Germans are so direct that the term ‘small talk’ doesn’t even exist in their language. Why? It’s just not something they do. Regardless of whether it’s a touchy subject or not, Germans jump straight to the point in conversation, rather than beating around the bush and facing confrontation as indirectly as possible, as do the…
Category: Living Abroad
Noticing a change in your native language when you move abroad
Friend in Frankfurt: Once you’ve been here for a while, you’ll realise that your English begins to change. Me: No chance! I couldn’t have been more wrong. 21 months later and I often catch myself saying odd things in English that I never would have crossed my mind before I moved abroad. Of course, the…
Should I leave the city I relocated to?
Following my post ‘5 reasons why it’s OK not to be in love with the city you relocate to’, I had two conversations with people who have thought about moving back home, or even just somewhere else away from the city they relocated to. I’m sure this crosses most expats’ minds at some point, weighing…
5 ways to make the most of your limited time abroad
Time flies when you’re having fun and whilst being abroad, I feel like it goes even quicker. Here’s how to make the most of living in another country so you don’t to look back on what you wish you had done whilst you were out there: Make a bucket list Whether you do it before…
Eating out alone
There’s a lot of stigma around going out for dinner on your own. I’m not talking grabbing a Brötchen (bread roll) or quickly having some chips at a take-away style place. I mean actively choosing to go to a restaurant to sit on your own and enjoy a meal. People tend to feel sorry for…
5 reasons why it’s OK not to be in love with the city you relocate to
My actual plan was to relocate from London to Berlin, so I ended up in Frankfurt. For those who aren’t aware, a friend once said that Berlin is like the Shoreditch, London of Germany and Frankfurt is more like Canary Wharf. And you know what, I totally agree. I would have rather gone to Shoreditch…
5 ways to meet people when you move abroad
Making new friends when you relocate can be very hit and miss. I would actually describe my experience as miss-miss-hit-miss-miss-miss… and then a couple more ‘hits’ after a lot more ‘misses’. Ugh. It takes a lot of effort, and the word ‘easy’ doesn’t describe my experience at all, especially in Germany where people are quite…
Why travel the country you’re living in?
We want to travel the world, visit as many continents as possible, touch base in as many countries as possible and explore as many cities as possible. Every time we book a flight we get a rush of excitement as we look forward to leaving the countries we live in for a new and unfamiliar…
Making the time to keep in touch with friends from home
When I last went back to London (home-home), I realised I wasn’t checking my phone half as much as I do when I’m at my home abroad. The reason is obvious: I have 25 years of solid friendships to maintain in the UK compared to 18 months of developing friendships in Frankfurt. I am lucky there’s…
Struggling to show your true personality in a foreign language
One of the beauties of speaking another language is that it allows you to express yourself through different words and concepts that don’t exist in your native tongue. Never did I think though, that it could make me (loud, outgoing and laughs all day Alisa) appear to be shy and reserved. Why is it so…
Where do you call home?
Back in London and ready to tell my friends from home the story about a disastrous yet hilarious car sharing experience in Germany, I asked “Do you have a car sharing website?” Which was responded to with a strong “you!?” and a lot of laughter as we realised I hadn’t used the word ‘we’. Oops!…
Shaking hands and getting naked: Culture shock at its finest
So you’re at a social event and there are a few friend’s of friends who you’ve not yet met. As usual, you introduce yourself and oh.. err.. this suddenly becomes seriously awkward as you dive in for a hug whilst the other person politely offers their hand. “What!? Have I missed something?” Nope, this isn’t…
The first and (hopefully) last time I missed my flight
After uploading a picture of myself on Facebook with a huge smile and windswept hair at Heathrow airport, I checked-in, dropped my baggage and swiftly went through security. Well actually, not so swiftly as my hand luggage was absolutely rammed with stuff that couldn’t fit in my suitcase after being home for nearly three weeks but anyway,…
Why joining a community has made a huge difference to my time abroad
After spotting a small group of people doing yoga in the park, I politely interrupted to ask if I could join. My current attire wasn’t appropriate but I turned up in my gym clothes the next week and was ready to get involved. The ‘I might as well ask, there’s nothing to lose’ moment has…
Leaving everything behind
When someone mentioned that they viewed moving abroad as leaving everything behind, it really did make me think twice. I hadn’t thought about it in this way at all and I guess it has opened my eyes to other people’s experiences. Moving abroad has it’s ups and downs and I can imagine that for people…
Friendships that change
Reading Metropolife’s post on friendships and relationships with a due date, left one person at the front of my mind and a lot of reflection on a friendship that developed so quickly yet changed so fast. I smiled when I got that “Sollen wir dann morgen frühstücken gehen?” Shall we go for breakfast tomorrow? text…
