by AlieC | Mar 4, 2019 | Daily life, History and culture, Tips, advice, suggestions
So the title is a little unfair to those readers who aren’t British, if you aren’t already aware the phrase ‘spend a penny’ refers to using the toilet. Harking back to the Victorian era when health, hygiene and sanitation were hot topics, the introduction of public...
by Erin "ebe" Porter | Aug 9, 2017 | Daily life, Expat issues, German vocabulary, Tips, advice, suggestions
I don’t want to say Berliners get a bad rap, because they can be incredibly rude. They live up to the standard German reputation of shutting doors in your face, non-existent customer service, and refusal to engage in simple pleasantries – then up the ante...
by Erin "ebe" Porter | Jul 12, 2017 | Daily life, Expat issues, Medical matters, Red tape and bureaucracy, Tips, advice, suggestions
Sometimes “home” feels a lot further than a 10 hour flight away. My old college roommate was just diagnosed with colon cancer and I don’t know how to express my worry, my concern – all the feelings I am having for her – better than in a...
by Erin "ebe" Porter | Jun 14, 2017 | Daily life, German vocabulary, History and culture, Tips, advice, suggestions
Don’t worry – this is nothing to do with Josef Fritzl…although mentions of basements seem to bring up that imagery. (To be fair, Fritzl was from Austria like another infamous German speaker). This post is about the German basements (Keller or...
by Erin "ebe" Porter | Feb 1, 2017 | Daily life, Expat issues, German vocabulary, History and culture, Tips, advice, suggestions
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...
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