Posts Tagged ‘America’

One of the most annoying things of being an Alien in America (most likely being in alien in every other country with a different language, too) is that you have to say just one word and people ask you “Hey, where are you from?”. I know that this is a common problem amongst immigrants, but it really drives me nuts.

I know that my english is pretty good, but my accent sucks a lot. Everytime I form a sentence in my head during a conversation it sounds so good. But when it comes out, it sounds amateurish. If people just would be able to hear how I speak in my mind, I think they would never recognize that I am an Alien in America. But sadly this is no option.

I really wonder how long it will take me to be able to speak some sentences without people wondering where I am from. Since our last visit to the US in May I actually made some tiny little steps in the right direction. I now can order water in the restaurant without being ask “Excuse me, what do you want?” You want to know my little, easy secret? Do not say water with a “t” like british people would do, just say it with a “d”.

Some days ago I told you about Flo and me wanting to try out our new american names Nina and Rian. I did the first day we arrived in California and it worked. Flo tried it on our last day at the airport and besides them spelling Rian with a “y” it worked.

When I complained about the one word thing to my american colleague this week he asked me why I am complaining and not simply be proud of my accent. I guess it is just me trying to lose some of my now still pretty obvious green alien-look to the people in my future hometown.

I am a really organized and structured person, so I am always open for having a Plan B for everything I do. Yesterday we went to dinner with some lovely friends and talked about our upcoming weddings (these guys will marry in two weeks) and about our futures as married couples and as future parents.

I told them that lately I have been thinking a lot about what Flo and I would do without the Greencard in our pockets. I think that we would move to another city like Hamburg or something in Europe, because we both don’t see Cologne as our future hometown – both for private and for career reasons.

When I told them about that, our friend Elodie got kind of excited, because they also think about moving to Hamburg in the future, because this city offers better career opportunities than their hometown does and is one the cutest citys in Germany. Elodie suggested that if we may come back from the US in the next few years, we all could move to Hamburg together!

I actually like that idea. We see the whole emmigration thing kind of easy. If we won’t make it in the US that will be fine. But I like the idea of not coming back to Cologne, but move to another german country instead! In this case America wouldn’t be a defeat, but the beginning of something new!

Winning a Greencard kind of feels like giving birth to a child. Like baby, the Greencard goes everywhere with you, doesn’t leave you time to be alone for a single evening and always needs to be cared for. Winners or future winners should be aware of that! Once you own a Greencard, you will own it for the rest of your life! If you don’t get an abortion within the winner progress or give up your Greencard in it’s first years, you will live your life with and for the Greencard!

Here are some things you should mind when living with the Greencard:

1. Never leave the Greencard unattended!
I don’t actually mean that you should always have the Greencard with you, but always reserve it a little place in your mind. From now on there are so many things that can only be decided with the Greencard in mind! For example “should I apply for a new job before moving?” or “should I buy something expensive before moving?”!

2. Always be prepared for questions!
You definitely should be aware that at every public event you attend, at every party where you meet new people or at every dinner with someone you haven’t seen for a long time people will ask you about how that whole Greencard thing works! Flo and I actually developed some kind of strategy for these moments. We both know our parts of it by heart and so everytime someone asks us about it we seem to be so confident and sure about it that people are impressed!

3. Say hello to nightmares!
Yes, nightmares and panic attacks will be part of your life from now on! Be prepared for dreams of you losing the Greencard, being stuck in the US with no life and no money or simply everything going wrong. Also those panic attacks leaving you puzzled if you are doing the right thing or if you just are the dumbest person in the world are NORMAL!

4. Do not be unapologetic!
This is your dream and no matter if people understand it, are envious or adjudge you – you are the only person who knows what’s right and what’s wrong for you!

You will need some time to learn how to stick up to the challenge of being a Greencard holder! But with every second that passes by, I love that feeling a little more! And I am so happy for you to be able to experience this feeling, too!