notes from Chanel Williams, ’16 on her research in Hamburg during the summer

During my time in Hamburg, Germany I took a course that focused on the creation of expatriate culture in Hamburg. During this course I interviewed expatriates working at science and business corporations in Hamburg. These expatriates were from America, Italy, The Philippines as well as other countries. The expatriates that I interviewed provided information on how they integrated into Hamburg society. They offered examples of socializing with their colleagues outside of the work environment and going to festivals such as Hamburg’s Port Anniversary. Although some expatriates created social connections with Hamburg residents, others had stronger social ties with family and friends from their home country. Social media provided these expatriates with the ability to stay in touch with their family and friends located thousands of miles away.

Based on the information received from these expatriates, a Bryn Mawr student and I were able to construct a potential theory about the social interactions of these expatriates.  This theory, called the Williams, McCabe Triangle, suggested that there were three major social groups for expatriates and that most expatriates living in Hamburg utilized two of these social groups, but rarely all three. These three social groups were coworkers and friends living in Hamburg, friends contacted through social media, and business contacts from the expatriate’s home country. Evidence from our expatriate interviews shows that most expatriates were a part of social groups in Hamburg and on social media but did not remain strongly connected with their colleagues in their home country. The few expatriates that did remain in touch with their colleagues back home were not as invested in the social atmosphere in Hamburg and used social media as their second means of communication. Being able to remain in contact with people from home and the ease of accessing social media anywhere in the world shows how the internet and social media are making the world a more interconnected place. This course on expatriates has given me a deeper understanding on the globalization that is occurring and how business people are using this globalization to their advantage.

One major issue that I had to overcome in Hamburg was my having no understanding of public transportation. There were many times when I wished that I could be safely in my little ’99 Mazda, knowing exactly where I was going and feeling shielded from the world. At home, I had never taken Septa alone before. I always had to plan my trips and never remembered how to read the train schedule (that’s what friends are for). I come from West Norriton, PA, where public transportation is hard to get to, and routes to any major attraction (the mall, super Wal*Mart) are very complicated and make driving seem much more convenient.

In Hamburg, the subway/train system if more efficient. There are more stops, and trains that run on a loop come every 5 minutes, not every 45-50. On day 2 I had to take the bus and the train alone, and my anxiety about public transportation began to decline. Becoming more comfortable with the train made my time exploring Hamburg enjoyable. Working on my project (tracking down buildings featured in Fatih Akin films) was my favorite part of the trip.

There are also more bus stops in Hamburg, and they are more visible. Often, there is a timer letting pedestrians know how far away the bus is. In Pennsylvania, quite a few bus stops around my neighborhood are marked by a sign just a few inches big that is below some other traffic sign. For years I didn’t even know what those little symbols were for. I wondered why clusters of people sometimes stood on the side of the road under the “Right Lane Ends” sign…

I would prefer to live in Hamburg because the city doesn’t feel so in-your-face, thrown-to-the-wolves, urban. At the same time, there is so much to do and it is much easier to go out and enjoy attractions of urban settings (concerts, galleries). The public transportation system alone makes me want to move there. But the way the train and bus schedules changed at night was a whole different adventure…

–Jocelyn Moye