Thank You Herr Schulz

Dear Herr Schulz,

Thank you so much for coming to our class to speak with us about Germany’s political, social, and economic status in the world as the Germany Deputy Consul General who is positioned at the German Consulate General Los Angeles. Our talk was deeply fascinating and covered so much ground in terms of the past, present and future states of Germany.

As a student who traveled to Germany this past May, I fell in love with the country and Berlin specifically and I hope to live there someday. Your talk inspired me to become even more familiar with my future home and also provided more international political context. I was glad to learn more about the country’s geography, ever-changing cultures, the former Iron Curtain, and Germany’s governing bodies such as the Bundesrat and the Bundestag.

One major takeaway I had is that Germany’s anti-nuclear stance is rooted in sociopolitical and historical contexts through events such as Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. These events were disastrous for nearby populations and have definitely paved the way for Germany’s Energiewende mission which phases out nuclear and coal energy, in favor of solely renewable energy. I am excited to learn more about what Energiewende progress looks like, in person, when we travel there this June.

Thank you again for coming to speak with us and informing us more about what German diplomacy looks like. I look forward to learning more very soon.

Best,

Sophie Steinberg