Author Archives: Expat chatter

The 37 Days of Christmas

Germans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but they celebrate Christmas half the winter. Starting at the end....

If this is punctuality, my watch is broken

Germans have a reputation for being punctual, but trains are a different story. During a....

What happened to my pumpkin pie?

It's not a holiday without pumpkin pie, but what I bake is a far cry....

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Celebrating St. Martin from the comfort of the couch

Americans celebrate fall with Halloween, but Germans have St. Martin. Children carry lit lanterns in....

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No Halloween? No way. My sneaky and successful plot

Some Germans celebrate Halloween, but not all of them. I was determined to find a....

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The nightmare of motherhood in Germany

School has started, a good moment to consider the burden on mothers with children in....

The library, the monk, and the sandals

This stunning Baroque library tucked away in a monastery in a Bavarian village is the....

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Germans put the fun in fungi

My experience with mushrooms was confined to cans as a kid. In Germany, collecting them....

‘Tis the season of the Wiesn: The Oktoberfest for locals and tourists

What some probably don’t realize is that while the Oktoberfest is the biggest folk festival....

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Spicing up an e-mail is as easy as 1-2-3

Every language has its peculiarities, which should be respected. But when you translate into another....

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The tiniest stars of the Oktoberfest live in a drawer

The Oktoberfest is synonymous with beer for most people. Yet half of the fairgrounds consists....

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Get those escargots out of my lawnmower

You know Fall has arrived when the leafblowers start blasting through the open window. But....

Protesting technology by battling bikes and coning cars

Munich had a run-in with e-bikes once a few years ago. They successfully battled the....

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Not teaching foreign languages will make America more insular

Do you speak English? This question is often answered with “Yes” all around the world.....

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What’s in a name? More than you think

People’s identities are tied up closely with their names. But even when you are careful....

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Getting lost the old-fashioned way

Those of us who predate GPS know how to get around without using technology. Knowing....

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Germans delight in overengineering, taking helicopter mothering to new heights 

Any foreigner in Germany knows all about the country’s love of overengineering. All it takes....

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Hitchhike to work? You bet – and in the most powerful city in the world

Gridlock is a word often used in connection with legislators in the U.S. Congress, but....

Munich comes full circle: From putsch to Rabbi Conference

The hand of history has done its work on the city of Munich. Named after....

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The Berlin Airlift: Reflecting on 75 Years of Historical Significance

It is astounding how places can change over time, sometimes transforming from sites of great....

Landshuter Hochzeit: The most theatrical wedding this side of the 15th century

Imagine if your wedding were so spectacular that people would want not just to reenact....

Knee-high by the 4th of July

I fully expected a lot of cultural differences when I moved to Germany. They speak....

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To Bavaria with love, infused with dialect for language nerds

It is best to learn the standard version of a language, but what if you....

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Quit the tomfoolery – I’m sure I don’t know you

The pandemic is over, but its effects continue - sometimes in strange ways. I got....

A fortune for footwear, or my kingdom for a sneaker

There was a lot of hullabaloo when Adidas dropped its sponsorship of the rapper Ye....

Watch out! Augsburg joined forces with the Swedes

Companies sometimes use shady tactics to gain the upper hand in a market. But this....

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One foreigner is not like another – here’s why

There are varying grades of foreigners in Germany, with subtle nuances between them. People instinctively....

Munching my way to Munich, one chaotic airport at a time

There’s a lot to be said for approaching challenging situations with the right attitude, which....

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Are you sure that’s what that sign means?

Signs are there for the express purpose of helping you find your way. They tell....

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Don’t look now, but there’s a shark at your feet

Everybody has their idea of a perfect vacation. I enjoy the ocean, but I don’t....

A kindness repaid, 40 years later

After an overnight trip from Spain, I was thrilled to finally arrive at the doorstep....

This cheap ticket is amazing, but I missed my connection

Germany already experimented with a cheap train ticket last summer. People loved it so much....

Land of the free, home of the waste

The U.S. is not just a large country, everything in it seems bigger, too. This....

How to get a stranger to voluntarily show you their socks

Eyeglasses and watches used to be mundane utilitarian accessories until designers were invited to the....

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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....

9 things you didn’t know about Chicago

Chicago was named by French fur traders who founded the city, which was destroyed by....