Becoming a European, then a global citizen
IN these times overshadowed by pandemic-related doom and gloom, it is a welcome respite to look back into my own past when I was 25 years old, which was from 1994 to 1995.
What made an imprint with me as a 25-year-old, certainly more than anything else, was the experience of studying for the first time abroad, in France. As a student under the Erasmus exchange programme (which is now known as Erasmus+), my studies were partly funded by the European Union (EU). Incidentally, this programme is also open for students from the Philippines, and I am happy to see that many Filipinos have so far grabbed the opportunity.
After finishing my community service (instead of the military service), I studied law in Germany. For someone who grew up in a German provincial town, studying abroad can indeed be a life-changing experience. When I applied for the Erasmus scholarship programme, my French was very poor (and even today, I am still very embarrassed about my German accent). So, I decided to prepare myself for the studies through summer jobs in France.
One of them was to prepare the meals for airlines at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris; the other, I helped at a grape harvest near Montpellier. Both jobs, which were essentially chain work, were not ideal avenues to learn French—but at least, I was happy to be in France.
After my hard-earned basic French, I studied international law at the University Paris-nanterre, which is often associated with the unrest in May 1968 (a year before I was born) and the “sexual revolution.” The song “Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones—my favorite music group—was inspired by these protests. By the time I arrived in Nanterre, things had gotten calmer, but the spirit remained.
Paris to ‘NY’
APART from the studies, the year in Paris allowed me to enjoy life in one of the most charming cities on Earth. I saw German tennis player Steffi Graff at the Roland-garros Tournament (or the French Open), Iggy Pop performing at Le Zénith, and watched Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks. More important, I experienced friendship with fellow students, and even l’amour.
At the same time, I also started reflecting for the first time about my German identity. I had not much thought about it back home where everything just felt so “normal.” But in Paris, I also realized there was something “German” in me. Five years later, I was selected for an internship at the United Nations in New York.
As much as I loved “The Big Apple,” I also felt that over the years, I had become a “European.” All these experiences probably inspired me to become what I am today: an EU official with a provincial background and a global mindset, working to uphold a rules-based international order and a fair-trade system based on cooperation, solidarity, as well as the respect for the rule of law and human rights.
Even if I may have felt it differently at the age of 25, the world did not revolve exclusively around me. The period from 1994 to 1995 was a different time: Five years earlier, the fall of the Berlin Wall ended the separation between East and West Germany, and much of the continent. In 1994, Nelson Mandela—certainly
an admirable revolutionary and statesman who fought apartheid—casted his vote in the first democratic general elections in South Africa. In my favorite sport, Brazil had won the football World Cup. (Had I been good enough as a player, am not quite sure I would have ended up as a diplomat…)
In 1995, some countries joined the European Union, and others— mainly from the East—followed a few years later. Much to my excitement, it was at this time that I finally saw a Rolling Stones concert. The Internet and smartphones basically did not exist yet. I remember, I got my first e-mail address and mobile phone in 1999.
PHL—IN my eyes
AND, what about the Philippines when I was 25 years old?
At that time, I admittedly did not know much about this wonderful country, nor Asia, in general. Even more so, I am lucky that today, I can call this country my temporary home, together with my Korean wife, our daughters Soleil and Luna and, since a few weeks ago, our poodle Etoile (see, I have not totally forgotten my French!). Swimming with whale sharks and dolphins will remain unforgettable memories.
I looked to see what was high in the minds of the Filipinos at that time: According to press reviews, tens of thousands took to the streets of Metro Manila in March 1995 to express their anger over the execution of the death penalty against an overseas Filipino worker in another Asian country. I am sure they did the right thing: expressing their respect for human dignity and the right to life, no matter how serious the crime.
Any advice that I can offer to those who are 25 years old now? Nothing specific: Just keep your eyes open to what is happening in your community and in the world; and do the right thing, using your head and moral compass. At that age, I certainly could have not imagined that one of the biggest challenges my generation is faced with (apart from climate change, global rivalry and disinformation campaigns) would be fighting a pandemic. My generation has been lucky not to experience the world wars (I am right now reading the fascinating book, Macarthur’s Spies about the brave resistance against the occupation of the Philippines during the World War II). But now, my generation has to do the right things and make the right decisions for our common future.
Therefore, I am convinced that the Philippines’s motto, “We heal as one,” is apropos. I am also proud that the EU has organized the only global vaccine fundraising conference, that we have increased our support to the World Health Organization, as well as provided humanitarian and other assistance to many countries, including the Philippines, even though Europe has also been hit hard by the virus.
Well, it took me a German beer and a glass of French red wine (of course) to think about the time when I was 25 years old, but I hope you enjoyed going down my memory lane as much as I did. Cheers! (Or rather, “Prost!” Or perhaps, “À votre santé!”)
(Editor’ s note: special thanks to eu public Affairs Officer Thelma Ge co leaf or the assistancein making this profile feature possible .)