„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.

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.

Truth is: I’ve realized that it’s hard for me to write about things that I’m experiencing in real-time. I like to process, to think things through. And I usually only write once I see everything more clearly. But my thoughts are a mess right now. I’m constantly jumping from one topic to another, writing to-do-lists and packing suitcases in my head and on paper. Waiting for it all to finally start.

On top, the whole transition / moving process has not been very interesting so far. Sure, we’ve taken down some wall decals and touched up the paint here and there. And yes, we’ve been selling stuff that we can’t take back to Germany. Also we constantly meet people for the last time – hugging, crying, promising to stay in touch. Our backyard looks empty – no slide, no sandbox, no furniture. But that’s about it! All the picture frames are still on the wall, the fridge is well-stocked, there’s time for splashing in the pool, play-dates in the afternoon, and sometimes all we do is read a book.

But it’s only one more week, 7 more days until the movers are coming and our life as we know it is going to disappear in boxes and bubble wrap.

But instead of always focussing, thinking, talking and writing (!) about my sadness of leaving Chattanooga and closing this chapter of our American family life – at least for a while – I’m now trying to focus on the positive aspects of life as it is right now. I want to live the last days in Chattanooga to the fullest and get excited not only about our upcoming trip to the West Coast, but also about moving back to Germany after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years!

And you know what also happened? With the Riverbend fireworks last Saturday I checked a very meaningful item off of my „99 things I want to do before I move back to Germany„-list. Why meaningful? About a year ago the fireworks was the first thing I put on my bucket list. I’ve been wanting to go for such a long time, but it never worked out. So this year I went and I’m so glad I did! The fireworks truly were amazing and afterward, for the first time ever, I experienced a very new feeling: I’m ready now, ready to say good-bye to Chattanooga, ready to start a new life chapter!

And for the next couple of days I’m only planning to do those things that make me happy, leaving the Kleenex box at home. I’m going to enjoy the sun, spend as much time at the pool as possible, meet my friends for a coffee and celebrate a fun good-bye party on the weekend with BBQ, drinks and s’mores galore!

Better let this be one of the best weeks that we’ve ever had in Chattanooga!!!

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The post One More Week appeared first on Tina Busch.

It’s been quite an emotional couple of days for me and my family: a farewell breakfast with my German-speaking friends, my daughter’s last day of school which included lots of tears and many emotional good-byes from classmates and her teacher, a beautiful mountain wedding followed by an even more teary good-bye from our American family. What can I say? This is a really really hard time for all of us. But we are hanging in there – somehow. We are taking one day at a time, one good-bye at a time while trying to continue living our normal life. As long as we can. Knowing too well that all of this is an unavoidable part of the repatriation process.

While trying to live life as normal as possible and not thinking about what lies ahead of us, I’ve continually checked items off of my „99 Things I Want to Do Before I Move Back to Germany“-List (here is the link to part 1 and part 2 of the list). I’ve accomplished quite a few things since my last update in March. Well, it’s now or never, right?

In the last couple of weeks I visited the MLK Memorial in Atlanta, went to a Lookouts game and the Chattanooga Brewing Company, vacationed at a beach in Florida, and flew to Germany for a Look & See-trip (more about this here, here and here).

I also learned how to cook delicious Ramen at the Sweet & Savory Classroom in Chattanooga, I successfully swung the baseball bat at a batting cage and conquered my fear of heights on the Vordach zip-line in Cashiers, North Carolina! Yeah!

What else? Emily Lester did an amazing job taking our family photos and portrait pictures in downtown Chattanooga:

And just this Memorial Day Weekend we went to an unforgettable mountain wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains:

I’m also in the process of putting together the „My Friends“-book for my kids, hosted a Social Media workshop for the German expat women and try to spend as much time as possible on our back porch.

Still on my 99-Things-I-Want-To-Do-Before-I-Move-Back-To-Germany-list are: taking lots of pictures for my #thisismyChattanooga-Instagram-challenge, meeting Local Milk, rafting, stock up on English books for the kids and myself, organize documents and binders, see the Riverbend fireworks, swim in the Pacific Ocean. And there are also a few new ones:

61. be on a podcast (which just happened today! More about my interview for The Culture Guy in a couple of weeks.)

62. start working with a coach

63. enjoy my hydrangeas on a daily basis

64. buy a new pair of tennis shoes (these or these?)

65. de-stock my pantry

66. get a new passport for my daughter – Atlanta, here we come one more time!

