Fadi Gaziri returns to the show to talk about writing a song for the Eurovision song contest. We talk about why we love the Eurovision song contest so much, what makes a good Eurovision song, and how countries select their entries. Listen to the end of the episode to hear Fadi's Eurovision song entry. Fadi also talks about scoring music for German TV shows and working as a musician on cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic. The book Fadi wrote: ZE GERMANS: An expat's guide to living in Germany The ...
Mar 02, 2022•39 min•Ep. 107
It only took 106 episodes, but Shaun finally has a South African guest on the podcast! Rachel is a lawyer (also a first) who has only been in Germany for a few weeks. She discusses her first impressions of Germany, choosing between a corporate and a startup when she was looking for a job, and why she is leaning towards a more rural life in Germany. She also explains why winter jackets are such foreign things to people from the southern hemisphere and we marvel over her very large tea cup. Rachel...
Feb 23, 2022•45 min•Ep. 106
Laura Osburn is a singer/songwriter from Canada who came to Germany in January 2020 to work on her album and play live shows – and both those plans have been derailed by COVID. We talk about her struggles to get a long-term visa for Germany, how she spent the beginning of the pandemic on an organic farm, and the difficulties she's faced with getting her album recorded. Get in touch with Laura on Instagram: @lauraosburnsongstress Listen to her music on Spotify: Laura Osburn on Spotify Her Website...
Feb 16, 2022•41 min•Ep. 105
Getting invited to a German's home for dinner is difficult enough, but if it happens, you're probably nearing the German's "inner circle". But how do you behave? What is good etiquette? Are there unwritten rules you need to know about? For foreigners, being a dinner guest in a German's home can feel like daunting minefield. But actually, it's really not. Allegedly German Nina joins me for this episode to take us step-by-step through being a dinner guest in a German's home, starting from getting ...
Feb 09, 2022•41 min•Ep. 104
Marina is from Spain and Greta is from Italy, and together they host a podcast called Buongiorno Bitch . They join me to discuss our love for podcasts, and how they can help foreigners. We also talk about how both of them ended up in Germany, and how they made friends in an old-school 2010 way. Follow Buongiorno Bitch on Instagram: @Buongiorno Bitch Some of the podcasts we mentioned in the show: Just Break Up Glücklich Verkopft Greta's favorite Zeit Online podcast: Ist das normal? Spanish podcas...
Feb 02, 2022•53 min•Ep. 103
The 2021 charity challenge between Nicole of The Expat Cast and I is done, and we have a winner! We were able to raise a combined total of 1065€ for Kinderlachen, a charity that helps children in need. Thank you to everyone who donated for your kindness and generosity. To find out who won, take a listen to the wrap-up :) The Germany Experience will now be taking a break over the next few weeks, and will return in the last week of January. Wishing you a "guten Rutsch ins neues Jahr", and a very h...
Dec 29, 2021•3 min
Recorded as an Instagram Live on 21 December 2021. Nicole of The Expat Cast joins me to discuss our low and high points of 2021, and to give an update on our annual charity challenge, this year called ThrEGEPADFO. I also read out the low and high points of some listeners and Instagram followers. We're also joined at one point by Lawin, host of the Pop Your Cultural Cherry podcast . GO AND DONATE IN THE GERMANY PODCASTERS' ADVENT CHARITY CHALLENGE : Nicole of The Expat Cast and I are once again c...
Dec 22, 2021•37 min•Ep. 102
Jeanette from the USA moved to Germany to continue her studies, and ended up in a PhD program in Aachen. She discusses her experiences making friends while studying, learning German, and her life as a PhD student in Germany. The children's book author Jeanette mentioned in her discussion: Janosch +++ Send me your highs and lows of 2021! I'd love to read them on the show with a special guest next week! Send to: info@thegermanyexperience.de, or leave me a voice message on The Germany Experience (c...
Dec 15, 2021•42 min•Ep. 101
DONATE in the ThrEGEPADFO CHARITY CHALLENGE! It's the 100th episode of The Germany Experience! To celebrate, I take a look at just a few of the many memorable moments I've had on the show. Including clips from the following previous episodes: Church bells and bicycles (Shannon from the USA) Bonus Episode - A German experiences the Ausländerbehörde (Nina from Germany) Leaving Germany after a decade (Natalie from the UK) Feeling weighed down by the pandemic, and making the trip back home (Beth fro...
