Stories from my life and travels as an American immigrant in Germany!
If you’ve done any research into German culture, you’ve likely come across blogs, articles and forum discussions on the subject of German directness. Less politically-correct results may even simply state that Germans are rude. It’s a topic of discussion as old as time; or, at least, as old as the Internet’s mainstream popularity. There is a lot of material on the subject,…Continue Reading
As many of you with an interest in Germany already know, privacy is a big concern for most Germans. The first time I added one of my husband’s German friends on Facebook, I didn’t realize he was using a fake name. He had split up his first name, so that it appeared on Facebook as Tor Sten. Up until a…Continue Reading
I’ve had access to a computer and the Internet since about age nine. If you’re young, that probably doesn’t seem like a big deal. I’m 30-years-old, though; not many of my fellow Americans were going online in the mid-90’s. From day one, I was obsessed. While other kids were sneaking out of the house, I was sneaking online. Getting grounded…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
Are you considering a long-term move to Germany? If your spouse is German, and you are from an English-speaking country, this guide is for you. Here, I will detail the steps needed for Aufenthaltserlaubnis (temporary residency), which will allow you to live and work for three years in Germany. At first, getting all of the paperwork in order may seem a little…Continue Reading
A recent poll has revealed that many Germans don’t like Halloween. That’s a real shame, as it’s quite clearly the best holiday. Also, they could really use a buffer between Summer and Christmas. There have been Christmas decorations for sale here since late September, and the Christmas lights have been glowing downtown since mid October. Bah, humbug. Halloween is a…Continue Reading
I was supposed to have a post up last week about our visit to Prague. Unfortunately, as it sometimes does, life got in the way! The post is all ready to go. I just need to get the pictures I took off of my husband’s cameras. Fingers crossed, that post will be up this Thursday. In the meantime, I’ve decided to…Continue Reading
The match itself was much more fun than I had expected; not just the game, but the entire experience. There was a lot of chanting, singing, and coordinated jumping from the crowd. They even gave one of the fans a microphone so that he could lead them in bolstering their home team’s spirit.
The otters are (of course) the main attraction, but there are several other animals on display, including ferrets, stoats, weasels, martens, an American mink, and even an otter hound.
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