Between Two Worlds

I am not entirely sure I would like to approach setting up this new blog. All of the ones I have read so far write to an anonymous "audience." I set this one up to keep my friends and family involved in our lives since we live so far away. However, I do see the plus side of writing my thoughts and expereinces, especially since I live in another country.

I have lived in Germany since October, 2000. During this time, I have had the luxury of visiting home one to two times a year. In fact, when I was pregnant with Nils, I visited 3 times within a twelve-month period!

I love my home here. I don't ever anticipate returning to live in the US; I am far too comfortable here. I consider this my home now. But the distance has led to a "disconnect" that I feel. I am less and less connected to my (pop)cultural roots in the US, but I have yet to have an extensive enough "root system" in place here. Here's an example- I subscribe to USA Today. Over the years, I read less and less of it since Sports and Life (TV) don't mean anything. I don't care about the next American Idol. But I still have no idea who the Idol in Germany is.

Which leads me to my next thought: is it even important to know? Probably not, but what of my new (pop)culture have I absorbed? Certainly not mainstream television, outside of a one or two imported television shows dubbed in German. And not sports, since I am not a soccer, handball, or hockey fan. Could it be politics? As a former political science student, I certainly find politics very interesting. But the complexity of this topic in a language that is not my own can be daunting. When I read about health insurance reform in English, it is already complicated. In German, it can be downright depressing to see how much more I still need to learn.

As time goes on, what happens in the US becomes less and less important, yet what happens here doesn't necessarily increase. My main worry is that someday the US side will be of practically no interest to me, yet the German side will still be underdeveloped. Or that, after being here for so long, people will begin to expect a lot more of me and my understanding of their country.