Vorbereitung auf das Familienlieben in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Die vierköpfige Familie wird im Sommer in die USA ziehen. Und zwar nicht in irgendeine random city, sondern nach Chattanooga, Tennessee!!! Chattanooga ist nicht nur unsere alte Heimat, in der wir 5 Jahre gelebt haben. Chattanooga ist auch der Geburtsort meines Sohnes und der Ort, den ich auf immer und ewig mit den Kleinkindjahren meiner Kinder verbinden werde. Ein ganz emotionaler Ort, der ganz viel Sehnsucht und Heimatgefühle in mir weckt. Und jetzt sollte es also meine Aufgabe sein, die Familie in einem 2-tägigen Workshop auf genau dieses Leben vorzubereiten. Expat-Training plus eine Einführung in den American Way of Life bzw. in das Leben in den Südstaaten. Alles auf Englisch natürlich, denn Sprachunterricht gehört auch dazu. Nichts leichter und lieber als das.

Auf der langen Fahrt zur Workshop-Location hatte ich allerdings viel Zeit zum Nachdenken. Und zum Podcast hören, aber dazu erst später mehr. Hatte ich mich intensiv genug vorbereitet? Hatte ich kein wichtiges Thema vergessen? Werde ich alle Fragen beantworten können? Ist das Training abwechslungsreich? Habe ich genug Material dabei? So viele Fragen und auf einmal auch so viele Zweifel, die in meinem kleinen Hotelzimmer am Vorabend des Trainings zu einer kleinen Panikattacke führen. Was mach ich hier überhaupt? So weit weg von meiner Familie, in einer fremden Stadt, in einem Hotelzimmer, das kaum ungemütlicher sein könnte?

In meinen Insta Stories hatte ich „meine“ Leute schon den ganzen Tag mitgenommen und meine Gedanken geteilt. And now, in this moment of self-doubt, they did show up! Ich habe so viele liebe, aufmunternde und unterstützende Worte von Euch bekommen. Da konnte am nächsten Tag gar nichts mehr schief gehen. Danke dafür!

Ganz besonders möchte ich Svenja danken. Svenja, Du hast mir bewusst gemacht, dass ich mich mit diesem Workshop gar nicht wie angenommen aus meiner Komfort-Zone bewege. Sondern dass ich mittendrin bin in dem Bereich, in dem einfach alles passt und ich mich wohlfühle.

Expat-Training + Intercultural Training + English Training – Das ist genau mein Ding!!!

Der Workshop hat so viel Spaß gemacht, hat sich nicht ein einziges Mal wie „Arbeit“ angefühlt. Als „Icing on the cake“ gab’s dann noch ein riesengroßes Dankeschön und strahlende Gesichter von den Teilnehmern. Vollgestopft mit Informationen über Land und Leute, Schul-, Restaurant-, Shopping-, Café- und Ausflugsempfehlungen und ganz viel Lesestoff sind die Beiden nach 2 Tagen in ihren Job- und Familienalltag zurückgekehrt. Und werden hoffentlich in den nächsten Monaten immer wieder einen Blick in die Workshop-Unterlagen werfen oder sich an meine Anekdoten und Geschichten erinnern. Denn die sprudelten einfach nur so aus mir raus. For me, the workshop was a trip down memory lane. And I LOVED it :-)

Und damit dies nicht der erste und letzte Workshop dieser Art war, werde ich in den nächsten Tagen fleißig am Umbau meiner Webseite basteln. Im Mai finden nämlich zwei Challenges auf Instagram statt:

• Die #Expatchallenge, die ich gemeinsam mit Jonna von den Expatmamas, Berdien von Bejewly und Johanna von Mamalogik veranstalte. Mehr Infos folgen noch auf Instagram.
• Anne Häusler’s Challenge #meettthebloggerde, bei der ich schon letztes Jahr dabei war.

Alle neuen (und alten) Besucher meiner Seite sollen ab nächster Woche auf den ersten Blick sehen, was ich anbiete und wie sie mit mir zusammenarbeiten können.

So (oder so ähnlich) wird mein Angebot aussehen:

1. Individuelles Englisch-Training, abgestimmt auf Deine Bedürfnisse und Interessen.
2. Expat-Training für Familien, die in die USA ziehen.
3. Interkulturelles Training für die USA.

So langsam fügen sich einzelne Puzzleteile zu einem stimmigen Gesamtbild zusammen. Ich kann Euch gar nicht sagen, wie gut sich das anfühlt!

The post „Wir ziehen in die USA“ – Expat Training für Familien appeared first on Tina Busch.

My interview with Dana Newman from Wanted Adventures

Dana, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am someone who LOVES to laugh. That doesn’t mean I’m laughing all the time, of course. But I really do appreciate and enjoy those moments of belly-clutching laughter in life.

