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About Poetry

It was a small gathering and to be brutally honest, it was only a matter of coincidence and good luck that I remembered the little note in my calendar. In school they used to tell us that if it didn’t rhyme, it wasn’t poetry so when she told me that in her writing, there was no such thing as a metrical pattern, I was yet again convinced that my whole school life…

Berlin commentary cross cultural stuff expat blog Germany Life Stories Lifestyle Observations opinion Society thoughts August 2, 2016

Germans and Small Talk

I started watching a vlog by a charming American woman who lives in Munich with her German husband. In her cheerful voice full of positive energy, she talks about living in Germany, explaining different aspects of the daily life here to those from abroad while also addressing habits and the lifestyle in the United States. In one of her videos she talked about how small talk is not really a thing here in Germany…

Berlin commentary expat blog Germany Life Stories Observations opinion sarcasm Society June 29, 2016

Being a Local in Berlin

A while ago, I wrote about why traveling to other places can be so much more exciting than one’s own hometown. Today’s subject of my random thinking session after I had finally finished my French revision was what makes the difference between living in a country compared to just visiting it for a few days. When you become a local somewhere you notice that the carefree days of being an explorer of…

Berlin commentary cross cultural stuff Germany Life Stories Observations thoughts December 11, 2015

Talking to Strangers

So far I have met many people who had the ability to strike up a conversation with pretty much anyone. Yet, as much as that trait impresses me I am rarely able to adapt it myself. I am not so sure whether I am already German enough to say that I can’t stand small talk or whether this is due to the experience that last time I approached someone at random, that…

Berlin commentary expat blog Germany Life Stories Observations August 23, 2015

Waiting For E.

The clip-clop of horse hooves was as common of a sound in this part of town as the melodies of words spoken in all possible languages ranging from Arabic over Spanish to Russian, Turkish and Chinese. Two brown horses were pulling a carriage down the road. Inside, two girls were laughing and chatting, two bottles of beer on the table in front of them. There was something surreal about this scene. The giant,…

Berlin commentary Germany Life Stories Observations April 26, 2015

10 Situations When Life in Germany Gets Weird

By now there is barely anything that surprises me about living in Berlin. Whatever new (social) rule comes out of nowhere or whatever new law gets passed, to me it is just part of this crazy, colorful, multicultural place I have been calling home for the last 14 years. There is however, the one or the other thing about living in the country of poets and thinkers that appears very strange to most…

Berlin commentary cross cultural stuff Germany Observations Politics December 12, 2014

Commentary: The ‘Easiness’ of Not Speaking German in Germany

About a week ago the Christian Social Union Bavaria party (CSU) demanded that all immigrants speak German not only while taking part in public life, but also while they are in their German homes. In my opinion that is the most absurd thing demanded by a German political party, since the suggestion that tax defrauders should be punished by a revocation of their driver’s licenses (because as all of us know, Germans…

Berlin commentary Germany Lifestyle November 23, 2014

5 Reasons Why You Should Volunteer

Since yesterday’s experience was quite enlightening and probably the most fulfilling thing I have done over the last couple of months, I decided to think for a moment and share my motivations with you guys. Who knows? Maybe someone else gets inspired, too? I hope so. 1. You help people in need. Just think about it for a second. Think about how great it feels when you know you can help poor…

Berlin commentary German College Life Germany Observations November 21, 2014

Mastering German Bureaucracy 101.4: The Most Common Mistake Made by Newcomers

Every single person that comes to Germany for a visit, thinks very highly of this country. These people find absolutely everything amazing and whenever I dare to say something not so amazing about life here (and I have been around here for a while longer than them for sure), they try to shush me and tell me what to think instead and that is because all they know of this place is…

Berlin commentary Germany Local Blogs Observations photography November 10, 2014

On the Wrong Side of the Fence: The Finale of the 25 Year Anniversary

Berlin is usually full of tourists and as opposed to places like Barcelona or Amsterdam, there is not really a particular time of the year which one could call ‘the tourist season’ or at least not that I know of any such thing. So the tourists are there but the longer you live here, the more they blend in with the rest of the population and become…

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