The six-part anniversary series “40 Years of Terra X: Our Continents” started in mid-October with the continent of Africa. Harald Lesch (62) led through this show. Now the final is coming up. The last episode “North America” (November 13, 7:30 p.m., ZDF) will be moderated by chemist and science journalist Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim (35, “MAITHINK X – The Show”).
In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim explains what connects her with the continent of North America. “I lived for a while on the east coast of the USA to do research and have a lot of relatives on the west coast – of my father’s widely ramified family, we are actually the only ones living in Germany. That’s why I’ve always had a personal connection to North America,” says who was born in Heppenheim, Hessen. But even apart from that, she finds the continent exciting, “because it has an interesting history, everything is rather oversized and our so-called Western culture is shaped so much by Hollywood alone to this day”.
Today, however, the wife and mother can no longer imagine living in North America for a longer period of time. “Although I have family and friends in North America, I prefer to live in Germany with my own small family,” says Nguyen-Kim. And she adds: “I find it exciting that Americans proudly see themselves as the land of freedom, even though all the freedoms are reserved only for those who have money.” In theory you can be anything, “from rags to riches” (from rags to riches), “in practice only if, for example, your parents set up a college fund for you before you are born. I am me after all more of a passionate European,” she admits.
In terms of content, the work on the special “Terra X” program also brought something new for the scientist. “It’s almost impossible to view the continent of North America as one country because each state and region is so different,” Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim clarifies. What surprised you the most? “For example, I first had to realize that everything up to Panama is counted as part of North America,” says Nguyen-Kim, adding: “When you hear ‘Mexico’, ‘Guatemala’ or ‘Panama’, you associate it spontaneously with South America. But North America is more than just the USA and Canada.”
And there are also big differences between Canada and the USA. “For many, North America is synonymous with the USA. It was exciting for me to find out why Canada was doomed to never become so dominant,” she says, citing the topography as the reason: “Canada is criss-crossed by many small, intertwined arms of the river , which you could only navigate with these tiny boats, the Canadians. In contrast, the expanses of the USA could be opened up by train,” explains the “MAITHINK X – The Show” star.
