The correspondent

A while ago, I wrote an article about three German people living in Scotland for university. It's marked now, so I guess I can publish it here. Say hello to Udo.

Udo is from Europe. He was born in Europe, he lives in Europe, and he plans to die in Europe. He is so European that most British people's hair would stand on end.

For Udo Seiwert-Fauti, it was just by chance that he was born in Germany. But while he could not change anything about his place of birth, it was his decision to spend ten years of his life living in Scotland. Udo is a journalist. And for some time, he was the only German journalist reporting from Scotland.

In 1998, the first members for the newly built Scottish parliament were elected and a whole country was on move towards devolution. There was a lot of coverage in the British media. There was little to none by German broadcasters. Udo Seiwert-Fauti, back then working at a German radio station, saw his chance. He gave in his resignation, packed up everything and moved to Edinburgh. He had the chance to experience history being written and he took it.

As the only German correspondent in Scotland, he had a monopoly on special relationships. He knew the first Scottish First Minister Donald Dewar in person, and once he had entered the parliament building, he was instantly known as the “German correspondent”. When the Pope came to Scotland, Udo-Seiwert-Fauti was invited as a Scottish citizen, not as a German.

For ten years, Udo Seiwert-Fauti lived in a semi-detached townhouse in Edinburgh south. He knows the Scots, and he knows the Germans. He has a unique view on both cultures, and he feels at home both in Edinburgh, in his village near the French border in Germany, and in Strasbourg, from where he currently reports.

In 2008, he had to return to Germany mainly due to his financial situation. But he still returns to Scotland several times each year. “I'm always looking forward to the friendliness of the Scots. It's nice when the lady at the checkout has time to actually talk to you. This never happens to me in Germany.”