I am also a writer and video host. On my YouTube channel Wanted Adventure I create videos about my experience living abroad, the culture in Germany, and looking at the German vs. American culture. But I also work with the Bayerischer Rundfunk making English-language videos. Right now, for example, about every-other week a short English-language tip video I’ve made goes out on the Telekolleg Facebook page.

You are an American expat living in Munich, Germany. How long have you been in Munich? What brought you here in the first place? What made you stay?
I have been living in Munich for 7 years now, and before that one year in Prague, Czech Republic. After college in the U.S. something was pulling me to Europe. I’d grown up learning about my Czech heritage, and something inside me just said I needed to move there! So I sold everything at a yard sale and bought a plane ticket to Prague, with no idea what would happen from there.

Long story short: I ended up living in Prague for a year, and at one point I took a trip to Munich where I met a lovely German man. Who is now my husband, and the guy I refer to in my videos as Mr. German Man!

Did you know any German before you moved to Munich?
Not very much. In the months leading up to moving to Germany, I taught myself as much of the basics as I could, but then right when I moved to Munich I signed up for two back-to-back month-long intensive courses, and those really helped a lot.

What do you love about living in Germany?
So many things of course. I love living in a city with public transportation and also many things within walking distance. I love the architecture here in Germany, and also just in Europe in general. Also cobblestone streets. We went to Aschaffenburg last year, and it was Fachwerkhäuser and cobblestone streets all over the place!! I loved it.

I also love being in the center of Europe, surrounded by so many other countries and cultures to learn about. And I really appreciate the work-life balance here — that employees are expected to take ALL their vacation days, and when you’re sick you get told to stay home and get better.

What will you never get used to?
I’ve really struggled over the years with the directness. Direct questions and also direct, honest statements. I won’t say I’ll *never* get used to it, but it’s a challenge for me. When I first moved to Germany, I had a tendency to take direct statements to heart and thought the person was just being mean. Now I’ve gotten more used to it, but I still don’t know quite how to react.

When I talked about the directness with my German mother-in-law, she asked me: So that means you wouldn’t tell me if a skirt looks bad on me? I told her that I would tell her, of course, but in a nice way. So for example, I would say that another color or fit would suit her better. My mother-in-law, though, would probably just tell me directly whether she likes my outfit or not… whether I asked for her opinion on it in the first place or not ;)

What do you miss?
I miss the customer service in the U.S. and the small talk. Oh and BBQ food like baby back ribs :) Yummmy

When you go back to the US, do people tell you that you have become “so German”?
Not really. I think I hide it pretty well ;) haha just kidding. But really, no. The closest I’ve gotten to this is one time I wore some clothes I had bought in Germany and my mom said I “look European.” Whatever that means lol :D

Your YouTube channel “Wanted Adventure” is very popular. When and why did you start it? Why did you choose video content over the written word?
It started as a written blog, actually! I began the blog when I was moving from Prague to Munich as a way to document my experiences and share them with others.

A few months into blogging I decided to start making videos as well, but they weren’t regular, and they were mostly about my travels rather than living abroad. After a few years of writing I decided to publish my last post and sign off from the blog, but then I decided to concentrate more on the YouTube channel and start making regular videos, which is when I began the Living Abroad series, and now I also have the Ask An American series, where I answer questions I get about the USA. What I really love about YouTube is that you don’t have to wait until your videos are perfect to start creating. You can learn as you go — that’s just part of the YouTube-culture!

So I didn’t really choose videos over written word… I’ve done both and right now this is simply the medium I’m working in and enjoying very much.

Where do you shoot your videos?
I mainly shoot my videos at home where I have two different set-ups: one in the living room and another with a blue background. From time to time I go outside and do a city video, but these outside videos are much more time-consuming. A “normal” home video takes me about 8 hours. That’s already a whole day. When I’m out and about, though, I usually need a whole day for filming plus at least another day for editing and publishing.

Where do you see yourself and your channel in a year from today?
Ooooh wow, great question and very tricky to answer. It’s YouTube and it’s online, so things are changing every day, most of the time in ways I can’t expect or plan for. I would like to continue growing and expanding my content, but when it comes to working on the internet, I never really know what direction that will take me! For example: When I started the YouTube channel and the Living Abroad series, I had no plans for an Ask An American series, but after seeing the kinds of questions I was getting, I decided to start making those videos too.

What is the most popular video on your channel?
It’s a video about “7 things that you don’t do in Germany,” like never walking in the bike lane, for example.

What are 3 pieces of advice that you would give other expats who are about to take the leap of moving to Munich?

1. Learn (basic) German. You don’t always need German on a day-to-day basis in Munich, you can often get by in English. But there are still many important and interesting things that are only written in German (government forms, for one!). I’ve also found being able to at least start the conversation in German helps go a long way with people. You don’t have to be 100% fluent or have perfect grammar, but the effort is appreciated.
2. As you probably already know if you’re reading this, there are so many great blogs and resources online to gather information! Check them out and also use them to find out what fun stuff is going on in the city that you can take part in.
3. Go to meetups and meet new people! For me, making friends was a big part of feeling at home in the new city.

