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In the first installment of the "Better Know a" series, I interviewed the eUS ambassador to eGermany, ambassador Herrn Sterling. I learned a lot about him and his experience in eGermany. Tonight, I interview eGerman's own Alex Drex. He is our congressman in Saarland as well as ambassador not only to eUS but also eCanada as well. I asked him a bunch of questions on IRC in real time. None of it is scripted and the content not edit with the exception of spelling errors. I know this interview will offer a rare perspective that most eGermans do not have and it definitely open my eye and made me reflect my experience as a non-RL German in eGermany. I hope you enjoy this interview and you get to know our fellow brother Alex Drex well.

Konrad Thank you for your time Alex Drex for being in the second installment of the "Better Know a" series

Alex_Drex You're welcome, I'm glad to be here. 🙂

Konrad Before we ask you about your involvement in government, please tell us about yourself in real life like your where you live, your interest, or anything about your real self that you are willing to share with us

Alex_Drex Alright. I am an American in real life, I live in Washington State. I am in high school. I enjoy learning, debating, politics, history etc.

KonradThat is why eREP is a great game for you right?

Alex_Drex Yes.

Konrad What motivate you to be a eGerman rather than an eAmerican, eBrit, or in a eNation that use English as the primary language?

Alex_Drex Well, first I joined the game in my home state and found it to be under Hungarian control. I was going to quit, and I did. Then about a week later I decided I would get on just to see what was going on. I found out how to move, and thought about going to eUK but didn't. I chose Germany because I have a Germany ancestry in real life, and because I am learning German in high school, and I thought this would be a good place to practice speaking it.

Konrad Since German is not your main language and you are still learning it in school , do you have a hard time fitting in as well as communicating with other eGermans?

Alex_Drex Fitting in, I don't think so. The people are very nice and many of them speak English. Communicating can be difficult sometimes, like reading or writing in the German media. However when I want to read the German articles I will use Google Translate to get a basic idea of what it is saying. And if I am writing anything very important I will ask around to see if anyone would be able to help me translate, because I know Google Translate doesn't do a very good job. 😛

Konrad It is nice to see that you are talking action in trying to understand German. Without google translate, about how much percent of German used in typical articles do you feel you understand?

Alex_Drex Not very much, to be honest. I am only past my first few weeks of German Class. I know mostly basic words that I could use to have a tiny conversation, we are about to learn past tense and are just now learning splittable verbs. 😉 I will be taking German for all 4 years of high school though so hopefully I will be able to read everything in not too long. 🙂 Well... I suppose I know more than a tiny conversations worth, but not much that would be used in an article. 😛

Konrad I see, being in eGermany also aid your goal in learning German too 🙂 So, let's discuss your political career in eGermany What motivated you to be an eGerman congressman?

Alex_Drex I enjoy politics in real life, and I also wanted to help improve my country in as many ways as possible. To me Congressman seems like one of the best ways to do that.

Konrad Since you are not a RL German speaker and you are a freshman congressman, do you feel you fit in and able to do you task. In other words, are you use to it now?

Alex Drex I am confused sometimes by what is going on in the Bundestag forums, but if I don't get a very good translation with Google, I am not afraid to ask for an explanation. 🙂 I would say, yes I am used to it, and I enjoy being a Congressman for Germany, despite the language barrier.

Konrad Did the timezone difference affect your ability in doing your duties at all?

Alex_Drex No, not really. Although many people are not online when I am on, I am still able to communicate through the forums with other congressmen when I need to, and I also have a 24 hour time period to vote on a proposal from the time it is proposed, so I don't miss anything since I am on every day.

Konrad The most important question of all, eGermany... GREAT nation or the GREATEST nation?

Alex_Drex The GREATEST NATION!!! Of course! And when we have our baby boom, we will be the Greatest of the Greatest nation! xD



Konrad I see you are in Open Minded Germany. There are many great political parties in eGermany like SPeD, PPD, FDD, etc. Why did you choose OMG instead of the other ones?



