Finding Stories in a Strange Land

Hi, UPIUers! It’s Krista, your senior mentor, and I’m writing from Frankfurt, Germany, where I’ll be reporting until early October through a fellowship from the International Center for Journalists.

I landed a week ago and was immediately shuffled into full-time language classes. Between memorizing German verb conjugations and perfecting my order of kuchen and kaffee at cafes, I’ve been hunting high and low for stories.

Hunting for stories, you might ask? In a foreign country, where I butcher the language more than speak it?

That’s right – and I’m finding stories everywhere. In fact, visiting new places is one of the best times to sniff around for a good yarn (an American term for a compelling story) or two. While there’s nothing like knowing the local culture and sources inside and out, being in a new place means that everything is fresh. What might be taken for granted by a local could be a surprise to you.

For example, I discovered shortly before traveling here that church members are assessed a special tax by the government. The government collects the money and, according to my sources, turns it over to the church. The idea is to guarantee that state-recognized churches have enough gold in their coffers to pay clergy and hire janitors. To get on the tax list, all you have to do is be baptized into one of the churches, even if you were baptized as a baby. To get out of the tax, you must formally apply at a courthouse that you no longer wish to benefit from anything the church offers

When I asked Germans about this, they said, “Naturlich!” That’s the German word for, “Of course! Why is this even a point of conversation?”

But for an American unused to such a tax, it raises questions. What happens when a flood of people leave the Catholic church in protest over the pedophilia scandal? What about mosques? Are they allowed to collect a similar tax through the government?

Certainly, many Germans report on these issues. But as an outsider, the questions jump out and grab me.

A few questions to ask yourself when you’re in a new place, even if you’re on a school break at the beach or on vacation to another country with your family:

1. What’s different here? (Example: All the homes are equipped with solar panels. Is there a city law requiring them? How do homeowners feel about this?)
2. What’s the same as in your hometown? (There’s an Outback Steakhouse in the city’s downtown. When you visited last two years ago, that area was filled with restaurants serving local cuisine. What changes does that indicate?)
3. What if…? (Example: Those European cathedrals are gigantic! What if a bell breaks? Who has to climb 150 meters up to fix it? Would that person make a good profile subject?)

Be curious! You’re an out-of-towner; that means you have free license to ask away. When you stop to find out how much it costs to ride the local bus, why not take an extra moment to find out whether the buses are electric? Did you just eat a delicious dinner of fresh local fish? Who caught that fish? How has his or her business changed over the past few years?

Once you get started, there’s no end to the questions you could ask. Don’t be shy. In most cases, people are proud of their regions and countries, and are pleased to speak with you. I plan to share more about my experiences as a foreign correspondent here in Germany in the coming weeks. Watch this space to find out where my curiosity takes me.

Do you plan to travel soon? What sorts of stories might you find there? Let us know below!