Ever since the pandemic struck, our lives have changed. We are now governed by new rules – wear a mask, sanitize, maintain social distance. Although life is considerably different from what we are used to, most of us have adapted to the new changes. People still need to travel and experience new environments, and one solution is virtual tours -- which are the perfect way to ward off the COVID-induced boredom to which most of us have succumbed.

Two years ago, the German government enacted the “blue card” system for non-EU nationals who are willing to stay and live permanently in Germany to replenish its dwindling labor force. Similar to a green card in the United States, an immigrant is eligible to apply for a blue card if he or she has a confirmed job offer or a valid work contract with a sponsoring employer, holds a university degree, and earns an annual salary of at least 35,000 euros. 

I frame this story about my three-week getaway to Europe last summer by asking what it means for Americans to venture across the pond at this juncture in our history. How do we navigate foreign cultures during a moment when our own national obsessions, with everything from rape biology scandals to “Honey Boo Boo’s” Southern familial dysfunction, are more insular than ever? How can Americans abroad serve as global ambassadors when our own national discourse is emblematized by a Hollywood cowboy ranting at an empty chair while apostrophizing the President?