overseas briefing Germany's political water cooler

Author: Rachael Carrasquillo

BERLIN - One of the most difficult classes I took this semester at the Freie Universität in Berlin was Introduction to International Relations. I realized after the first two weeks that I was missing something that all of the other students in the class had - namely, years of experience studying and living in the European Union. Examples that were obvious to them flew straight over my head, and I found myself completely frustrated by examples that came as second nature to German students. I was feeling insecure and humbled, questioning if the last 14 years of my education had somehow failed to provide me with a basic foundation, until very recently.

It started a few weeks ago at Curry 36, an imbiss, or street-side food vendor, that serves arguably the best currywurst in the city. I happen, by nature, to be a very loud person, and was discussing the upcoming primary elections with my German friend in a sort of German-English mixture while we gorged ourselves on sausage and french fries. Standing next to us was a middle-aged German businessman who put down his Beck's in order to ask which candidate I would be voting for. Berliners are not unfriendly people, but in my experience they tend to dole out withering looks rather than jump uninvited into conversations with Americans, yet he was genuinely interested in my opinion. This conversation quickly evolved into a detailed explanation of the American Electoral College, ending with a discussion as to whether each state should secede from the union and become their own country. When I tried to explain to him that some states had already attempted that, and it led to the American Civil War, I realized that we were all finished eating and the history lesson should probably end.

Last weekend at a friend's apartment I was once again engaged in a discussion of American politics. An interest in American politics is not unique to Germany, but there are subjects that are of particular interest for Berliners. They are fascinated with Barack Obama, often comparing him to John F. Kennedy, who famously delivered a speech, saying, "All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'" Kennedy remains a symbol of hope and freedom in this city almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War and over 40 years after his visit to West Berlin. The Germans dislike of George W. Bush is no secret, and when he famously gave Chancellor Angela Merkel an unexpected and unwanted backrub in a press conference, it was scrutinized in the media for weeks and videos are still circulating on YouTube.

As the election in November creeps nearer, friends and acquaintances, as well as strangers who can pinpoint my accent, frequently approach me with a multitude of political questions. Every interaction I have had has been overwhelmingly positive, and I am pleased to say that for each instance in which I have felt humbled and embarrassed by my ignorance concerning the European Union, I have felt gratified by my ability to speak knowledgeably on American history and politics both in and out of the lecture hall.