Transcribed with AI with human review:
Ko’u Hopkins:
Hello and welcome to today's episode on Community Voices. I'm your host, Ko’u Hopkins, and kind of going along with our series of Talking About Germany, I had the pleasure of traveling to Germany, actually, where I was able to live amongst the locals and get to know them. I was able to have conversations about their culture, families, and also ask them about their interpretations of the US. In Germany, their news outlets are somewhat like ours, but their news is more mainstream. Channel 1 in Germany usually refers to Das Este, which is the flagship national television channel of the German public broadcasting, which is the ARD. It is famous for broadcasting the Tageschau, which is Germany's oldest and most watched daily news program. This is where they get most of their information, along with, of course, newspapers and the internet. Many people grew up listening to Das Este and continue on that tradition with their children as young as one and as old as 100.
I also was able to listen to news and hear many different angles to stories. Their news is much more global than the United States. Through each story I would say about 90% is about other nations around the world. They even brought up the United States and the news that's going on now. It is interesting to hear as the news they shared was only about the events going on and they did not bring in political affiliations unless necessary. Through this I was able to ask many Germans what they thought of us and I ask people as young as 15 all the way up to 70 about what they think of us. And joining us today is a very good friend of mine who is from Germany and here to talk with us. And could our guest please introduce themselves?
Andreas Bauer:
Hi, my name is Andreas Bauer, and I'm very excited to be here. So thank you for having me.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Thank you so much, Andreas, for stopping here on your trip in the US. So kind of starting off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? So I know you're from Germany, but where are you from? North-South?
Andreas Bauer:
Yes, so I'm from the beautiful state of Bavaria. I live close to Munich, which means I'm also very close to the mountains, the Alps. And yeah, I would say some of my hobbies are hiking, biking, and just nature.
Ko’u Hopkins:
I'm very happy that your hobbies are hiking and biking as I know in the US we have many, many trails, especially around here because we have New Salem where you can walk where Lincoln walked and you can walk all downtown as well. I know that's not as exciting as the mountains, but I know that you can go out east and there's more mountain ranges and there's many beautiful spots to camp, I would say, around here. But while you're here in Springfield, what have you kind of done?
Andreas Bauer:
So I've been able to visit a few places. I've gone to New Salem, but also to the Presidential Library, gotten to learn a lot more about Abraham Lincoln, which was very exciting for me since, yeah, I like to call myself a little history nerd. So that's been exciting, but also I've been able to visit a few parks, which was also very beautiful and yeah, just enjoying Springfield.
Ko’u Hopkins:
And I will say from our conversations that we had, your English is very, very good. So in Germany, when do you start learning English as a second language?
Andreas Bauer:
Thank you. That makes me really happy. I try very hard. So I wouldn't say that I'm an example because I've gotten to learn English since basically a toddler. because we've always had a little connection to the US through my parents. But in general, you start learning English in, I'd say, the third grade. So that's where the first actual English class starts. So we have English up until you graduate. So in Germany, we really learn English throughout the whole entire school year. Whereas I know in the US you can choose between classes and generally have them between two to six years.
Ko’u Hopkins:
And kind of growing up and learning, what did you learn specifically about the US? Like was there any parts that was your favorite or hear anything that you're wanting to visit?
Andreas Bauer:
So I always wanted to visit San Francisco since that has a very personal connection to my family. But just I'd say New York, Los Angeles, do the movies, do all the ads, just the Super Bowl, all those kinds of things. Just it's almost like a hype. So when my generation, like when we grew up, I'd say almost everybody in Germany has a dream of visiting the US at some point. I'd really say that the US is portrayed as a land of opportunity, excitement, and yeah, you can just also express yourself. And I think that's what young people like to do, be able to express themselves, go out in the world and explore and find themselves.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Very well said and very well put. I must echo those sentiments as well as, growing up in the US, we are always talking about like what we have. But some people like me, they're like, well, what does the rest of the world have? Because, in the US, they say like we're like the mixing pot of many different cultures. And would you say that's correct? Like we have many, many cultures here.
Andreas Bauer:
Yes, I would say so. The US has, yeah. I would almost say it's like a hotspot for everybody. And that's what makes the US so attractive, that it's really, it's a land of immigrants, right? So everybody comes from a different background. So when I talk to people here, to locals, it's always so interesting because everybody has a connection to Germany, to South America, to Italy, just all over the place. And everybody has a personal story. So I think that's always so interesting.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Those are always really nice to hear, especially when people do like Ancestry.com, and they're like, oh, I'm part Polish or oh, I'm part Swedish or something like that. Because in Germany, would you guys do the same thing and be like, oh, I'm part Polish?
Andreas Bauer:
Well, there is people, well, in Germany we have a huge Polish, people have a huge, like a huge population have a Polish background. But I would say it's not as exciting since, for example, my background is just all German. So yeah, I do have to say it's a lot more exciting as an American because if I may share a little story, a friend of mine, he just search for that German connection. And it's always so fun because every time I talk with him, he's like, I found a little German connection on this side of my family, on this side of my family. And it's just so exciting to see how all those different, yeah, all those different cultures, all those different, yeah, just places in the world combined in each and each person. And I think that just makes the beautiful variety in every single human in the US. And yeah, that's just great.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Yeah, that was very beautiful, I must say. Yeah, because a lot of times we kind of forget about those connections, or if we do, we only remember in moments when we meet someone new or something like that. So I did want to ask, while we're talking about cultures and kind of moving towards American culture, I heard, especially since the World Cup came along, I heard about how the Europeans or people from around the world, they love free refills. That was just revolutionary to them. So would you say there's anything else that we have that Germany doesn't really have that you're super excited about?
