Featured
Ukraine on the train – from a military to a cultural conflict
On a recent trip to Berlin, I was taken aback to see the images from TV suddenly come alive. Here were real people with laminated Ukrainian flags around their necks to be identifiable to refugees arriving at the Berlin main train station. Some were bent over their cell phones surrounded by a small crowd of people, jointly looking up train connections, trying to find lodging or maybe just getting information about where these particular refugees were coming from.https://expatchatter.net/2022/04/24/ukraine-on-the-train-from-a-military-to-a-cultural-conflict/
Expat Life
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Karl Marx’s penguin and Richard Wagner’s design for Madonna’s corset
1 May 2022 Karl Marx and Richard Wagner are featured in joint exhibits at the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. But why, I wondered. The first man was a flaming revolutionary, forced to flee the country and live much of his life in exile. His name became synonymous with disastrous attempts to implement his philosophy. […]
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Ukraine on the train – from a military to a cultural conflict
Taking the train home from Berlin, some Ukrainians boarded the train. Watching their interactions with the conductor reminded me of my first experience taking German trains
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Juggling work and family, German minister drops the ball
German minister for the family Anne Spiegel recently resigned after major errors of judgment. Did her family responsibilities overwhelm her, like they do so many women – still?
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Bring out the Easter eggs – the kids are coming home
Just as I was getting used to not being a mother, my COVID-harassed daughters came home – left – and came home – repeatedly. Now I’m trying to remember, what was it again that I always did for Easter?
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About Me
Hi, I’m Brenda, founder of Expat CHatter
My visit to Bavaria has now stretched out for decades. But even though I’m well-integrated, I remain a visitor of sorts. I still swoon every time I drive through a small village with quaint houses, a market square and a stone church with an onion dome.
“What a cute little town!” I say, triggering dramatic eye-rolling from my teenage daughters. “Stop saying that,” they plead. “We’re from here!”
But since I’m not from here, I see things with different, foreign eyes. That’s what this blog is all about: seeing Bavaria through Midwestern American tinted glasses. It’s an adventure that never stops!
TRAVEL & FUN:
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Think digital technology is a cure-all? Don’t bet your life on it
A WWII air raid siren startled me once while I waited for a train. Such an old technology could certainly be replaced with something better. At least that’s what I thought until a real emergency cropped up.
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What’s that schmuck doing in the jewelry store?
8 May 2022 The war in Ukraine has catapulted yet another German word into English vocabulary in just two months. The word is Zeitenwende, turning point. It takes its place next to venerable old-timers such as zeitgeist, angst and doppelgänger. I’m going to indulge in the luxury of ignoring the war itself. Instead, let’s take […]
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Aren’t you glad you got the orange car after all?
The sky was suddenly a muddy orange, but what was causing it. I had an idea, but the thought was too scary to consider
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Berlin, lost and sometimes found
Berlin’s history spans three eras and each one has some surprises in store
Expat Chatter 