Do you think you will ever move back to the United States?
I really don’t know. Right now I’m very happy here in Germany and in Munich in particular. But I’m not going to pretend to know where life will take me!

If you want to learn more about Dana Newman, please visit her on YouTube where you can enjoy a new video every Wednesday and Sunday. You can also connect with Dana on Facebook and Twitter. Would you like to know more about expat life? Then click here for more interviews.

The post „I really appreciate the work-life-balance in Germany“ – Interview with Dana Newman from Wanted Adventure appeared first on Tina Busch.

Have you started planning your summer vacation? We have been browsing French travel sites and realized pretty quickly that we should have started the whole planning process a lot earlier. Many vacation homes are already fully booked! When I think back to last year though, we didn’t start the planning process that much earlier. And we still had the best trip ever!

Last summer (July 2016) we did an epic 3-week-family trip to California and Maui, Hawaii. At that time we were technically still living in Chattanooga, Tennessee, though our entire household was already stuffed in a shipping container and on the way to Germany. We didn’t have a home anymore and were in the transitional period of being neither here nor there. At that time – and even more now – I believe that this was the perfect time for THE trip. The once-in-a-lifetime, multiple locations, saving-money-is-for-later, keeping-my-mind-off-the-future-trip. We visited San Francisco – twice, traveled the California Coast on Highway 1, and jumped on a plane to paradise – to Maui, Hawaii. An epic trip with our kids (who were 6 and 3 at that time), the camera, and the address of a good coffee shop saved in my phone.

The Itinerary

Atlanta – San Francisco – California Coast (from Monterey via Paso Robles to Santa Barbara) – Oakland – Maui – San Francisco – Atlanta

San Francisco

During our first stay in San Francisco we stayed at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins hotel that we booked through Hotwire (on this travel site you enter the date, location, number of stars, price range etc.; the hotel will only be revealed after the actual booking). Our spacious corner room was big enough for the two air mattresses that the kids slept on. It also offered an amazing view over the city! The hotel is located on top of Nob Hill (very windy!) and is in walking distance to Chinatown, Union Square, and a Trader Joe’s. A cable car stop is around the corner. And Uber is of course always an option when tired childrens’ legs refuse to walk any further.

We visited Alcatraz which both kids loved and are still talking about today. Especially the vivid audio tour makes the whole experience even more real. Please be aware that you need to book the tickets well in advance (about 90 days before the actual visit) through Alcatraz Cruises.

These first three days gave us a great overview of the city without having to rush from one sight to the next. Since it was cold, windy, and foggy – which is pretty normal for July – we saved the Golden Gate Bridge for our second stay, hoping for better weather and warmer temperatures.

California Coast – From Monterey to Santa Barbara

With our rental car we first drove to Monterey, stopping briefly in Palo Alto at the Facebook headquarters. All you can see here is the Facebook sign. That’s it.

From Monterey we drove South along Highway 1, stopping frequently at pull-outs along the way that offered amazing views of the rocky coastline. This part of the trip was definitely not the most exciting for the kids (dolphins in the distance and seals on the beach were about the only exceptions) and I was more than thankful for the digital devices that kept them busy.

We made hotel reservations only for the first two nights in Monterey and booked all the other nights on the go, either at Hotwire or VRBO. This was risky because July is high travel season, but it was also exciting! Otherwise we wouldn’t have come across this gem: the wine country around Paso Robles. As we couldn’t find any free rooms at the coast, we were looking for an alternative location and it was Paso Robles that popped up on VRBO. We stayed in this small but welcoming and really cozy house and enjoyed not only the patio, but also the washing machine and dryer. A necessary feature when you travel with kids. The area around Paso Robles is beautiful with plenty of vineyards that offer wine tastings and breathtaking views. It is definitely worth the detour!

From Paso Robles we didn’t return to the coast right away. Instead we traveled inland through San Luis Obispo – a town that I instantly fell in love with. So many unique boutiques, cafés, bars and restaurants. Here we even found a little bit of Germany at the Kreuzberg coffee shop.

Our last and very brief stop at the California Coast was Santa Barbara, a busy touristy town, that is worth a visit. On our return trip North we stopped briefly in Solvang, a small town with a Danish heritage.

Maui, Hawaii

Catching an early flight with Hawaiian Airlines from Oakland, we finally landed in paradise. Maui is all you dream of when you think of Hawaii. It’s the ultimate beach destination for families!

We split up our stay between the cosy and colorful bed & breakfast Two Mermaids on Maui and a rather unremarkable apartment in Kihei that was closer to the beach.

During our stay we spent hours and hours at the beach, took in the lush scenery, enjoyed the most amazing sunsets, got really close to gigantic sea turtles, watched surfers of all ages dancing on the waves, indulged in fresh papayas, mangos and melons and ate the best fish tacos ever.

