Stories from my life and travels as an American expat in Germany!
Germany is widely believed to be one of the few countries with the Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis under control. In contrast, the world has watched how America has handled the Coronavirus crisis and collectively cringed. Of course, not all American states have responded to the pandemic in the same way. Governor Gretchen Whitmer of my home state of Michigan has shown strong…Continue Reading
Healthcare. As the world tackles the Coronavirus crisis, the healthcare systems of many countries are under higher scrutiny than ever before. Fortunately, I can’t tell you what it’s like being treated for COVID-19 in Germany. I can, however, tell you what the healthcare system in Germany is like in general; in particular, in comparison to the USA. Disclaimer: this goes…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 expats share the positives of teaching adults English in Germany while glossing over the negatives. Perhaps, because they assume they’re already known.…Continue Reading
If you’re preparing yourself for a move to Germany, or even just a visit, you may have come across complaints about customer service. Or, more accurately, the lack of customer service. I certainly did, which led me to dig a little deeper into the subject before our 2015 visit. Sure enough, googling “customer service in Germany” gets you a lot of results saying…Continue Reading
The CELTA has a reputation of being very difficult. While I was doing my research into the course, I read and watched blog posts and youtube videos from former students who all said the same thing: It’s really hard… and you won’t have time for anything else… but you will learn a lot. For me, all three points turned out to…Continue Reading
This post was originally supposed to be a counterpoint to last week’s Top 10 Things Germany Does Better than the USA. Was. After my husband asked me, “what will you put on there?” I realized I only had a list of four; a real problem when you need six more items to make a top 10 list.
AKA: The Top 10 Things Germany Does Better Than the USA
Restaurant service in Germany doesn’t have the best reputation. Is it as notoriously awful as French restaurant service? Of course not. Still, German restaurants aren’t exactly vying for the title of, “best service in Europe.” My husband and I are the couple that always talks about cooking at home more often. We succeed for a week or two, and then slowly…Continue Reading
Did you know that most apartment buildings in Germany doesn’t use apartment numbers? If you would have answered “yes” before reading the post heading, you’re either German, a current (or former) resident, a trivia enthusiast, or a liar. To everyone who answered “no,” I would have been right there with you, if I was still living in the USA. But,…Continue Reading
I’ve never been a car enthusiast. Unless it’s a sports car or several decades old, I have no idea what my husband finds so appealing when he points out a “cool” car. So it may come as a surprise to some people when they find out that my favorite place to go as a very young child was AutoWorld, the…Continue Reading