Heidelberg is the most beautiful place I have ever lived in. The small-town pace is a bliss after five years living inside the beltway of Washington DC. My former commute included over an hour and a half of hair raising traffic. Now my biggest concern is clasping the bike lock that I don’t even need.

Aside from the drastic change in pace, life in Germany is not all that different from the States. Cars here drive on the ‘right’ side of the road, it is clean, and for the most part, I can always find something good to eat in every restaurant. Shame on those who think German food is nothing but schnitzel!

There is one giant, gapping problem though – in Germany, they speak German. This little measly detail has made the difference between accidentally buying a tub of lard instead of margarine, relying on hand motions to communicate with my landlords and anxiety over each and every piece of mail I receive. To tackle this little predicament, I’ve started taking courses on Rosetta Stone and am proud to share that I can now exclaim “die Frau schwimmt!” (the woman swims – ed.) when the time comes. Cheers to all my fellow expats and their efforts to solve life’s never-ending riddle – German.

Margo


By Inga

One thought on “The woman swims”
  1. What can happen if you don't know the language: you can accidentally buy a tub of lard instead of margarine.
    Find out what else Margo has to say about her life in Germany and share with us your funny stories 😉

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