The Germany Experience

Shaun Behrens

Trilingualism, switching between languages, and Italian words adopted by German (Carmen from Italy)

2020-06-22 52 min

Carmen is a trilingual Italian living in Munich, Germany. She speaks Italian, German and English fluently, and joins me to discuss her path to becoming trili...

Broken systems, turning points, and racism in Germany (Jessica from Germany)

2020-06-09 34 min

Jessica is a German African American who has lived in Germany since she was in kindergarten. She joins me for this episode to discuss the recent events that ...

You go me on the cookie! (Dana Newman from Wanted Adventure)

2020-05-25 55 min

Dana Newman from the Wanted Adventure YouTube channel joins me to discuss her book, "You go me on the cookie!". The book (written in German) describes Dana's...

Seven months as an exchange student in Germany (Montana Showalter from the USA)

2020-05-18 38 min

Montana Showalter was an American high school student who went on an exchange program to Germany (called CBYX). At around the same time, she started a YouTub...

Learning German with apps, and working in the video games industry (Thomas from the UK)

2020-05-11 44 min

Thomas Cartwright is originally from the UK, and landed up in Hamburg working for a video games developer called InnoGames. He explains why a company like In...

Traveling with teenagers, and interrupted travel plans (Linda from the USA)

2020-05-04 37 min

Travelteening is a blog that gives travel advice for traveling with teens. The blogger behind it, Linda from the USA, joins me to discuss the value her famil...

German culture: The top 10 grossing German movies (Dominik from the Ach! podcast)

2020-04-28 37 min

A good way to explore Germany's culture is through its movies. And what better way to do that than to look at the German movies that have had the most succes...

From USA to Germany, California style (Greg from USA and Brigida from Germany)

2020-04-21 45 min

When Greg and Brigida decided to move from California to Germany, they did it with just a small amount of money and two dogs. And they were met with adversit...

BONUS - Poetry in Berlin, feminism, and diversity (Deenara from Russia)

2020-04-13 17 min

Deenara from Russia appeared in episode 38, about mental health in Germany. However, her original interview with Berlin-based journalist Daria Sukharchuk als...

Some German idioms (Steph Fuccio from USA)

2020-04-06 36 min

Steph Fuccio, host of the Geopats podcast, is new to Germany and to the German language. So as a new learner, I thought it would be fun to throw some German ...

Dealing with depression in Germany (Deenara from Russia)

2020-03-30 44 min

How do you recognize that you are depressed? How do you seek out therapy and other help for depression in Germany? And what if you are from a culture that ha...

Being a TV anchor, online weirdos, and stereotypes about Russian women (Daria from Russia)

2020-03-23 39 min

Daria, originally from Moscow, Russia, is working as a freelance journalist in Germany. She helped me put an upcoming episode about mental health together, a...

Coronavirus and COVID-19 in Germany (with Nicole from The Expat Cast and Steph from Geopats)

2020-03-16 42 min

Since COVID-19 in Germany got "real" on Friday 13th March, I felt I had to discuss it. And who better than to discuss it with than two other podcasters: Nico...

Leaving Germany after a decade (Natalie from the UK)

2020-03-09 39 min

What is it that makes someone who has lived in Germany for over a decade decide that it's time to go back "home"? Natalie is originally from the UK, and is n...

Finding yourself in a second language: language and identity (Steph from Germany)

2020-03-02 41 min

Steph is from Bavaria, and moved to the UK when she was in her 20s before ending up in Austin, Texas. She learned to speak English at a native-speaker level,...

Moving after 40, sensationalist media, and loneliness in Germany (Klaus from Brazil)

2020-02-23 35 min

Klaus was born in Brazil before spending the first 12 years of his life in Germany. After returning to Brazil, he remained in touch with the German language ...

A German experiences the Ausländerbehörde (Nina from Germany)

2020-02-21 12 min

While recording the episode about Carnival in Germany, Nina told a story about the time she had to deal with the same office that foreigners know all too wel...

Carnival/Fasching in Germany: "pomp and splendor" (Nina from Germany)

2020-02-17 34 min

It's the middle of Carnival (also known as Fasching or Fastnacht, depending on where in Germany you are). I am not a big fan of it, and so I got a real live ...

Motivated to adapt by painful social moments (Sindy from Hong Kong)

2020-02-02 40 min

(This is the podcast previously known as Expat Life Germany.In the first few years in Germany, things weren't always easy for Sindy from Hong Kong. As is the...

Classic German movies: Loriot's Pappa Ante Portas

2020-01-20 25 min

You can learn a lot about a culture by watching its movies, which is why I've decided to start watching some classic German movies. I'll discuss why the movi...

SOFA status, growing a thicker skin, and tracking a stolen phone with the Polizei (Audrey & Zach from USA)

2020-01-12 59 min

Audrey and Zach met while in the USA. When Zach, a cartographer, moved to Germany on a SOFA status (Status of Forces Agreement), they first attempted a long-...

Making German candy, learning German history, and growing up as a third culture kid in Bavaria (Travis J. Dow)

2020-01-05 62 min

Travis J. Dow is a host of the History of Germany podcast (and several other podcasts, too). Originally from Oregon, USA, he spent his formative years in Bav...

FEGEPADFO Charity Challenge - Final Wrap-Up

2020-01-03 2 min

Nicole from The Expat Cast and I went head-to-head in December 2019 to see who could raise the most donations for our chosen charities. Together we raised 35...

Unhappy in Germany (S from India)

2019-12-16 53 min

Donate to my cause in the expat podcasters charity challenge (aka #FEGEPADFO): Donate to Lebenshilfe Bad WindsheimGermany offers a lot of opportunities, but ...

