Alisa Jordan Writes

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…

Here’s why not investing in trust can prevent you from feeling settled

Imagine how much you have going on when you move house or start a new job. It’s stressful, right? Can you imagine doing both simultaneously and in a new country? It was crazy: Numerous buys from Ikea, remembering everyone’s names at work, numerous returns to Ikea, forgetting everyone’s names at work. Ahh! I met an…

How to perfect all 16 ways to say ‘the’ in German

“Memorise the definite article table!” Yes, everyone says that, but the question is how? At first, I avoided learning the ridiculous number of definite articles in the hope that I’d just pick it up over time, but I soon gave in when I realised that my optimism wasn’t getting me anywhere! 15 years of speaking…

There’s nothing wrong with ‘changing’

Do you ever look back and think about how much you’ve changed and how you’ve got here? Changing often has a negative connotation but for me, change is about growth. Sometimes it’s just a quick moment of reflection, or being in a new situation that allows you to recognise development and progress. I recently to…

Over one year abroad and I’m still experiencing ‘firsts’

A few weeks of avoidance, finding the most convenient inconvenient time and getting to work late, all to be elevated back in a fancy chair and have random metal tools prodded around your mouth. Does anyone actually like going to the dentist? No, me neither, especially not when I’m abroad but I thought it was…

Why have people stopped questioning my dark skin?

If my accent doesn’t give it away (which it usually does) since living abroad, people often ask me “Where are you from?” and I obviously answer with “London.” People usually then mention the much loved British accent or ask why I moved from London to Frankfurt. This is normal, right? Well yes, I come from…

Do you dream in German?

To answer simply – yes. But what I actually find interesting is how I dream in German. I work in a bilingual environment, meaning there are some words that I only really use in German and others that I only really use in English, depending on what I am speaking about. Sometimes I even have to…

The world’s biggest book fair

Hundreds and thousands of pages of knowledge at the Frankfurt Buchmesse (book fair) this year! Not only was everyone spoilt for choice with new reads, but it was also a great opportunity to attend talks and presentations if you were lucky enough to get an industry ticket (which I wasn’t), and if not then it…

How to learn a language from beginners whilst working full-time and maintaining a social life

How long have you wanted to learn a new language? How many times have you wanted to start but never found the time? How is it actually possible to accomplish such a big task with so little time? One word: integration By this, I don’t mean that you should integrate into the culture or integrate…

The most life-enriching thing I’ve ever done? Study abroad

Was I excited? Well a bit, I guess. I was beyond gutted (meaning a lot of tears) to find out that I would be the only student from my UK university studying at my German university (which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere), but equally excited to know that my friend and I…

Moving from London to Frankfurt

“Why would someone leave London for Frankfurt?” Is what you may be thinking. Truth is, it was more than just the city that brought me here, but although there are a few things I wish I could have brought with me, I just can’t justify moving back to London right now. Here’s why: Small fish…

5 things you take for granted when you live in London

Whether you’ve lived in London all your life or have relocated from somewhere else you can’t deny that the cosmopolitan city has it’s unique specialities. It’s taken me over a year of living abroad to really appreciate this and there are still some things that I just can’t let go of. So here it is, 5…

A special visitor

I spent three years at home after finishing uni and venturing around Thailand for a month. It was just me and my mum, which was strange in itself, as I genuinely felt like an only child, but I eventually got used to my sister still being at uni. Eating dinner, watching crappy TV on a Sunday and…

How often should you visit (or not visit) home once you move abroad?

Every 3 months? Every 6 months? Or depending where you’ve moved to, maybe even every 18 months? There are of course no written rules but after living abroad just over a year, here’s a bit on how I went about visiting (and not visiting) home and why: “When are you first going to come back?” I…

I was evacuated because a British WW2 bomb was found near my flat

Yesterday, I was one of approx. 65,000 people in Frankfurt to evacuate their homes after a British-made bomb (1.4 tonnes of TNT) was found not far from my flat. Wednesday 30th August As my housemate and I scrolled through an online article after hearing the news on Tuesday, I finally accepted that this was happening…

What’s really on your mind before you move abroad?

How annoying is it when people talk loudly on public transport? I constantly think “Can you just shut up!?” and am always relieved when either I or the loud talker gets off. This time however, I just wanted to go over to the seats behind me and tell the loud talker that I know exactly…