Alex_Drex Yes, I am. I chose Open Minded Germany because I have the same sort of ideals as many of the members of the party, including yourself, and I felt it was the best party that fit me. In fact, if I didn't choose OMG, I probably would have gone non-partisan. Not because any of the others are not as good, but because I was kind of worried that there would be a lot of competition between the parties and things would not get done if you were in one party vs another, but I have found that, while there is a little competition, its not overly competitive and the Congressmen still work together no matter what party they are in, which I like a lot.

Konrad I see. You are also an Ambassador of eGermany. Thank you for your service.

Alex_Drex You're welcome, I love doing it. 🙂

Konrad What motivated you to be ambassador to both eUSA and later eCanada?

Alex_Drex I wanted to help Germany in as many was as I can and I felt ambassadorship would be a good way to do so. I felt that I could possibly improve foreign relations with the US and Canada, or at the very least, maintain their mainly neutral status towards Germany. Also, it helps that I speak English and can communicate with those countries very well.

Konrad Which eNation (eUS or eCanada) that you enjoy working in the most and why?

Alex_Drex Hmm, that's a hard one. I think I am going to choose eCanada, though. Both nations have been very kind to me and we haven't had any problems. My first day of working with eUS however there was a lot of spam going on, so it was harder to connect. However with Canada I was able to sign up for their forums and start communicating with people on their forums and IRC easily, and was welcomed quite warmly, by both nations of course. That was a tough question. 😛 Also, I think I met some really nice Canadians in the IRC and future friends. Both countries are great to work with though.

Konrad I see. Are there other clear difference between the two nations that you experienced?

Alex_Drex Well, no not really. The Canadian IRC is usually more active when I am on. Both countries are nice and respectful. The Canadian IRC seems to have more of a jolly feel, while the US is usually quiet unless something major is happening or there are a lot of people. Not really any major differences, but they are brothers, so what can you expect? 😛

Konrad LOL. Star Trek: Captain Kirk or Picard?

Alex_Drex Gonna have to go with Captain Kirk on this one. Although nice Picard video you showed me the other day. 😉



Konrad In your opinion, what does eGermany need the most at this time?

Alex_Drex At this time, we need a baby boom. A baby boom with a high retention rate. Baby booms are important, but if you can't keep those new citizens playing, and if they aren't quality citizens who feel the need to get involved in the game and are educated about how the game works, then it is not going to work out as well. I hope to see a baby boom soon.

Konrad Me too and I also want to thank you for your attempts and diligence in striving towards this great goal. Now to foreign politics, Phoenix... PEACE 2.0 or something new and different?



Alex_Drex It is my pleasure. 🙂 To me, Phoenix is something different, it contains many of the same allies and friends that PEACE had, but it's got a different feeling, to me. I don't know what it is, but it feels good. Better than PEACE, I would say. I'm excited to see what develops with Phoenix, and Germany's role in Phoenix.

Konrad As usually, the interviewee have the final word, anything you want to comment, something you want to reader to know, or even a question for me.

Alex_Drex I would like to thank you for inviting me to do this interview. Also, I would like to urge all readers to invite one friend to play eRepublik. Just one. Teach them the game and how to play. It will make the game better, and make it more fun for you. And lastly, I would like to thank you, Konrad for all you have done for Germany, and for teaching me when I didn't know how to play, you kept me in the game, and I thank you. I would not have accomplished any of these political goals or been able to work on my future ones if I hadn't met you. Thanks for all you have and will do for Germany and me!

Konrad You are too kind and you are making be blush. I want to thank you for your time and effort. Most important of all continue to do the great works you do. Many thanks and take care.

Alex_Drex Thanks, you take care too. 🙂

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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy reading this interview. I will try to get more foreign governmental members as well as domestic members soon.

I wish you well and good luck.

Konrad Neumann