I recently had the chance to interview an international student here at the University of Buffalo. I met Martin Zink through mutual friends. Martin is from Wiesbaden in Germany. He has lived here in the United states for close to three years now. He still maintains his German citizenship even though his parents now live in the U.S. and are American citizens.
Martin has a lot to say about life here in America. He has come to enjoy living here. Last year was his first year in college and he seems to enjoy attending the University of Buffalo. During his first year he joined a Fraternity and is now an active member of Sigma Tau Gamma. Martin tells me he has never regretted joining the fraternity and loves being a member of and American society.
Martin also has some negative things to say about America. He strongly disagrees with President Bush’s policies and is actively against the war in Iraq. Although he can not vote he has told he wants Barack Obama to be the next President. Martin is an international political science major, so he follows politics closely. I asked him if he is as interested in the politics of his native country, Germany. He said he is very interested because he returns there often. He has a sister who lives there and he stays there during the summer while working at in internship back in his home town of Wiesbaden. This lead me to my next question which was whether he plans to stay and work in the U.S. or if he would rather live and work in Germany. Martin says he loves and is proud of his German heritage. He told me the reason he kept his German citizenship was so that after he graduates he can move to Germany and get a job there. He says that Germany is where he belongs and where he wants to be.
