Like a phoenix resurrecting from its ashes, like a late inning rally when all hope seemed lost, like the Ultimate Warrior getting a second wind after two Hulk Hogan leg drops in Wrestlemania 6….. the blogger is back! Same blog name, a testament to everything still being “all good,” but a different focus of course. I apologize to my faithful 4 or 5 readers for never hitting you with the all-inclusive Brazil wrap-up entry. Water under the bridge, bygones be bygones….whatever. New trip, new entries, and new stories, so let’s do the dam thing! It’s sort of unfitting to label this a “trip.” Yes, my bags are packed and I went thru the typical motions of previous stints abroad – informed the banks of int’l activity, hibernated the cell phone account, bought Pepto bismol in case any local foods turn sour. But my return date to the US is not fixed nor is there a start of the semester or grad program waiting for me on the other side whenever it is that I head back to the States; just what I make for myself. I’m in a different mode, different zone this time around. It’s a new chapter, if you will. To bore you for a second…..
I started a new job with a Paris-based business-to-business communications company called Focus Reports. We partner with trade publications, business journals, magazines, and newspapers and write up country reports that are consistent with their editorial content. Business journalism, long story short. Right now I'm in Germany doing a report on the country’s green technology sector. So we're interviewing companies that are in the business of renewable energies, energy efficiency, and any company that sits along that value chain – solar, wind power, biofuel, water management, electrical engineering etc – and picking their brains about their company and industry. The report is coming out in November for a government newspaper in China. Germany as a country is one of the world leaders in renewable energies and of course China being China – large, booming, fueled by dirty coal power, and a gazillion people and growing – the point of the report is to open up partnerships and business in this sector between the two countries.
Or……..I am working for the CIA. You decide.
I arrived in Paris going on three weeks ago on the morning of Wednesday August 19 to “check-in” at HQ and was on a train for Mannheim, Germany by later that same afternoon. I had a meeting Thursday morning and straight from there we jumped on the autobahn and drove 5 hours to Berlin. Fast, furious, and with great views of the countryside, the autobahn really is just the German interstate highway. Yes, we go really fast with average speeds of about 90 mph and, being Germany after all, three out of every four cars is either a BMW, Benz, or Volkswagon. But there are many sections with posted speed limits and not that many cars top out at lightning speeds, contrary to popular belief. I was in Berlin for a little under a week and am now in Frankfurt. Through the wonders of technology when I started writing this entry I was at a small café, had just finished talking to a friend for free on Skype and was live streaming Ted Kennedy’s funeral mass. Living abroad feels much more domestic. I highly encourage you to sign up for a Skype account, if you don’t have one already. It’s my selfish way of being able to talk to you for free. If you do sign up for an account search for me under MFBMendoza and add me as your friend. Or, I recently subscribed to a monthly Skype plan that gives me unlimited calls to US landlines and cell phones. So as long as I have your cell number I can harass you with incessant phone calls.
What can I say, Germany is pretty cool. Originally my first assignment was supposed to be China. I got my Chinese visa from the consulate in NY and was all set to go. But the day before I left I got a call from the Paris office and they called an audible on me: Germany first instead of China. Admittedly I was a little bummed. I had my mind set on a cheap exchange rate, Asian food, tailor-made suits, and long weekend trips to the Philippines. But Germany has been full of pleasant surprises and I’m liking the experience a lot thus far.
Berlin is a pretty kick-ass city. It is vibrant, culturally diverse, and perhaps best of all, for a western European capital it is extremely cheap. I can eat not just comfortably, but often times excessively, for under 4 euros – burgers, kebabs, sandwiches, and of course bratwurst. The city obviously is rich in history, both good and bad. Europe across the board is pretty mellow this time of year because everyone cuts out for summer “holidays.” Only now are people starting to filter back into the cities. On my third day in Berlin I took a free walking tour of the city and saw many of its historical sites – the current German parliament where Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor; a very solemn and moving Holocaust remembrance park; the present day site of Hitler’s bunker where he killed himself as Berlin was being bombed by the Allies; large sections of what remains of the Berlin Wall; and a lot of churches and cathedrals commissioned for construction by Friedrich the Great. Also occurring on the weekend of my tour was the champions marathon – one of the events of the World Track and Field Championship that was going on in Berlin that week. So many of the streets were blocked off and there was an excitement along the route as the runners passed by.
