Stories from my life and travels as an American immigrant in Germany!
Pay toilets: like pay-to-play, but worse. Although peeing for free is a God-given right in ‘Muricah, you’ll find that’s not (usually) the case in Germany. Indeed, it’s not the case in most of Europe. You can expect to pay at least 50 cents every time nature calls while you’re out in public. Sometimes, even if you’re a paying customer in…Continue Reading
Teaching English to adults in Germany is a fun, rewarding experience. I know that I’ve personally enjoyed my time here as an EFL (English as a foreign language) teacher. But is it right for everyone? A lot of English teachers share the positives of teaching English to adults in Germany while glossing over the negatives, which I feel does a…Continue Reading
Culture shock. It happens to everyone. Well, everyone living in a new country, anyway. I definitely experienced my fair share during my first few months in Germany. Are you planning a move to Deutschland as well? Nothing beats experience, but with a little preparation, you can make your own move to Germany go as smoothly as possible. Here are some…Continue Reading
If you’re in Germany in December, visiting a Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) should be one of your top priorities. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tourist, an expat who has already been here for a few years, or a native German. You need to go! Why? Well, they’re easily the best part of German culture; that’s why. For those who don’t know,…Continue Reading
Personal space is very important to your average American. Maybe it’s because we’re used to having (or coveting, in the case of many city dwellers) a lot of space. Either way, we don’t like to be near strangers. Hell, some of us don’t even hug close friends or family; we say hello from a respectable arms’ length away. We like…Continue Reading
At first glance, supermarkets in Germany appear quite similar to their American counterparts. Grocery stores like Real and Rewe look just like any Kroger or Meijer back in my home state of Michigan. Aldi looks a lot like, well…Aldi. Sure, sometimes the layout may be a bit different, but it’s basically the same, right? In many ways, yes. There are…Continue Reading
Playgrounds in Germany range from the average to the impressive. There are a lot of them, too; in my little city of Wolfsburg alone, with a population just over 120k, you’re within a 5 minute walk of a playground from basically any starting point. Depending on where you live, that might not sound so impressive; for me, though, it’s definitely…Continue Reading
Update: This post is out-of-date! If you want a more comprehensive guide, check out my latest post on my favorite German movies, TV, podcasts, and more. Learning German can be quite difficult. It can also be really boring if you spend the entire time with your nose in a textbook. One of the best tools for learning a new language,…Continue Reading
Bugs! They’re (mostly) disgusting! They’re also everywhere; especially here in Germany. This post contains a (blurry) photo of a spider, so if you don’t want to see that…turn away now! …OK, just the brave folks left? Great! Of all the stereotypes I’d heard about Germany before moving here, “there’s a lot of bugs” definitely wasn’t one of them. It’s…Continue Reading
A few weeks ago, we took our bikes to a nearby strawberry field where you can pick your own strawberries. All you have to do is bring your own container, which you have weighed before you begin picking. You also have the option to simply buy a container of strawberries from the shirtless man at the stand, but where’s the…Continue Reading