To be, or not to be...

Hi there. My name is Sam Baker and I am a German-American. When I first read the question, “How do you self-identify, culturally?”, I laughed because I recently had a breakthrough concerning this very topic. I have not always been proud of where I was born. I have never been content with being an American. For a long time, when asked about my ethnicity, I would say “German”. I have never been satisfied with being just like everyone else, and always want to set myself apart from the crowd. I thought that by erasing my American-ness, I would seem more interesting. But during my time abroad, it came to my attention that being American is anything but boring. I realized that by not accepting my American side, I was erasing a great portion of what makes me, me.

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These are my parents: Dawn Brock and Helmut Baker

My mom, as far as we know, is mostly American (whatever that means). My dad is 50% German, as his mother was born and raised in Wittlich, Germany. My Oma met my American grandfather on a US Airforce base back in the late 50s. Fast-forward many years later, she is an American citizen happily retired in Sarasota Florida. I was always so confused on why she gave up her identity, until I realized that she hadn’t.

Until recently, I had no idea how many of the things I grew up doing/thinking stemmed from German mentality or tradition. I grew up expecting Weihnachts-Teller at Christmas time and Osterstrauch for Easter. As a kid, I was unaware that these things were not American, and I assumed all other families celebrated this way as well.

In addition to this little epiphany, I would also identify myself as the following: female, white, straight, non-religious, a university student, a friend/supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, upper-middle class, and a millennial.

High school was the first time in my life that I was given the opportunity to learn and speak German with anyone outside of my family. This was the beginning of my entrance into the German studies community here in Georgia -one of my ingroups.

Some other ingroups I see myself as a part of are:

• Studied/lived abroad

• Paderborn Group

• Friend/supporter of the LGBTQ+ community

• ARFID community

• Modern Language and Culture studies

• Millennials

• Green/environmentally friendly

By default, my outgroups are people who:

• Are not a part of the German studies community in Georgia

• Have not studied/lived abroad

• Were not with me in Paderborn

• Are not friends/supporters of the LGBTQ+ community

• Are not in the ARFID community

• Have another major

• Are Babyboomers, GenX, or GenZ

• Are not Green/environmentally friendly

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I feel as though I can strongly identify with Western culture more so than any other given my upbringing and typical daily surroundings. Some days I feel particularly close to my American-ness, some to my German-ness, and some to neither. I tend to think it differs depending on where I am physically and emotionally. Ironically enough, the first time I felt like an American was when I was taken out of the country itself. The groups that one identifies with essentially shape the person. I gain a better understanding of myself, what I am and what I am not, from belonging to these groups.

My punctuality, my straight-forwardness, and my intense love of bread, are part of my individual identity that stem from my German cultural identity. My fondness of personal space, my driven attitude, and my love for retail are aspects of my individual identity that relate more to my American cultural identity. Despite the culture clashes and the occasional confusion, I am exceedingly grateful to be the product of cultural integration.