Living in Frankfurt has become so normal that I actually forgot my nine-year Germanniversary! Is it sad that a date that was once such a big deal has now blended into my day-to-day? Maybe. On the other hand, it means that I'm enjoying life in Frankfurt and am not counting down the days until I'm... Continue Reading →
I flew to London for the Black Ballad Weekender, a two-day festival to celebrate a decade of Black Ballad - a platform that publishes articles, holds events and collects data for and by Black women. Whilst running the Work & Careers room at the Black Ballad Weekender, I joined sessions including 'Investing,' 'Black Women in... Continue Reading →
I’ve spent years telling you how great life in Frankfurt is. So when I read that my beloved home abroad was ranked second worst city to live for expats in a survey – better than Johannesburg but not as bad as Paris – I was shocked to say the least. Especially as the number of... Continue Reading →
I’ve tried it all: short trips, long trips, try-to-do-nothing trips, do-absolutely-everything trips, 48-hour trips, squeeze-it-in-with-a-business-trip trips. Whew! Visiting home comes in all shapes and sizes, and I can confirm that waking up to a “your flight is ready for check-in” email when you've barely got home from the airport is the-absolute-worst trip. So how do... Continue Reading →
I was confused as to why my then manager was laughing as I shared my weekly updates with the team. "No one can understand your accent," he, a fellow Brit, explained as I then realised that although everyone could speak English, my thick Souf Lundon accent wasn't going to fly with my predominately German teammates.... Continue Reading →
In 2016 I asked my employer if I could relocate from London to Frankfurt on a temporary basis. My request was declined as it was thought that I should be in the London office. I was grateful that it was at least considered, but I was itching to move abroad, so I relocated to Frankfurt... Continue Reading →
As for many of us, my homes and family are located across borders. Throughout the pandemic, the reality of this has proven difficult. During the recent Christmas period, I shared updates about the travel/Corona rules for the UK and Germany. It was an extremely stressful period, and I promised that I would share more of... Continue Reading →
Remember this photo? 25 year-old me, a big hug and an even bigger smile. Heathrow airport, 11th August 2016. Ahh!! Where has the time gone? I moved to Germany to live out my dream, I've just turned 30 and I'm now celebrating 5 years in Frankfurt. It's all going on! My relocation has been one... Continue Reading →
I used to find it quite cool that people could just dip in and out of different languages when speaking. But one language degree and 6 years abroad later, I now realise that this ‘ability’ is actually an incompetence to think in only one language. Joking. But it does sometimes take an extra effort not... Continue Reading →
I first heard of Erasmus at 16 years old when I was in my school library having a talk on university education. I remember feeling extremely intrigued about what Erasmus offered, but had never considered that it would lead me to where I am today: Living in Germany, working in a multilingual environment and sharing... Continue Reading →
It's only natural that you want to know more about the person behind the blog posts - I'm exactly the same! After years of sharing my experience of living in Frankfurt and being in touch with so many of you, I've put together your FAQs, so that the answers are all in once place 😊... Continue Reading →
It suddenly dawned on me that this would be my last blog post of 2020, and I found myself wondering how the hell I can summarise such a tumultuous year in just a few hundred words, cover all aspects and keep you entertained? Well, here's my attempt. Reflecting It's a funny one isn't it? We... Continue Reading →
I've realised I am not the only one feeling a bit 'meh' throughout this winter lockdown. The reduced hours of sunlight and cold weather is always a struggle, but that in combination with a lockdown and social distancing has started to get the better of me. What I am struggling with the most is this... Continue Reading →
Moving abroad is challenging, but moving abroad during a pandemic adds a whole new level to the experience! I have often thought about how different things would be if I had moved abroad within the last year; how I met new people then and how I would go about meeting new people now. After collecting... Continue Reading →
You turn up to your new country and you're feeling over the moon because the world is your oyster and you can take on anything! At least that's how you feel until you actually need something. And then you realise that you don't have anything. Nor do you have anyone to ask. Rather than jumping... Continue Reading →
I'd always aspired to be fluent in German. And then the more fluent I became, the more I realised there was another linguistic challenge waiting round the corner. There was always something else I could improve on. The Oxford Dictionary defines fluent as "able to speak, read or write a language, especially a foreign language,... Continue Reading →
Alisa Jordan Writes 