67. transcribe and edit an expat interview

68. get a ticket to the Blogst conference in Hamburg, Germany, in November

69. sell appliances, lamps, electrical items

70. take pictures of my favorite corners in our house

71. enjoy the weather and go to the pool

72. blog less, talk and hug more

73. write moving cards

74. organize good-bye-party

75. set-up my daughter’s Kindle

76. start packing

77. allow myself to cry randomly throughout the day

78. have a burger at Shake Shack in Atlanta

79. take pictures of our empty house

80. add songs to my Five Years in Chattanooga-playlist on Spotify

81.-99. to be continued – maybe, maybe not.

I’ll try and keep you up-to-date on our moving-back-journey here on the blog, at least for a couple more weeks. In July, I’m most likely to take a blogging break, but might post regular updates on Instagram and my Facebook page. We’ll see…

The post 99 Things List – Another Update and a Few Random Thoughts appeared first on Tina Busch.

Writing a blog is a very solitary activity. You spend hours at your computer, writing, sharing, researching, taking pictures, curating, editing photos, reading, commenting, learning, tweaking, brainstorming, crafting, styling…

Interaction with or feedback from readers do not happen on a regular basis, not just on your blog. And in your offline life you tend to avoid talking too much about your blog because your family and friends are a) not as enthusiastic about blogging as you are, b) maybe not really interested in the topics you are writing about or c) generally don’t read your blog(s).

So on these rare occasions that someone reaches out to you and makes the effort to actually send you a personal e-mail asking you for advice, information, recommendations, a translation or wants to meet you in person, this entire blogging journey suddenly makes sense! Of course, you say „YES“ to a cup of coffee (especially if you are a coffee lover like me), a lunch or dinner date. Yes, it feels weird to meet someone who only knows your „online“ identity and you don’t know anything about. Yes, you make sure that you tell your husband where you are going. And no, you won’t regret it!

Because it’s these personal connections that are important and that keep you going. Not the Zillion (or 5) Likes or Shares on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It’s that single person you are able to help, who you can connect to other people, for whom you can make (expat) life a little bit easier just because you’ve been sharing your story and your experiences on the internet.

I’ve met the most friendly, inspiring, wonderful people on my blind dates. And I would like to thank each and every one of you (and if you think that I’m talking about you, I probably am ;-)): thank you for finding me on the internet, reaching out to me and meeting me in person (or on Skype). These blind dates where I get to listen to your life story, am inspired by your thoughts and ideas and might even be able to answer your questions or move you in the right direction, all of this means much more to me than you might imagine! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your e-mails, Facebook messages, and WhatsApp texts. And, of course, thank you for all of your comments, likes, and shares! Without these, no-one would ever be able to find me and my blog in this confusing and humongous world-wide web of today’s internet!

So here you have it: I go on blind dates. And I’m loving it! Have you ever been on a (non-romantic) blind date? Do you have online connections that became actual real-life friendships? I would love to hear your stories and you are more than welcome to shoot me an e-mail at info@. Who knows – you might be my next blind date!

The post Blind Dates or Why Personal Connections Are So Important appeared first on Tina Busch.

September 2011 – I boarded the plane in Hanover, Germany, with my 18 months old daughter, and I never looked back. It had been our dream all along, to live and work as a family in the United States. A dream that became true on that particular day.

Today – almost 5 years later and with the moving date marked in my calendar – I’m looking back at our „American adventure“ and I can say from the bottom of my heart: we had the most wonderful time!

Here are the 10 expat moments that will always have a very special place in my heart and my memory:

