Something that is not on many visitors' bingo card is a trip to the hospital. But life just happens and sometimes the unexpected becomes a reality. That has been the case for my family this last month. As I neared my due date for Berlin baby number three, my parents...
Today is a national holiday in Germany, Tag der Deutschen Einheit or German Unity Day. Like every year, I feel it is almost forgotten until it is upon us. It honors the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rejoining of East to West Germany. So it is strange that a day...
Recently I was conducting one of my first interviews, showcasing my new company and covering what it means to work in a startup. It struck me as a little surreal. This was a real "fake it til you make it" moment as I had just started in my first startup the month...
When I agreed with my partner that I would move to Germany, I specified I didn't want to stay longer than 18 months to two years, and there was no way I was going to live in Bremen for three years. Now I have to eat my words because almost to the exact day three years...
In a few weeks, I'll be heading to a friends wedding in the UK, which means I am in search of a new outfit to wear. The prospect of this might be exciting for some people but I am not a fan of clothes shopping. In recent years I have grown tired of wandering around...
Currently, I am planning a holiday to Sri Lanka. Why would I leave Germany for a holiday with everything it has to offer? Well, northern Germany doesn't offer much Vitamin D at this time of year. There was a brief rise in temperature in February and it looked like...
I think we are good neighbors. We are fairly quiet (except for occasional tantrums from the now 4-year-old). We hold the door and carry bags for the people that live upstairs. We accept packages. We make proper German small talk about the weather and health (proper...
Living abroad has thrown me a lot of curve balls, and never more so than when I navigated my first pregnancy in Germany. That's right - first. As in... I am having another baby in Germany! We are now 5 months in and even though I helped compile a full guide for other...
When a group of foreigners get together in Germany there are a few topics of conversation that you can practically guarantee will come up. The top ten frustrations and annoyances will almost always include the topic of recycling. The systems can be overwhelming and...
I have been slowly transitioning from my homeland to Germany, with baby steps that started with holidays a couple of years ago and evolved every time I came back getting more and more permanent. This means I have had the chance to come to Germany and then go back to...
When I first arrived in Berlin I scrapped by, stretching one ticket to its full 2-hour limit. Then I learned the wonders of the 4 ticket (4-Fahrten-Karte) which offered slight discounts by buying 4 at a time. Finally, I caved and bought the 10-am ticket which offers a...
Trying not to sound excessively formal in a foreign language requires practice and attention. It can happen that in your aim to sound colloquial you will pick up words and phrases that you think are everyday material you can use with your colleagues at work, in a...
I forgot it was almost August until I walked up to the KiTa (daycare) where my husband teaches, and saw the sign on the front gate: Achtung! Erdwespen auf der Wiese. (Caution! Wasps in the meadow/garden.) Aw, yes. Just like the seasonal Eis (ice cream) stands and the...
Whilst the mercury stays steadfastly in the thirties (centigrade) and the German summer is bursting with events like Breminale, weinwanderungen (wine walks) and freiluftkino (open air cinemas) it is easy to find the heat somewhat oppressive when you're crushed between...
As every other responsible expat that moves to Germany with the intention of making of Goethe’s land their new home I briefly attended formal German lessons at my arrival. The teacher was nice, some of the people I met there were overly nice (if you know what I mean)...
If you happen to watch German TV or read German newspapers or simply follow German news, you know that more often than not, notices either begin or end with words along the lines of "Karlsruhe will give an answer by the end of next week" or "meanwhile Karlsruhe will...
Short answer - EVERYWHERE. No matter whether you call it soccer, football or Fussball, almost everyone in Germany will be watching a few games in this massive tournament of skill. This is the 21st FIFA World Cup and there will be 32 national teams vying for...
What happens when you decide the expat life is not working out? You've changed your mind. Fallen out of love with Germany. Mentally checked out, bags are packed and you're on that plane home. This was the reality for me towards the end of the year. Mic drop. Bear with...
What's it like to be a nine-to-fiver in Germany? A very hard question to answer since everyone has had their very own experiences, but after a while in Germany, and more than one job in this land behind me, I feel like it could be safe to make some general comments...
When you move to a new place it takes a while before you start getting the feel of belonging, the sensation that you are on some sort of vacations or just visiting takes some time to start wearing off and in my experience with Germany, this is a job that's done both...
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