German Embassy in Washington D.C., United States.

When I read about the following facts, I was surprised, or may be not, but I thought I have to share with you this information. So, I made a post out of it and here it is.

Germany is seeing a spike in citizenship applications from the U.S.

Since Donald Trump became president, Germany has seen a spike in its citizenship applications from the United States.

  Donald Trump.

The German interior ministry says that „The German government’s offices in the United States are currently seeing a significant increase in legal queries related to citizenship issues.“
And Reuters reports that applications from Germans stripped of their citizenship during the Nazi-era and their descendants have risen sharply since the election.
Through June 2017, at least 100 people living in the U.S. have applied for German citizenship each month.
German foreign ministry data showed that 1.190 applicants applied for citizenship in the first eight months of 2017.

  Open house and German wine tasting at the German Embassy in Washington D.C.

Dear American friends, if you like to follow the steps of many thousand fellow Americans, just contact one of the following consulates.

German Consulates General

In addition to the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., there are eight German Consulates General throughout the United States: in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. Each Consulate covers a specific geographical area. In order to find out which one can assist you with your concerns, please have a look at the list of consular districts below.

  Atlanta.

Atlanta – Consulate General

The states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

  Boston.

Boston – Consulate General

The states of Connecticut (apart from Fairfield County), Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

  Chicago.

Chicago – Consulate General

The states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

  Houston.

Houston – Consulate General

The states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

  Los Angeles.

Los Angeles – Consulate General

The counties Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura of the state of California as well as the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah.

  Miami.

Miami – Consulate General

The state of Florida as well as Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands.

  New York.

New York – Consulate General

The states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as Fairfield County of the state of Connecticut and Bermuda (British overseas territory).

  San Francisco.

San Francisco – Consulate General

The counties Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba of the state of California as well as the states of Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the American overseas territories American Samoa, Guam, Baker-, Howland-, Jarvis-, Johnston-, Midway- and Palmyra-Island.

And finally, if you like to have more information, click on:

http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/Startseite.html

or watch „Helga’s“ slideshow of Germany – just click on the blue word „Deutschland“, then „Save File“ and  enjoy the beautiful pictures !

Deutschland

Afraid of the language ?

Most people are afraid, because we know that speaking and understanding the local language is a massive plus !
But – first – about 60% of the German population can help you in English, by statistics.
But – second – another 20% will understand what you mean, if you are patient, trying to speak slow and „clean“ English.

Don’t expect that everyone understands „your quick mumbling home slang“ !!

Am I going to be fine without speaking German if I come to Germany?

One of the biggest worries for travelers to Germany as well as expats here is the language. I often get asked about whether the Germans speak English. This question gets asked in different forms, but the short answer is yes.

For most Germans that are not fluent in English and yet college level educated, the amount of English they understand is much more than they can speak.

  Incredible how many words are the same in English or German – Part 1.

What does this mean for travelers?

Germany is definitely a country that you can travel in without any knowledge of German. People in the tourism industry will almost definitely speak passable English for their area of knowledge. Larger cities and higher educated people will speak more English. Signs are still in German, but you will find people to be quite helpful with directions.

From A to Z – part 2. It’s all about a bit of exercise.

What does this mean for living in Germany longer term?

Ignoring the job aspect and the visa aspect, it is technically possible to live there without much German. It is however not so much fun. Smaller towns will be much more difficult than a place like Berlin or Frankfurt. It is well worth learning the language.

First thing first: Learn to pronounce the alphabet.

Though with the above mentioned widespread English proficiency, a little knowledge can go a long way. It is totally worth learning the language and getting into the culture through the language, but to actually live here without it is definitely possible.

  Now, go to a Cafe and order a „Flammkuchen“ !