I just tried to close my kitchen cabinet - thunk. Tried again - harder. Thunk! Sighing, I opened it to have an armload of tea rain down upon me. It's just that time of year. My husband works as an Erzieher, and one of the funny little perks of the job are the...
The GW Expat Blog
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Daily life
Those little things
Whilst the hard and fast legal rules of German society can be easily found and obeyed, like the red man and riding your bike in the bike lane for instance. Unwritten rules can be hard to pick up for foreigners in Germany and although you won’t be arrested for...
Long-Distance Grandparenting
It is that time of year where our latest visiting family member is on their way home (bye Opa!) and we are reminded how very hard it is to have a baby abroad. We have no one to call about a sickness in the middle of the night, no family at her birthday party, and nary...
Hollywood Movies in Germany – “Krieg der Sterne” becomes “Star Wars” and “Moana” turns into “Vaiana”
These days, many Hollywood movies screened in Germany keep their original English title. But it was not always that way. In the past, especially from the 1940s to the 1980s, there was almost always a special German title created for German audiences. Often the German...
A small festive treat
Plätzchen It would appear that Christmas has been very well covered here on The German Way. Check out the A-Z Guide to Christmas Traditions and the interactive Advent calendar of Christmas facts if you don’t believe me. So between you and me, I was a little stumped...
New Laws in Germany for 2017
As the new year approaches, many new laws and regulations are about to take force in Germany in 2017. Some of them are welcome changes (no more cell phone roaming charges in the EU), while others don't make a huge difference (a modest minimum wage increase) or really...
5 Things I Can Do with a Kid in Germany that I Can’t in the USA
I get asked about my experience having a kid and raising her in Germany a lot by my American family and friends. But the truth is, I have nothing to compare it to. Unlike fellow GW contributor Jane, I never had a child in the USA. However - as an American - I can...
How to Dress your Kid for Winter in Germany
How to Avoid Getting a Lecture from the Kita Teacher When writing my post on "How to Dress for Winter in Germany", I felt like I could complete another full post on "How to Dress your Kid for Winter in Germany". Germans take winter clothing seriously and double down...
Keeping it clean
As a Brit I was brought up with many cultural stereotypes about Germany and its people. Germans are ‘lederhosen wearing, straight talking, rule following, tidy people’ and since I initially landed in Bavaria, I can definitely agree that stereotypes are born out of...
Picking the Right Äpfel
Apples are one of those marvellous foods which fulfil all requirements – at once delicious, nutritious, versatile, and practical in form. Boiled eggs, though slightly more fragile, are similar. It is unsurprising then that apples form and have formed a staple part of...
How to Dress for Winter in Germany
It's hard to tell what the weather will be like day-to-day in Berlin. You can wake up to bright sunshine, leave your Wohnung (apartment) amidst deep fog and return home to an epic downpour. Other places like Freiburg may boast more sunshine than anywhere else in the...
On your bike
I knew a little in advance that I wouldn’t be driving a car in Germany when I arrived, but since I would be living in a city with good transport links and had two perfectly usable feet, I wasn’t overly concerned about being four wheels down. The one thing I was...
Housewarming Traditions in Germany
After all my complaining about finding an apartment in Berlin, it seems like everyone is moving into their home. We moved into our new place - complete with a room for our girl - almost exactly a year ago. While we were away in the States we missed two of our friend's...
A Tramp Abroad: Observations of a Former Expat and Frequent Traveler in German-speaking Europe
As I find myself rediscovering many aspects of daily life in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, I can't help but think of Mark Twain, who wrote so masterfully about his travels in Germany and Europe in A Tramp Abroad (1880, translated into German as "Bummel durch...
How to Prep Your German Home for Long-Term Vacation
I am nearing 30-days away on my latest vacation. Well, Elternzeit (parental leave) is more accurate. We have almost 2 full months re-connecting with family in the big 'ole US of A. My American counterparts are in awe that people in Germany can take so much time off...
Lost Pets in Germany
Losing a pet is an experience I don't like to relive, but I am sharing my trauma in the hopes it will relieve your drama if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. Here's the story of how we lost our cat in Berlin - and got her back. At first, we were puzzled....
You Know You’re a Real Expat in Germany When…
A while back, someone in our Expat Forum posted a clever "You know you're in Germany when..." I happened to run across that list again recently and thought I'd use it as inspiration for today's blog entry. These brief "You know you're not in Kansas any more when..."...
3 Ways I Embarrassed Myself at the German Sauna
Don't worry guys, I brought a towel to sit (and sweat) on in the sauna, and didn't try to wear my swimsuit into the nude areas. I'm not a German sauna newbie. I've been once before. That one time was at touristy Tropical Island. I highly recommend it if you are also a...
Baedeker, German Reiselust, and vacation days
Kings and governments may err, but never Mr. Baedeker. - A.P. Herbert, in his 1929 English libretto for J. Offenbach's operetta La Vie Parisienne[1] In both German and English, the term "Baedeker" (BAY-day-ker) is synonymous with "travel guidebook" (Reiseführer)....
Relax Berlin! You Can Still get an Anmeldung
Frequently I see panicked posts from other expats. They are frantically looking for an Anmeldung Termin (registration appointment). HELP! I need an appointment for a burgeramt asap, please! What is an Anmeldung? The Anmeldung is a necessary - and usually pain-free -...
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