Dec 07, 2021•31 min•Ep. 100
Not every Germany experience ends with permanent residency or German citizenship. For some, the plan was never to stay for longer than a few years, or things change during the stay, or some other unforeseen occurrence (cough COVID) makes it necessary to leave. This episode focuses on the stories of three previous guests who have since left the country. I talk to them about their time in Germany, why they left, what they miss about Germany, and what their life is like now. My guests are all Canad...
Dec 01, 2021•50 min•Ep. 99
What can you expect in a German job interview? What's expected of you? Lisa Janz , the woman behind Job Coach Germany, joins me to explain what the five phases of a typical job interview are, and gives some insights into what interviewers are looking for. She even has some psychological tricks to boost your chances of making a positive impression. Lisa was formerly in HR , so knows the process from the inside. Nowadays, she focuses on helping people find the job that is right for them in Germany...
Nov 24, 2021•47 min•Ep. 98
You sent in your questions about health insurance in Germany, and this week a representative from Techniker Krankenkasse, Nina, is here to answer them. You can also get an idea of what to expect from a health insurance fund by hearing how TK does things and what they offer. If you are considering signing up for health insurance with TK, use my link: https://thegermanyexperience.de/tk It is an affiliate link, so if you sign up with it, you'll be helping out the podcast. The questions that Nina an...
Nov 17, 2021•23 min•Ep. 97
Elizabeth first spent time in Germany as a student, and she fell in love with the place. But, by the time her year was up, she was ready to return back home to the States. However, when she got home, she immediately started missing Germany. This began a pattern that would persist for years: Elizabeth would move to Germany, but would eventually move back to the USA again. In more recent years, though, she has wanted to make the move more permanent and has been actively searching for jobs in Germa...
Nov 10, 2021•42 min•Ep. 96
How educated are expat spouses? How do they feel about life in Germany? What word would they use to describe Germany? A new study by Expats & Spouses Monitor answers these questions, and more. Back in February 2021, Amaia, originally from Spain, joined me to talk about the study that the Expats & Spouses Monitor was doing. Essentially, they wanted to look at the situation and feelings of expats and their spouses living in Germany. And now, the results are in . Amaia returns to the show t...
Nov 03, 2021•24 min•Ep. 95
From new shopping habits through to being scolded by Germans, here are the answers to the questions you asked about life in Germany! The Instagram users who asked me questions: @Lilo_hlt06 @Sscomstoc @Alyssa.savs @Soundinglustig @Iamgermanexpat @Theexpatcast @Beagle_Vanlife @Theadventuresofsteffi @lisa_janz_jobcoachgermany @almondsandsunset JOIN THE THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/theGermanyExperience Visit the official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperienc...
Oct 27, 2021•34 min•Ep. 94
What's it like working in tech in Germany? What do foreigners need to know about finding a tech job in Germany? Yotzín, from Mexico, joins me to answer these questions and discuss his experiences working in the tech field in Germany. We cover the Blue Card visa, changing tech jobs, and understanding the job market. Yotzin on Instagram: @yotzincortez My recent guest podcast appearances: The Expat Cast: A South African, a Filipino,& an American Walk into a Bakery... with Shaun & Lawin The ...
Oct 20, 2021•45 min•Ep. 93
After watching the Calvin & Habs duo do a reenactment of a German children's story called "Paulinchen", I decided to buy the collection of stories it appears in. It's called Der Struwwelpeter, named after one of the characters. Written in 1845 by Heinrich Hoffman, the book contains a set of cautionary tales for children. Sometimes horrific, sometimes bizarre, and always entertaining, the book offers a great view into German culture of the time, including parenting insights and the view on ra...
Oct 06, 2021•29 min•Ep. 92
Both Beth and Amy have appeared on The Germany Experience before, and now they come back on together after having forged a friendship here in Germany. But, as often happens with foreigner friendships, Amy moved back home. We discuss making friends in Germany, what it's like losing foreigner friends, reaching a point of acceptance with life in Germany, and their related tattoos. Beth and Amy also help me answer a question from a listener who is constantly excluded from discussions at work because...
Sep 29, 2021•47 min•Ep. 91
//This episode was originally released on 18th May 2020// Montana Showalter was an American high school student who went on an exchange program to Germany (called CBYX ). At around the same time, she started a YouTube channel intended to document her experiences in Germany. Little did she know that her channel was about to blow up. In our interview, Montana discusses the differences in culture between the US and Germany, how coronavirus cut her Germany stay short, how Germany changed her, and of...
