Explore every episode of the podcast The Germany Experience
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dating, toxic relationships, and making friends in Germany (Lulu from Ireland) | 21 May 2023 | 00:35:55 | |
Dating can be a minefield at the best of times. But what happens when you move to a city like Berlin? Lulu Johnson discovered just this when she moved from Ireland to Berlin - and then wrote a book about it! It's called Dating in Berlin and covers her hilarious - and some not so hilarious - misadventures as a foreigner in the German dating scene. Lulu to discusses dating in Berlin, toxic relationships, making friends, and learning the German language.
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| The diversity trend, Misfit Models, and German bureaucracy when starting a company (Del from the UK) | 08 Apr 2023 | 00:37:17 | |
Just do a Google search for Del Keens, and you will see that he's someone with a unique story. After moving to Germany, he started a character modeling agency called Misfit Models. He joins me as a guest in this episode to discuss why he came to Germany, how he faced German bureaucracy when he started Misfit Models, how he feels that the current diversity focus is a trend, and he talks about the impact Brexit has had on his life. Del Keens Bio:
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| Advice for adapting and integrating in Germany, from discussions with 100+ foreigners | 12 Oct 2022 | 00:22:25 | |
At the end of September 2022, I gave a talk at the Welcome To Germany Summit. This is the rehearsal that I recorded a few days before. The topics that were covered:
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| Singing schlager music in Germany, and misogyny in the music industry (Sarah Jane Scott from the USA) | 06 Jul 2020 | 00:51:52 | |
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? Links to more The Germany Experience episodes, my newsletter, and my social media: https://thegermanyexperience.de/subscribe JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Support the showInstagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| A southern liberal in Germany, running a coffee shop, and casual German racism (Christy from the USA) | 29 Jun 2020 | 00:42:13 | |
Christy is a southern liberal who opened a coffee shop in Germany. Over a Pfälzer Weinschorle, she discusses how she tried to integrate herself the “right” way, how Germany is not the best country for special needs children, not going back to the States for 10 years, and how Germans are racist in a “I didn’t mean anything by it” kind of way. We also talk about her coffee shop. Find Christy on Instagram: ChristyTheExpat and ChristysCoffee.de
Links to more The Germany Experience episodes, my newsletter, and my social media: https://thegermanyexperience.de/subscribe JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Trilingualism, switching between languages, and Italian words adopted by German (Carmen from Italy) | 22 Jun 2020 | 00:52:08 | |
Carmen is a trilingual Italian living in Munich, Germany. She speaks Italian, German and English fluently, and joins me to discuss her path to becoming trilingual, how she balances three languages, and the effects of learning multiple languages on her native language. We also talk about Italian words that German has adopted - and subsequently used in different ways to the original Italian meanings. JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Support the showInstagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| The 5 phases of culture shock (Beth from the USA) | 15 Jun 2020 | 00:43:47 | |
Beth from the USA moved to Germany to be with her husband, and she found that her adjustment period resembled the 5 stages of culture shock very closely. We talk about how she dealt with each stage, and where she is now on the curve. We also talk about how fencing is actually the perfect coronavirus sport. And, her cat makes an appearance. Read the blog post that we reference in the interview: The 5 phases of culture shock and how to go through smoothly Follow Beth on Instagram. Links to more The Germany Experience episodes, my newsletter, and my social media: thegermanyexperience.de/subscribe JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Broken systems, turning points, and racism in Germany (Jessica from Germany) | 09 Jun 2020 | 00:33:55 | |
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. Links to more The Germany Experience episodes, my newsletter, and my social media: thegermanyexperience.de/subscribe JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| One year anniversary live stream - recorded 29th May 2020 | 30 May 2020 | 00:33:11 | |
Recorded from a Facebook live stream to celebrate one year of The Germany Experience podcast. I answer listener questions, list my top 5 highlights of having a podcast, and talk to previous guests on the show. JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| You go me on the cookie! (Dana Newman from Wanted Adventure) | 25 May 2020 | 00:54:58 | |
Dana Newman from the Wanted Adventure YouTube channel joins me to discuss her book, "You go me on the cookie!". The book (written in German) describes Dana's adventures (and misadventures) learning German, and also highlights the quirks and beauty of the German language. It was written for German native speakers, but it is definitely relatable for anyone who has learnt German at any level. So I got Dana on the podcast to discuss her book, the German language, and her YouTube channel. Wanted Adventure YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/wantedadventure Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wantedadventure/ Website: https://www.dananewman.de/ JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Seven months as an exchange student in Germany (Montana Showalter from the USA) | 18 May 2020 | 00:38:15 | |
Montana Showalter was an American high school student who went on an exchange program to Germany (called CBYX). At around the same time, she started a YouTube channel intended to document her experiences in Germany. Little did she know that her channel was about to blow up. In our interview, Montana discusses the differences in culture between the US and Germany, how coronavirus cut her Germany stay short, how Germany changed her, and of course, her YouTube success.
