Angelika I saw many of you during my "Germany tour" in January and February or at least spoke to you on the phone. It was nice to have the opportunity to talk to you in detail and face-to-face again, even though the time just flew by. Many people asked me if much has changed in Germany or if I experience and perceive Germany differently now. The fact is that when you live abroad for a long time, you have a special eye for the peculiarities of your homeland.

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.

Angelika Last week, I received a noteworthy certificate from the fire department in San Francisco. You might be wondering if I've completely lost it and decided to train as a firefighter. Far from it! I completed an earthquake training course. As you know, San Francisco's only downside is that it is highly earthquake-prone. Since we've already experienced several small ones that scared me enough, our friend Anthony and I decided to do something about it and signed up for the aforementioned training. It lasted six weeks and was led by firefighters. We learned what to do when the ground starts shaking, first aid, San Francisco's disaster plan, how to search a building, assess how damaged it is, turn off the gas and water, etc. The training is primarily about helping yourself, but also your neighborhood, as it's certain that emergency services will be completely overwhelmed when a major earthquake hits. The training is aptly named "NERT" (Neighborhood Earthquake Response Team), meaning the firefighters provide training in various neighborhoods so that established teams can form to help in the event of an earthquake. You even get a small kit, namely a construction helmet (everyone, of course, hoped for a real American firefighter helmet) and an orange vest (Michael found my outfit highly amusing). Note from Michael: "NERD" means "idiot" in English, just thought I'd throw that in!

Angelika I was able to experience something else typically American during the earthquake training. Before it started, we had to sign a two-page document stating that we would not sue the fire department if we got injured during the training. It's important to know that in America, there are the most absurd liability lawsuits. The rule is that people sue when they believe they can get something out of it, meaning if you have no money, you don't need to worry about liability, but if you do have money, it's better to get good insurance. This liability policy is also the reason why McDonald's had to pay a woman millions a few years ago because she burned herself with coffee from a coffee cup, and there was no warning on the cup to be cautious because the contents were hot. Next time you're in America, you might want to pay attention to this. Almost every paper or plastic cup now bears this warning. In general, this liability hysteria has led to the most absurd precautions being listed on package inserts and instruction manuals, such as that it's not healthy to dry your cat in the microwave (this is actually true), or that you have to sign with doctors that you will settle out of court in the event of a liability case.

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Michael What I've always wanted to share: For over two years, a pair of skis has been lying under our bed. We had them shipped over here to the U.S. with our furniture back then because I thought I would get a chance to go skiing here, but that didn't happen. So far, I haven't managed to go to Lake Tahoe, a fairly large ski area in the Sierra Nevada. Then one Friday, my colleagues Chris and Larry asked me if I wanted to go to Sugar Bowl near Lake Tahoe on Saturday to take a snowboarding course with them. Since I was living the bachelor life at the time, with Angelika being in Germany, I naturally agreed right away. So, the next day at half-past five in the morning, we set off in Chris's 4-wheel Explorer, and by nine, we arrived. We paid 55 dollars for a lift ticket, rental snowboard and boots, and a two-hour beginner's course -- super awesome! Now, there's a huge difference between skiing and snowboarding; just because you can do one doesn't mean you can do the other. Snowboarding is like being strapped to a skateboard or surfboard, and without instructions, you can't get anywhere without constantly falling on your face.

Michael Now for something completely different: What I've always wanted to get off my chest about the working conditions here: As is well known, Americans are content with a lousy two weeks of vacation a year. And, since there is no state religion here--unlike in Germany--but rather a colorful mix of cultures, everyone is allowed to define three additional holidays on top of the few public holidays in the year (New Year's, Martin Luther King Day, Thanksgiving, Lincoln's Birthday, Independence Day, President's Day, Labor Day come to mind). This way, the Chinese can celebrate their New Year sometime in February, and all the many religions, Mormons, Baptists, Scientologists, and whatever else there is--everyone gets their due.

Michael And -- what takes a long time will finally be good -- we finally bought a car! After spending several weekends scouring car dealerships to find an affordable used car and getting increasingly annoyed by those sleazy salesmen, I ended up buying the car from some guy at work, to be precise, my boss's boss. It's an eight-year-old black Acura Integra (a better Honda) with a manual transmission, which is very unusual for America since everyone here drives automatics and most Americans can't even operate a stick shift. In San Francisco, that's quite a challenge, as streets with a 20% incline are still considered flat, and if you have to park in a tight spot, the clutch takes a beating.

Michael I already wrote a little piece in the last newsletter about what the "German Accent" in the pronunciation of English sentences is all about. In the meantime, I have enrolled in a course at the University of Berkeley called "Pronunciation Skills in English," which is all about how to eliminate your accent so that you sound somewhat like an American. The course is led by a resolute old matron who drills the 10 participants, who come from China, Vietnam, France, and Germany, on how to pronounce words correctly with a California slang. She repeatedly emphasizes the stark differences between British pronunciation, which is taught in most schools outside of America, and American pronunciation.

Michael What I wanted to get off my chest: To motivate myself, I often listen to motivational tapes from my favorite guru, Anthony Robbins (he's the one who always shouts: "Make a difference today! Take action! Now!"), and since then, things have only been going uphill. So, I highly recommend it: In America, you can find tapes for everything and anything in every bookstore, like how to negotiate better, overcome fears, and plan career success. You can conveniently listen to these tapes in the car or on public transport with a Walkman and arrive at the office all fired up.

Michael Recently, the news reported that an oil refinery in Oakland caught fire, and just a few days later, a second accident occurred in Richmond, also near San Francisco. After the OPEC countries messed around with the prices, gasoline prices in and around San Francisco skyrocketed to dizzying heights within a few days. Although only one gasoline brand was affected by the accident, the other companies, not stupid, jumped on the bandwagon and also significantly raised their prices. As a result, gasoline now costs $1.65 per gallon (79 cents per liter) instead of the usual $1.20 per gallon (58 cents per liter), which is insane!

Michael And, perhaps you've heard it in the news, things are quite chaotic at AOL right now. AOL recently acquired internet pioneer Netscape for ten billion dollars. AOL is mainly based on the East Coast (with 9,000 people) and has only a small branch (100 people) on the West Coast here in San Mateo. The acquired company Netscape is based in Mountain View in Silicon Valley, about 30 kilometers from San Mateo, where about 2,500 people work. With the merger came a major restructuring effort, and the press announced 450 layoffs at Netscape and 450 at AOL.