We debated for a couple of days whether to watch the sunrise (supposedly more spectacular) or the sunset from Haleakala. We ended up witnessing a kid-friendly and still impressive close of the day. The Road to Hana, another must-do on any Maui activity list, wasn’t meant to be. With kids and the weather – you never know what is going to happen.

After 10 days on Maui we very reluctantly started our long journey East and returned to the mainland. With Hawaiian vibes in our bodies, all things palm trees and pineapple in the suitcases, and a flowery lei around our necks.

San Francisco

The second time around time we chose this beautiful apartment in Pacific Heights as our starting point for our city adventures. Down the street from the apartment there is a really good coffee shop that has the perfect photo backdrop for Instagram! Our highlight was by far the bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a windy, but sunny day so that we got a crystal clear view of the bay. We stopped in Sausalito for a bite to eat and took the ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf. Our trip ended with a Giants baseball game; peanuts and cracker jacks included.

Would we do this again? Definitely! This really has been our best family trip so far. Browsing through the pictures now brought back so many positive, sunny and warm memories. Just what I needed on this cold February day. And it’s also a big reminder that I should start putting together a photo book.

If you are planning a trip to California or Hawaii and are interested in a more detailed description of our route, please let me know! I’m more than happy to give you more recommendations on all the places we visited and the things we did.

The post California and Hawaii with Kids appeared first on Tina Busch.

„All I’m doing right now is survive.“

This sounded so familiar… You just moved back to Germany and now you are stuck in a temporary apartment, living out of suitcases. Or you are surrounded by ceiling-high piles of moving boxes in a new house that does not feel like home. The kids are with you 24/7 because they don’t go to school yet. They cling to you – you are the only stability in their life that has been turned upside down. Your husband is absent, expected to sit in his office, tackling new, maybe even exciting challenges at work. Every day you put a smile on your little ones‘ faces. You keep them happy, you keep them busy. Because this is what moms do. You take care of as many things at home as you can so that your husband can focus on his job. Because this is what you did as an expat wife, too. Right?

But what about you? Your life has turned upside down, too! And now it’s back to square one. If you want to or not. What about you? Your dreams? What’s going to happen to your plans and your future? When will it be your turn again?

10 Tipps for Your Repatration

Here are my personal tips that hopefully make your first weeks and months of repatriation a little bit easier:

1. First and foremost and again and again – be patient. It. takes. time.
2. Schedule little breaks and some me-time and leave your moving mess behind. Unpacked boxes, the dirty dishes – they can wait. Try to remember what made you feel better in your old life. Was is the weekly escape to your favorite coffee shop to read a book? Then go out and explore the cafe scene in your new home town until you find the perfect spot for you. Were you a passionate runner? Put on your running gear, go outside, and just breathe. Maybe you run. Maybe you walk. Just do it. Did you enjoy listening to podcasts or music on your commute to school drop-off and pick up, but now the walk to school only takes 5 minutes? Establish a new habit and listen to podcasts or music anyway. While you are prepping the vegetables for dinner, for example, while you are folding laundry or picking up toys. And if the kids are with you all day, make them listen to a radio play in the meantime.
3. Allow yourself to be sad. Put on your favorite song that reminds you of better days and let the tears run freely. You need to get the pain out of your system. Don’t feel guilty if this happens when your kids are around. It’s good for them to see (from time to time!) that Mom is having a hard time, too. And don’t be surprised if there are no tears (yet). They will come eventually.
4. Surround yourself with people who know what you are going through. If you don’t have them close by, send them a text or voice message, talk to them on the phone and seek them out on the internet (here for example). To them you don’t need to explain what you are feeling right now. Because they know. With them you can lose yourself in memories of the past. And maybe get some helpful advice.
5. Though this sounds actually contradictory to what I just said above, it’s equally important: focus on the here and now. Be present. Make an effort to meet and talk to new people even if you feel like the weird person who tries to do small talk with people who don’t know that small talk exists. Eventually, they will open up. They might just need more time to get to know you.
6. Cut any unnecessary ties to your old life. Leave Facebook or WhatsApp-groups that might have been essential before, but don’t play any role now. Instead of being connected to everybody and informed about everything, focus on staying connected to those few people who you really care about.
7. Focus on the positive aspects of the move. Write them down on paper and look at them again and again. It also helps to write down all the things that you love about being back in Germany.
8. Be curious and ask questions. Ask people about their favorite restaurant, cafe, beer garden playground, activity for their kids, hair stylist, places to go swimming, skiing, ice skating. Insider tips are always the most valuable. They are also great conversation starters.
9. Volunteer in school, day-care, after school activities, local organizations. You most likely do not only meet like-minded people, but also get a better understanding of how things are done here.
10. Consider working with a coach. The perspective of a complete outsider can work wonders.

