If there's one thing I love about living in Frankfurt, it's the convenience that this city offers. There's more to Frankfurt than what initially meets the eye - here's how Frankfurt has boosted my quality of life: Commuting in Frankfurt I didn't realise how draining the London commute actually was until I didn't have to... Continue Reading →
How often do you rely on other people? When at work, playing sports, or for some friendly advice? I reckon it’s more than we realise but for those times when we do actually need someone, whatever it may be for, we generally know exactly who to go to and why they’d be the best person... Continue Reading →
"What!? How can an apartment not come with a kitchen?" Is the exact reaction I had when I first found out that German apartments do not necessarily come with a kitchen. I mean, really, how is that even possible? It's like the bathroom coming without anywhere to wash, or like a friend of mine said,... Continue Reading →
I love celebrating my birthday and even when I try to make it as small as possible, it always turns into a big celebration! I see my birthday not only as an opportunity to celebrate another year, but to bring friends together and enjoy the time with those closest to me. I've been living abroad... Continue Reading →
Imagine being hungry, like really hungry and instead of offering you a nice, filling, savoury meal, someone asks you if you want slice of cake. Noooo, I don't want cake, I'm starving, I want real food! I recently went to a cafe with a group of friends (German and non-German) and given that it was... Continue Reading →
I definitely had an advantage when I moved to Germany. In hindsight being able to speak German before I got here was actually a huge advantage and I wasn't quite aware of how much my German language skills contributed to the ease of settling in in Frankfurt. Yes, there were times when I needed to look... Continue Reading →
If you aren't too sure how long you'll be staying in your new expat home, then you probably won't want to commit to a one or two-year gym contract just to keep fit and you'd rather go with something short-term. It's easy to let exercise slip when monthly gym payments aren't being debited from your... Continue Reading →
I moved from London to Frankfurt in August 2016 and although it’s only a one-hour flight away, I tried my best, especially during my first year, to make sure I built a life for myself in Frankfurt without allowing myself to feel like I still live in London. I did this by having very few... Continue Reading →
I randomly wrote a list of things that I wanted to work on and named this list "Aims, Goals & Aspirations." My list consisted of long term-goals to work towards and short-term goals that I could meet in the next few months. My "aims, goals and aspirations" consisted of anything where I felt there was... Continue Reading →
Being sick is a weak excuse in the London office. Unless everyone can see that you have dragged yourself to work that morning, are looking extra rough, tried to act as if you’re not ill, but still ended up nearly fainting at your desk, you’re either completely faking it, exaggerating or running out of annual... Continue Reading →
Spending some time back home after living abroad for nearly two years (and hardly visiting London) has made me realise that life abroad doesn't always feel foreign. At some point the tables start to turn... It wasn't Christmas, it wasn't my birthday, it was just the first 'normal' week I'd spent working in London since... Continue Reading →
The original plan was to fly from Frankfurt via Toronto, where I’d meet a friend from London and then take the last flight that day to Havana. Whilst we don’t like to plan out trips too much and prefer to see how it goes once we’re there, missing our flight to Havana and having to... Continue Reading →
I'm writing this whilst sat in Toronto airport for a 6 hour lay over after an 8 hour flight from Frankfurt before getting a 3 hour flight to Havana. Sounds like this journey is taking forever but the time isn't going too slowly so I thought I’d share how I best prepare for a 17... Continue Reading →
Essential organisation is required for the brutal 3 minute procedure of having your food practically chucked at you after being scanned, whilst you’re expected to pack, swipe your points card, sign after using your debit card (because apparently a PIN just isn’t good enough) and then maybe you’ll get a "tschüß" if you’re lucky as... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
Alisa Jordan Writes 