Security procedures at Frankfurt International Airport are much more stringent than those at any airport I've been to in the United States. Everyone going through the checkpoint gets a good, old-fashioned wanding, and the security questions are asked in a serious rather than pro forma manner. The process takes forever, but it does inspire confidence in those otherwise feckless, terrorist-appeasing Germans.

That said, U.S. Customs and Immigration are far more serious than their counterparts abroad. Upon returning to Pittsburgh, I was asked about my hat (featuring a Cal Berkeley Golden Bear), my job, and what exactly I had been up to abroad. I think the purpose was to determine whether I was, in fact, a real American, although it's unclear whether associating myself with the good communists at Berkeley helped or hurt my case.