If you missed the story about the wild boar who took a man's bag at the lake, only to have the nude bather pursue, you missed out. (Just kidding: a link to the original post or just google "Berlin", "nude", "boar" and it will come up). The man had been peacefully...
The GW Expat Blog
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German vocabulary
How the Pandemic Has Changed Germany (Forever?)
Looking at my last few blog posts, it is no surprise that there is little else on my mind than the ongoing pandemic. Even as restrictions begin to ease, there is an uneasy expectation that life may never be the same. It is worth debating whether this is actually a...
What to Do While Quarantined in Germany
When we first heard the rumblings about quarantine due to the COVID-19, there was a rush of information on how to fill your days. Facebook groups touted their favorite resources, memes were prevalent, and many people looked at the long days of isolation as an...
Stories from the Front Lines: Berlin COVID-19 Edition
I have a cousin from Arkansas who recently moved to China with her family. I admire their adventurous spirit as I can't imagine a much more drastic change for them. Moving from Seattle to Berlin as two footloose and fancy-free twenty-year-olds is one thing. Moving as...
Berlin’s Rent Freeze
So, it happened. After much discussion and controversy, Berlin's Mietendeckel (rent cap) began on Sunday. Nebulous fears of gentrification and practical fears of being priced out of the city mean the government is taking decisive action to try to keep Berlin - well,...
6 German Toys You’ve Never Heard Of
In the lead-up to Christmas, full of company parties and gift shopping and Christmas Markets, we had a new German word to look-up: Schrottwichteln. It had my German-fluent husband stumped with Schrott roughly translating to "garbage" and Wichteln to "gnomes." Garbage...
Best Museums for Kids in Berlin
It is birthday party season for us in Berlin. After my little girl's 5th birthday (5th!), we had two other kids' parties at some of the city's best museums. Apparently we are running with a fashionable kiddie crowd. In this season of cold weather and celebrations, it...
Best Apps for Germany
I got a new cell phone (or Handy in colloquial German) shortly before our trip to the States, but didn't get around to putting on my favorite apps until our return. And many of those have to do with life in Germany. Some of these have to do with the language, a...
Questions I Get About Raising Kids in Germany
Even though I am American, I've never raised children in America. I was about 5 years into our German adventure when I had our first Berliner. Now we have two and I am often split between the two countries on my parenting-style; not quite American, not nearly German....
Donald Duck in German
Germany's More Erudite Donald Duck and "Donaldism" He still looks pretty good for an 88-year-old duck (as of 2022). The German Donald Duck lives in the town of Entenhausen (Duckburg) with his nephews Tick, Trick and Track (Huey, Dewey and Louie). His wealthy uncle...
German Names and Bureaucracy
One of the first questions people ask when you are having a baby is, "What's the name?" Rightfully so, as names play an important part in a person's future and say a lot about your hopes and dreams for your child. Are you raising a Sarah, or a Jasmine? A Hans or a...
Hospital Food in Germany
Being in the hospital is rarely a cause for celebration, and no one stays for the food. Happily, my recent experience with a German hospital was positive - even if the food was a classic disappointment. 10 days overdue, shortly after the arrival of my dad, our baby...
Questions about Having a Baby in Germany
Considering this is my second time having a baby in Germany, I expected to have fewer questions. In some ways, I do feel much more confident than the first time. My German is better, I am familiar with procedure at the Frauenarzt (OBGYN), and labor seems less...
Market day, the alternative shopping experience
Hell might possibly be a German supermarket at 10am on a Saturday. Well that may be unfair, it’s probably true of supermarkets the world over, but the German supermarket experience is one which stands out to most foreigners, and not in a good way. I’m sure you’ve...
Shopping for Furniture in Germany
It feels like yesterday that I was writing about moving furniture via the U-Bahn. But that was 5 years ago (!) and a lot of growing up has happened, including having a baby. A baby who has wrecked havoc on our furniture. Like the adults we apparently are, we are now...
Getting a Haircut in Germany
This is gonna sound a little crazy, cuz it is. I have never gotten a professional haircut in Germany. I have occasionally hacked off my own dry ends and taken the clippers to my husband, he has been to the Turkish barbers for a traditional buzz and ear hair burning...
Dog essentials in Germany (and other pets too)
Only two things are certain in life: death and taxes. You can thank Benjamin Franklin for that life lesson which is still rings true today. Whilst both are interesting topics that (in my opinion) warrant further discussion I’ll only be talking about the latter today,...
Recycle Your Christmas Tree in Germany
I think we are good neighbors. We are fairly quiet (except for occasional tantrums from the now 4-year-old). We hold the door and carry bags for the people that live upstairs. We accept packages. We make proper German small talk about the weather and health (proper...
The Bavarian Breakfast
A recent wave of visitors, thanks to snow topped, Glühwein filled Christmas in Germany meant that a few big breakfasts needed to be made. As much as I love the full English or the full German meat, cheese and all the bread there is usually one which is either...
The “Feuerzangenbowle” Story: The Drink, the Song, the Novel, the Movies
Introduction Besides being a popular hot beverage that warms your body and soul in the chill of winter, Feuerzangenbowle, also known as Krambambuli, is featured at German Christmas markets, and has a long Germanic university student tradition that dates back to the...
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