I’m British, this might explain my natural acceptance of winter. It’s just a season, one of four and it’s something that is going to happen whether you want it to or not. Every year it comes and goes, sometimes staying longer than expected and sometimes fleeing early, whichever it is there will always be ‘grey days’. … Continue reading How to survive a long grey German winter
Tag: Germany
Advent calendars – Not just for kids
Happy 2nd day of Advent! When I was a kid I hated Advent, all my friends got a chocolate a day leading up to Christmas but being a person who doesn't like chocolate I only got to enjoy the pictures. I know it's not a hardship, first world problems and all that, but when you're … Continue reading Advent calendars – Not just for kids
Remember, remember….
...the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. Bonfire night is one of my favourite British celebrations, but since Germany doesn't celebrate failed English assassination attempts it's something that I miss out on, every year. Every year it sneaks up on me, Halloween is over and suddenly all my British friends are heading to … Continue reading Remember, remember….
Out Of The Loop
Homesickness is something that you associate with living away from home, even if it sometimes hits you unexpectedly it will at least be a relatively expected emotion and you will have or at least be able to build up a tolerance and coping strategies to get you through it. Being out of the loop (OOTL) … Continue reading Out Of The Loop
The expat adjustment lifecycle….
An explanation of why you feel fantastic at times, and downright crap at others! Now I'm not a psychologist, but the cycle of highs and lows you can experience as an expat is common to expats the world over. I've done quite a bit of research on this because, quite frankly, I thought I was … Continue reading The expat adjustment lifecycle….
The Expat Personality
Whilst we are all expat here and might stick out like sore thumbs to the locals, it is important to recognise that all expats are not necessarily created equal. Here is my guide to the expats you might meet when you move abroad... The Bragger Commonly heard saying "You haven't been to Neuschwanstein/Berlin/newest restaurant in … Continue reading The Expat Personality
Being The Stranger
When you leave your native home and you arrive in a new country, you become the stranger. It doesn't matter if you moved 500km or 6000km you are still, and will always be, the stranger. Now 'stranger' to me formerly had negative connotations, I was the kid who had ‘stranger danger’ drummed into me at … Continue reading Being The Stranger
Attitude adjustment NOT a culture shock
A lot of people told me that moving to Germany would cause me to experience culture shock. Really? I questioned, it's not far from the UK, both countries demographics are fairly similar, Germans are still people right? Definition - Culture shock - The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an … Continue reading Attitude adjustment NOT a culture shock
The lowdown…so far
It’s official, the husband has signed his new work contract and he and I will be packing up our life and moving to Stuttgart in a few months. Wow. Writing that down has made it seem a lot more real. Now we aren’t new to the whole expat thing, except this time there is no end … Continue reading The lowdown…so far