Expat Chatter

Germans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but they celebrate Christmas half the winter. Starting at the end of November with the first of Advent, it culminates on January 6th, Heilige Drei Könige, Three K…

Germans have a reputation for being punctual, something which does not apply to its train system. During a recent train strike, it was striking (ahem) to note that many people felt there was not much…

It's not a holiday without pumpkin pie, but what I bake is a far cry from what my mother's version. I was shocked to discover that Germany  didn’t have ready-made, canned pumpkin mix. This was follow…

Americans celebrate fall with Halloween, but Germans have St. Martin. Children carry lit lanterns in processions through the dark, singing. It sounds so lovely, until you’re the one out there battlin…

Some Germans celebrate Halloween, but not all of them. I was determined to find a way for my kids to enjoy it the way I did, spurring me to take some unusual action. I recreated the holiday faster th…

School has started, a good moment to consider the burden on mothers with children in German schools. The extra work required to support their children in German schools  – or rather systems of school…

My experience with mushrooms was confined to cans as a kid. In Germany, collecting them is a cherished hobby – but don’t bother asking anybody where to find them because they aren’t telling.

Support t…

What some probably don’t realize is that, while the Oktoberfest is the biggest folk festival worldwide, it is very much still a local attraction as well as a draw for tourists. Even during the pandem…

Every language has its peculiarities, which should be respected. But when you translate into another language and aren’t careful, elements of the original one can remain. This can cause confusion or …

The Oktoberfest is synonymous with beer for most people. Yet half of the fairgrounds consists of roller coasters, kiddie cars, and shooting galleries—and what might possibly be the world’s last attra…

You know Fall has arrived when the leaf blowers start blasting through the open window. But whose idea was it anyway to have lawns that need so much upkeep? French culture impacted many countries' la…

Munich had a run-in with e-bikes once a few years ago. They successfully battled the bikes—quite literally—and won, leaving mangled two-wheelers strewn all over the city. Some citizens in San Francis…

Do you speak English? This question is often answered with “Yes” all around the world. Why bother learning another language if everyone speaks yours? Apparently, this is what many U.S. universities a…

People’s identities are tied up closely with their names. But even when you are careful to pronounce it correctly you can still get into trouble. In Germany, some people with doctoral degrees have tw…

Those of us who predate GPS know how to get around without using technology. Knowing the points of the compass is helpful for navigating in an American city, but in Europe, the streets often date fro…

Any foreigner in Germany knows all about the country’s love of overengineering. All it takes is trying to fill out a single form to get a residence permit. Less talked about is how German mothers als…

Gridlock is a word often used in connection with legislators in the U.S. Congress, but for people who work in the Washington, DC area it brings something else to mind: the terrible traffic situation.…

The hand of history has done its work on the city of Munich. Named after the monks that founded it, it was disgraced by its role in vaulting the Nazis to power. Many decades later, it has just been c…

It is astounding how places can change over time, sometimes transforming from sites of great trauma into parks where people take walks, barbecue, or fly kites in peaceful skies. Berlin is full of suc…

Imagine if your wedding were so spectacular that people would want not just to reenact it, but turn it into a month-long spectacle. Introducing: the Landshuter Hochzeit, the recreation of a wedding t…