asia. But there is one market I…
France is a champion at imposing strict lockdown measures. At least compared to my experience in Germany, the government here seems to wage a much more severe war against the virus. When leaving my house, I am obliged to carry a (digital) sheet of paper with me, listing information about my identity, address and purpose…
Some days feel like they’re supposed to be joke. Today, the 29th of October, is a great example. This morning, I realized that my bike had disappeared from our bike cellar. While waiting at the police station to report the theft, I read on the news that three people had been stabbed in Nice. Only…
I want to write again. But how? For over a month, I have been living in France without publishing a single blog post. But why? My mind is drowning in a flood of ideas for articles. There is no lack of inspiration or content, no one stopping me from uploading a text. Back in the…
Imagine all crises participated in a casting show. The jury, in big leather seats, are nation leaders from all around the world. Their job is to judge who’s the worst, who they care about the most. And so the crises perform on stage: The poverty crisis steals the jury’s food, the refugee crisis dumps a…
There is one question that’s easier to answer when your world seems to come to an end. Unlike other inquiries that need your life situation to be stable and secure, this question benefits from crises: “What really matters to you?”“What are your core values?”During times of stability, this can be hard to answer. While just living…
Imagine a society where no one complains about the coronavirus. Sounds wonderful to you? Then you’re lucky because we might soon get to that point! During the last decades, the world has rapidly evolved to be more global, more digital and more flexible. However, these changes have brought a shift towards more individualism, more loneliness…
How long does it take to adjust to a new place? During the last months, this question has been a central element of this blog. Right now, though, I’m experiencing the opposite: We humans are readjusting insanely fast. The world we call home seems to be sucking in our recently acquired new self from abroad…
Why would a TV station employ foreign correspondents? They only appear on screen when something important happens in their country. In the case of some states, this can be extremely rare. Still, these people are academically qualified and must be paid a reasonable salary. How can all of this be worth the effort? These are…
“Hiii, welcome at The Best Restaurant. I’m Cate and I’m happy to be serving you today!” “Do you have any questions? Is everyone ready to order?” “What a great choice!” Reading these quotations, you might judge Cate to be an artificial, awkward and exaggerated waitress. She seems to be overly enthusiastic, faking excitement and friendliness…
