The Republican Leadership

I had a few nights to enjoy this great hotel in Munich before the big plane flight over to New York. I did not often get over to the United States, but this was indeed a special occasion. The year 2008 marked the 21st anniversary of German-American day, and I was part of the team heading over to assist with the implementation of new dialogue between the immigrant German community in America and the German population living at home. The shifting political structures of Germany meant that continual communication with immigrant Germans who had settled in other countries was an essential part of any attempt at foreign relations. I am very happy to be part of the team that provides support to our fellow Germans living in the United States, and helps to narrow the political divide that separates these two great nations.

German-American day was officially proclaimed in 1987 by the American President at the time, Ronald Reagon. It has proved to be an auspicious proclamation as it took place in front of the Berlin Wall, a structure that was knocked down only 2 years after this speech. There has always been an interesting relationship between Germans and Americans, however now as the memory of World War II fades into the distance, a real and mutually beneficial relationship has been allowed to form. My political role in New York is fairly simply to assist with the growth and development of this relationship by reaching out to German immigrants and researching their relationship to their newly adopted country. By studying how German people live in America we can tell a lot about the similarities and differences between these two nations.

I don’t have to leave for three days, which gives me time to catch up on a few notes and spend a little time just enjoying Munich. I am staying in a fantastic Hotel Munich (hotel-erb.de München) right near to the centre of the city so that I can enjoy all that Munich has to offer. I don’t know where I will be staying in New York yet, but can only hope that it is as nice as this hotel in Munich. Munich has always been a favourite city of mine, probably due to the fact I spent time here as a child and it holds some old memories for me. I have never been to New York before as previous German-American days have taken place in either Washington or Chicago. This year we have some meetings with prominent American politicians as well as some meetings with members of the strong German population that are now presiding in New York city.

Before I was asked to take part in this project four years ago I did not realise the extent of historical German immigration into the United States. It is staggering to think that about 43 million American people claim German ancestry, which is about 15 percent of the population. The study of this population, especially of the new immigrants into the U.S.A, is a vital part of German international population research, and I am very proud to be a part of the team who is taking part in these studies. It will no doubt be a busy and tiring trip however, and I am going to enjoy my few days of peace and quiet in this Hotel Munich (messehotel-erb-muenchen.de).