Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
Being the only tourist in a far-off place always leads to some interesting invitations — as when the mayor of Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, suggested I attend the celebration of his son’s baptism. The elders from the mayor’s village welcomed me into their midst and gave me a front-row seat for the start of the afternoon’s entertainment. Musicians played a soft … >>
My German friends are often amazed when I tell them I’ve been to their home town — whether it’s Darmstadt, Bremerhaven, Görlitz or any of dozens of smaller places. Many of them have traveled around the world without ever having explored much of their own country. I wasn’t any different when I was growing up. The world I knew was … >>
Last week was the week I didn’t exist. Well, I knew I existed, but I couldn’t prove it to anyone. The document that confirms my identity was out of my hands. Renewing a US passport used to be a speedy affair: I’d walk into the consulate here in Munich and walk out two hours later with a new document. Now … >>
My eight-year-old cousin Trevor wrote to me recently from Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, to ask for my help with a school project. Dear Michael, We are working on a Flat Stanley project. Stanley is a character in our book, Flat Stanley. He was flattened when a big bulletin board fell on him while he was in bed sleeping. In the book, … >>
Every little girl wants to be a princess — and my five-year-old niece is no exception. If she had her way (which she often does), she’d wear a fancy dress and a tiara every day. It goes without saying that she’d always be the center of attention. There’s something deep in the female psyche that responds to fairy tales — … >>
Do you know the difference between nationality and citizenship? A lot of people use these words to mean the same thing — but they don’t. The word “citizen” comes to us from Latin civitas, meaning “city”. The French took that word centuries ago and made the word citeain — someone who lives in a city. Today, a citizen is a … >>
If you don’t know how many states are in the United States, here’s an easy way to remember. This Friday marks exactly 50 years since America added its final, 50th, state: Hawaii. The country was ready: the growing availability of air travel in the 1960s made Hawaii a popular vacation spot for those who could afford it. Those who couldn’t … >>
I was in a foreign city, watching TV with some friends I’d made there. We’d gone through the channels and had stopped at one that was showing a movie. After a few minutes, a girl in the group said, “This must be a French film. All they’re doing is talking and eating.” She was right. “If it were an American … >>
One of Aesop’s many fables is the story of two snobs, the town mouse and the country mouse. The town mouse goes to visit his cousin, who lives in the country. The town mouse doesn’t like the simple food he’s offered, so he invites the country mouse to visit him in the city. There they eat sweet things, but the … >>
Ordinary Americans, and members of Congress, needed a deep breath to think about spending another $787 billion to get the derailed US economy back on track. Only one-sixth of the total was for projects in infrastructure and science, but a small item received an undue amount of attention. It was a $1.3 billion subsidy for Amtrak, the national passenger rail … >>