As I said at the beginning, it’s been six months that my life was turned upside down. During and a long time after our move I felt like I lost myself along the way. I put my kids and us as a family first and did everything to build a new home, get the kids settled in day-care and school, establish a new daily routine. I smiled, I laughed, I explained, I comforted, I supported. All while ignoring the question „What about me? What about me?“ Deep inside I knew my time would come.

I just needed to be patient.

I’m curious – what made repatriation or a fresh start in a new place easier for you? I would love to read your experiences in the comments below!

The post 10 Tips to Survive Repatriation appeared first on Tina Busch.

Aus unseren eigenen Erfahrungen heraus wissen wir: Viele Wünsche von Expat-Familien bleiben unerfüllt. Bedürfnisse werden ignoriert. Anliegen werden nicht gehört, weil sie oft unausgesprochen bleiben. Und so wie die Kinderseele sich einmal im Jahr die Sehnsüchte von der Seele schreibt, machen wir es dieses Jahr auch. Vordergründig mag es bei den Kleinen wie bei uns (auch) um Materielles gehen. Im Kern aber reden wir davon, Familien nicht allein zu lassen mit ihren inneren Bedürfnissen.

Hier ist also unser Expatmamas-Wunschzettel!

Der Expatmamas-Wunschzettel

Ich als Expat-Partnerin wünsche mir

• einen persönlichen Kontakt mit der Personalabteilung.
• dass ich einen Platz am Gesprächs-Tisch bekomme und dabei auch über mich und meine Rolle als Expat-Partnerin gesprochen wird.
• eine Beratungsstunde mit einem Familienanwalt für eventuelle Worst-Case-Szenarien.
• ein Interkulturelles Training für alle Familienmitglieder.
• einen Relocation Service, der seinen Namen verdient.
• ein Coaching und / oder einen Career Service und zwar dann, wenn ich diesen Service brauche.
• ein Weiterbildungsbudget, das ich unkompliziert nutzen kann.
• Deutsch-Unterricht bzw. Nachhilfe für die Kinder am Entsendungsort und nach der Rückkehr.
• Sprachunterricht für alle Familienmitglieder so lange wie nötig.
• dass die Personalabteilung die Vernetzung der Expat-Partner untereinander initiiert und Neuankömmlingen eine erfahrene Expat-Patin vermittelt.
• einen Welcome Guide, der auf Familien ausgerichtet ist und regelmäßig aktualisiert wird. Hier finde ich wichtige Adressen und Telefonnummern – vom Babysitter-Service über Hebamme bis hin zum Heilpraktiker.
• regelmäßiges Nachfragen der Verantwortlichen im Unternehmen: Wie geht es Euch? Was braucht Ihr? Wie können wir Euch unterstützen?
• innerhalb des Unternehmens einen Erfahrungsaustausch und ein Expat-Alumni-Treffen.
• dass die Rückkehr nach Deutschland als Teil der gesamten Entsendung gesehen wird. Damit sind die gleichen Hilfestellungen notwendig, die wir am Anfang des Auslandsaufenthalts bekommen haben.
• ein gemeinsames Feedback-Gespräch aller Familienmitglieder mit den Personalverantwortlichen nach der Rückkehr.
• ein Dankeschön, in welcher Form auch immer.

Wir wünschen Euch allen wunderschöne Weihnachten und dass für Euch Herzenswünsche in Erfüllung gehen!

Alles Liebe,

Jonna & Tina

PS: Zum Artikel bei den Expatmamas geht es hier lang.

The post Der Expat-Wunschzettel appeared first on Tina Busch.

Ich war gerade ein paar Tage mit meiner Familie in Barcelona. Eine Woche Urlaub. Warme Temperaturen, Sonnenschein und viel Spaß mit Nichten und Neffen, die in Spanien gerade ein ganz anderes Expat-Leben führen als wir in den USA.

Spät am Samstag abend nähern wir uns Burghausen. Erst zieht die Ankündigung für die längste Burg der Welt, später die Lichter der Industrie-Riesen an uns vorbei. Ich höre und fühle in mich rein. Aber da ist nichts. Da ist kein Gefühl des Ankommens, des Gleich-bin-ich-Zuhause-Seins. Stattdessen ist da eine Leere, die auf den letzten Metern bis zur Garage verdrängt wird von einer starken Sehnsucht nach meinem Südstaaten-Haus in Chattanooga, den gemütlich beleuchteten und liebevoll dekorierten Front Porches in unserer alten Neighborhood.

Doch dann sind wir schon da.

Unser Haus ist dunkel. Die Wege vollkommen bedeckt mit Herbstlaub. Ich schließe die Haustür auf und weiß nicht, ob es drinnen oder draußen kälter ist. Also schnell die Heizungen aufdrehen, Nachtlichter anmachen, Kuscheltiere bereitlegen und die schlafenden Kids vorsichtig aus dem Auto in ihre Betten tragen.

Hach, fühlt sich das gut an! Alle sind wieder aufgeräumt. Jeder schläft in seinem eigenen Zimmer, im eigenen gemütlichen Bett.

