Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Expat Chatter
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Expat Chatter
Expat Chatter episodes
- These retirees don't retire - they're more active than ever
The word “retire” means to rest, but in Germany, retirees have got it backwards: once they stop working, they’re busier than ever before
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold7 min - Nostalgia for the pandemic
It has been six years since the world came to a standstill in the grip of the coronavirus. I wouldn’t want a repeat performance, but there were some positive aspects to it. One of them was how I no longer had to jostle for space. All at once, my American need for personal space – a lot more than what Germans need - had become the law.
Picture by Anna_Kovtun on Pixabay
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold12 min - Rammed in a tram
The Munich public transport system has long since lost its good reputation. Even if you check the schedule, you may wind up standing for an hour on a platform when your train is canceled. But being stuck on a crowded tram offers a close-up view of a random sampling of its diverse inhabitants.
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold9 min - Bad Bunny at the Superbowl? ¡Ay caramba!
What’s so strange about singing in Spanish? We all learned the lyrics to “Feliz Navidad” back when the only Spanish speaker around was José Feliciano. Foreign languages are fun, folks, and besides, it’s really about the music. Bad Bunny also sings in Puerto Rican slang, so it could very well be that Latinos don’t understand everything, either. A bit of a cultural adventure never hurt anyone.
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold8 min - The one and only political doughnut
Germans are now confronting the fact that Christmas is over but winter is just getting underway. They console themselves by getting an early start celebrating carnival, which involves consuming large quantities of a special pastry, called Krapfen, to prepare for a period of fasting for Lent. True, hardly anybody fasts anymore, but no matter – Krapfen are delicious. Not only are these pastries popular, but their numbers also keep growing and more varieties are created every year.
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold9 min - 800 years of history found their way into my bike lock
You’re not supposed to use birthdates for passwords or combinations, so I used important historical dates. But as an American who lived in Spain and now lives in Germany, many dates stand out. Which led to a lot of problems when I tried to reconstruct the thought process behind my bike combination after returning from vacation…
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold9 min - When life gives you lemons, it helps to recognize them
I was brimming with confidence that my French was good enough to navigate around southern France. But not only was my French not suffisant, my lack of botanical knowledge also got me into trouble. Merde!
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold9 min - 9 things you didn't know about Chicago
The windy city, indeed! But why windy? And who really caused the Great Fire - if you think it was a cow - then guess again!
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold9 min - Blasting our way into the New Year
Germans are so careful about maintaining their cars and they build their houses so well that they are practically airtight. But on New Year’s Eve, their sense of caution quite literally vanishes into thin air in the form of fireworks.
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold7 min - 'Twas the Night Before Weihnachten
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore kicked off so many holiday trends, like the idea of a white Christmas (with a little help from Charles Dickens) and the idea (I mean revelation of course, for all of the six-year-olds reading this) that Santa brings toys at night in a sleigh.
I couldn’t resist rewriting it was a not-so-subtle Bavarian twist. I hope you enjoy it!
Support the show
www.expatchatter.net
Brenda Arnold5 min
About Expat Chatter
From the publisher's feed
It's true. Even after years of living in Munich, Germany, I find funny stuff to talk about. Language gaffes, cultural confrontations, and life abroad. It's an ongoing adventure!