Archive for July, 2011

It can be really annoying to live in the middle of Hollywood sometimes. There always seems to be a premiere on Hollywood Boulevard, which means closed roads and for me a hell of a trip back home from work. That can be almost as annoying as the helicopters that sometimes fly over our heads for a whole evening. But living in Hollywood also has its ups! We decided to go out for a little walk and get coffee in the little shopping mall next to the Kodak Theatre today.

Right across the street is the theatre, in which they shoot the Jimmy Kimmel Show. And tonight Jimmy Kimmel had Lady Gaga as a guest and had her perform on an open air stage right behind the theatre. After getting coffee we decided to walk around the theatre and check out if the show was already over. A strange coincidence let us arrive almost the minute Lady Gaga went on stage, so we did not only get coffee tonight but also a free Lady Gaga show on top!

These moments make it feel so unreal to live in the middle of a major city like LA and also in the middle of Hollywood. Back in Cologne it would have been impossible to just walk 10 minutes and be in the middle of a concert screening or a movie premiere. But here it’s almost normal. Thank you for that, Hollywood!

I have to admit that Flo and I watch way too many german TV shows about people emigrating to foreign countries. Sadly most of them are super naive and think that moving to a new country means that you won’t have to work as much as you did in Germany. That actually makes me so mad. I hope none of you lucky Greencard winners who are about to move to our new home country, thinks that! Because let me tell you that: Moving here means work! And not only work to earn money!

Besides working for a living – which actually is a lot over here, because living is really expensive – you have to work on yourself in so many different ways: You have to work on the language, you have to work on your social skills and you have to work on your attitude! Because moving to a new country does not only mean joy. Don’t get me wrong: I love living here, I love our new life and I don’t regret that step at all. But I had to be brave in so many situations and that normally is so not me!

Sometimes Flo and I feel like little children or maybe people who study at nights after they did their day job. Moving abroad means being a student non-stop. I would say at least for a year! Sometimes it’s nice to learn new stuff, sometimes it’s surprising, but sometimes it’s also hard! But it also is a huge adventure! One you should appreciate! Even if it means a lot of work!

We met a girl from Switzerland in our apartment complex last week. She moved her about two years ago to go to an acting school. We were kind of shocked to hear that this girl is here only with a student visa and is not allowed to work. She has to rely on her savings and hopes that she will get a work permit soon. This talk made me kind of realize that we are so blessed to have a Greencard and be able to live and work here for as long as we want.

I actually never really thought about it that way. For sure I feel super lucky to have a Greencard and I am beyond thrilled to live here in Los Angeles. But at this moment I began to think about how it would be to live here, love it, but have that thought in your head that you will have to leave soon. For me – and for Flo, too – leaving Los Angeles is so out of the question right now. We love living here, are happy and don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

So to everyone who won the Greencard this year: Cherish this opportunity and be aware how rare this is!