Montana on Instagram: Montana.Showalter
Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Learning German with apps, and working in the video games industry (Thomas from the UK) | 11 May 2020 | 00:43:32 | |
Thomas Cartwright is originally from the UK, and landed up in Hamburg working for a video games developer called InnoGames. He explains why a company like InnoGames is a good fit for foreigners looking for opportunities in Germany. He also discusses his path to Germany, learning German through Memrise, and receiving angry letters from German neighbors.
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| Traveling with teenagers, and interrupted travel plans (Linda from the USA) | 04 May 2020 | 00:36:56 | |
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 teens, and how they're dealing with the loss of travel freedom that the coronavirus has caused.
Links to more The Germany Experience episodes, my newsletter, and my social media: thegermanyexperience.de/subscribe
Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Convincing a company to take a chance on you (Veronica from Mexico) | 05 Oct 2022 | 00:48:34 | |
“I feel like a lot of people feel this - this feeling of Germany crushing your soul, like killing you from the inside.” This is how Veronica from Mexico describes her first years in Germany. One of the biggest reasons for this was that her academic qualification was not valid in Germany, causing her to feel that she wasn't valued for who she is. That all changed when Veronica fell in love with a German startup and made it her mission to convince them to hire her.
Visit the official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de Support the showInstagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| German culture: The top 10 grossing German movies (Dominik from the Ach! podcast) | 28 Apr 2020 | 00:36:53 | |
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?
Other notes:
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| Homebrewing beer (Greg & Brigida) | 23 Apr 2020 | 00:12:16 | |
The guest in the previous episode, Greg, is a homebrewing enthusiast, and he talks about his adventures and misadventures brewing beer. He also discusses his website, Brew Wizard, that helps you create recipes and gives detailed instructions on how to brew beer. JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| From USA to Germany, California style (Greg from USA and Brigida from Germany) | 21 Apr 2020 | 00:44:37 | |
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 kids, what it's like to move to another country when you suffer from anxiety, and German beer.
Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| BONUS - Poetry in Berlin, feminism, and diversity (Deenara from Russia) | 13 Apr 2020 | 00:16:30 | |
Deenara from Russia appeared in episode 38, about mental health in Germany. However, her original interview with Berlin-based journalist Daria Sukharchuk also included her talking about her time in Germany. Here is the rest of that interview. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Some German idioms (Steph Fuccio from USA) | 06 Apr 2020 | 00:36:28 | |
Steph Fuccio, host of the Geopats podcast, is new to Germany and to the German language. So as a new learner, I thought it would be fun to throw some German idioms at her and see if she could figure them out. If you're new to the German language (or even if you are not), it's fun to listen along and see if you can guess them, too.
OTHER NOTES:
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| Dealing with depression in Germany (Deenara from Russia) | 30 Mar 2020 | 00:43:34 | |
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?
Connect with Marita Helkimo: Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Being a TV anchor, online weirdos, and stereotypes about Russian women (Daria from Russia) | 23 Mar 2020 | 00:39:21 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Coronavirus and COVID-19 in Germany (with Nicole from The Expat Cast and Steph from Geopats) | 16 Mar 2020 | 00:41:38 | |
Since COVID-19 in Germany got "real" on Friday 13th March, I felt I had to discuss it. And who better than to discuss it with than two other podcasters: Nicole from The Expat Cast and Steph from Geopats. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Leaving Germany after a decade (Natalie from the UK) | 09 Mar 2020 | 00:38:42 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Finding yourself in a second language: language and identity (Steph from Germany) | 02 Mar 2020 | 00:40:32 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Recovering from a car accident while abroad (Sadaf from Pakistan) | 28 Sep 2022 | 00:40:19 | |
Many foreigners do a lot of traveling around Europe while they are here. But have you ever considered what would happen if you had a medical emergency in another country? This happened to Sadaf, when she was involved in a car accident while she was in Milan. She discusses the ordeal, and then her recovery, starting from Italian hospitals and ending back in Germany. She also discusses how her university assisted her during her recovery.
