Getting German citizenship

in life •  7 years ago  (edited)

So I spent my Sunday yesterday studying for a naturalization test for Germany that I will be taking on Friday. The test consists of 33 multiple-choice questions out of a catalogue of 310 questions. To pass, one needs to answer 17 questions correctly. The topics of the questions range from the German political structure, constitutional rights, history dating back till WWII, and general customs and rules in Germany (e.g. what is custom at Christmas in Germany ? A. dressing up in costume, B. decorating christmas trees, B. painting eggs, D. hunting). It took me about a day to go through all 310 questions and read up on the respective topics. History and pol. systems were the more extensive subjects and also where I am - correction: WAS - most ignorant. After all this time, I'm glad I had an incentive to do something about it.

After that, the remaining steps to getting German citizenship are purely bureaucratic - fixing appointment to file papers, showing up at the appointment and waiting. It all sounds very clinical. In truth, is it?
I have lived in Germany for 33% of my life and 100% of my adult life. If you do the math you'll know my current age, which I won't divulge directly, well....

That's Why - Imgur.gif

During my education I visited India for longer periods in between my semesters, spending up to 4 months a year in India. Once I started working, this reduced to two weeks a year. New Years stopped being the one time of the year you could count on a full-on high school reunion, because everybody had their own grown-up zip codes, partners and priorities. Vacation time and associated travel budgets became scarce. I became increasingly adjusted to my life in Germany. And I'm gonna say it: my travel restrictions compared to my peers (and my main travel companion @cagu) here became quite irritating. Spontaneous trips to Cape Town, London, Tel Aviv, you name it: Nope, forget it, sorry. Maybe next time, with two months notice.

1 - I5Sb4Wl.gif

Overreaction? Yes. Funny? Also.

Does formally giving up my Indian citizenship make me a fraud? From an emotional and identity perspective, it's not so straightforward. My family (and the Bollywood industry :P) are back in India. It is where I grew up. But to be honest, the current situation feels like limbo. I can't vote in India, or speak in Hindi (Hinglish) all the time. And I can't travel as freely as my colleagues and friends here, or legitimize my identity for a new bank account using video-chat, because they can't legitimize my current passport. From a pragmatic perspective, the decision feels increasingly straightforward. I have a home, a loving relationship, friends, a job. My life is here.

I just wish borders didn't matter as much as they seem to.

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Exactly, your life is here. And by the way, the german passport is one of the best. It can get you to almost every where. I don't have my citizenship yet, but as an EU member citizen, I will not have to give up my citizenship that I have, which is a very good perk :)

Good luck on Friday!

Nice post my friend. Dropped you a follow, you can follow me at @looking4llamas. Looking forward to your future posts!
https://steemit.com/@looking4llamas

Thanks! :-) Followed you back!

Thank you very much! :)

Thinking pragmatic, very German already! :D

Viel Erfolg bei deinem Test am Freitag!
Danach hast du dann zumindest den Pass mit den großzügigsten Reisebestimmungen weltweit.

Danke! Ja, das ist natürlich ein riesiger Vorteil. Indien ist irgendwo ganz unten auf der Liste :/

I think that should not be a problem for you. Most questions are very easy. If someone else want to try this test: http://oet.bamf.de/pls/oetut/f?p=534:1:0::NO:::
I hope that's the right one.

Yep, it is - thanks for the link; test should hopefully be alright. I see you're traveling in India? Whereabouts are you currently?

WOW is not an easy decision, perhaps from the practical point of view it is. But I believe that from the heart, from the depth of your being, it should not be easy for you to give up.
One may think that for practical purposes it is good to give up, in reality nothing will change since the heart will continue to belong to your place of origin. But deep down it's not easy
I wish you the greatest success

Thanks @cecchetti. It suppose it is a matter of logic over emotion, and like you say, in reality it won't change who I am or where I come from.

Alles Gute, viel Glück, good luck for today!

Danke! Test ist gut gelaufen - Ergebnis kommt zwar in 6 Wochen, aber ich bin zuversichtlich :-) Jetzt fängt der ganze bürokratische Teil an!

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