Citizenship

Sophie is now a US citizen!

On February 2, our star-spangled daughter traveled to the consulate in Berlin, and now holds dual citizenship in America and Germany. She got her passport, social security card, and first flag. Although I'm not usually that patriotic, I can't stop humming "You're a Grand Old Flag", "Yankee Doodle" and "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain."

What makes this event so exciting? Partly the sense of community--our little daughter is now one of our national tribe. She gets all the privileges and responsibilities that go with citizenship. She'll learn the importance of voting and voice. She is inextricably united with other Americans culturally. And because she'll learn American English, her language and national cultural values will make more sense to her.

That said, she's also a citizen of Germany, a member of the European Union. She also has those rights and responsibilities, too. Again, she'll learn German and absorb all its implied values and biases. She will be able to work anywhere in the EU, study at the university without paying tuition, travel on a German passport, and be influenced by European ideals.

How will Sophie reconcile the differences in these cultures? How will she make sense of the world? Will she, like her parents, build a foundation based on similarities and trust, bridging the two norms?

As I watch our sweet daughter blissfully sleep, I wonder if the time has arrived to truly set aside the ideas of borders and nations. The world is becoming more blended, and human culture will undoubtedly change, for what does it mean to be German, if one lives in America, or vice versa? Or both? The face of Sophia reflects the face of the world--united, new, and beautiful. The best of all cultures.