Or how not to get your Aufenthaltstitel The big day started at 6:30 a.m. when I suddenly woke up and realized that it was was the day and date of my appointment at the Berlin Ausländerbehörde (Foreigners Authority, now known as the Landesamt für Einwanderung, the...
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U vs Ü
Driving in the car with my family the other day, I overheard my four-year old son say to his younger brother: “I am so frustrating! No! I am so frustrating! Stop doing that!” I had difficulty suppressing my laughter, tickled at the irony of his statement. Yes, I...
Feiertage: What are we celebrating today?
With Halloween drawing close, I've been thinking about holidays for expats. Which holidays are observed and how they are celebrated varies a lot around the world. In the English-speaking countries alone there are great variations. (Canada's Thanksgiving is the second...
Levels of Language Proficiency: My Life in Germany
Beyond Ordering a Beer Recently I enjoyed reading Julia Child's My Life in France (with Alex Prud'homme). It's a great book (and the first one I ever read as a Kindle edition on my iPhone). Anyone who has lived abroad or spent only a brief time in the French capital...
The Death of the German Language
The reports of its death are premature Lately, the Germans have had more important things to worry about than the death of their language. But once they have dealt with the collapse of the euro and the resignation of their flaky President Köhler, they'll get back to...
No Google Street View in Germany and Austria?
Today's blog is inspired by two recent events in Germany: (1) The vehement opposition to Google Street View from some Germans and Austrians, and (2) the March 2, 2010 German Federal Constitutional Court decision that overturned a law that allowed government...
“Friendly Service” and Zero-Euro-Jobs
Who's left holding the (grocery) bag? One definition of culture shock: The first time an American goes through the checkout lane at a German grocery store. The first shock is seeing the cashier/checker comfortably seated rather than standing. The second comes as the...
Marlene Dietrich stars in Berlin
Things can move slowly in Germany and Berlin. Especially things having to do with "the war" and the Nazi past. The German-born film actress Marlene Dietrich falls into this category. Some Germans (the dumb ones) still view Dietrich as a traitor to Germany. They fail...
American small talk vs German no talk
Germans don't do small talk. (Well, sometimes they do – but they rarely admit it.) Most German-speakers will tell you that their language is too serious and precise to be wasted on small talk or chitchat, especially with strangers. Anyone who has lived in Berlin for...
The Wall turns 48 – What was the Berlin Wall really like?
NOTE: This post from August 2009 has been updated for 2019. August 13 marked the 48th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall (in 2009; the 58th anniversary in 2019). During the night of 12-13 August 1961, East German soldiers and other workers began...
German banking (and credit cards) for beginners
Notice! This older blog post has been replaced by a new German Way article. This deprecated blog post will be deleted soon. When I was traveling in France recently, I rediscovered some of the differences among the European countries in the area of banking and credit...
The downside of English as the universal language
Why is it that many Anglophones seriously consider going to Germany to work when they have zero German skills? A German would never for an instant think that he/she could go to Britain or the United States to work without knowing English well. So why would it be OK...
Airing Out a German Phobia: The Killer Draft
One definition of a split second: the time it takes between opening a window on a hot train and hearing a German say the two most dreaded words in the German language: "Es zieht!" ("There's a draft!") In the summer on German trains, in the days before most were air...
Homeschooling verboten
I recently wrote about the German School System, but a German court decision on homeschooling put that unique aspect of German education in the spotlight. A Bremen couple who have been trying to get permission to homeschool their two young sons had all their legal...
Rx for Drugs in Deutschland
One of the more important items on the pre-departure checklist for expats or travelers headed to Germany concerns any prescription drugs they may require during an extended stay. Those who need certain medications can bring their own prescription drugs with them when...
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