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...
The GW Expat Blog
Category
History and culture
Village Life
Sometimes I feel like we're living in another decade in the past. The other day when I was looking at eltern.de, the website for Eltern (Parent) Magazine, there was an ad for the new Volkswagen Sharan model. The Sharan now has an electric sliding door. Although I've...
Germany’s North and South Divide
Perhaps you've heard of the Weisswurstäquator (white sausage equator - these sausages are particular to Bavaria). If you haven't, it's the line that divides the north of Germany from the south, and it runs just south of Frankfurt. (Writer's Note: this border is open...
Politicans and Universal Constants
Whenever I am stuck for a topic to write about, I can always get myself fired up by just reading the newspaper. Today was no exception. Guido Westerwelle, in particular, is a great topic whether in a blog or at the pub. Mr Westerwelle is currently the head of 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...
“On Se Won Händ”
Ripped from the headlines in Germany, YouTube has shamed and ridiculed yet another public figure, this time former Baden-Württemberg's Minister President and now Germany's European Union Commissioner, Günther Oettinger. The widely circulated video is of Oettinger...
Raising “Free Range” Kids in Germany
I'm concluding my Christmas holidays now here in America, so it's natural for me to once again think about how different my life would be if I were living in America instead of in Germany, especially as a mother. Despite all my good intentions to not shop as much and...
Going Native (on Sundays)
Oh my goodness... I always knew there was more than a little bit of European in me; but my conversion to the German Way was more subtle and insidious than I could have imagined. I, unlike most other red blooded, consumer oriented, individualistic Americans was...
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...
lustig lustig tralalalala
"Bald ist Nikolausabend da! Bald ist Nikolausabend da!" (rough translation: Fun, fun, tralalala, soon it will be the evening before St. Nikolaus Day! Soon it will be the evening before St. Nikolaus Day!”) If you are like me, this song has been stuck in your head all...
The Decline of Journalism
It is natural to feel less informed about your country of origin when you've been gone for a few years. Such is the case with me. I still have access to most of the same news sources. My hometown newspapers are online, major news channels are available here in...
Make Prosperity, Not War
For Americans that grew up during the Cold War (like me) or are interested in modern history, coming to Germany can be an eye-opening experience. I'm not talking about the events of the Cold War itself, but the fact that so many threats that we were told about as...
The Instant Expat
Because I have to go back to work earlier than anticipated thanks to the recession, we had to think about childcare for the little ones earlier than anticipated. With two kids under three, daycare (Kinderkrippe) was not an option due to the cost involved. Although an...
Learning to Drive in Germany
I decided to depart my single, independent life years ago when I moved to Germany to marry my now husband. It involved making a lot of significant changes in my life all at once, including learning German, leaving a metropolis of the world (London) to move to the...
Closed Door Policy
When I moved to Germany for the first time in 1992, I was 21 and was going to university in Freiburg. I had never worked in an American office for more than the time required to do a temp job over spring break and had spent summers working at McDonald's. When I was...
An Oversimplified (Personal) History of Pilsner Beers
Like most Americans, my first exposure to German beer was to one of those mass produced brews designed for good shelf life and consistency... not necessarily for flavor or quality. Being lucky enough to have been living in San Francisco at the time, I was exposed to a...
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...
Long-term Expats – Are My Kids Really American?
Recently, with the economic crisis and the dreaded Kurzarbeit, we have been thinking about whether the US is an option for us again job-wise. There is nothing concrete happening, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder, how will it affect the kids? I dragged...
Starting them young: Germans and Nudity and PEKiP
One of the aspects of German culture which we Americans often find so shocking is the prevalent open attitude towards nudity, otherwise known as naturalism. One of my good German friends is a big sauna goer and explained once to a group of us that her whole family was...
What’s in a Name
As an American, it would never occur to me to make a distinction such as “German” vs. “German national,” but it’s one that I’ve encountered while living in Germany. Not only would I never think to draw such lines, I find them offensive. It’s a debate that hits close...
Recent Comments