Most of the sites on my tour were located in what used to be East Berlin, but clustered very close to the border with the west. Walking through and around the historic landmarks I would often make the mistake of associating the sites with relics of a distant past. Recalling college lecture about Cold War history I would connect the landmarks to old history books and black and white documentaries on the History Channel. But my tour guide always sobered my perspective by reminding us that Berlin was a divided, incarcerated, walled city between Soviet and West just 20 years ago. 20 years ago……that’s like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jack Nicholson as the Joker, and Back to the Future II recent. As clearly as I remember 1989 because of my summer vacation in the Philippines and an earthquake rocking the Giants-A’s World Series, Berliners my same age do so because their city was reunified and they got to see estranged family members for the first time in their lives. So it says a lot about German industry and innovation to be as prosperous as it is, the largest economy in Europe, and a business leader just 20 years into reunification. (Of course there’s a whole discussion on US/Western aid and assistance during the Cold War but this is not a blog on political-economy….at least not yet)
I’m in Frankfurt right now and will probably be here for the rest of the month. Frankfurt is the financial center of Germany but it doesn’t necessarily feel like it. Like I said, Germany is industrialized, rich, modern, and home to many global businesses. So naturally any city that serves as the financial capital of such a country should have a buzz in the air and rush in the streets ala NYC, Tokyo, or London. Frankfurt, ehhhh, not so. Could be the holiday effect. But despite that, the city lacks an imposing skyline most of which should consist of skyscraping towers that are headquarters for global banks and businesses. It is a much quieter city than Berlin but still has a very international face to it as seen by the diversity of people here.
Asian representation gets MAAAAD LOVE here. The most dominant is surely Asia Minor – i.e. Turkey. They are by far the largest minority population. Every corner has a doner kebab shop. I know because I’ve tried most of them. But southeast Asians are well represented here too. There’s a plethora of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants and there’s lots of Filipinos here as well. I found a church nearby that has an English speaking mass and the place is chock full of Filipinos. There’s also a large African immigrant population. Yes, Africa as in the continent where Justin Kreamer lived for four months. We get it ok?!?!?!?
Even without interviewing companies on green tech I can easily see how green the country is. Smaller chain grocery stores don’t give out plastic bags for free; the country has the most number of business bikers I’ve ever seen…..bankers in their stylish Tommy Hilfiger suits peddling to work on their road bikes; and Smart cars rule the road.
The country has a huge Dunkin Donuts presence. I haven’t had any since I’ve been here but it’s good to know that I can fall back on my medium French Vanilla hot coffee with cream and sugar if I get hit with homesickness.
Germans adhere VERY VERY strictly to street crossing rules. It could be 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning on a dead empty road and 7 people are standing on the corner not even remotely thinking about crossing the street because the walk sign is red. (Think Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he tries to board the plane). 7 people are standing around waiting for the walk signal and there’s always one short Filipino-American shaking his head in laughter and also not thinking about crossing the road because he doesn’t want to be THAT guy. For that reason, there are no runners in the streets.
The metro systems in Frankfurt and Berlin operate on the honesty policy. There is no gate or turnstile to pass thru to board the subway. It is the passenger’s responsibility to buy a ticket and show it to a conductor who infrequently makes rounds to check. 40 euro fine no exceptions if you don’t have a ticket. I’ll admit, I’ve gotten around the system a few times. But seriously during mass today the priest in his homily told a short story about a time he had to pay a fine and for sure that was God’s way of telling me that the next time I try it I’m gonna get pinched.
I don’t speak a word of German. But English is very prevalent here so it’s easy to get around. I should learn some basic phrases though out of basic respect for the country and its people. It’s funny, when asking for directions or help on the street I’ll often ask first if the person speaks English. I realize that it’s a waste of a question on my end because even if they don’t, I continue to ask the question and talk to them in English.
OK that’s it for now. More, much more, to come soon. Welcome back to all my readers and let’s get it on!!