Langsam wird es wärmer im Haus, kuscheliger im Wohnzimmer und mir mit jedem Grad Celsius immer wohliger zumute. Und da ist es, dieses wohlige, angenehme, beruhigende, richtig gute Gefühl.

Es ist schön, wieder Zuhause zu sein.

Habt eine schöne Woche!
Eure TINA

The post Zuhause appeared first on Tina Busch.

1. A red traffic light means STOP. For real. Not only for car drivers, but also for bikers and pedestrians. 24/7. It’s the law. And also we all want to be a good example for our kids. Even when it’s the middle of the night and they are already fast asleep.
2. I now live in the same time zone as many of my friends and family. I still don’t talk to them more often than when I lived in Tennessee. It hardly ever crosses my mind that they are awake at the same time as I am. So if you are my friend, please pick up your phone and call me!
3. Our garbage can is tiny and is only picked up twice a month. I’ll either need to become a pro in waste separation and waste avoidance (asap!) or turn into a waste tourist. Neighbors, if I were you, I’d better shut my garbage cans away!
4. Is small talk a non-existent expression in the German language? I have such a hard time starting a conversation with someone I’ve just met. Usually, I start off with the weather or a compliment on shoes, scarf, haircut (I know! It’s so American!). I ask questions. I throw random pieces of personal information out there: We just moved here. We are not from here. We lived in the United States for 5 years. Still nothing more than maybe a brief answer to one of my questions. Hardly ever a follow-up question. What’s wrong Germans? How will I ever get to know you? But. I’m learning to be patient. To never give up. To ask again and again. To be the weirdo. And lo and behold it seems to get easier with each time I meet the now not-so-new people! They recognize me. They start asking questions. It seems like I have to become a part of their life first by showing my face again and again until they open their arms a teeny-tiny bit and let me in into their world. It’s exhausting, but I hope that it is worth it.
5. German tissues /Kleenex are meant to be used more than once. Same holds true for cloth tissues… Ew!
6. No grocery shopping on Sundays. Everything is closed and life comes to a complete stop. Which is kind of nice. If your fridge is fully stocked. In Tennessee, Sundays don’t differ much from normal weekdays. Exceptions: church parking lots are packed and alcohol can only be bought after noon.
7. I’m so glad for summer to be over and for the public pool to be closed. Why? Just one word: Speedos. Too revealing. End of story.
8. When it comes to traffic, Germans are pretty inconsiderate, even when kids are involved. While Americans switch to walking speed as soon as they spot a kid in the far far faraway distance, Germans don’t hold back. Going consistently over the speed limit, no matter if kids are in sight or not. Rushing around the corner just before the kid (or the mom) on the bike crosses the street. Always making sure that they, and not the kids or any other road users come first. This is not only really annoying, but straight out dangerous! So during our first couple of weeks my kids got a crash course in road safety training. And swearing…
   