Andreas Bauer:
Free refills is actually a good one. But also I would say what really excited or what made me really happy, is the free water and drive-throughs. So I've been enjoying that because with the heat, it is really necessary, I'd say. So I'm very happy to see that. And I'd say also take advantage of it.
Ko’u Hopkins:
And I know in Europe, they don't really have AC. And I know that you were there during the heat wave. How did you cope with that?
Andreas Bauer:
So I would say that is a great thing about the US that you guys have AC. However, in Germany, we don't need AC as much because houses are built a little bit different. and isolation is just way better or I would say way thicker so that the heat doesn't or the heat and the cold doesn't travel in and out as much. So I think just through that we're already a little bit better prepared or better able to cope with that. But it is a changing time where we can we can really feel the changes in the temperature. And I think we have to do something about that in the future because it's not just in Germany or in the US. It's everywhere. Temperatures are rising. The climate is getting more extreme. And I do think that at some point we will have to have AC in Germany as well.
Ko’u Hopkins:
That's a very real conversation to have, especially now with the heat wave in Europe and people were dying, especially in France. And these conversations really do need to be had. And kind of like in Germany, I know they do a lot of recycling as well. So what does Germany really do to help with climate and things like that, or green energy as I would say?
Andreas Bauer:
So I'd say one thing that is kind of a luxury in the US is when you go into a supermarket, you can just get infinite bags. That's a huge difference to Germany. Whereas we use recyclable bags, we bring our own bags. And we got rid of plastic bags in supermarkets. And then another thing that's part of the recycling process is we separate our trash. and we separate it into plastic, organics, paper, and then everything else. So we already do a kind of a little bit of a pre-sorting and trying to help with that. But then also I would say that in Germany we have a special situation with water bottles where our water bottles, if you return them, you can get 25 cents back or 8 cents for a can. So we do have those kinds of systems where we make it more attractive to start recycling. So there's actually homeless people, for example, that go out and collect trash because they can get money for it. And just do that, we make our environment cleaner. We recycle and we do do a easy small system. We already have a chance to help our environment and just make it a little bit better.
Yeah, because there's also a podcast where I always hear he's like we just want to get 1% better every single day. And I think that is for example, that 1% that we can get better. And we just try to find that 1% in our lives every single day. And because we have to, because the climate is changing and that's just a fact. And we just try to cope with that. But then we also have to find a way to make it more attractive in other countries, in other parts of the world, worlds that aren't even able to aren't even able to afford that change yet. So I think we have a long way to go, but if we all stick together and everyone does their part, I think we can really make change in the world. And I think that's also, again, exactly what the US portrays, that you can make change yourself. You can go out there and make a difference. And I think that's what's great about the US. But that's also something great we have in Europe. And that we should just go out in the world and spread that. So yeah.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Thank you for that positivity. I think everyone will be very happy to hear that because we need positivity right now. There's so much going on that we hear about, really sad news all the time. So I think we need that positivity. And like you said, 1% better all the time. And have you done your 1% today?
Andreas Bauer:
I've tried to spread 1% more positivity today. I actually went on a walk today with the dog, and I tried to give him 1% more, show him 1% more of the world. So that was, I'd say, my 1% today. And yeah, I'm just excited to see what my 1% is going to be tomorrow. But yeah, just trying to find fun ways, I'd also say, because 1% better is a small thing, but it adds up. And you can make it fun, make it attractive, just find your own 1%.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Very well said, very well said. And I know that our time is kind of winding down, but are there any last things that you would like to share with us? Or what's your favorite part about Springfield?
Andreas Bauer:
Yes, I do want to share. I do want to share one more thing. Just the thing that I like about Springfield and that's what makes it so special is the people. I do want to say that because you don't hear a lot about the Midwest because everybody focuses on places like New York, LA. The Midwest has great people and it's just been such a pleasure to meet every single one and Yeah, I just wanted to share that because it's not a given. It's not, you can't take that for granted. So I've been really happy to meet everyone in Springfield and I would say, yeah, I just wanted to share how great the people in Springfield were, how welcoming they were to me and how each and everyone like spread it their own little story, everything with me. It's just been so much fun and I hope to come back soon.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Thank you so much, Andreas, for your honesty today and thank you so much for coming to our little town of Springfield. And I know that we all wish you good luck and safe travels.
Andreas Bauer:
And can I say one more thing? I want to thank the co-host that just showed me around and also gave me a little insight to NPR. So I just want to say that it's also been a pleasure to meet the NPR team and get to know that part as well. So I want to say thank you for that too, because you can't forget about what happens behind the scenes, what people don't see. So I want to say a huge thank you to that.
Ko’u Hopkins:
Thank you so much. We really, really appreciate it. And thank you again to all of our loyal listeners. I'm your host, Ko'u Hopkins.
