Expat Chatter

 I used to feel sheepish whenever I took an overpacked suitcase home on a trip to the U.S. But when I thought about it more closely, I realized there was a very good reason for doing this.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

I thought cowboy boots would help me develop my rodeo skills. An evening at the Grizzly Rose bar in Denver was enough to teach me otherwise.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

German immigrants used to flock to the U.S. They still go there in droves, but now they go back home again, as I discovered during my trip to New York.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

I used to get lost all the time, but that all changed when GPS technology came along. At least, that was the expectation. Reality proved to be a different story. Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 The staffing shortage in the U.S. and Europe was visible everywhere during my recent trip and culminated in an arduous trip home with an unintentionally long stay at Heathrow Airport. But it also afforded the opportunity to observe some colorful aspects of human behavior.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 Hiking and biking regularly might lead you to believe you’re in good shape. If you wish to test that hypothesis, just come and pit yourself against the Coloradans who tackle fourteeners every weekend.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

I was tempted to feel sorry for myself when my plane was delayed by a storm. And then I remembered the travails of the Mozart family during their European travels.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 A man was recently caught on camera driving a Maserati down the famous Spanish steps in Rome. It seemed so silly to me that someone would drive a car down an old cobblestone street, until I remembered a recent escapade of my own in an old Spanish town.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 A WWII air raid siren startled me once while I waited for a train. Such an old technology could certainly be replaced with something better. At least that’s what I thought until a real emergency cropped up.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

https://expatchatter.net/2022/05/08/whats-that-schmuck-doing-in-the-jewelry-store/ Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 A Berlin museum juxtaposes Karl Marx and Richard Wagner. The exhibition is supposed to highlight their differences. Instead, I found many intriguing similarities.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

  Taking the train home from Berlin, some Ukrainians boarded the train. Watching their interactions with the conductor reminded me of my first experience taking German trains and other cultural mishaps Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 German minister for the family Anne Spiegel recently resigned after major errors of judgment. Did her family responsibilities overwhelm her, like they do so many women - still?  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 Just as I was getting used to not being a mother, my COVID-harassed daughters came home - left - and came home repeatedly. Their pre-Easter visit has made me once again resurrect my mother persona.    Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

  The oldest residents of a rest home suddenly developed mild illnesses. They all shared a trauma from the distant past that had suddenly been revived overnight.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 The sky was suddenly a muddy orange, but what was causing it. I had an idea, but the thought was too scary to consider.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

Germans are usually so logical, it’s hard to believe how that can make such planning errors when they visit the U.S. Kind of gratifying, though.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 The five German cities I visited on a college tour with my daughter were all steeped in the history from WWII or the Cold War – or both. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered the largest influx of refugees in Europe since WWII into these same cities.  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 Speaking a foreign language can be tricky. Sometimes it can also get you into trouble - serious trouble. German umlauts - those two dots on some vowels. are often the culprit  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

  Germans, the travel experts. If you want to know something about your own country, just ask a German. They probably know it better than you.    Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

 Canada and New Zealand were bastions of rationality until the trucker protests broke out. Should we turn to bonobo monkeys for better behavior advice?  Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

California may have Silicon Valley, Hollywood and even Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Germany is way ahead of them in the recycling game. Being the land of engineers, they have taken recycling to a higher form of science. Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

AI has come a long way in helping make work easier, but it still makes mistakes. Sometimes some very funny mistakes. Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

The strangest things happen when words make the transition from one language to another. They might retain their original meaning, but often enough they take on entirely new lives of their own, sometimes with odd consequences indeed. Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda Arnold

I thought using historic dates to remember my lock combinations was a great idea. But if you're a history buff, this can go seriously awry.  Which is more important, the Magna Carta or the Spanish Armada? Or was it the Declaration of Independence? All the while, there I stand, twirling the numbers on my combination lock, unable to ride my bike. Support the show www.expatchatter.net   Brenda A...