1. The Southern way of life. So welcoming and friendly, cosy and relaxed. Back porch swinging, crickets chirping, sweet tea sipping, cool pool splashing, fireflies glowing, country music rocking, flip-flop weather from April through October. Who needs more than that?
2. My son’s birth in 2012. While I had my daughter in Germany, my son is the real American in our family. With an American (and a German) passport. Having a baby in two different countries were two completely different, but very positive experiences. Looking back I’m really glad that I had my first baby in Germany, with a midwife at my side, not only on the actual day of the birth, but also in preparation for the birth and even more importantly for those hard, so emotional and confusing first days and weeks with the baby at home.
3. Our family vacations to Sanibel Island in Florida, usually with the grandparents in tow. For spring break we would rent a house via VRBO, preferably with a pool in the backyard and in walking distance to the beach. Sanibel Island is small so you can bike almost everywhere: grocery store, ice-cream and souvenir shops as well as restaurants. The water of the ocean is clear, shallow and often feels warmer than the outside air. Which means that Mom doesn’t need to worry about her kids catching a cold, but she can enjoy observing the pelicans and dolphins or looking for sand dollars on the beach.
4. The first day of school / my daughter’s year in kindergarten. In the United States kids start school a year earlier than in Germany, at the age of 5. It was a hard decision for me to send my daughter to school at such a young age because I felt like she was missing out on one year of relaxed, free and easy-going life as a child. But as it happens so often in my life there was no need to worry. She’s been loving school, she loves to learn, she loves riding the big yellow school bus. And her little brain really is like a sponge that can’t get enough. Another benefit? I’ve also learned a lot! I now know so much more about the solar system, the deciduous forest, opossums and their babies. And English bad words. But I still struggle accepting that basically over night a shy Pre-K-girl turned into such an independent kindergartener…
5. Our house. When I walked into our house for the first time, it felt like I was coming home. A house so typical of the South: with pillars on the front porch, a screened-in back porch, an open living-concept, the fireplace with the mantle, framed by built-in book shelves that offer so much space for books, picture frames and random bits and pieces. And the golden appliances paired with the victorian-style wallpaper in the half bath add a very particular wow-factor to the overall picture.
6. Listening to my kids speaking (D)English. These idiosyncratic word and sentence constructions make me laugh on a daily basis. And as a linguist they are music to my ears:
   Er hat pretended aufs dry erase board zu painten.
   Wir metten alle in Deutschland.
   Who wants to take a shower? Me not.
   Up higher. Noch up higher.
   Bürgersteig ist so lustig weil da ist ein Burger drin.
   We are in 2 minutes there.
7. Christmas in our own house. It’s usually only us (and the grandparents), no further obligations that we need to meet. No stress. A perfect and real (!) Christmas tree that is so big that it touches the ceiling. After church service on Christmas Eve we celebrate our German version of Christmas, with the German Weihnachtsmann knocking at the door and leaving a big bag full of presents on our doorsteps. The next morning the kids rush downstairs to check whether American Santa Clause put a little something in their stockings that are hanging from the mantle. To me this is the perfect mix of German and American traditions.
8. My blog. Before I started my blog, I struggled with my role as the non-working expat partner and stay-at-home-mom who organizes the daily life with two little kids. I wanted more than that. I wanted to put my creativity, my curiosity, my knowledge to use and not hide them somewhere in the back of my brain. I’ve been blogging for two years now and it’s been a very rewarding and fulfilling journey. Every day I learn a new skill, meet new people on- and offline and became part of a global expat and blogger community that I inspires me.
9. Our trip to Disneyworld. Such a typical American thing, right? When we planned the trip we told ourselves that we were just doing it for the kids. So that they can meet Anna, Elsa and Mickey and have the time of their lives. Well, as it turned out we all had a truly magical time! We followed every piece of advice that our Disney-experienced friends as well as this great book gave us (e.g. for nap time we always went back to our hotel and relaxed in our room or at the pool). Plus we tried to not think twice about all the money we were spending.
10. A very recent weekend filled with invitations from our wonderful American friends. If someone had told me that it would take a long time to make „real“ American friends (at least in the German sense of what friendship means), I would not have believed it. But it’s true. There are many cultural and expat-related reasons that might explain this long process, but especially the coconut-peach-classification that we learned about during our intercultural training seems to be spot on.

Saying goodbye in a couple of weeks (!) is going to be so hard. So many memories, wonderful people, warm and welcoming encounters, positive experiences. And most importantly our kids‘ early childhood memories will forever be connected to this wonderful place that we call home: Chattanooga. But – and here I’m quoting Winnie-the-Pooh – arent‘ we „lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?“

The post 10 Expat Moments I’ll Never Forget appeared first on Tina Busch.

Above you can experience my very first glimpse of Germany when I woke up in the morning. Looks – well – orderly and very familiar!

Brezn and Latte Macchiato, my go-to breakfast combination. I don’t have a lot to say about the Macchiato, though. The taste was not very distinctive, just coffee with milk. Which means – there is much room for improvement!

As many of you already know Burghausen is soon going to be our new home base. Burghausen has a really pretty historic quarter and the world’s longest castle. I’m sure that the kids will love it!

You can’t go back to Germany and not talk trash, I mean talk about recycling ;-) I completely forgot that you are supposed to take yoghurt containers apart once you are finished eating. Which means: rip off the decorative outside paper part which goes into the used paper container; throw away the plastic part into the „Gelbe Sack“, the yellow recycling bag. It might need more than a few days to get used to this habit again…

On my slow train ride from Burghausen to Munich I stumbled upon this article in a German magazine (I think it was the Myself magazine).

The question „What is Heimat?“ really made me think. Heimat – a word that doesn’t have an English equivalent. It means so much more than „home“ or „home country“. It’s a feeling. A feeling of where you come from. But does it also refer to where you belong? Where you feel at home?

Does this mean you can you have more than one Heimat?

The post My 5-Day Trip to Germany appeared first on Tina Busch.