Getting accepted into a music conservatory in Germany was a huge accomplishment. I had found an apartment, unpacked my suitcase, opened a bank account, bought a bike and a mattress (huge purchases considering my budget), and got my Meldebestätigung, a type of resident registration providing proof of your address, necessary for a lot of bureaucratic procedures here ..read more

Living in Germany as an expat, the holidays seem to hit pretty hard. Among all the warm lights and smells of cinnamon, the distance from family can be felt more than ever. Traditions surrounding the holidays are different, foreign, and even clash. Good luck trying to explain the multi-day appearances of the various German Santa-like figures AND Santa himself to a toddler ..read more

Now that both of our kids can walk and put up with some degree of shenanigans, we decided to do the full Halloween thing this year. Halloween is a holiday that was non-existent in Germany 20 years ago and has been slowly gaining popularity over the past few years ..read more

So…why Germany anyway? During my Junior year of college, I participated in a study abroad program in Freiburg, Germany, located in the Black Forest. The city and the location were quite dreamy, to say the least! I not only studied German at the university, but also music performance at the conservatory ..read more

Ever wondered about what it’s like to actually live, not just vacation, in Europe? Ever checked out details on an AirBnB rental or watched House Hunters International and been curious about more details? Besides a higher price tag, a reputation for charm, and an electrical current to fry your hairdryer from home, there are lots of interesting differences between European and American homes ..read more

In a lot of ways, daily life in Germany is comparable to life in the States. Living standards are similar, the basics are readily accessible, status quo exists, and people love to complain about the weather. Then, when you least expect it, baaaam – you are confronted head-on with some brutal reminders that you are living in a country that was ravaged by two world wars on its own soil, both of which it sorely lost ..read more

Zakopane, meaning “buried” (i.e. in snow) in Polish, is located in Southern Poland near the Slovakian border and was the destination of our mini family vacation last week. We booked an AirBnB apartment with mountain view in Zakopane for a bit of fun before attending a relative’s wedding a few hours away ..read more

Zakopane, meaning “buried” (i.e. in snow) in Polish, is located in Southern Poland near the Slovakian border and was the destination of our mini family vacation last week. We booked an AirBnB apartment with mountain view in Zakopane for a bit of fun before attending a relative’s wedding a few hours away ..read more

Expat life and the traveling mind go hand in hand. We’ve already travelled and experienced something new, and then have probably caught the travel bug (assuming the move was voluntary). Expat life is however, not always about travel – it’s more about spending lots of time somewhere new and learning the in-depth, cultural stuff that you would never know while skimming through a city in a few days or even a few weeks ..read more

For the first several years of living abroad, I didn’t really think about the 4th of July much. It comes at a time of year when most are preoccupied with planning for summer and wrapping up tasks before said fun begins. Not to mention that in every other country, obviously, this holiday is not a thing at all ..read more