Last November I was in a funk. I had found myself in visa limbo after living in Germany for many years, newly laid off, and facing a big decade birthday. I kept telling myself it would all work out, but the anxiety was eating me alive and an impending birthday...
The GW Expat Blog
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Hamburg
Louisiana’s German Names and Connections
Louisiana: The Pelican State, the Bayou State, the Creole State No. None of Louisiana's nicknames, official or otherwise, offer even a hint of how much of an impact German-speaking immigrants have had on the state. In fact, despite having lived in Louisiana as a...
Traveling to Germany in Covid Times: What You Need to Know
Before You Go If you, like me, have been champing at the bit, eager to once again fly to Germany from the USA, it is now possible. While we don't currently have truly ideal conditions, US-Americans are now taking long-haul flights across the Atlantic and landing in...
Teaching English in German-Speaking Europe
The Good News and the Bad News So you think you want to teach English in Germany (or Austria, Switzerland)... Well, you're certainly not the first American or Brit, etc. to come up with that idea. The good news: There is a demand for qualified native speakers of...
Airbnb in Germany: The Debate Continues
Every year, millions of tourists flock to Germany, a number that has been increasing year over year for over a decade. Most choose to stay in traditional forms of accommodation, but an increasing number are renting rooms directly from locals through websites like...
Don’t Get Too Comfortable: a cautionary tale
Admittedly, after six years I felt pretty savvy with the whole expat thing. I had lived in two major German cities (Dusseldorf, Hamburg), spent two years living near Zurich, Switzerland, and had travelled to ten other European countries. I even felt comfortable go at...
Germans, the notoriously direct
I pissed off a German today. Such an occurrence is not uncommon. Whether it's my barking dog, my driving skills, or how I maintain my yard, it seems that on a regular basis I am being told that I'm doing something wrong. In a blog post from years ago ("There's a dog...
Hookers . . . sorry, prostitutes, in Germany.
My first trip to Hamburg’s famous Reeperbahn was a bit of shock. I think I can more accurately call it culture shock now though, as I look back at my reaction to the “sinful mile”. Having only been in Hamburg for a few days, after spending the summer in Canada and...
Expatriates and the cost of living in A, D, CH
Expatriates don't always have a choice of where they're assigned to work, but they definitely need to know the cost of living in their assignment location. If your salary is paid by a US company, for example, that salary might put you at a huge disadvantage if you are...
How being an Expat has made me a Better Canadian
It seems that every year, as I am doing the last minute prepping for our upcoming move back to Europe (Hamburg, Germany this time around), I get that same sad, longing feeling. Over the years of my on-again-off-again expat life, I have grown ever more fond of my home...
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