The Germany Experience

Before you move to a foreign country, you inevitably have a picture of what it's like in your mind. Maybe you got it from TV and books, or perhaps you've met tourists from that country. Lawin, host of the Pop Your Cultural Cherry podcast, joins me to discuss our preconceived notions of Germany and Europe, and what the reality was for us.

Pop Your Cultural Cherry podcast: https://linktr.ee/popyourculturalcherry
Pop Your Cultural Cherry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popyourculturalcherry/

The Germany Experience episode about beer I referenced: https://www.thegermanyexperience.de/from-usa-to-germany-california-style-greg-from-usa-and-brigida-from-germany/


Try out Wunderbla together with Shaun
Wunderbla by Gymglish is an online German course for non-beginners (levels A2-C1). You get daily lessons that take around 20 minutes to complete, with immediate corrections.

Try it out for one month for free, with no obligations:

https://thegermanyexperience.de/german

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the course!


JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/theGermanyExperience

 Visit the official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience

Review the podcast: https://thegermanyexperience.de/rate

 Contact me: [email protected]

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

If things in Germany continue easing up, vacation will again be possible this summer. A very popular tourist destination is the mountainous region of Bavaria. Ceri, originally from the UK, runs a mountain tour and trekking company there called Four Elements.

She joins me to discuss how to avoid tourist hot spots in the mountains this summer, how to prepare for a trip, and also how her love for the outdoors has shaped her time in Germany.

Ceri's mountain tour company: https://www.4elements.eu/
Karwendel, the hiking region she mentioned: https://www.alpenwelt-karwendel.de/
German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein): https://www.alpenverein.de/
Ceri on Instagram: @4elements.eu and @ceri_temple
Ceri on Facebook: @4elements.eu (https://www.facebook.com/4elements.eu)
Ceri's podcast, The Grow Zone - Real Time Adventurers: https://anchor.fm/thegrowzone


Try out Wunderbla together with Shaun
Wunderbla by Gymglish is an online German course for non-beginners (levels A2-C1). You get daily lessons that take around 20 minutes to complete, with immediate corrections.

Try it out for one month for free, with no obligations:

https://thegermanyexperience.de/german

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the course!


JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/theGermanyExperience

 Visit the official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience

Review the podcast: https://thegermanyexperience.de/rate

 Contact me: [email protected]

I'm looking for guests for The Germany Experience. If you'd like to come on the show, send me your details!

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

Nadja Todt was born and raised in Germany, but spent 11 years abroad. She describes herself as a global citizen, change-maker, international experience expert, community connector and mentor, and a German and English language consultant.

Nadja offers a program called "45 Days to Meaningful Friendships and Connections", and so I asked her to come on the podcast and discuss her insights. Her discussion centers around the what she sees as three central topics of making friendships: knowing yourself, being aware of your communication style, and making deeper connections.

Nadja's links: 

• 45 Days to Meaningful Friendships and Connections program
• Survival German with Nadja
• Nadja on Facebook
• Nadja on Instagram
• Nadja on LinkedIn

Try out Wunderbla together with Shaun
Wunderbla by Gymglish is an online German course for non-beginners (levels A2-C1). You get daily lessons that take around 20 minutes to complete, with immediate corrections.

Try it out for one month for free, with no obligations: 

Learn German with Wunderbla

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the course!


JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: The Germany Experience

Review the podcast

 Contact me: [email protected]

I'm looking for guests for The Germany Experience. If you'd like to come on the show, send me your details!

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

How are foreigners in Germany feeling right now? Do they feel like they want to pack up and return to their home countries? And what is it like to make the trip back home? These are all questions we look at in this episode.

Back in 2020, Germany was doing great with its handling of the pandemic: cases were down in summer, and there was even a degree of normality creeping back into every day life. The rest of the world envied Germany. However, in winter of 2020, things took a drastic turn. Since then, Germany has endured seemingly never-ending lockdowns, a failed vaccination roll-out, and inconsistent government response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, some countries – like the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand – are all doing better than Germany and life is beginning to get back to "normal". 

Coping with the current situation in Germany, seeing  things improve in other countries, and not having seen family back home for an unusually long period of time have all led foreigners here to feeling frustrated, depressed, and many other emotions. And the thought of making the trip back to their home country is now a realistic option. 

Beth, who is from the USA, understands these feelings all too well, and has in fact just made the trip back home. We discuss the current mindset of foreigners in Germany, with the help of audio clips from several YouTubers, podcasters, and past guests. We also consider whether the current situation in Germany makes foreigners want to pack up and leave for good. And finally, I find out from Beth what making that difficult trip back home is like. 

Featuring audio contributions from: 

• Antoinette Emily, taken from her YouTube video, "THE TRUTH ABOUT MY LIFE IN GERMANY RIGHT NOW"
• Jenna, who hosts the YouTube channel, Life In Germany
• Fiona (@volbeat_flo) 
• Raphael (@rpwerner)
• Nicole of The Expat Cast
• Lawin of the Pop Your Cultural Cherry podcast

The previous episode Beth was on: The 5 phases of cultural shock

THANK YOU to all those who sent in their feedback and recorded audio clips for this episode!

