In this episode, Jae reflects on his 10-month journey of moving from Texas to Berlin. It explores Jae’s feelings of homesickness, what he misses most about the US, what he appreciates about Berlin, and whether he plans on staying in Berlin long-term. Through personal anecdotes and insights, Jae shares his experiences of adjusting to a new culture and finding a sense of belonging in this foreign city.

Show Notes

• ChatGPT → if anyone want’s to try it hehe

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Deborah's father was 16 when he fled Nazi Germany during a rescue effort of Jewish children known as the Kindertransport. He later raised a family in Australia and almost never spoke German anymore. Deborah and her siblings didn't consider claiming German citizenship until well into their adult lives. In this episode, Deborah shares why she finally decided to apply for a German passport under Section 15 of the Nationality Act, which allows victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants to become naturalized German citizens.

Show Notes

Historical Context

• Nuremberg Laws (Wikipedia)
• Kristallnacht (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
• 9 November in German history (Wikipedia)
• Kindertransport (Wikipedia)
• Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (Vimeo)

1948 German Basic Law & Eligibility Clause

• German Citizenship Restoration (Wikipedia)
• German citizenship for descendants of Nazi victims (DW)

Why Children of German Jews Would Apply for Citizenship

• 'Sorry, Dad - I'm thinking of getting a German passport' (BBC)
• My Holocaust-surviving grandparents were stripped of their German citizenship by the Nazis. 80 years on, I'm one of the hundreds of Jews who have decided to reclaim it in 2021. (INSIDER)

Process for Application for German Citizenship

• Amendment to German citizenship law (Federal Office of Administration)

Searching for Your Berlin Ancestors

• Berlin address books (Digitale Landesbibliothek Berlin)
• How to search for family in Berlin (Landesarchiv Berlin)
• List of Berlin financial compensation applied for by German Jews, deprived of their business and homes in WW11 (WGA Datenbank)

Genealogy Sites

• Ancestry: paid subscription, has a good collection of German records
• My Heritage: paid subscription, has millions of records, including Jewish & Israeli records
• Myers Gazetteer – includes information on German place names & locations from 1871-1912
• Family Search: free, millions of records
• Geni: basic subscription is free

Specific Sites for Information about Jewish Family

• Arolsen Archives: free site, includes information about trnasports to concentration camps
• Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database (US Holocaust Memorial Museum)
• Israel State Archives
• JewishGen – mostly free
• JRI Poland (Jewish records for towns that were in Poland)
• Leo Baeck Institute: a New York-Berlin research archive with a focus on German-Jewish history
• World Jewish Relief Fund
• Yad Vashem – an Israel site for Holocaust records

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We're celebrating our first podcast-anniversary and starting a Discord Server. Join us to talk about all things Berlin! In this episode, we discuss the culture around anniversaries and birthdays in Germany — and how it compares to the US. Did you know that in Germany, you're the one supposed to give something to others on your birthday?

Show Notes

• Jae's Amazon Wish List

• Manuel's Amazon Wish List

• 💬 Join our Discord Server: https://everyone.berlin/discord

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Boring, but kind of important: In this episode, Manuel explains which insurances are required by law in Germany, which ones are optional but important to have, and which ones you may pass on depending on your personal situation.

Show Notes

• Types of insurance in Germany (All About Berlin)
• How to choose German health insurance (All About Berlin)
• Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)
• Verivox
• Check24
• Clark

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Manuel adopted a dog! We explain the process of fostering and/or adopting a dog in Berlin, how to know you're ready to be a dog owner, what you'll need to do once the dog is in your home, and what to keep in mind if you want to bring your pet to Germany.

Show Notes

• Animals Care e.V.
• Dogorama App
• Hundelieb App (Apple App Store)
• Anzahl der Haustiere in deutschen Haushalten nach Tierarten in den Jahren 2000 bis 2021 (statista)
• Dog Training by Kikopup (Manuel's favorite dog training channel)
• Is it harmful to attach a leash to your dog’s neck? (Dogmantics)
• Hunderegister Berlin
• TASSO e.V.
• Having a dog in Germany (All About Berlin)
• Moving to the EU with Pets (Perpetual)

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In this episode, Jae explains the lessons and tips he would tell his past self if he was moving to Berlin again for the first time.

Show Notes

• Gross Net Tax Calculator Germany

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German New Year's Eve traditions, how the German "Happy New Year" is different before and after January 1, why parts of Berlin go crazy (!) on New Year's Eve and our 2023 resolutions.

Show Notes

• Raclette (Wikipedia)
• Molybdomancy (Wikipedia)
• New Year Walk in Neukölln, Berlin (YouTube)
• Silvester in Berlin (YouTube Search)

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Advent calendars, Christmas markets, packed trains and the "Christkind" — Manuel shares what you can expect if you're spending Christmas in Germany for the first time.

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“Berlin is as cool as Brooklyn, but cheap.” This sentence inspired Jeremy to move to Berlin in 2014. While starting to learn German, he found that none of the existing language learning apps enabled him to speak the language, so he decided to start his own: Seedlang. In this episode, he shares how the process of starting a company in Germany compares to the US, why you should incorporate as soon as you make your first dollar, and why many people (ahem, Germans) didn't think his idea was even possible.

Show Notes

• Seedlang
• The Michel Thomas Method
• YourDailyGerman
• How Cari and Jeremy met: Learn German faster with our new app Seedlang (YouTube)
• Factory Berlin Co-Working

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In this episode Jae talks about his experiences being Black in Berlin and how it has affected him emotionally and mentally. In this raw, uncut episode which feels more like a diary entry, Jae opens up on how he feels about his life here as a person of color and some of the internal and external challenges that has come with it.

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