Ms. Munich on HubPages

I am a German expatriate who immigrated from the most southern town of Germany to the South Bay Area of San Francisco – a Gilroy cowgirl in Bavarian Lederhosen who blogs on Apples instead of eating them.

To focus on my true passion, creative writing, I left my high paid job at the European headquarter of a Berkeley energy food company and enrolled into screen-writing classes and workshops held by Hollywood professionals such as Richard Walter, UCLA.

There was not one soul who encouraged me to come to the US in 2001, after the internet bubble had burst and just in time to witness 9/11. “You will never be able to survive,” was the discouraging feedback I received when I left my social security net in Germany to "romance myself into becoming" as Ray Bradbury called it in a conversation. Eight years later, I am still here in California bringing the bacon home with creative writing.

Initially my personal blog "Munichmaedchen" had the purpose to keep the family in Germany up to date without having to answer embarrassing questions on the phone. Soon, however, it turned into a frequently visited and diverse social meeting place where information got exchanged on how to survive in the US on a low budget and have fun anyway. As an immigrant fresh off the boat I needed all the help I could get. Today, in the midst of a gigantic economic crisis, I think it is time to give back.

With all the financial turmoil and despair around me, I just want to hug - pardon- HUB everyone and remind you what extraordinary privilege it is to live in this free US of A, citizen or non citizen, employed or unemployed, left or right wing, chocolate or vanilla. Don’t let the Dow Jones take your can-do spirit away. Like the Pilgrim Fathers and the early pioneers, Rely on your creativity and survival skills rather than on the government for a positive change. Be adventurous and pull yourself on your bootstraps to improve this tiny square of the universe that affects your wellbeing.

Share with me in this blog  my very own American dream and take with you what you need to remember your own one.