Dual Citizenship

Angelika The discussion about dual citizenship also seemed "typically German" to me. I didn't quite understand why it's a catastrophe to have two passports. The argument I heard most often was that one must ultimately decide what they want to be. The idea that someone might want to be both seems difficult for many to grasp. Living abroad myself, I can well understand why someone wouldn't want to easily give up their citizenship. People want to keep the door open somehow, to be able to return at any time without problems, even if they might never actually do so. It's more of a psychological matter. Dual citizenship actually reflects how one feels when living in another country for many years. You become a bit of both. It's a shame that it has only come to a compromise in Germany.

By the way, America generally does not recognize dual citizenship either. However, the authority responsible for collecting the old passport does not enforce this, so many people end up having two passports. If a child is born on American soil to foreign parents, the child receives American citizenship and usually also the citizenship of the parents, and must choose one upon reaching adulthood. Otherwise, a foreigner can only become an American citizen after holding a Green Card for five years and having lived continuously in the country during that time. Additionally, one must demonstrate a reasonable proficiency in English and knowledge of the basics of American history and government structure.

This is assessed through a test. Questions might include: What are the colors of our flag? How many stars are on it? How many stripes? What do the stars represent? What do the stripes represent? Who is currently the President? Who is currently the Vice President? How many representatives are in Congress? These questions can make some people think hard. The answers, of course, are red/white/blue, 50, 13, the states, the 13 founding states of the USA, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, 435. It's logical, isn't it? Naturally, one must not have committed any crimes or been caught doing so if one wants to become an American citizen. As you can see, citizenship is not just handed out easily. Five years may not seem very long at first glance, but one must not forget that you need to have a Green Card, which is not so easy to obtain anymore. Moreover, not everyone has a Green Card. For example, we only have an ordinary visa.

This brings us back to the question of what it is like to live abroad and how one evaluates their own country based on this experience. It can perhaps best be described as seeing the advantages and disadvantages in both countries, being critical of both, but also learning to appreciate certain aspects more.

Since I've been back here, I've been spending a lot of time in the darkroom at UC Berkeley because I'm taking two photography courses this semester. I've already been given the title "Queen of the Darkroom," not by Michael, but by a fellow student who has taken a course with me before. I completed my certificate program "Children and the Changing Family" last semester, and lo and behold, the certificate arrived in the mail. It looks really fancy: stamp, university crest, etc. Since Americans are practical, the certificate is conveniently sized to fit in a picture frame. It definitely looks better than my high school diploma and university degree.