Not without mate tea: Sebastian Lachner swears by his national drink
Created: 10/26/2022, 8:00 p.m
By: Doris Schmid
Tea Ceremony: Drinking Mate is celebrated in Argentina.
Sebastian Lachner with the vessel in which the drink is prepared.
The tea is drunk with the help of a bombilla (drinking straw).
© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
People from 106 nations live together in the city of Geretsried.
In a series we give them a face.
Today: Sebastian Lachner from Argentina.
Geretsried – The UN counts 195 countries in the world.
106 nationalities are registered in the city of Geretsried (as of June 8th).
Our newspaper wants to put a face to this number and introduces people from all parts of the world in no particular order who have found a new home in Geretsried.
Today: Sebastian Lachner from Argentina.
One city, 106 nations: Sebastian Lachner from Argentina lives in Geretsried
Argentina, India, Germany: At the age of 22, Sebastian Lachner has traveled a lot.
The student currently lives with his grandmother in Geretsried.
His parents are there too.
The only thing missing is a younger brother and the family would be complete.
The UN counts 195 countries in the world.
106 nationalities are registered in the city of Geretsried (as of June 8th).
Our newspaper wants to put a face to this number and introduces people from all parts of the world in no particular order who have found a new home in Geretsried.
© PMS graphic
Sebastian Lachner comes from the city of Mendoza.
It is located in the center of a well-known wine region.
His German father got stuck there when he was backpacking Argentina.
"Then he met my mother," says the young man with the longer brown hair and smiles mischievously.
The couple started a family.
As a boy, Lachner first attended a private German school and later a public art school.
First to India for a year
His father's contacts – he worked in international relations at the university – enabled him to spend a longer period abroad.
Lachner chose an exotic country: India.
For a year he lived with a host family in Surat, a city of over a million inhabitants on the west coast north of Mumbai.
He was well received.
But India was initially a culture shock, admits the Argentine.
Out of ten people in the very traditional and conservative family, only the three youngest spoke English.
"Communication was difficult," he recalls.
Sebastian Lachner used the time to learn the language and integrate into the culture.
"You have to know the culture well to understand things," says the student.
Apparently, the integration into the family succeeded.
"They even wanted to marry me off," he says and laughs.
During the last months of his stay, Lachner considered how he should continue after his adventure in India.
The economic situation in Argentina deteriorated, half of his family came from Germany.
A good time to explore his father's homeland.
The paternal grandparents had lived in Geretsried since the early 1960s – grandpa came from the Ruhr area, grandma from near Ingolstadt.
Lachner moved to Geretsried and tried to get a university admission.
He attended a preparatory college for two semesters before being able to enroll in a computer linguistics course in Munich.
"It's still a very new subject," says Lachner.
It combines technology and language.
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The young man also has roots in Italy
At the end of last year his father came to Geretsried.
"I think he's wanted to go back for a while," says Lachner.
His mother is there too.
Will they stay?
Quite possible.
After the death of the grandfather, the family wants to be there for the grandmother.
And the situation in Argentina hasn't gotten any better.
On the contrary: inflation will soon be 90 percent.
"Many people want to leave because of the economic situation," reports the 22-year-old.
"That's sad." The country, its relaxed culture and the great importance of family, that's what he likes about his homeland, says Lachner, while there is a bit of longing in his voice.
Perhaps the South American will continue studying in Munich.
Maybe in Vienna.
Or Italy.
The young man also has roots there.
And at some point he will certainly travel to Argentina and enjoy a mate tea with his family.
"You don't drink it alone, but always in company."
nope
The best from both worlds
I was born in
Argentina
.
The country is the eighth largest in the world and is located in South America.
The republic is 2.8 million square kilometers in size and has 45.8 million inhabitants.
The state capital is Buenos Aires.
The funniest misunderstanding:
Argentines like to argue in restaurants about who will pay the bill.
It's a bit like a game.
The biggest difference:
Argentines tend to touch each other more, for example when greeting.
Germans keep a greater distance there.
What I will never understand about the Germans:
dog tax.
In Bavaria they say "Grüß Gott",
in my mother tongue "Buenas" or "Hola".
My favorite dish is:
I find Käsespätzle very tasty.
In Argentina I like pizza.
It tastes better than in Italy.
What I appreciate about my country of origin
is the sense of community.
It brings people together, especially in tough times like this.
And to Geretsried:
You can walk to very beautiful places like the Königsdorfer Alm and the Bibisee.
One City - 106 Nations: Published so far
The UN counts 195 countries in the world.
106 nationalities are registered in the city of Geretsried (as of June 8).
Our newspaper wants to put a face to this number and introduces people from all parts of the world in no particular order who have found a new home in Geretsried.
Ukraine
: She has a German name.
But for a long time, Anita Weininger didn't even know that she had German ancestors.
"The topic was taboo in our family," says the native Ukrainian.
No German was spoken at home in Lemberg either.
She only learned that later in a roundabout way.
Belarus
: Ala Aliakseyenka studied German and English in her native Belarus, also known as Belarus.
Now she teaches bilingual children in Geretsried in Russian, their mother tongue.
Click here for the article.
Netherlands
: His father was Dutch and his mother was a native of Lower Bavaria.
His last name comes from northern France.
Hans de Caluwé is a real European mix.
The tall man has lived with his wife in Geretsried since 1976.
Kazakhstan
: Two things are very important to Larisa Sulemenov: being a teacher and having her family around.
The 55-year-old is somewhat saddened that she cannot reconcile the two in her life.
But she found a good way for herself, so that today she can say: "I'm glad I'm here." Her story.
Russia
: Elsa Kodeda (39) from the Republic of Tatarstan, which is part of the Russian Federation.
How the trained opera singer ended up in Geretsried of all places.
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