Emphasis on simple living

My name is Deanna and I am American who is basically from Las Vegas, Nevada. I say “basically” because I was born in Las Vegas, grew up in Texas, returned to Las Vegas where I lived for another 12 years, moved to Germany for 2 years, moved to Indiana for 2 years and now, finally back in Germany! Phew! My husband is German and we met while I lived here from 2008-2010. He did move to the States to be with me, but when we became pregnant with our son, we decided it best for our family to move back to Germany. We live near Trier, in the Rheinland-Pflaz state, along the beautiful Mosel River. While living in the states, I was a pediatric social worker with a focus on trauma and child abuse. Now that we are here, I’m a SAHM until our son starts kindergarten in May.

I started blogging at From Casinos To Castles in March 2013. I was so inspired at our decision to sell almost everything we own and move back to Germany with basically nothing that I just had to write. I was hoping to share our leap of faith and hopefully inspire others. 

What I love the very most about Germany is the emphasis on simple living; not living outside your means, stores closed on Sundays, family values, recreational activities, smaller living spaces and products – buy and use what you need. I also hugely admire the country’s focus on being environmentally conservative as well as the way they continue to maintain tradition. Many of the things that may annoy me about living in Germany, I can understand the principle behind them and it makes it easier. I do wish though that renting property would be easier. More times than not, the rentals include an agent fee on top of the deposit, which can sometimes total several thousand euro just to move! I think the agent fee is exorbitant and extreme.

I feel Germany is very multicultural, but more so in the larger cities. While I may see or meet people from other countries in this area, I have yet to see a plethora of ethnic restaurants or shops. It seems to me that Germany has people from all over the world living here and that the country is very accommodating. Some may disagree feeling that maybe things aren’t offered in many other languages or that some traditions are “disrespectful”; however, I don’t feel that a country needs to change the basis of its structure or traditions in order to be multicultural. If you choose to live in a country different than your own, you should adapt to its way of life. At the same time, you should be treated with respect. I hate to admit I have been discriminated against multiple times because I am American, but you will find discrimination and racism in any place you go. That is a result of generational divides, experiences and education and not a fair stereotype to any country.