German Culture Episodes
Ask a German: Bureaucracy, German pillows, standing in line, and recruitment through fruit (Dominik, Jürgen & Philipp from Ach?)
Nov. 2, 2020
You sent in your questions, and I put them to Germans to get the answers. It's Ask A German time! The three German guests are the always funny and entertaining hosts of the German podcast, Ach ! They answer the questions that listeners sent in over the past few months, and in the process shed some …
Wurst/arsch/schwein idioms, why “Der/Die/Das” is weird, and sitting down to pee in Germany (Ricardo from Brazil & Ivan from Bulgaria)
Oct. 19, 2020
Ricardo from Brazil and Ivan from Bulgaria are the people behind the Can You German? Instagram account. They met by chance in Germany, where they became friends. Later, when Ivan was stuck in Brazil due to COVID-19, they spent a lot of time together, and it was during this time that Can You German?…
German youth words of 2020 (Nina from Germany)
Sept. 28, 2020
Every year, the Langenscheidt publishing house searches for the youth word of that year. It's happening again, and Nina from Germany (who previously appeared in the Fasching episode back in February) helps me explain the words and the memes behind them. We also try and figure out if the youth actua…
Germany and climate change (Patrick Niedermayer from Germany)
Sept. 21, 2020
For foreigners living in Germany, you might be thinking that you live in a country that is doing a lot to combat global warming. After all, Germany signed the Paris Agreement, and it put together the Klimapaket (climate package). But according to my guest this week, Patrick Niedermayer, Germany isn…
RERUN: Discussing German stereotypes with Nicole from The Expat Cast
Aug. 24, 2020
Originally released on October 20th, 2019 (episode #20). Are Germans really efficient? Do they like order? Are they as punctual as everyone says they are? Nicole, a US expat living in Germany and the host of The Expat Cast , helps me confirm or bust common stereotypes and cliches about Germans. Fin…
German culture: The top 10 selling musical artists in Germany (Craig from Scotland)
Aug. 3, 2020
In order to better understand the music tastes of Germans, Craig from Scotland joins me to look at the top 10 selling musical artists in Germany. This includes German and international acts who have sold the most albums since the BVMI started certifying albums back in 1975. You can find the list on…
Singing schlager music in Germany, and misogyny in the music industry (Sarah Jane Scott from the USA)
July 6, 2020
Sarah Jane Scott is an American who has had success as a Schlager singer in Germany. But how does an English-speaking "Ausländer" become a Schlager star? Sarah Jane explains her path to Germany and her Schlager success, talks about what it’s like to be a Schlager singer, and about how she is curren…
Broken systems, turning points, and racism in Germany (Jessica from Germany)
June 9, 2020
Jessica is a German African American who has lived in Germany since she was in kindergarten. She joins me for this episode to discuss the recent events that started with George Floyd, and the racism that she deals with on a regular basis here in Germany. Follow Jessica on Instagram . The Trevor Noa…
German culture: The top 10 grossing German movies (Dominik from the Ach! podcast)
April 28, 2020
A good way to explore Germany's culture is through its movies. And what better way to do that than to look at the German movies that have had the most success in Germany? But you'll be surprised at the movies that the Germans have flocked to see at the cinemas! In fact, think of the most famous Ger…
Carnival/Fasching in Germany: "pomp and splendor" (Nina from Germany)
Feb. 17, 2020
It's the middle of Carnival (also known as Fasching or Fastnacht, depending on where in Germany you are). I am not a big fan of it, and so I got a real live German who IS a fan of it to come on the show and explain to me why she loves it. We brush up on the origins of Carnival, we discuss some of t…
Classic German movies: Loriot's Pappa Ante Portas
Jan. 20, 2020
You can learn a lot about a culture by watching its movies, which is why I've decided to start watching some classic German movies. I'll discuss why the movie I have chosen is important to German culture, whether it's a good movie for learning German from, and whether or not it's worth your time. T…
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.…
How Germany changed us (Jibran from Pakistan)
Dec. 2, 2019
Jibran runs the Desi in Wonderland YouTube channel. He's originally from Pakistan and has been living in Germany for 5 years, so we decided to discuss how Germany has changed us. In the process, I learned a lot more than I expected about Pakistani culture. Find Jibran on Instagram and Facebook . Al…
Discussing German stereotypes with Nicole from The Expat Cast
Oct. 20, 2019
Are Germans really efficient? Do they like order? Are they as punctual as everyone says they are? Nicole Palazzo, a US expat living in Germany and the host of The Expat Cast , helps me confirm or bust common stereotypes and cliches about Germans. Discuss your opinions on these stereotypes in the Ex…
Article 116 (Michael from USA)
Sept. 29, 2019
Michael Silberman lives in the USA, but Germany is certainly intertwined with his life over there. His parents left Nazi Germany (and were stripped of their German citizenship) to start a new life in the States, and this heritage led to a fascination with Germany. Michael spent some time in Murnau …