Are you a book lover like myself and count reading as one of your favorite pastimes? Well then, read on for some great recommendations for this summer. OK, so 2021 was a rough year for me and I hardly met any of my new year’s resolutions. That included reading 30 books, or whatever ridiculous and unrealistic number I had committed to. It’s NOT that 2022 has been any kinder, but I’m in a much healthier state of mind. What does that mean for my favorite pastime? It means I’ve read more in these last 6 months than I did in all of 2021. To Read or Not to Read… I would like to share with you some o ..read more

Moving abroad does not have to end your professional career. Kate von Knobloch shares valuable career tips for expats so that you can succeed abroad. Kate, a certified career coach @ Share The Love, provides individual and group coaching sessions. But first!  You have to read Kate’s story to understand why she is now a Career Coach… Kate studied in the UK and worked abroad for short stints in Spain and Taiwan. So when the time came to spend 3 years abroad in Chicago, USA, she accepted. Except this time, her husband was the one taking the job abroad. Nevertheless, Kate would find a job ..read more

The Expats & Spouses Monitor aims to bring expat insights to the forefront. Amaia and Carlos are expats living in Germany. While working with other expats, they realized there wasn’t enough information about expat integration in Germany. This mobilized them to co-create the Expats & Spouses Monitor, a research project, whose objective is to shed light on expat living in Germany. They are running an anonymous survey until March 8th of 2021. If you are an expat or an expat spouse in Germany, please participate here. The more collaboration, the clearer the expat’s landscape; the more exp ..read more

An expert in her field, Kerstin Brunner, is a Financial Advisor who’s focus is to provide the best financial advice to expats in Germany. Her clients are mostly engineers, IT specialists, employees in R&D and self-employed expats. Kerstin uses a “holistic” financial approach to empower her clients to make the best financial decisions on their own. Above all, she is convinced that financial education should be open source and available to everyone. Sadly financial education is not a topic covered in school. People often feel alone and confused when it comes to their finances. Kerstin Brunn ..read more

Whether it’s historical fiction, sci-fi, coming of age novels, biographies or the classics, here are 20 books to consider reading. I love reading all types of books and I’ve made it a habit to read 30 minutes every night before bed. It’s usually my way to unwind, but sometimes the stories are so intriguing, that I can’t fall asleep right away. Does this happen to anyone else? It may not be the best habit to adopt for better sleep, but I have been doing this for years. This would be hard to change. So, if you also love to read or would like to start reading a bit more and need some inspiration ..read more

You can definitely satisfy that sushi or ramen craving in Munich. Find your fix here at these top Japanese restaurants. I´m going off on a tangent here, but you´ll understand why in a minute.  I´ve had issues with my thyroid before, so it´s essential I consume iodine. And seaweed is known to have high levels of iodine. Lack of iodine leads to fatigue & grumpiness, at least that´s what I tell my husband. So he makes sure to take me out on a regular basis to get my dose of Japanese cuisine… so gullible! Japanese cuisine is one of my favorites. If you enjoy it as much as I do, then I u ..read more

Yes, you can definitely learn German words, phrases and idioms with these fun Instagram accounts. All while learning a bit about German culture. Can we really learn German with Instagram? If all you do is doom scroll, then probably not! However, if you follow people and companies that contribute to your overall growth and well-being, then you can learn a lot. I’m very mindful of the people that I follow and the content that I read. So yes, I learn a little bit of German every time I log on. How to Learn German with Instagram You can use these Instagram accounts to: Complement your German co ..read more

Do you want to start working in Germany and would like to know more about the German work culture? A certified career coach joins me to answer some important questions.  Do you want to start working in Germany? Understanding the German business culture is paramount to your success.  Even small gestures are important to know. Proper business etiquette is vital! Something as basic as… Knowing whether you shake hands, bow or kiss on both cheeks when meeting people at work are important.  Answer: In Germany you shake hands! So, I invited the wonderful Lisa Janz, a certified jo ..read more

Can you feel nostalgic and still survive abroad? Here are some expat tips to help you embrace change and lead a more successful life abroad. Nostalgia My husband often revisits the happy moments we lived in Miami. A place where the sun is always shining. Where outdoor sports are played all year round. He thinks back on the friendly faces, our weekend BBQ’s and long walks on the beach. He is the type of person who looks back on those years as “the good old days”. Whereas, I can reminisce and think fondly of those five wonderful years we spent in Miami, but also remember us both making a consci ..read more

8 tips that helped me learn German. Accelerate your learning and get from a basic A1 level to C1 with these helpful study tips. Learn German as a Bilingual I should start by saying that my mother tongue(s) are both Spanish and English. I was born in the US to Colombian parents. And as a first generation American, my parents made quite an effort for me to learn their native tongue. This included reading and writing, which I did not appreciate at the time, but came in handy when I later moved to Spain. So growing up bilingual, I thought I would have it easy when learning another language. And i ..read more