Category Archives: Moving

Ausländers

Our first visit to the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners office) was supposed to be a confident and hopeful one.  Instead, I left frozen and terrified.  With paperwork in hand, our goal was to apply for resident permits.  Josh’s permit was easy.  He had proof of employment within Germany.  I, however, worked for a US company and couldn’tContinue reading “Ausländers”

6 Simple Things Germany Does Right

Germany does a lot of things right.  It’s safe, clean, affordable, and efficient (German engineering is no joke!).  Every day I see something so simple and common to life here that would make a big difference back in the States.  Germany isn’t perfect.  No place is.  Here are 6 characteristics that make this country standContinue reading “6 Simple Things Germany Does Right”

The Expat Impostor

It’s normal to experience doubt.  It’s normal to think to yourself, “I can’t do this.”  That’s called being a human.  But withholding everyday activities out of fear of failure, not allowing yourself simple joys because you don’t think you’re “good enough” is not normal.  There’s a phenomenon often found in academia where people are flooded with thoughts of inadequacy and are left questioning their competency. Moving overseas can tend to exacerbate these feelings. I learned that the hard way.

The Expert Way to Move your Dog Abroad

We learned we were moving to Germany last August, a month after we moved to Kent.  The first thing we did was buy an airline crate for Sherlock. And then we returned it. The first one we got was so big that I could easily fit in it and sit down crisscross-applesauce.  It was tooContinue reading “The Expert Way to Move your Dog Abroad”

Locked out of Germany: 5 Things I Learned

It can seem unwelcoming coming to a country where every door is already locked for you. You’re instantly locked out of culture, language, community, a sense of place or direction. And it doesn’t help when you lose your keys. Most house doors in Germany lock automatically, meaning if you leave your keys inside you’re lockedContinue reading “Locked out of Germany: 5 Things I Learned”