OTHER SHOW NOTES: 

• My guest appearance on Jenna's Life In Germany channel: BUT CAN A FOREIGNER REALLY LIVE IN A SMALL GERMAN VILLAGE?!
• The episode of my other podcast, Die Deutsche und der Ausländer, that Beth references (it's German): Urlaub in Coronazeiten und was Deutsche im Urlaub so tun

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

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

Lisa Janz, who is a job coach for internationals in Germany, recently interviewed me in a live Q&A on her Facebook page. This is the audio of that video. She asked me about my experiences looking for jobs and working in Germany. We also discuss workplace culture shocks, interviews while wearing ripped trousers, and more.

Watch the interview on Facebook here.

Lisa's Website: lisajanz.com
Lisa on Facebook: Lisa Janz - Job Coach Germany
Lisa on Instagram: @lisa_janz_jobcoachgermany

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

Lisa Janz is a career coach for international professionals in Germany. She joins me to discuss the big question of how to figure out what you want from a job in Germany. New foreigners in Germany often just want to get a foot in the door, and foreigners that have been here longer might feel like it's not possible to make a move. But it's important for your happiness that you consider what you really want - and that might even be something that you haven't realized yet.

Lisa recently interviewed me on her Facebook channel, and I will be posting that interview as a bonus episode later this week.

Lisa's Website: lisajanz.com
Lisa on Facebook: Lisa Janz - Job Coach Germany
Lisa on Instagram: @lisa_janz_jobcoachgermany

Other things Lisa mentioned:

• YouTube video: Simon Sinek - Start With Why
• Book recommendation: The Big Five for Life by John Strelecky

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: The Germany Experience

Review the podcast

 Contact me: [email protected]

I'm looking for guests for The Germany Experience. If you'd like to come on the show, send me your details!

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 release on 3rd November, 2019 (episode #21)

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.

He's also a handball player, and he had the chance to make German friends through his love of the sport.

We also discuss learning languages, Bulgarian wedding dance traditions, and more.

UPDATE: Rafael still has not had the Bulgarian wedding he discusses due to coronavirus.

Majestic handball Rafael:
 https://www.instagram.com/p/BSvnfjflJgR0f4nq-mjwHYcNRVdXQFuVk7MqKA0/?igshid=uouuiaedbbd3

World Index tweet: most dangerous countries

Bulgarian wedding dance: https://youtu.be/Bv8BRPO-EyU?t=37

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: The Germany Experience

Review the podcast

 Contact me: [email protected]

I'm looking for guests for The Germany Experience. If you'd like to come on the show, send me your details!

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

Madalina, originally from Romania, is a relocation agent who helps foreigners find accommodation in Munich. And as she says, if you can make it in Munich, you can make it anywhere in Germany.

Madalina joins me to discuss getting an apartment in Germany - a process that starts before you even start your search. From doing your initial research and establishing your criteria, through writing a cover letter and putting together your portfolio, Madalina takes us through the steps and gives helpful advice along the way. We also talk about etiquette around the apartment search.

Madalina's relocation agency in Munich: Relosophy

Relosophy on Instagram: @relosophy

Madalina on Instagram: @madalina_dragalina

The accommodation search website Madalina mentioned: ImmoScout24

OTHER SHOW NOTES:

• Guest appearance on Americans In Germany Drinking Whisky: Raising Children in Germany

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: The Germany Experience

Review the podcast

 Contact me: [email protected]

I'm looking for guests for The Germany Experience. If you'd like to come on the show, send me your details!

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

Many foreigners have a picture in their minds of what it will be like finding a job and working in Germany. For example, it seems that the perception is that there are many opportunities in Germany, that salaries are good, and that German companies are efficient. However, this is not necessarily the case.

Jana from Meetra joins me to discuss what foreigners can actually expect regarding jobs and the workplace. We also discuss typical German work contracts ("Arbeitsverträge"), the importance of reference letters, and the differences between corporates and startups.

The platform Jana co-founded to assist internationals to start their career in Germany: Meetra

Meetra on Instagram: @askmeetra


JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

Review the podcast

 Contact me: [email protected]

I'm looking for guests for The Germany Experience. If you'd like to come on the show, send me your details!

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

The Germans have certain words, sayings, and gestures that they do very often, often without even thinking about it. And some of these things can be very confusing to people new in Germany. For example:  you'll often hear "Oh je" or "So!" in a conversation.

Previous guest and resident German Nina joins me to try and explain some of these mannerisms to help us understand what they mean.

Watch this interview on YouTube to see all the gestures.

The German podcast that Nina and I host together is called Die Deutsche und der Ausländer: Listen to the show or watch on YouTube

We discuss:

• Pech gehabt/selber Schuld
• Oh je!
• Tja!
• So!
• Na?
• Two different "Hmmm" sounds
• Boah!
• Drücken die Daumen and "Toi toi toi!"
• The windshield wiper gesture ("Bist du bescheuert?")
• Rubbing fingers together
• Pulling on the eye 
• Jein
• Knocking on the table to applaud

OTHER SHOW NOTES: 

• On Saturday 20th March 2021 at 11am, Lisa Janz will interview me in a Facebook Livestream about my experience with finding jobs in Germany: Lisa Janz - Job Coach Germany

JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP

 Visit the official The Germany Experience website

 Contact me: [email protected]

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