The German Freelance Visa (James from LiveWorkGermany.com)

2019-12-08 36 min

Donate to my cause in the expat podcasters charity challenge (aka #FEGEPADFO): Donate to Lebenshilfe Bad WindsheimFor many people who are planning to come to...

How Germany changed us (Jibran from Pakistan)

2019-12-02 41 min

Jibran runs the Desi in Wonderland YouTube channel. He's originally from Pakistan and has been living in Germany for 5 years, so we decided to discuss how Ge...

A Berliner, a Hamburger, a Neapolitan, and a world citizen (Liliana from Italy)

2019-11-19 43 min

Liliana is from Naples, Italy, and has lived in Germany for 7 years. She recently got her citizenship, and discusses how that happened. We also cover her rea...

Being far from family when losing someone, making friends through team sports, and security in Germany (Rafael from Brazil)

2019-11-03 42 min

One of my best friends in Germany, Rafael from Brazil, experienced loss when his father passed away, and talks about how he coped dealing with that being far...

Discussing German stereotypes with Nicole from The Expat Cast

2019-10-20 42 min

Are Germans really efficient? Do they like order? Are they as punctual as everyone says they are? Nicole Palazzo, a US expat living in Germany and the host o...

Being an English-Speaking Writer in Germany, Bringing a Pet to Germany, and "The God Queen" (Mari from USA)

2019-10-12 37 min

Mari is a US expat living in Germany. She's also a writer and an avid pug fan. She discusses what it's like being an English-speaking writer in Germany, her ...

The "Why" Has to be Right (Vlad from Romania)

2019-10-06 38 min

Discuss this episode in the Expat Life Germany Facebook group! Vlad from Romania was tired of the political situation in Romania, and made the choice to move...

Article 116 (Michael from USA)

2019-09-29 31 min

Michael Silberman lives in the USA, but Germany is certainly intertwined with his life over there. His parents left Nazi Germany (and were stripped of their ...

parkrun Germany

2019-09-22 27 min

The parkrun concept is simple: you turn up on a Saturday morning and you walk, jog, or run 5km. The best thing? It's free. Since it started in 2004, it has b...

BONUS: Social Media and Expats, Charity Work as an Expat, and Friends Moving On

2019-09-11 13 min

In the last episode, Anna Noakes Schulze dropped so many insights about expat life that I had to edit some of it out. Since it'd be a shame for it to go to w...

Living Abroad Teaches Us the Power of Connections (Anna from Canada)

2019-09-04 50 min

Anna Noakes Schulze from Canada presented a TEDx talk called “Living Abroad Teaches Us the Power of Connections”, and in it she tells her own expat story to ...

Finding and Getting a Job In Germany

2019-08-27 73 min

For all the links mentioned in the episode (there are a few!), go to the Finding and Getting a Job in Germany blog post.I go through some of the ins and outs...

Through the Eyes of a Newly-Arrived Expat (Sarah From Syria, Canada, et al)

2019-08-12 38 min

I first interviewed Sarah back in July for a bonus episode, because she'd almost been caught by a scam. We had such a great discussion that I wanted to have ...

Tim From France - Not So Far From Home

2019-08-07 47 min

Tim Bourguignon is a French citizen who moved to Germany to be with his wife. He describes himself as coming in four flavors: Agile Coach, Chief Learning Off...

The E-Scooterpocalypse & Feeling Dumb in Germany

2019-07-30 17 min

There are a lot of people—expats and Germans alike—who are not pleased about the e-scooter situation in big cities since it became legal for them to share bi...

Natalie from Australia - From the Outback to Europe

2019-07-24 50 min

When learning a new language, it takes a long time before you're able to express yourself and articulate your thoughts, and so it's easy to feel like you're ...

Shannon from USA - Church Bells and Bicycles

2019-07-16 30 min

Meet Shannon from the USA, whose family were expats in Germany from 2009 until 2013. When they returned to the States, they realized their hearts were still ...

Arvi From India - Founding a Startup in Germany

2019-07-09 34 min

Arvi is from India and moved to Germany 5 years ago to complete his studies as an engineer. He did this, but instead of returning home, he moved to Berlin an...

Lori From USA - Teaching English, Learning Languages, and Raising Bilingual Children in Germany

2019-07-02 35 min

Lori from USA has been teaching English in Germany for almost 40 years, so it’s not surprising that she has a thing or two to say about learning new language...

BONUS: How Sarah Almost Got Scammed

2019-07-01 21 min

In episode 5, I discussed potential scams aimed at expats. Well, Sarah is a new expat in Berlin who very nearly got caught by an apartment scam. In this bonu...

Don't Get Scammed + IamExpat.de Round-Up With Abi

2019-06-26 22 min

Every month end, I'll take a look at some of the most interesting topics of the previous month. This time, Abi from IamExpat.de joins me with her pick of sto...

The Essential Book for New Expats in Germany

2019-06-18 41 min

Click here for the full show notesBuy the book on Amazon: From the Bürgeramt to the BedroomFrom the Bürgeramt to the Bedroom is a book aimed at new expats in...

Noor From Pakistan - Don't Forget Your 'Gungs

2019-06-11 41 min

Get the show notes on Expat Life Germany: Episode 3 Show NotesNoor has been in Germany on a student visa for around two and a half years. In this episode, he...

Dwight From Australia - Controlling the Transmission

2019-06-05 41 min

Dwight Steven-Boniecki is an Australian transmission controller, writer, and film maker living in Cologne, Germany. He explains how he ended up in Germany an...

My Expat Story

2019-05-28 18 min

In the first episode of the Expat Life Germany podcast, Shaun Behrens introduces himself and tells his own expat story. He also discusses the recent EU elect...