Thank you, in German, to Olli, Richard, and Paul

I’m from Chiquinquirá, Boyacá, a career diplomat, and Rammstein was my motivation for learning German — that, plus the fact that I get along great with the LIFAD crowd. I’ve known them since 2004, when “Mein Teil” was on MTV Latin America’s video rotation, though I actually knew them earlier without realizing it, thanks to “Du Hast” playing in the intro of WWE wrestling broadcasts, and “Bück Dich” in the intro of Winning Eleven on PlayStation 1, narrated by Gomito 58.

I saw them in Sopó on December 3, 2010, and later in Berlin, Monza, and Mexico City. I have several singles, vinyls, and albums; I don’t have any tattoos yet, but I’d like to get the band’s logo someday — both the 1994 version and the current one.

In 2016 I had the chance to meet Olli, Richard, and Paul at an after-party following a rehearsal in Berlin, and I thanked them, in German, for being my motivation to learn the language. Achievement unlocked.