Why this local Frankfurt podcast has built my sense of community and could help build yours too

I rocked up to a snug, living-room bar in Frankfurt’s Ostend on a Saturday evening. The mood was chilled; dimmed living room lamps reflecting the cosy shades of our city’s sunset and mismatched furniture offering a chilled and welcoming vibe.

On my solo arrival to the first live Dreierlei podcast recording, I ordered a drink at the bar and quietly took a seat. From looking around, I observed that we were not only listeners who had stumbled across the podcast on social media (like me), but that Dreierlei has an array of support from friends and family. Dreierlei has a community.

I was excited for the live show of this lifestyle podcast; sharing lived experiences from different backgrounds and perspectives.

After kicking off with live music, the three hosts, Anne (31), Linda (31) and Laura (30) sat before us on a green, velvet chesterfield sofa. They were ready to dive into their Dreierlei bowl full of questions written on paper that they’d answer throughout the podcast – a concept that I’d only ever heard the ruffling of through Spotify.

Today’s topic was “single shaming”. The Dreierlei hosts unfolded the small bits of paper, ready to share their answers – one of which led to discussing the negative perception of people being alone. It threw me back to my first months in Frankfurt…

You may already know that in August 2016, I got a job offer and three weeks later relocated from my home city London, to Frankfurt – on my own. To begin with, my calendar was packed. Firstly because Germany loves admin and secondly because I moved in the summer so I was constantly out and about, mainly with people who had also lived or were living abroad. But once summer came to an end, autumn swept in and spending time outside was no longer so desirable. I realised how much I was on my own. Along with the other 33% of people worldwide, I felt lonely. But despite struggling to begin with, I slowly learnt how to spend time on my own rather than fill time on my own. This mindset has strongly shaped my experience in Frankfurt, allowing me to enjoy my time here in a way I never could have imagined. As I’ve written before and as Laura said during Dreierlei’s podcast show, “being lonely isn’t the same as being alone”.

However, it was still important that I built my own community in Frankfurt. With time, I’ve realised that for me, this importance stems from growing up surrounded by generations of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins – it’s what I’m used to and it brings me comfort. Although it took a (long) while and wasn’t easy to build, I’m now at a place where I have my community here in Frankfurt. I have a small circle so that I can spend valuable time with people, rather than spreading myself thinly amongst many. This makes sense considering that 58% of Brits say they have ten or less friends.

Funnily enough, the Dreierlei podcast has contributed to my sense of community too. It’s not just the cosy living-room bar of the live show that makes you feel welcome. Anne, Linda and Laura show enthusiasm and empathy for the topics they cover, making us non-original Frankfurter’s feel right at home. With all three hosts living in Frankfurt, I’ve been able to grow my sense of community whilst learning, laughing and maintaining my Deutsch. So if you’ve not yet tuned in, give Dreierlei a listen. Oh, and happy seven years in Frankfurt to me!