9. Surprise! Dryer and car are not my default choices anymore. Now it’s ok for me to dry laundry outside (which is hardly every possible because of the weather, but that’s a different story). No neighborhood regulations that I need to comply with (yes, Americans love rules and regulations, too!). Also I can ride my bike or walk almost anywhere here in Burghausen! There are days, sometime a whole week, that our car doesn’t move a single inch.
10. Germans shake hands. All the time. To introduce themselves, to say hi, to say good-bye. To adults as well as to children. It took a while until my kids knew what was expected of them when an arm is outstretched into their direction: a firm handshake with the right hand. As for my part, I have to consciously remind myself to greet people with a handshake. And to suppress the urge to rush to the closest bathroom sink or to use my hand sanitizer to get rid of all these nasty germs.
11. You don’t get very far without actual money in your pocket. Cash. Finally my credit card could get a rest, if it wasn’t for online shopping. Which is as much of a thing in Germany as it is in the US. Yeah!
12. Smoking is still a widespread habit in Germany. People smoke everywhere; cigarette stubs can be found everywhere. Such a contrast to the United States where smokers were almost absent of our daily life, banned to restricted areas or smoking cages lounges in public.
13. Moving to a new city involves a lot of mundane organizational activities such as finding a new fitness studio or soccer team, a hair stylist, or a doctor. Well, doctors. Pediatrician, dentist, general practitioner, OB/GYN – you name it. Turns out it’s not that easy! „Sorry, we don’t take any new patients right now“ is an answer I’ve heard far too often recently. Once my application has been successful, I’m confronted with now very unfamiliar practices: a referral from a general practitioner might be necessary to get an appointment with a specialist. No-one calls or sends me a text message or an e-mail to remind me of my appointment. And when it comes to examinations, „uncovering“ really means „to undress fully“ – no matter if there are people in the room, the doors to hallway and neighboring rooms are opened and closed repeatedly, and a cover-up-paper nowhere to be seen. Wow! How much I’ve changed within the past years! I clearly remember my amusement during our Intercultural Training that we attended before we moved to the United States. The trainer told us about doctor visits and that the paper cloth on the examination table is not meant for cleaning, but for covering up your exposed body parts during examination.
14. Parking is a hassle. Not only has driving become more of a weekly than a multiple-times-a-day habit. But also availability and SIZE of parking lots and spaces are limited and so so narrow. Maybe we just need a smaller car?
15. Kids have more freedom and are more independent here which means that my husband now calls me a helicopter mom that I never thought I would be. Walking home from school all by yourself? No way! Playing in hidden corners on the playground where I can’t see you? Are you crazy? Letting you play in the backyard without checking on you every 30 seconds? Of course not! Seems I still have a long long way to go until I’m a proper German mom.
16. In Chattanooga, the worst swear word that my kids knew was „Oh my God!“. And maybe „What in the world!“ though that might not even count as one. Here swear words have been infiltrating our life more and more. While „Kackwurscht“ makes me laugh because of my kids‘ emphasis on the Bavarian pronunciation (Mama, it’s pronounced „Wurscht“ not „Wurst“!), the „Sch…“-word is making us cringe. But people say it all the time and everywhere! Who can argue against that?
17. Must-haves in German wardrobes: undershirts, wool socks and tights, scarves, hats, gloves in various styles, jackets in various degrees of protection against coldness and wetness. And slippers. Slippers are needed at home, at day-care, at school. And it’s always a good idea to have a spare pair of slippers in your handbag. Just in case that the house is not equipped with floor heating. Such as ours.
18. I’m still a far too generous tipper. By German standards. Though I never fully mastered the art of tipping in the United States. And now I’ve given up completely. But I greatly appreciate the warm smile that appears on a waiter’s face when I pay the bill.
19. My personal bubble gets constantly invaded, i.e. people make me feel uncomfortable because they come too close. In Tennessee, people keep their distance and give you much more personal space than they do here. This can be observed while waiting in line at a coffee shop, for example, when talking to your neighbors on the street, and also in the grocery stores. The distance Southerners keep in these situations and the frequency of „sorrys“ and „excuse mes“ might almost culminate in ridiculousness for the outsider. But guess what? You get used to it more quickly than you think you do.
20. „You are writing – what? A blog?“ Before we moved to Germany, I didn’t expect that blogging would already be considered to be a profession. But that some people still have no idea what a blog actually is, has truly surprised me.
21. When we first moved here, my kids and I had a long discussion about marshmallows. My kids love them. Which is obvious. They are kids. They like to melt them in hot cocoa or eat them as the most important part of a S’more (roasted marshmallow melts a piece of chocolate that is part of a graham cracker sandwich). I told my kids that Germans don’t eat marshmallows because they are full of sugar and that they are only available in the United States. Oh how wrong I was! It must have been during our first family trip to a German grocery store: marshmallows in different sizes, colors, flavors. So on Saturday I finally gave in. It was time for a campfire. Time for a sugar rush. Time to keep an American tradition alive.

Living in the United States for 5 years has changed me and my perspective and attitude towards Germans, the German culture, the way things are done in Germany. I know that a lot of these German habits that I am re-learning right now, are going to be normal again too very soon. Which can be a good thing. In some cases. But there are quite a few American habits, traditions, approaches to life that I would like to keep active and alive. I know that they make me and my family different from the world around us. But they have become a part of our life and make me who I am now. These are approaches to life that I’m continuing to teach my children, that I would like to introduce to the people around me and also to you, my blog readers!

Smile.
Stay curious.
Be open-minded.
The glass is half full.
Everything is possible.

Are you in?

The post 21 German Habits I’m Re-Learning Right Now appeared first on Tina Busch.

With moving tips and tricks? A travel guide to California or Hawaii? An overview of the amazing coffee shops in San Francisco? An essay on our short and very emotional final visit to Chattanooga, our home for the past 5 years? A post about the first weeks in Germany with many highs (seeing old friends and eating far too much Streuselkuchen and Spaghetti ice-cream sundaes) and lows (the weather, the smileless people)? How we are trying to find a new normal, a daily routine in our new house and home town? Or maybe I should write about the happy reunions with dear friends that we haven’t seen for several months or years? Or about doctor and public office visits, phase-in at day-care, the first days of German elementary school. The numerous differences between living in Germany or in the United States.

I’m pretty sure that by now it’s easy to imagine that all of this is too much a lot to put into words, not to mention to actively and consciously process.

Before we moved out of our house in Chattanooga, I told myself again and again:

Tina, take one day at a time and don’t think too far ahead.

It worked. And it’s still working. But I have to constantly remind myself to live by it:

One day at a time.

So instead of describing, explaining, processing thoughts, feelings, experiences in (too) many words, I’ve decided to take you on a visual journey. A journey that leads us from an empty house in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to beautiful places in California and Hawaii until we finally cross the Atlantic Ocean and arrive in Germany, our new old home country. Let’s do this!

