Interview with Elisa Stella – the Expert Expat Assistant!
In the Facebook Expat Community I am mostly known as “Elisa Stella – Expert Expat Assistant”: I am an Expat myself, I feel at home in Düsseldorf and actually in…
A Franco-German mishmash as a positive side effect
My name is Carmen. I consider myself to be a Francophile German citizen, although apparently I've become more and more French. I cross deserted boulevards while traffic lights are red,…
I did everything to integrate myself…
I have been living in Germany a little bit more than a year and I only now realise how difficult it was to leave everything behind in Russia and start…
“You have an (imaginary) emigration-ability-score of x…”
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a „successful“ immigrant? To achieve a decent standard of living even though your education might not be accepted? Is there a…
Building fences is not a solution
My name is Julia and, though I'm German, my husband keeps telling me that I'm more French since I was born on the "left side of Rhine river" in Palatinate.…
Consistency, tolerance and curiosity are the three magic words!
My name is Mona, I'm 28 years old and I was born in south Germany, Bavaria. Travelling and discovering different cultures and learning new languages was always very central in my life…
We both call Berlin home
I'm Aimee Gonzales, and I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. I left my entire life behind me and moved to Halle-Saale in February 2012. Since then, I've made…
We did not choose Germany, work in Germany chose us!
My name is Marija Mihailovic, I am Master of Science Architecture (I work as Architect for 12 years). I come from Serbia, but I lived 13 years in Moscow, so…
Finding a good mentor in a new environment
One of the biggest problems when starting in a new environment is the fact that you don’t have a network. Not having a network almost always means that you don’t…
Budge an inch and take an interest in Germany
How do the Germans see their multicultural society, especially in the light of current influx of migrants? I had an opportunity to sit down with my two good German friends…
My life in a suitcase
My name is Eleanor and I have been living in Germany since 4 years. I'm a blogger. I manage the page "My life in a suitcase" - a guide for…
From a civil engineer in Mexico to a catholic priest in Cologne
Let me tell you a story: A story about a young and very kind Mexican man in Cologne. A fascinating story of once an exceptional civil engineer in Mexico who…
How to find a new destination when life has happened to you?
Sometimes life just happens. You studied something but then the economy spirals down in your home country and there are no jobs. Or you fall in love with somebody and…
Absolutely, Germany!
My name is Ismail and I was born and raised in Algeria. While I was in Algeria I wanted to go outside and see the world, so I registered for…
Germany does not feel any different
My name is Madhuri, I am 25 years old and I originally come from Bengaluru, south of India. I came to Germany to do my Master’s in Molecular Life Science…
I always wanted to go to Germany anyway
My name is Ying, I was born in Taiwan, but raised in Argentina and in the USA. I have been living in Germany for more than 5 years now. I…
Two for one deal
I'm a former globe-trotting backpacker who lived in a work-travel-work-travel cycle for 5/6 years before eventually putting on the brakes in Germany. I originally lived in Hamburg for 2 years…
A long road ahead
America, where I was born, is an immigrant society. Everyone is an immigrant one or several generations back. I think, USA is the best example of the importance of immigration in…
I can call myself a pro
My name is Tihana, I come from Serbia and I’m a linguist, a blogger and a writer. I’m also finishing my grad school in linguistics this summer. My favorite activities…
It’s not enough to say I’m sorry
I think it's very important that we strengthen mutual understanding in our society and that we really work together to make things better! The problem we're facing right now is…
Germans are my type of people
My name is Soheon Kim, I am 24 year old and I am from South Korea. I finished my Bachelor’s degree in one of the best universities there, with a major…
Integration experience
My integration experience is perhaps a little different than for many people who move to Germany. You see, in the beginning I did not really need to integrate into the…
The Klezmer Gentiles
An interview is never one-sided – in fact, it is a constructive conversation. I am as much a part of this piece as the artist who answered my questions. Without…
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