Three degrees of separation

So, I go for an interview in Munich, don't get the job and a month later see that the job is still being advertised.

What's the word I'm looking for?

Ah, yes: Schadenfreude. That's the word.

A German colleague once asked why the English always use German words to describe bad things.

I don't think we do especially. Besides he couldn't give me any more examples and I wasn't going to help him out by mentioning "Blitz".

Anyway Germans have a way with words. Mainly the way involves bunging them all together into one overwhelmingly large word. But some German (perhaps a lot, I don't read German literature) use basic concept words to produce an evocative effect. Two examples (probably badly spelt):

Turschlussangst - fear of a door shutting - originally a genuine medieaval concern, you didn't want to be left outside the city gates - now relating to missing an opportunity

Flucht nach Vorne - an escape forward. For example, my attempts to start a business could be described in this way. It's a different way of leaving my current situation (different than the usual way of just applying for jobs).

Both these phrases seem slightly melancholic.

Anyway, after my moment of Schadenfreude, I thought I'd look up in openBC the CTO who interviewed me. openBC is popular in Germany and there he was.

Two of my (currently) three contacts in openBC are German. One is a lawyer, the other a financial consultant (and former finance director). openBC showed that I was connected to this CTO in seven different way. That is, seven different routes through these contacts and their contacts. And, whichever route I took there were only three people in between the CTO and me.

He must be very proud.