Empty shelves, empty living room, empty house. Oh how I loved these built-in shelves and closets!

On our way to the West Coast. With the end of the summer the kids now are travel and flying experts. Though we are still working on the elimination of the occasional motion sickness…

Spectacular view from the top floor of our hotel in San Francisco. So glad that it took me a couple of days to realize that earthquakes are not uncommon in the area.

Traveling with kids means that you are always looking for a playground. To rest, relax, unwind. You. Not the kids.

My favorite part of our stay in San Francisco: biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. With sunshine!

Spontaneous visit to the vineyards around Paso Robles – so beautiful, even for a non-wine drinker.

Exploring California’s Pacific Coast Highway

Another 5 hour plane ride. This time with Hawaiian Airlines to Maui.

Maui beach life. All day, every day.

The best banana bread on the island did we eat here.

Final coffee and good-byes in Chattanooga.

Welcome to my childhood Germany!

The rainbow that changed everything: the weather, my sleep, my mood.

Welcome to our new home!

Moving in and creating a new home. Box by box.

I instantly fell in love with IKEA Salzburg. Wanna know why? It seems like an exact replica of the IKEA in Atlanta. Plus a really good coffee bar! #coffeeisalwaysagoodidea

One of the things I love about life in Germany: we can ride our bikes everywhere, such as to buy beautiful flower bouquets at the weekly farmer’s market.

Celebrating first day of first grade with these fun muffin toppers by Engel & Banditen.

Whenever possible aka whenever the weather allows, we head out to explore Bavaria. Here we are enjoying the sun on an electro boat on the beautiful Chiemsee.

So this is how we spent our summer. Traveling across the world. Packing and unpacking. Creating and abandoning daily routines. It was a fun and exciting summer. It was an emotional and exhausting summer. Now I’m ready for a slow and relaxing and (hopefully) sunny fall, y’all!

I’ll write more about transitioning, moving, adapting, reverse culture shock or whatever else you call this strange and unique phase in my life. Once I feel ready. Once the words are there.

Until then I would like to answer at least one question. A question I get asked again and again:
Habt Ihr Euch schon eingelebt? Have you settled in yet?
To which my answer has been so far:
Nein. Not yet.

I know that it takes time. I try not to be impatient (which is so not me ;-)) and to take one day a time.

As always I would love to hear from you: what were your experiences when you moved to a new place? Any advice you have for me? Any stories you would like to share or questions you’d like to ask?

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The post Transitioning to Germany – A Visual Journey appeared first on Tina Busch.

I can tell you, moving week is not fun, especially not with two kids who may or may not know what’s going on. But my more experienced expat friend told me that moving week is the worst week of the entire repatriation process. So she better be right!!!

I’m going to take a couple of weeks off from blogging – to enjoy the summer and vacation time with my family, to think things through (or not), to create a new kind of normal, to prepare myself for coming back to Germany. I’m still going to share pictures of our trip to San Francisco, the California coast, Maui and a very brief return to Chattanooga on Instagram and Facebook, if you are interested to follow along. And I’ll see you back here in a couple of weeks.

I’m wishing you a great summer with your loved ones!

The post Good-bye Chattanooga – Hello Summer appeared first on Tina Busch.

11 Uhr – Herzschmerz…
Wir sitzen auf gepackten Koffern und Kisten und warten auf die Möbelpacker, die eigentlich schon um 9 Uhr hier sein wollten. Jetzt ist es fast 11…
Da fällt mir ein, dass ein Esstisch bei Umzügen immer eine ganz besonders Bedeutung hat. Er gibt einem das Gefühl zuhause zu sein. Und er hat viel zu erzählen… An unserem Tisch ist schon einiges passiert: Viele Tränen wurden vergossen, aber es wurde noch mehr und viel gelacht. Jetzt trinken wir unseren letzten Kaffee und essen eine Butterbreze. Und versuchen nicht über das, was gleich passiert, nachzudenken. Es klingelt…!

Home is… in Baldham!

11 am – My heart is aching…
We are sitting on our packed suitcases and boxes, waiting for the movers who were supposed to be here 2 hours ago.
I’m looking at our dining room table, thinking that such a table has particular significance, especially when you are moving. The table makes you feel at home. And it has many stories to tell… Our dining room table has witnessed many tears – tears of sadness, tears of joy. And lots and lots of laughter. Now we are drinking our last cup of coffee and are eating a buttered pretzel. And try not to think about what’s going to happen in a couple of minutes. Wait, there’s someone at the door….!

Home is…. Baldham, Germany!

Fast forward 5 years, June 2016, and here I am again, with an aching heart, surrounded by boxes, a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin sitting on the table next to me. Trying hard not to think about how empty our house is going to be tonight, how crazy and also exciting the next couple of days and weeks are going to be.

Home is…. Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA!

Home is…. wherever I am with my family!

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The post Moving Day Then and Now appeared first on Tina Busch.