Episodes
March 2, 2020
Finding yourself in a second language: language and identity (Steph from Germany)
Steph is from Bavaria, and moved to the UK when she was in her 20s before ending up in Austin, Texas. She learned to speak English at a native-speaker level, and found that it just suited her. Because she's got a fantastic c…
Feb. 23, 2020
Moving after 40, sensationalist media, and loneliness in Germany (Klaus from Brazil)
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 …
Feb. 21, 2020
A German experiences the Ausländerbehörde (Nina from Germany)
While recording the episode about Carnival in Germany, Nina told a story about the time she had to deal with the same office that foreigners know all too well: the Auslanderbehörde Amt (foreigner's office). SUBSCRIBE TO THE …
Feb. 17, 2020
Carnival/Fasching in Germany: "pomp and splendor" (Nina from Germany)
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…
Feb. 9, 2020
A serial expat in Germany (Amy from Canada)
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 …
Feb. 2, 2020
Motivated to adapt by painful social moments (Sindy from Hong Kong)
(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 an…
Jan. 27, 2020
Announcement: Renaming the show to The Germany Experience from 1 February 2020
The podcast will have a new name from 1 February 2020! Not much is going to change other than the name, so it'll still be the same show you subscribed to. Here's the announcement about why I'm renaming, and what the show wil…
Jan. 20, 2020
Classic German movies: Loriot's Pappa Ante Portas
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…
Jan. 12, 2020
SOFA status, growing a thicker skin, and tracking a stolen phone with the Polizei (Audrey & Zach from USA)
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. …
Jan. 4, 2020
Making German candy, learning German history, and growing up as a third culture kid in Bavaria (Travis J. Dow)
Travis J. Dow is a host of the History of Germany podcast (and several other podcasts, too). Originally from Oregon, USA, he spent his formative years in Bavaria, Germany. Later he moved to Prague, Czech Republic for 10 year…
Jan. 3, 2020
FEGEPADFO Charity Challenge - Final Wrap-Up
Nicole from The Expat Cast and I went head-to-head in December 2019 to see who could raise the most donations for our chosen charities. Together we raised 350 euros...140 euros went to Nicole's charity of choice, Women's Wor…
Dec. 23, 2019
Missing holiday traditions from home, making new traditions, and fireworks on New Year's Eve
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, an…
Dec. 15, 2019
Unhappy in Germany (S from India)
Donate to my cause in the expat podcasters charity challenge (aka #FEGEPADFO): Donate to Lebenshilfe Bad Windsheim Germany offers a lot of opportunities, but it's also known as a difficult country to integrate into. What hap…
Dec. 7, 2019
The German Freelance Visa (James from LiveWorkGermany.com)
Donate to my cause in the expat podcasters charity challenge (aka #FEGEPADFO): Donate to Lebenshilfe Bad Windsheim For many people who are planning to come to Germany, the Freelance Visa might be the way to go. It allows you…
Dec. 2, 2019
How Germany changed us (Jibran from Pakistan)
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 e…
Nov. 19, 2019
A Berliner, a Hamburger, a Neapolitan, and a world citizen (Liliana from Italy)
Liliana is from Naples, Italy, and has lived in Germany for 7 years. She recently got her citizenship, and discusses how that happened. We also cover her reason for choosing Germany, why she'd struggle to return to Italy, an…
Nov. 3, 2019
Being far from family when losing someone, making friends through team sports, and security in Germany (Rafael from Brazil)
One of my best friends in Germany, Rafael from Brazil, experienced loss when his father passed away, and talks about how he coped dealing with that being far from his family. He's also a handball player, and he had the chanc…
Oct. 20, 2019
Discussing German stereotypes with Nicole from The Expat Cast
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 …
Oct. 12, 2019
Being an English-Speaking Writer in Germany, Bringing a Pet to Germany, and "The God Queen" (Mari from USA)
Mari is a US expat living in Germany. She's also a writer and an avid pug fan. She discusses what it's like being an English-speaking writer in Germany, her book " The God Queen ", and how to bring a dog from USA into German…
Oct. 6, 2019
The "Why" Has to be Right (Vlad from Romania)
Discuss this episode in the Expat Life Germany Facebook group ! Vlad from Romania was tired of the political situation in Romania, and made the choice to move to Germany. But, unlike many Romanians who emigrate to western Eu…
Sept. 29, 2019
Article 116 (Michael from USA)
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 her…
Sept. 22, 2019
parkrun Germany
The parkrun concept is simple: you turn up on a Saturday morning and you walk, jog, or run 5km. The best thing? It's free. Since it started in 2004, it has become a global phenomenon. And it's a great thing for expats, too: …
Sept. 15, 2019
Defining "Expat"
What exactly is an "expat"? Turns out this question is not as straight forward as Shaun used to think. He goes into some of the problems surrounding the terminology, and also defines his interpretation of it for the podcast.…
Sept. 11, 2019
BONUS: Social Media and Expats, Charity Work as an Expat, and Friends Moving On
In the last episode , Anna Noakes Schulze dropped so many insights about expat life that I had to edit some of it out. Since it'd be a shame for it to go to waste, I decided to put it in a bonus episode. Here is more Anna, a…