The Germany Experience

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 discussion: 

• Langenscheidt's search for 2020's youth word
• Rezo's "Der Zerstörung der CDU" video
• Phillip Amthor's reply to Rezo
• It's Wednesday my dudes viral meme
• Xatar only wants a Köftespiess when he's out of prison
• Lil Lightzkins - Köftespiess
• Can You German? Instagram account
• Alman Memes Instagram account

Follow Nina on Instragram.

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A comprehensive German course for beginners, where you learn German through an exciting story.

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Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

For foreigners living in Germany, you might be thinking that you live in a country that is doing a lot to combat global warming. After all, Germany signed the Paris Agreement, and it put together the Klimapaket (climate package). But according to my guest this week, Patrick Niedermayer, Germany isn't doing enough.

This episode is a deep dive into what climate change is, what Germany has done (and why it isn't sufficient), and what foreigners living in Germany can do about the situation.

Patrick’s blog (German): https://patrick-niedermayer.de/blog

Patrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickndmr/

Get involved on 25th September 2020 and join a Fridays for Future demonstration near you!

Key take-aways from my discussion with Patrick:

• The CO2 in our atmosphere has increased exponentially since the industrial revolution: the increase in the last 100 years is the same as the increase in the previous 10.000 years.
• It’s not too late to limit the increase in average temperatures (although we can’t reverse it anymore)
• The Paris Agreement was good, but Germany (and other countries) are not adhering to it
• For Patrick, there are two aspects to climate justice: firstly, the industrialized countries expecting developing countries not to use coal and other fossil fuels to build wealth, and secondly, the people in power are the ones who have caused our current situation (albeit not intentionally), while the ones demanding change are the ones who have to live with the consequences of inaction.
• Germany is doing something to combat climate change, but not enough; they’ve cut funding for projects like solar power, they have not acted on the Paris Agreement, and the Klimapaket is disappointing.
• Foreigners can’t vote, but being political isn’t only about voting: you can still go and protest and make your voice heard.

What foreigners living in Germany can do:

When looking at changes you can make, look for the things with the least amount of effort on your part, but which have a big impact on reducing your carbon footprint

• Switch to green energy (ökostrom) for your apartment or house.
• Try to switch to electric cars or scooters if it’s possible
• Zero waste
• Reduce meat consumption
• Educate yourself

Links and information:

• Fridays For Future
• Tipping points in climate change
• The Ice Albedo
• The Paris Agreement
• CO2 calculators:
  • WWF CO2 footprint calculator (English, but UK-focused) 
  • Umweltbundesamt rechner

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

In this outtake from my interview with Emma from the USA, we discuss recent German history, and how to win freedom by pretending to be a swan.

Follow Emma on Instagram

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Visit the official The Germany Experience website

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Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

Emma is a dancer who moved from New York City to Berlin. Even though Berlin is a big city, she still has to adjust to the slower pace of life here. She also discusses why there is more freedom to be adventurous with your career in Germany, why Germany is attractive to performing artists, the Visa that allows her to be here, and what you gain when you open yourself up to learning a new language.

Follow Emma on Instagram.

The 639 year organ musical composition: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/05/slowly-does-it-chord-changes-in-639-year-long-organ-piece

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

Visit the official The Germany Experience website

Contact me: [email protected] 

Learn German with German Uncovered
A comprehensive German course for beginners, where you learn German through an exciting story.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

Shaked moved from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Germany to take the next step in her dance career: a move to dance management or production. But does she want to leave the actual dancing aspect behind? And how can she adapt when the German city she lives in doesn't necessarily give her the career opportunities she is looking for?

Shaked talks us through the crossroads that she finds herself at now. We also discuss having a German partner as a portal into German culture, and how the Israeli culture might be even more direct than the German culture...

Find Shaked on Facebook
Read about the dance concept Shaked mentioned: Gaga
Website for the classes Shaked gives in Karlsruhe: https://www.gimor.net/

The article on English Post about me: Life Out Loud

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

Visit the official The Germany Experience website

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Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

Originally released on September 4th, 2019 (episode #14).

Anna Noakes Schulze from Canada presented a TEDx talk called “Living Abroad Teaches Us the Power of Connections”, and in it she tells her own expat story to demonstrate how those that we make connections with shape our lives and who we are, even if we don't live near them. This will resonate with many expats, and so I invited her to come on the show.

In this interview, she expands on the TEDx talk to reveal her wisdom and insights that describe the expat experience. She discusses the question of identity, learning German too fast, raising special needs children in Germany, and of course, the talk itself.

Anna’s Website: https://www.sunflowerux.com/

Anna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annanoakesschulze/

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Visit the official The Germany Experience website.

Mail me: info(at)thegermanyexperience.de

Contact me on my website: https://www.thegermanyexperience.de/contact/

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

Originally released on October 20th, 2019 (episode #20).

Are Germans really efficient? Do they like order? Are they as punctual as everyone says they are? Nicole, a US expat living in Germany and the host of The Expat Cast, helps me confirm or bust common stereotypes and cliches about Germans.

Find Nicole:

The Expat Cast podcast
The Expat Cast on Instagram
Mail Nicole: [email protected]

JOIN THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

Visit the official The Germany Experience website.

Mail me: info(at)thegermanyexperience.de

Contact me on my website: https://www.thegermanyexperience.de/contact/https://www.thegermanyexperience.de/contact/

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

Originally released on July 2nd, 2019 (episode #6).

Lori from USA has been teaching English in Germany for almost 40 years, so it’s not surprising that she has a thing or two to say about learning new languages. In fact, her language pedigree goes back to even before she moved to Germany, when she was a German high school teacher in the States. 

In this interview, Lori’s wisdom and wit shine through as she discusses how she got started teaching in Germany at a Volkshochschule, how speaking a language doesn’t necessarily mean you understand the culture, the importance of good pronunciation when learning a second language, and raising children in a bilingual household. 

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

Visit the official The Germany Experience website.

Mail me: info(at)thegermanyexperience.de

Contact me on my website: https://www.thegermanyexperience.de/contact/

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

I spent two nights in hospital recently, and during my stay, I recorded several audio logs about my experience. You can hear them in this bonus episode.

Since I won't be able to edit the podcast while I recover, I will be putting out some 2019 episodes over the next few weeks.

Thank you to everyone who has messaged me well-wishes!


JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

Visit the official The Germany Experience website.

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

In order to better understand the music tastes of Germans, Craig from Scotland joins me to look at the top 10 selling musical artists in Germany. This includes German and international acts who have sold the most albums since the BVMI started certifying albums back in 1975.

You can find the list on Wikipedia. To better get to know the German acts on this list, I put together a YouTube and Spotify playlist: 

• Top German acts playlist on YouTube
• Top German acts playlist on Spotify

The bands and artists we discuss: 

• Helene Fischer
• Marius Müller-Westernhagen
• Madonna
• Queen
• Die Toten Hosen
• Rolf Zuckowski
• Phil Collins
• Peter Maffay
• Herbert Grönemeyer

We also discuss Craig's path to Germany, and he gives us some of his own recommendations of German bands you should check out: 

• Raindance Kid
• Jonas Künner
• Children of Boredom
• M and the Congregation

Subscribe to Craig's podcast:

• On Apple
• On Spotify

Follow Craig on Instagram and Facebook.


JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

Visit the official The Germany Experience website.

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: [email protected]

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran