Category Archives: Uncategorized

When life gives you lemons, it helps to recognize them

I thought my French was good enough to get me around southern France. But language....

Getting lost the old-fashioned way

Points of the compass help in an American city, but how does a North American....

Emotional baggage – why I pack too much when I go home

I used to feel sheepish whenever I took too much baggage home on a trip....

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Home sweet home – only better

I fantasize about taking my kids back to where I grew up to show them....

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9 things you didn’t know about Chicago

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

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The French revolution you’ve never heard of – in your backyard

France’s national holiday is Bastille Day, July 14th, which sparked a revolution that sent shock....

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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....

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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The Umlaut: Two dots that will make or break you

There's nothing quite like the embarrassment of making a major blunder in a foreign language.....

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The trillions of cicadas last seen by Thomas Jefferson

It’s been over 200 years since these two broods of cicadas hatched at the same....

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The strange cult status of white asparagus 

If you are in Munich and see people jostling for a spot in line at....

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Cozy? Let’s sabotage that by opening a window

Once you're comfy and cozy, a German is bound to open the window to air....

Better than bread: The best excuse to fatten up

Germans are now confronting the fact that Christmas is over but winter is just getting....

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Talk better—talk like a dog

We train dogs, but they have much to teach us. Babies are fluent in body....

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Ring in the New Year and fire the firecrackers

The New Year means more than resolutions. All of Germany sets off firecrackers at midnight....

‘Twas the Night Before Weihnachten

On a trip to a Christmas market in Munich, I was inspired by The Night....

Christmas cookies: Good, better, German

I loved Christmas cookies growing up and thought they were pretty good, but have since....

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....

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....

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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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‘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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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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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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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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