In Conclusion

I sincerely believe that no other single event in my life has changed me as much and in as many ways, some unexpected, as this study abroad program. Probably the most noticeable difference is that I am more confident in myself and my abilities. I keep telling people the story of how, a few days before I left for Germany, I went to visit my new roommate who lives across town and, on the 20 minute drive, managed to get lost both going over and coming back home. So on the way driving back in the dark, I’m talking on the phone to my best friend, who is looking up street names on Mapquest to figure out where on earth I was and how to get me home, and I tell her, “I’m going to die. I can’t even find my way around Houston, and I live here for goodness’ sake! And the street signs are in English! I’m going to go to Europe, get lost, and die, and they’re never going to find my body because I’ll be out in the middle of nowhere!” However, that obviously didn’t happen. And after traveling around Europe on my own, finding someplace new here in America doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore. In fact, doing most things on my own doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore. I’ve become more comfortable than ever about taking care of myself.
Another thing this trip taught me was the meaning of true education. I tend to be an overachiever and to stress about school and work and classes - but there was nothing to stress about work-wise with this program; we were given ample time and freedom with our schoolwork, and that gave me the opportunity to really and truly learn. I so often get focused on what the professor is going to test on and memorizing information, and sometimes I miss the big picture for all the details my brain is busy absorbing to regurgitate for the exam. While in Europe, I was able to actually enjoy learning, to let everything sink in and settle itself in my brain, and I know that it was far more effective that way. I honestly could never draw the photosynthesis cycle from memory again, even if my life depended on it, as I (briefly) learned to in biochemistry, and because that was what I was tested over, all my brainpower was devoted to cramming that into my head instead of understanding how the process worked and the significance of it. The things we learned on this trip, by contrast, all fit together to form a broad perspective of medical history, and I was able to step back and view that whole picture because I wasn’t being driven to focus on and memorize select pieces. The result is that I am mentally healthier from this class instead of less so, and I also have retained more useful information. And that information influences me far more than being able to draw the structure of pyruvate ever will.
Partly from the teaching and partly just from living in different culture and studying it, I have definitely gained a broader perspective pertaining to medicine and also to the world in general. I can see how the point of view of someone from another nation and culture could be different from my own and how that would affect their choices and beliefs, including about medical practices. Looking into biomedical research as my field, I have always been acutely aware of the disputes about ethics in particular. I know that, from this experience, I will have a better understanding of why others may view something as inappropriate or offensive that does not seem a big deal to someone like me, and vice versa. My growth in confidence, in recognizing the true purpose of learning, and in understanding people different from myself is already affecting my daily life, and I know that it has equipped me for both the present and the future in ways I cannot yet anticipate.

Plus ça change, plus la même chose!

A comparison of the national election results between the very first national election in West Germany (summer of 1949) and this September’s election is instructive. In that first election, the CDU (Konrad Adenauer’s party) along with the Bavarian CSU gained 139 seats in the Bundestag, the FDP (headed by Theodor Heuss, who would become the first Bundespräsident, and Thomas Dehler) 52 seats, the SPD (lead by Kurt Schumacher) 131 seats and the KPD (Communist Party) 15 seats. In percent of Bundestag seats this would be CDU/CSU 41.2%, SPD 38.9%, FDP 15.4% and the KPD 4.5%.

And last Sunday, here is how the parties did: CDU/CSU 225 seats; SPD 222; FDP 61; die Linke.PDS 54; die Grüne/Bündnis 90 (a party for which there is no 1947 equivalent) garnered 51 seats. In percent of total Bundestag seats (for comparative purposes I am not including die Grüne’s 51 in the total) that puts the CDU/CSU at 40.0%; SPD at 39.5%; FDP at 10.9% and die Linke.PDS at 9.6%.

Plus ça change, plus la même chose!

Quick update on the Bundestagswahl

Yesterday's meeting between the CDU/CSU and die Gruene ended (predictably) with no progress towards a possible Schwampel coalition involving the Union, die Gruene, and the FDP. There just doesn't seem to be enough common ground in the stated policy goals between the conservative and business-friendly parties and the ecologically oriented Greens.

