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5 things I love about Germany and 5 things I don’t.
Following on from last week’s post where I highlighted 5 things I love about England and 5 that I don’t love, it’s only fair that I give the same attention to my new home and share the things I love about Germany and the things I don’t love. I’ll preface…
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5 things I love about England and 5 things I don’t.
If you don’t follow me on Instagram (if not, why not? I’m a hoot!) then you will probably be completely unaware that I recently went “home” to England for the first time in two years. The last time I was in the UK was in 2019. I had been living…
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10 wonderful podcasts about the expat experience to wrap your ears around right now
My name is Steffi. And I have a podcast addiction. Going for a walk? Podcast. Cooking dinner? Podcast. Having a bath? Podcast. Taking the bins out? PODCAST. I’m even listening to a podcast as I write this post (Today in Focus by the Guardian, one of my favourite current affairs…
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The truth about Comedy in Germany
“A German joke is no laughing matter” wrote Mark Twain in his famous dual-language essay, ‘The Awful German Language / die schreckliche deutsche Sprache’. Native English speakers have this long-standing belief that Germans have no sense of humour. Of all the stereotypes we have of the Germans, I think this…
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How to be Vegetarian in Germany
“How do you find living in Germany as a vegetarian?” is one of the most common questions I get asked by friends and family back home. Little do they know that since moving to Germany, my vegetarian diet has become a liiiiitle more flexible. Okay look, schnitzel and sausage are…
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CULTURE: Recycling in Germany
I have briefly mentioned the comprehensive recycling system in Germany in a previous Culture Shock post. Here’s a more in-depth look at it! Why so serious? Recycling in Germany is serious business. And in 2021, I think we can all agree that recycling is a good thing, right? Climate change…
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How Germany changed me: I will never wear heels again
I am not a fan of fashion. That is to say, I am not good at fashion. Never have been. But I have seen The Devil Wears Prada enough times to understand that I still very much buy into fashion as a concept and therefore I must, on some level,…
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Culture: Smoking in Germany
Smoking in Germany is still very popular. So popular, in fact, that a study conducted by the RKI in 2017 showed that 20.8% of women and 27% over the age of 18 smoke at least occasionally. There has been a strict smoking ban in public spaces in the UK since…
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Culture: 10 Weird Things About the British
Last week, I jokingly and lovingly, wrote about 10 things Germans do/have that are just super weird to me as a Brit/Expat. But we are not innocent! If anything we are probably the stranger nation. So this week, I present to you 10 weird things about the British. 1. 2…
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Culture: 10 Weird Things About Germans
Germans are weird. Don’t deny it. If you’re a born and bred German, you’ll probably think these things are completely normal. But to Germany’s 11.2 million foreign residents, these 10 weird things came as a shock to the system the first time they encountered them. Disclaimer: some of these might…