For years as a freelancer, I survived on the bare minimum of private insurance. I am now on public insurance in Germany and taking full advantage. Yearly check-up? Yes please! Eye exam? Why not? And the dentist? Sign me up. So, clearly, it had been some time since I...
The GW Expat Blog
Tag
advice
Is It True That German Men Can’t Flirt? (Asking for a Friend…)
Not so long ago I had the chance to spend a year surrounded by a large group of twenty-somethings coming from all corners of the world, we were scattered all over Germany and every three months we had to meet up in different cities each time for week-long seminars....
Help! The Holy Season is Over but the Cold is Not.
After you dutifully participated at -and maybe even organized, the Christmas celebrations at the office, attended several advent parties, strolled through many Christmas Markets, ate shameful amounts of Plätzchen (X-mas cookies), drank enough hot chocolate to fill...
Christmas Means Cookies
For almost a month already, we have been floating in the yearly jolly atmosphere that smells like cinnamon, shines with the twinkle lights and tempts us with delicious food. Germany is famous for its wonderful bread and it’s a very well-deserved reputation, however,...
Berlin Nuts
Without much of a summer, it was like I turned around and it was fall. Luckily, I love fall. Adore. It is my favorite season. But is was still shocking to see the trees suddenly aflame in orange and red. Walking became difficult as the ground was bumpily carpeted in...
The Expat Crisis
There are typical crises that happen in every person’s life: the identity crisis of the teenage years, the mid-20’s crisis, and the famous midlife crisis. Of course there are also the financial crises. Sadly, it's common to have more than one of these, but they are...
Potty Training in Germany
I've talked about raising a child in Germany and I've talked about toilets. Now these two things have combined as I attempt to potty train in Germany. Give me strength. History of Potty Training in Germany Germany has an interesting history with potty training and -...
The One Exception to the German Punctuality Rule
Have you ever heard about German punctuality? You surely have. Swiss people may have the best watches, but it´s the Germans who are recognized worldwide for always being extremely on time. As a newcomer, one of the first things you’ll get told by anyone who tries...
4 Ways in which Berliners are Actually Nice
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 with...
Taking Your Kids to the Beach Like a German
For the third year in a row, I have just returned from a fabulous beach vacation. Greece, Italy...we are apparently becoming European jetsetters (still fairly poor ones). Being in Europe allows you to make affordable vacation choices to unbelievable destinations....
What’s in Your German Basement?
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 Souterrain or...
Harvesting Germany’s Wild Garlic
Germans and their food obsessions. We are getting deep into Spargel season, but I am still stuck on the last seasonal mania, Bärlauch. Alternatively known as Allium ursinum, ramsons, bear leek, or wild garlic - all of these names meant nothing to me before coming to...
How to tell when Germans are really being rude versus just being German
If you want to confirm the fact that the internet is not improving people's IQs, just type "rude Germans" into your favorite search engine. Boom! You'll get over 1.9 million results, most of which were written by morons. (But "rude French" pulls an amazing 39.1...
German Toilets
There are two kinds of toilets in Germany: (1) the old-fashioned shelf or platform type (Flachspüler) and (2) the newer non-shelf types (Tiefspüler). In older homes and flats you are more likely to encounter the shelf type. In newer residences or places that have been...
Why Don’t Germans Refrigerate Their Eggs?
Two Different Egg-Handling Philosophies After writing about German tea in my last post, my mind has been on food in Germany and how different it can be than food in the USA. Like the eggs I have stored in my pantry. That's right, my unrefrigerated pantry. I've talked...
The Mysterious World of German Tea
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...
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...
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...
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...
Recent Comments