Sep 02, 2021•37 min
//This interview originally aired on 25th May 2020// Dana Newman from the Wanted Adventure YouTube channel joins me to discuss her book, "You go me on the cookie!". The book (written in German) describes Dana's adventures (and misadventures) learning German, and also highlights the quirks and beauty of the German language. It was written for German native speakers, but it is definitely relatable for anyone who has learnt German at any level. So I got Dana on the podcast to discuss her book, the ...
Aug 25, 2021•52 min
//This episode originally aired on 20th July 2020// Original Show Notes: Amy always had a dream of living in Germany, and even happened to marry someone who felt the same way. So living here has kind of been a dream come true. And generally, Amy is really happy here -- she admits that she was "right" about wanting to live here. But making friends with Germans is one aspect that has been a challenge. Amy is sociable and outgoing, and has done everything you're supposed to do to integrate yourself...
Aug 18, 2021•40 min
//This episode was originally aired on 16th November 2020// Sneha from India moved to Germany in 2011. A professional Indian classical dancer, she was expecting something similar to New York, where people knew about the artform of Indian classical dance. Instead, she found herself constantly having to explain to Germans that it wasn't Bollywood dancing that she does... Sneha explains how she quickly started establishing herself in her artform in Germany by putting on shows, and then later teachi...
Aug 11, 2021•46 min
Aspen is originally from the USA and has been living in Germany for 7 years now. She runs the Aspen Abroad YouTube channel . She joins me to discuss the topic of mental health as a foreigner in Germany, as well as the expectations on her as content creator. We also cover the dangers of toxic positivity. The video with Claudio we discuss: Running, Sports, and Mental Health Motivation Aspen's YouTube channel: Aspen Abroad Aspen on Instagram: @aspen.abroad The episode of The Expat Cast I heard Aspe...
Jul 15, 2021•46 min•Ep. 90
Lara is from Slovenia, and you might know her from her Instagram or TikTok channels, where she posts short, informative and funny videos about life in Germany. She made the move from Chicago, where she was living at the time, to a small town in Germany, and we discuss what that was like for her. We also talk about freelancing in Germany, as well as her Instagram and TikTok videos. Lara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larcipetek/ Lara on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@larapetek Lara's bl...
Jun 30, 2021•35 min•Ep. 89
Kaleena is from the USA, and Jan is from Germany, and together they host the YouTube channel, Kaleena and Jan. Shortly after meeting each other, their relationship was forced to go through two phases by the pandemic: first, they had to conduct a long distance relationship, and then, when Kaleena was able to return to Germany, they were locked down together. We discuss how they managed to keep their relationship going through both of those phases, as well as their YouTube channel. Kaleena and Jan...
Jun 23, 2021•35 min•Ep. 88
Steffi is from the UK, and she describes herself as an "unexpected expat". In fact, as someone who experiences anxiety and who is a planner, life in a foreign country was not something she considered. When Steffi moved to Germany, she experienced depression after the honeymoon phase was over, and to deal with it, she turned to therapy. Steffi and I discuss the effects of expat life on mental health, the difficulties with finding a therapist, and the effectiveness of online therapy. Plus we check...
Jun 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 87
Fadi Gaziri has written a book about life in Germany for foreigners called, "Ze Germans: An Expat's Guide to Living in Germany", and he joins me to discuss the book and some of his insights from his experiences in the country. We cover apologizing in Germany, sauna surprises, making friends, and why Fadi actually likes it here. Plus, we do the "How German Are You?" quiz from his book to see which one of us is the most Germanized. "Ze Germans: An exapt's guide to living in Germany" on Amazon: htt...
Jun 09, 2021•53 min•Ep. 86
The Germany Experience podcast is 2 years old and to celebrate, here is a compilation of some of the advice that guests have offered about everything from making friends through to preparing for bureaucracy. Thank you for listening the past 2 years! The advice givers, and the episodes they were featured in: Dwight Audrey Jenna Natalie Emma Amy Sarah Greg & Brigida Liliana Vlad Thomas Lori Mari (author of The God Queen ) Ceri Tim Beth Anna Tania Alicia ( https://www.aliciacibolamusic.com/ ) A...
Jun 02, 2021•36 min•Ep. 85
Jasmin is the host of a podcast called Herstory, which tells the stories of strong women from history. Her podcast inspired this week's episode: a look back at incredible (and underappreciated) women from Germany's history. And to tell these stories, I'm joined by Jasmin herself. The women we'll focus on all faced adversity of some kind, but went on to do monumental things that still impact Germany and the world today: Elisabeth Selbert ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Selbert ), who wa...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 84
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...
May 19, 2021•43 min•Ep. 83