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Visit the official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Moving after 40, sensationalist media, and loneliness in Germany (Klaus from Brazil) | 23 Feb 2020 | 00:34:57 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| A German experiences the Ausländerbehörde (Nina from Germany) | 21 Feb 2020 | 00:11:51 | |
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). Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Carnival/Fasching in Germany: "pomp and splendor" (Nina from Germany) | 17 Feb 2020 | 00:33:46 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| A serial expat in Germany (Amy from Canada) | 09 Feb 2020 | 00:42:52 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Motivated to adapt by painful social moments (Sindy from Hong Kong) | 02 Feb 2020 | 00:39:34 | |
(This is the podcast previously known as Expat Life Germany. JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Announcement: Renaming the show to The Germany Experience from 1 February 2020 | 27 Jan 2020 | 00:02:52 | |
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 will be focusing on in the future. Support the showInstagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Classic German movies: Loriot's Pappa Ante Portas | 20 Jan 2020 | 00:24:34 | |
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.
Have you watched the movie? Let me know your thoughts on my Facebook group: Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| SOFA status, growing a thicker skin, and tracking a stolen phone with the Polizei (Audrey & Zach from USA) | 12 Jan 2020 | 00:59:12 | |
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 back of a German police car, and how to watch a TV show together on different continents. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Making German candy, learning German history, and growing up as a third culture kid in Bavaria (Travis J. Dow) | 04 Jan 2020 | 01:01:32 | |
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 years, before moving back to USA. He's a third culture kid, history nerd, and has an affinity for Germany. I caught up with him in Hamburg to discuss his plan of learning how to make candy in Germany, as well as what it was like growing up as a third culture kid.
Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| FEGEPADFO Charity Challenge - Final Wrap-Up | 03 Jan 2020 | 00:02:14 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| The Welcome To Germany Summit on 29th September 2022 | 25 Sep 2022 | 00:19:47 | |
A group of experts (including me!) has come together to organize a free online event for everyone interested in moving to and living in Germany - expats, internationals, immigrants, repats...you name it.
Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de Support the showInstagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Missing holiday traditions from home, making new traditions, and fireworks on New Year's Eve | 23 Dec 2019 | 00:23:15 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Unhappy in Germany (S from India) | 15 Dec 2019 | 00:53:14 | |
Donate to my cause in the expat podcasters charity challenge (aka #FEGEPADFO): Donate to Lebenshilfe Bad Windsheim Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| The German Freelance Visa (James from LiveWorkGermany.com) | 07 Dec 2019 | 00:36:29 | |
Donate to my cause in the expat podcasters charity challenge (aka #FEGEPADFO): Donate to Lebenshilfe Bad Windsheim Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| How Germany changed us (Jibran from Pakistan) | 02 Dec 2019 | 00:41:20 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| A Berliner, a Hamburger, a Neapolitan, and a world citizen (Liliana from Italy) | 19 Nov 2019 | 00:42:33 | |
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, and she compares Hamburg and Berlin with Naples. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Being far from family when losing someone, making friends through team sports, and security in Germany (Rafael from Brazil) | 03 Nov 2019 | 00:42:01 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Discussing German stereotypes with Nicole from The Expat Cast | 20 Oct 2019 | 00:41:52 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Being an English-Speaking Writer in Germany, Bringing a Pet to Germany, and "The God Queen" (Mari from USA) | 12 Oct 2019 | 00:36:58 | |
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 Germany. The Adventures of La Mari on YouTube Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| The "Why" Has to be Right (Vlad from Romania) | 06 Oct 2019 | 00:37:52 | |
Discuss this episode in the Expat Life Germany Facebook group! Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Article 116 (Michael from USA) | 29 Sep 2019 | 00:31:30 | |
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 am Staffelsee and Augsburg back in the 80s, when he studied German at the Goethe Institute. More recently, he became a German when he got his dual citizenship through Article 116, which restores German citizenship to families of those who had their citizenship revoked during the Third Reich. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| A German returning to Germany after a decade (Cathrin from Germany) | 13 Sep 2022 | 00:50:05 | |
Cathrin, originally from Germany, has been living in the States for more than 10 years, but she recently made the decision to return. She discusses the reasons for wanting to come back, how she needs to say goodbye to her old life, and how she faces similar culture shocks to other foreigners moving to Germany. She also discusses customer service in Germany, German coffee, and what it's like looking for a job months in advance.
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Visit the official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de Support the showInstagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| parkrun Germany | 22 Sep 2019 | 00:27:09 | |
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: get out and exercise, and meet new people! Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| Defining "Expat" | 15 Sep 2019 | 00:26:37 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||
| BONUS: Social Media and Expats, Charity Work as an Expat, and Friends Moving On | 11 Sep 2019 | 00:12:57 | |
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. Instagram: the.germany.experience | |||