Meanwhile, dieLinke.PDS party members elected new leaders and have chosen Gregor Gysi and Oscar Lafontaine to serve as co-party chiefs. In a news conference yesterday, Gysi stated that the only way his party would even consider a coalition with the SPD (or anyone else for that matter) would be if their coalition partner repudiated both the Harz IV and Agenda 2010 reform plans, something Schroeder and the SPD are unlikely to do.

Next Wednesday sees a meeting between Merkel and Schroeder to explore the prospects for a schwarz-rot or "grand" coalition between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. But--both Merkel and Schroeder still insist that they and they alone have the mandate to be Chancellor. That meeting is not going to be pretty!

Wahlkampf Deutschlands

Wohin Deutschland?

Well the voting is over (except for Dresden) and the bottom line is, nobody won! The SPD did far better overall than every analyst has predicted since June, the CDU/CSU did worse than expected even in some of their stronghold areas of the country (for example, Edward Stoiber and the CSU posted their worse results in Bavaria ever) and die Linke.PDS did better in some parts of the east than in their wildest dreams. Neither of the two big parties garnered enough seats in the Bundestag to form a functional coalition with their respective preferred coalition partners (that would be die Grüne/Bündnis 90 for the SPD and the FDP for the CDU/CSU). Technically speaking, at this point, Merkel and the CDU/CSU “won”, that is to say they ended up with about 1% more of the popular vote and 3 more seats in the Bundestag than Schröder and the SPD, but word on the German street is that Angela and her party were really the big losers and Schröder is certainly acting like the victor.

Let’s look at some actual election results from Düsseldorf. In Wahlklreis 107 (Düsseldorf 1), the final tally was CDU/CSU 35.4 % ; SPD 33.7 % ; FDP 14.2%; die Grüne 9.6% ; and die Linke.PDS 4.8%. In Wahlkreis 108 (Düsseldorf 2) the results were a little bit redder: CDU/CSU 32.2% ; SPD 38.8 % ; FDP 10.5 %; die Grüne 9.6%; and die Linke.PDS 5.9%.

Overall in Germany the results looked like this: CDU/CSU 35.2%; SPD 34.3%; FDP 9.8%; die Grüne 8.1%; die Linke.PDS 8.7%; other parties ( includes NPD) 3.9%. Only parties with 5% of the popular vote (Zweitstimmen) or more are permitted seats in the Bundestag (this regulation is known as the Fünf-Prozent-Hürde, or Fünf-Prozent-Klausel), so for example, the far-right NPD has no representation at the national level.

So what is going to happen? Who will govern Germany? Nobody knows! Clearly some sort of coalition, and not the usual ones, will be needed and analysts are putting their money on a grand coalition of the SPD/CDU, a so-called schwarz-röt coalition. In fact, Schröder and Merkel are set to meet today to “discuss” their options. The problem is neither of them is willing to not be chancellor. Merkel is saying that as her party (with its sister party the Bavarian based CSU) got the most votes and the most seats in the Bundestag, the vox populi dictates that they should form a government with Merkel at the helm. Schröder is insisting that the poor showing of the Union (the German term for the combined CDU/CSU) and the relatively good performance of the SPD indicates that the German people want him to continue on as Chancellor and complete some form of the Harz IV and Agenda 2010 reforms. SPD officials are also now claiming that, in fact, the CDU and CSU are two separate parties and thus, neither did as well as the SPD which is the de facto majority party in the Bundestag! This in spite of the fact that since the end of WW II, everyone in Germany has viewed the CDU/CSU grouping as a single party.

What may yet happen is that one of the more outré coalition possibilities may yet emerge victorious such as the “Schwampel” or “Jamaica” coalition of CDU/FDP/die Grüne (black,/yellow/green) or the “Ampel” coalition of SPD/FDP/die Grüne (red/yellow/green). What everyone is saying is that no party wants to talk with die Linke.PDS and Gysi and LaFontaine (leaders of die Linke) have also emphatically stated that they will not serve in government with anybody.

Troubling times indeed in the world of German politics! Stay tuned!