Episodes
Sparkling wine receptions, digitization, WG living, and coming to Germany on a scholarship (Alex from the USA)
March 1, 2021
Alex is originally from Nebraska, USA, but is now living in Hamburg. She joins me with a glass of sparkling wine to discuss, among other things, her love for "zu verschenken" culture, how scholarships offer a world of opportunity for coming to and staying in Germany, and how living in a WG has give…
How German changes your identity (Geoff and Alex from Americans in Germany Drinking Whiskey)
Feb. 22, 2021
When you move to Germany, like with other countries, you might find yourself needing to re-invent yourself due to the language and the culture. For example: if you were funny and outgoing in your home country, you might suddenly feel like you're introverted and "boring" in social situations in Germ…
The job application process in Germany: Misconceptions, insights and tips (Ivan from Bulgaria)
Feb. 15, 2021
What are common misconceptions that foreigners have about the job application process in Germany? What makes a good CV? What are assessment centers? We try to answer some of these questions in this episode. To do it, I'm joined by Ivan from Bulgaria (and previous guest on the show), who has extensi…
The gender expatriation gap, trailing spouses, and the expat skill pool in Germany (Amaia from Spain)
Feb. 8, 2021
Amaia, originally from Spain but now living in Düsseldorf, Germany, started the Expats and Spouses Monitor with Dr. Carlos Morales. Their goal: it is a research project that aims to understand the living and working conditions of expatriates and their spouses or partners living in Germany. With thi…
Cost of living in Germany in 2021 (Jen from Simple Germany)
Feb. 1, 2021
What are the standard costs of living you can expect in Germany? Do you really need so much insurance in Germany? And why pay the Rundfunkbeitrag if you don't watch German TV? Jen is from Guatemala and is the co-founder of Simple Germany . She joins me to discuss her story, and the cost of living i…
SEGEPADFO charity challenge wrap-up, and when The Germany Experience will be back
Dec. 28, 2020
The SEGEPADFO charity challenge, where I went up against Nicole of The Expat Cast to see who could raise the most money for a project by Über den Tellerrand, is over. Who won the challenge, and how much we raised, is all in this update episode. Plus: I'll tell you when I'll be back with new episod…
Learning assertiveness from Germans, and growing to love a city (Jenna from Canada)
Dec. 14, 2020
Jenna is from Canada who is living in Düsseldorf. She is the creator of Life in Duesseldorf , has just started the Life in Germany YouTube channel . We discuss why she moved to Germany, her recent bout of COVID-19, and why she loves German barbecue culture. Jenna on Instagram: @lifeindus SEGEPADFO …
Coming to Germany during a pandemic (Cassie from Australia)
Dec. 7, 2020
Cassie from Australia wanted to continue her music studies in Germany, and her plans were already underway when the pandemic struck. It put her plans on hold, but Cassie was still able to push through and move to Weimar. I discuss with her what it was like to move to Germany during a pandemic, and …
Singing soul in Germany, and BLM from a distance (Alicia from the USA)
Nov. 30, 2020
Alicia is a soul and blues singer currently living in Germany. She moved from Texas, USA to Germany complete her studies just over a year ago. I discuss with Alicia what her mindset is after moving countries in such a turbulent year, what her feelings on Germany are, and how she was able to speak o…
Advent Charity Challenge Announcement - SEGEPADFO
Nov. 29, 2020
Visit the official SEGEPADFO page for more information! As we did last year, Nicole of The Expat Cast (my sworn rival) and I will be facing off to see who can raise the most money for charity this Advent. SEGEPADFO stands for "Second Ever Germany Expat Podcasters Advent Donations Face Off". This ye…
Antoinette Emily from New Zealand
Nov. 23, 2020
You probably know Antoinette Emily from her YouTube channel. Originally from New Zealand, she moved to Germany to be with her then-boyfriend (now-husband) over 10 years ago. We discuss the story of how she came to Germany, the importance of having international friends in Germany, raising bilingual…
"Germany chose me" (Sneha from India)
Nov. 16, 2020
Sneha from India moved to Germany in 2011. A professional Indian classical dancer, she was expecting something similar to New York, where people knew about the artform of Indian classical dance. Instead, she found herself constantly having to explain to Germans that it wasn't Bollywood dancing that…
Teenagers' perspective: Life in Germany & traveling with family (Anna & Alex from the USA)
Nov. 9, 2020
Back in May 2020, I had Linda of the Travelteening blog on the podcast to talk about moving to Germany and traveling around with teenagers . Now, I have the teenagers on! Anna and Alex talk about their move to Germany, their lives here, and about traveling with family. OTHER SHOW NOTES Lockdown ign…
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 …
Learning about "Mittagsruhe", integrating through a "Kinderladen", and the impact of Brexit (Fiona from the UK)
Oct. 26, 2020
Fiona and her husband are opera singers from the UK who moved to Germany for work. I first met her when she appeared on the episode about Parkrun in Germany, and I wanted to find out more about her path to journey and experiences here...so I invited her back on the show. In our chat, she talks abou…
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?…
Things to know before learning German (Elysse from Elysse Speaks)
Oct. 12, 2020
Elysse is the host of Elysse Speaks, a YouTube channel about her experiences learning multiple languages (including sign language). One of the languages she speaks is German, and I invited her on the podcast to talk about German, what would have been good to know before learning German, and why lea…
The attraction of Munich, the versatility of “Doch!”, and environmentalism in Germany (Sarah from Canada)
Oct. 5, 2020
Sarah from Canada came to Munich 4 years ago to get her Masters degree. At first the plan was to stay two years (which at the time she felt was too long). But soon she fell in love with Munich and found many reasons to stay. Sarah discusses those reasons with me, as well as how she went about learn…