American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine January 2014 | Page 22

MEMBERSHIP I used to tramp through the Lüneburger Heide in the fall with our hiker, Anke C. That was when people did hikes. I used to have dinner out with Joetta M.’s group in the Walddörfer area in the early nineties, and trade juicy tidbits from Erika Berger’s night talk show about sex; and those in the know would bring in even juicier tidbits from David Letterman or Bob Barker. We were all scandalized. THAT was pre-YouTube. After that I met people who founded Internet startups in the dot-com era (only 10 years ago, seems like another age), and lived through the heartbreak some of them went through in burying the startups and leaving Hamburg in uncertain circumstances. Long-term residents like me are now following issues like taxes, dual citizenship, health, exploring the unexpected nook and cranny close to home, thinking about forms of living as we get older, and enjoying what we have. It’s time to say thank you: -- I have learned so much about the tax situation in the workshop the last few years, and tried to pass this on to every American I know. --On the enjoyment agenda, Ulrike, I love your art column!!!! --Shelly’s book exchanges were always just wonderful, and now Kara has taken it up. It takes a brave woman to open her home to boxes and boxes of books. --Nancy always has a smile and an open door with her jazz on Friday evenings. --at one of the dinners I met Thelma, who is now my close neighbor and always up for a coffee or a lunch at Grossneumarkt. We are the subchapter Grossneumarkt New York club, and if you know anyone who qualifies, please let us know. And now… I’ve noticed increasingly ambitious working women here for short periods of time. The vocabulary that describes our lives has changed. Women are a lot less naïve, a lot more savvy than I for one used to be. And, thank heavens, our members have job smarts a lot earlier now. We are moving increasingly digital with the times. Even I got a smart phone this month, finally. And Currents is moving in this way too. We are changing again. So… here’s a thank you to all our diverse members for all of your generosity that keeps this club going and helps us all muddle through the Hamburg November damp! David Opperman Certified Public Accountant Specializing in U.S. income tax preparation for Americans abroad I am an American CPA located in Hamburg, Germany Telephone: [phone] E Mail: [email protected] 22 American Women’s Club of Hamburg e.V.