The Germany Experience

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 given her an insight into German life that she might not have had otherwise. She also talks about the German things that fascinate her: the lack of digitization, strange opening hours, and...

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 Germany. And how do you deal with feeling that you can't show Germans the real "you"? I discuss this issue with the two hosts of Americans In Germany Drinking Whiskey, Geoff and Alex. We also hear...

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 extensive experience working as an HR consultant in Germany - and has also applied for jobs in Germany himself. He shares his insights gathered from several years of experience. If you have specific...

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 this data, they hope to help stakeholders, such as German employers, implement policies and measures to improve integration of expats. The Expat and Spouses monitor is running a survey until 8th...

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 in Germany. As a basis for our discussion, we use her blog post, The Cost of Living in Germany in 2021 (Real-Life Case Study). We cover everything from rent, mobile phone contracts, insurance,...

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 episodes. Thank you to everyone who donated! See our video promo outtakes: SEGEPADFO video promo outtakes The project we were supporting: Portable kitchen for Über den Tellerrand Freiburg

Donate in the SEGEPADFO charity challenge: https://www.thegermanyexperience.de/charity2020/ I'm going head-to-head with Nicole to see who can raise the most money for Über den Tellerrand - specifically, to help them raise money for a portable kitchen that will enable them to expand and improve their events. And their events are aimed at promoting diversity and acceptance in Germany by bringing together migrants and Germans. More information at the link above. Right now, The Germany...

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 UPDATE: Nicole of The Expat Cast and I are going head-to-head to raise money for Über den Tellerrand - in specific, we're supporting a project of theirs to build a mobile kitchen. To find out more...

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 what her first impressions of Germany are. Cassie on Instagram: @cassie_slater SEGEPADFO Charity Challenge Nicole of The Expat Cast and I are going head-to-head to raise money for Über den...

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 out for Black Lives Matter from Germany. Watch Alicia's BLM speech in Hannover Visit Alicia's website to watch videos of her performing and to learn more about her: Alicia Cibola Music Follow her...

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 year, the charity we’ve chosen to support is Über den Tellerrand. Their aim: create opportunities for people of different cultures to meet and get to know each other, based on shared interests....

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 children, why you probably shouldn't build a house in Germany, and, of course, her YouTube channel. Antoinette's YouTube channel: Antoinette Emily Antoinette on Instagram: @antoinette_nz GERMAN...

Sneha from India moved to Germany in 2011, when her ex-husband got a job in Munich. A professional Indian classical dancer, Sneha 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 she does... Sneha explains how she quickly started establishing herself in her artform in Germany by putting on shows, and then later teaching young...

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 Munich police shut down child's birthday party with 100+ guests"Warteschlangenungeduldigkeit" post on InstagramInfektionsschutzmaßnahmenverordnungGERMAN UNCOVERED STORY-BASED LANGUAGE COURSE German Uncovered...

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 light on some issues foreigners in Germany know all too well. We even come up with a new crime in Germany: Warteschlangeungeduldigkeit (waiting line impatience). Their website: das-a.ch Follow...

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 about how she learnt about the "Mittagsruhe" rule in Germany, what a "Kinderladen" is and why it's a help for integrating, the effects or Brexit on her life, and "Geisterfahrers" (wrong-way...

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? was born. We discuss their Instagram page, why German is obsessed with idioms that have to do with sausage, ass, and pigs, and the culture shock for men when they learn that sitting down to pee...

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 learning German is like being in a complicated but cool relationship. Elysse's video that we base our discussion on: What I wish I knew BEFORE learning German Subscribe to Elysse's YouTube channel:...

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 learning German, the magic of the word, "Doch", and her observations of environmentalism in Germany. Sarah also hosts a podcast about international life with a focus on relationships called Falling...

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 actually uses these words... The words we discuss: Schabernack, Mittwoch, Sauftrag, Wild, Lost, Köftespiess, Digga, Cringe, and Mashallah Some links to things we mention in the...