Different canine expectations Kaiserswerth, Germany, a small village just outside of Düsseldorf, is a dog haven. There are vast green farmers’ fields for miles, very little traffic, and the shore of the Rhine offers many interesting things to smell and discover. Dogs...
The GW Expat Blog
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Expat issues
They don’t teach you those words in German class
I enrolled in an intensive course (a must-have when you plan to live in a foreign country and need to assimilate, FAST) within three weeks of moving to Germany. It met five days a week, five hours a day. The learning curve was steep. It was great. Within two months I...
Transatlantic with the Toddler
There are so many horror stories I could share involving transatlantic travel. I entertained my babysitter the other day by regaling my worst memories of flights between Europe and North America, some of which involve being sandwiched between an overweight, unhappy...
An Adjusted Adventszeit
In the past week, I had to adjust to the fact that Christmas is OVER, a week earlier than I had become accustomed to. I was used to our southern German world being shut down not just from the week of Christmas to New Year's but also through the first week of January...
Multi-Kulti Christmas
This past year, our international family became even more international when my husband's sister married a man from Colombia. When we moved to Ireland in September, the family decided that we would all celebrate Christmas together in Galway this year. The flight was...
A Hockey Wife in German-Speaking Europe
Most would imagine that being the partner of a professional athlete would be quite glamorous. Some imagine it as a life full of designer handbags, contract bonuses, nannies, and lots and lots of leisure time. But as the fiancée of a professional hockey player here in...
A Seventh Child Gets Lucky
Since we've left Germany, I try to keep up to date with some of Germany's domestic news through such resources as Deutsche Welle. As my lucky number is seven, I was curious about an article entitled, "Unlucky number seven causes headache for German President." Thanks...
German Residence Permit Day – A true story
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...
Losing my German
We have been in Ireland for about three months now, and every time I speak to my closest German friend, I notice words slipping away. I was "home" this weekend, so I am feeling better about that again, but it is amazing how quickly it happens. When we arrived in...
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...
Pregnancy in a Post-DE World
One of the most challenging factors in my family's relocation from Germany to San Diego this year has been doing all of this during the first trimester of a pregnancy. For anyone who has close experience with this 3-month (often longer) phase, it can make life extra...
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...
More Things I Miss About Germany: Punctuality and Public Transport
Being in Ireland for the past couple of months has of course given me a new perspective about Germany and its many benefits. Every expat in Germany has some painful dealings with bureaucracy and at least one or two stories to tell that make others cringe and nod in...
More German than the Germans
Slowly, we've found ourselves integrating into our non-German lives here in America. Instead of hearing the phantom ring of our default Siemens ring tone melody, I've gotten attuned to hearing our Uniden telephone gently playing the Star Spangled Banner. Something I...
Working My Way
I have just completed my first work week in Ireland, after working in Germany for most of my adult life. My most recent stint was at a large German company that was known for being relaxed and friendly, two qualities that are not always associated with other sorts of...
Living the German Way in San Diego – Part 2
The sun is still shining here in San Diego. After 6.5 weeks of being homeless, living in hotels and staying with my parents in Pennsylvania, my family and I are finally installed in our own house, which we now call home in a neighborhood called Kensington. We are...
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...
Dies and Das
Being a foreigner once again here in Ireland, after finally not feeling very foreign in Germany, is a new adventure. I finally learned the little cultural tricks in Germany, like not putting my hand out for change at the bakery, but waiting for them to place it on the...
Living the German Way in San Diego – Part 1
I admit that I was probably a bit whingey in my last message. I've had some time to get over my homesickness for Germany and Europe and embrace San Diego. It's nothing like Deutschland, but the living is so easy and the weather is as perfect (always in the 20s C/70s F...
Turning Weakness Into Strength
Weakness is often, to mangle a perfectly good cliche, in the eye of a beholder. People move to Germany for lots of reasons. Following a loved one who has had a transfer, caring for family, learning experience, new adventures and so on. It can be a dream come true. ...
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