Adapting to life in Germany Episodes
A southern liberal in Germany, running a coffee shop, and casual German racism (Christy from the USA)
June 29, 2020
Running a coffee shop in Germany, why Germany isn’t the best for children with special needs, and casual racism in Germany.
The 5 phases of culture shock (Beth from the USA)
June 15, 2020
Getting over culture shock, finding a fulfilling job in Germany, and dealing with finding a new identity when moving away from your old one.
Seven months as an exchange student in Germany (Montana Showalter from the USA)
May 17, 2020
Montana Showalter’s YouTube success, her time in Germany, returning home due to the coronavirus crisis, and the ways that Germany changed her.
Learning German with apps, and working in the video games industry (Thomas from the UK)
May 10, 2020
Learning German through apps, working for a video games company, and getting angry letters from German neighbors.
Traveling with teenagers, and interrupted travel plans (Linda from the USA)
May 3, 2020
Travelteening is a blog that gives travel advice for traveling with teens. The blogger behind it, Linda from the USA, joins me to discuss the value her family sees in traveling, their three-year-plan to give their children the chance to experience travel in Europe, some insights into traveling with…
From USA to Germany, California style (Greg from USA and Brigida from Germany)
April 21, 2020
When Greg and Brigida decided to move from California to Germany, they did it with just a small amount of money and two dogs. And they were met with adversity from almost the moment they arrived. This is their story of how they made their time in Germany work. We also talk about life with small kid…
Dealing with depression in Germany (Deenara from Russia)
March 30, 2020
How do you recognize that you are depressed? How do you seek out therapy and other help for depression in Germany? And what if you are from a culture that has a stigma towards mental health issues and therapy? Deenara, who is from Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, is a tech professional and poet liv…
Being a TV anchor, online weirdos, and stereotypes about Russian women (Daria from Russia)
March 23, 2020
Daria, originally from Moscow, Russia, is working as a freelance journalist in Germany. She helped me put an upcoming episode about mental health together, and I wanted to introduce her first. We discuss her role as a TV anchor for OstWest TV , online critics, stalker problems, and stereotypes som…
Leaving Germany after a decade (Natalie from the UK)
March 9, 2020
What is it that makes someone who has lived in Germany for over a decade decide that it's time to go back "home"? Natalie is originally from the UK, and is now making the decision to leave Germany after 11 years. She explains how she got to this point. She also discusses the importance of using mee…
Finding yourself in a second language: language and identity (Steph from Germany)
March 2, 2020
How being bilingual can influence your personality in different languages.
Moving after 40, sensationalist media, and loneliness in Germany (Klaus from Brazil)
Feb. 22, 2020
Klaus was born in Brazil before spending the first 12 years of his life in Germany. After returning to Brazil, he remained in touch with the German language and the culture. By the time he decided to move back to Germany in his early 40s, he was still fluent in German and understood what made the G…
A serial expat in Germany (Amy from Canada)
Feb. 9, 2020
Amy is the host of The Expat Experience podcast. She has landed up in Germany after spending time in Vietnam and China, and in our interview she discusses how she's learning German, what it's like making German friends, and if she regards Germany as her final destination. The Elbphilharmonie buildi…
Motivated to adapt by painful social moments (Sindy from Hong Kong)
Feb. 2, 2020
(This is the podcast previously known as Expat Life Germany. In the first few years in Germany, things weren't always easy for Sindy from Hong Kong. As is the experience of many foreigners living abroad, she faced painful and difficult moments. And it was exactly these moments that drove her to not…
SOFA status, growing a thicker skin, and tracking a stolen phone with the Polizei (Audrey & Zach from USA)
Jan. 12, 2020
Audrey and Zach met while in the USA. When Zach, a cartographer, moved to Germany on a SOFA status ( Status of Forces Agreement ), they first attempted a long-distance relationship before Audrey joined him later in Germany. Take a listen to their story, which involves cuckoo clocks, a ride in the b…
Missing holiday traditions from home, making new traditions, and fireworks on New Year's Eve
Dec. 23, 2019
For foreigners living in Germany, the holidays are a time that we recreate traditions from our home countries, adopt German traditions, and start new ones. I take a look at how my Christmas experience in Germany has been, and compare it to my summer South African Christmases. Luminaria: https://en.…