As part of a project to document the lives of Germans living in the UK, I was interviewed by the German Embassy in July. You can also read the interview and learn more about the Hier & There project here, which also included interviews with the prime minister of Lower Saxony.
Why did you choose to live in the UK?
I was born in Celle in Niedersachsen, and later came to the UK with my Scottish father not knowing much about the country other than what he and my grandparents had told me as a child. Since then I’ve grown to enjoy much about life here and in the West coast of Scotland in particular, where I currently call home.
What do you like most about the UK?
Without a doubt the scenery. I was lucky enough to spend last summer travelling around the coast and highlands of the North and West of Scotland, and had the pleasure of enjoying some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve yet seen. The island of Skye, and Talisker Bay in particular, is somewhere I will never tire of visiting.
What do you miss most living in the UK?
Aside from friends and family, I wish that there was a German Bäckerei here in Glasgow like the fantastic Falko Konditorei they have in Edinburgh.
What is the typical British idiosyncrasy in your opinion?
Over politeness and the tendency to be reserved, but mostly the peculiar obsession with queuing ‘correctly’. I didn’t realise that this was an issue until Iam in Germany with my (Scottish) wife, who gets slightly annoyed with the reluctance of Berliners to form neat, orderly lines!
What is your personal highlight in the UK?
Working with the former National Poet of Scotland Edwin Morgan on my photographic project ‘Sonnets’ will long be a personal highlight. Morgan had a long interest in both collaborating and being inspired by German writers and poets, and it was an honour to be part of that cultural exchange and dialogue.
What would be your advice to someone who wants to move to the UK?
While I can’t speak for the whole UK, I would advise those planning to move to Scotland to try and immerse themselves in the rich culture and language of the Scots people. As for the rather dry and self deprecating British sense of humour, that is something that can only be learned through experience and time!
© German Embassy London