Blog

  • More rules more rebels

    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…

  • A serious game?

    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…

  • Spiral of doing

    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…

  • Stay at home society

    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…

  • Biased lenses

    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…

  • Enthusiasm, where are you?

    “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…

  • Fear of returning

    “Are you looking forward to leaving?” To be honest, I’m not. There are so many things left to discover in the US, so many adventures left to be lived. Still, I’m looking forward to going home. Of course, I need to leave in order to return to Germany, but it’s not the leaving itself I’m…

  • Reviewing a year

    The most popular songs of 2019 are being played on the radio; a compilation of the most tragic events is followed by the most hilarious cat pictures of the year on television. Newspapers, Spotify and Facebook guarantee we remember our “very personal” 2019. The world is being drowned in a flood of nostalgia that comes…