Americans in Germany Drinking Whiskey

These things actually exist? This week we’re talking about strange, cool, surprising things that we did not know existed until we moved to Germany. One of the beautiful things about living abroad is being constantly surprised. We’ve come across machines, food and items that we had no idea there was a need for. Some are very useful and we wish they were more wide spread, but others we can definitel...

The AGDW podcast is back and we think the best way to start 2021 is with a classic “German Shuffle.” This is a series of episodes in which we focus not on one topic for an episode, but a wide variety of unrelated topics. It feels like a good ol’ fashioned variety show! This week’s episode will cover: the phenomenon of well trained German dogs, U.S. taxes as an expat living in Germany, the differen...

During this week’s episode we both look back at our move to Germany and the many years we’ve spent living in Berlin. Our goal is to find what we did wrong, what regrets we have, and how we might have done things differently, knowing what we know now. We hope our honest reflection and advice might help anyone who’s considering a move to Germany or has recently made the trek abroad. In addition to b...

The title says it all! During this episode we will present to you our list of the most frustrating things about living in Germany, also known as “pet peeves.” Obviously, we enjoy living in Germany or we wouldn’t have stayed all these years. However, Germany is not perfect (who is?), and during our daily experiences we’ve come across a few things that continue to annoy, frustrate, and downright irr...

It’s December and the holiday season is upon us! Celebrating Christmas in Germany can be a magical experience. This week’s episode will explore the German Christmas traditions that make the holiday different than what you may have experienced in the USA or elsewhere. Did you know that the act of bringing a tree indoors to celebrate Christmas was a tradition started in Germany? We’ll discuss the hi...

On this edition of the “Expat Files” we interview Prayag Thakkar, an Indian living in Berlin. We will discuss his journey from Gujarat, India all the way to Germany, which in fact was the first time he ventured out of his native land. We’ll begin with a cultural misunderstanding with a German exchange student in India and then lead into his experiences navigating a new culture abroad, while trying...

It’s time to introduce you all to the German Shuffle. What is it, a dance? Not quite! The German Shuffle is a new type of episode in which we will focus not on one topic the entire episode, but a wide variety of smaller unrelated topics. Over the course of making this podcast, we’ve had many ideas we wanted to talk about with you, however they were too small to fill an entire podcast episode on th...

Most of us have traditions that are important to us and we try to keep alive. Some we’re taught to us by our family, some are from the culture around us and others are the traditions we create on our own. During this week’s episode we discuss which traditions from our lives in the USA we’ve continued after moving to Germany and those new traditions we’ve adopted after arriving. To help us we have...

The Mythbusters are back! Ok, maybe it’s not the famous pair you were hoping for. Regardless, we have created part 3 of our ongoing series and we’ll be brining you more myths, stereotypes & misconceptions about Germany and its people! Do Germans really love David Hasselhoff? Is it really a big deal if you wish someone, “happy birthday” the day before? We’ll crack these myths and more, in this week...

Learning a new language takes a lot of commitment and hard work. We all have such high hopes for a speedy road to fluency, but some of us unfortunately fall short. In earlier episodes, we’ve given advice on learning German and what steps we would suggest someone takes when they first arrive in the country. However, we didn’t dive deep into our personal experiences learning German and what we did w...

Everyone experiences growing pains, no matter where you may have called home as a kid. This week, we’re going to look into the differences between childhood experiences in the USA and Germany. Some of the major differences include the schools, the level of independence from parents, and of course, when a teen will be able to buy their first beer! To help give us the German side of the story, we ar...

Berlin kommt wieder! We weren’t able to cover Germany’s capital city with just one episode, so here comes a sequel. One of the reasons the city is so different than the rest of the country is the international influence from the large population of foreigners. Over 777,000 non-Germans are currently living in the city! Join us now for the second instalment of our series covering the city that is, “...

We're sure you've all heard of it, but what is it exactly? Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest and it all started over 200 years ago as a - not so simple - wedding celebration. Today, it's a massive beer festival in which 7 million liters of the bubbly stuff is consumed over a 2 week period, mostly in September (only a few days bleed over into October). It's a massive celebration people t...

This week's episode will focus on how expats can make connections with Germans and possibly create long lasting friendships. A lot of people who move abroad usually feel lonely and isolated when they first arrive. One of the first steps to making their new country a home is to connect with locals and find those you can spend time with. To help us, our guest is Shaun Behrens, the host of The German...

Hello Berlin! Throughout past episodes we’ve given little tastes of the city, but oddly enough, we’ve never given a full picture of the German capital. Did you know it was once just a giant swamp? This week we’ll discuss Berlin’s history, its districts, the cost of living, what makes it so special and more! This time we bit off more than we could chew, so we ended up making this a two parter. Join...

Lights, camera, action! This week we're talking about German media and more specifically, German film and television. The productions created within Germany have differences from their USA counterparts, however they have been improving in quality and international reach during the past decade due to online streaming. Did you know everyone living in Germany is required to fund all public TV and rad...

The music scene in Berlin is legendary, especially for the unofficial punk and techno clubs that popped up around the city - East and West Berlin - during the 1970s and 1980s. Neither music style was born in Germany’s capital, however it was in Berlin that they were truly turned into movements that united the youth of Germany and helped them to express themselves during turbulent times. During thi...

When was the last time you got a check-up? Have you been avoiding a trip to the doctor? Fear not! This week we discuss all of the differences between visiting the doctor in Germany vs. the USA. We talk about finding an English speaking doctor, the medical offices in apartment buildings, the unusually affordable medication and more. Let’s go to the Arzt!

Moving abroad to any country can be a challenge. How do I find an apartment? What’s the visa process? How do I meet people? This week we discuss the do’s and the don’ts of moving to Germany. We’ve used both of our own personal experiences to create a comprehensive list, which will hopefully make your own move go much more smoothly. Please check out our brand new YouTube channel !

When you think of Germany, there are probably a few things that immediately come to mind: lederhosen, sausage, and beer. Did you know that you should also be thinking of whiskey? Over the past 30 years Germany has been building a thriving whiskey industry and now have more active distilleries than in Scotland. Yes, more than the land of Scotch! Let's talk about this relatively unknown German passi...

A low cost of living, ample green spaces and no where to pee. We've both lived in Berlin, Germany for many years - through the good times and the bad. The city has become a second home to us and we thought it'd be only natural for us to finally discuss what we believe are the best and worst things about living in Berlin. 

Taxi drivers not using their meters, a "free" rose that actually isn't free, and a glass of wine that costs 115 Euro? One thing that we’ll all eventually become victim to while traveling in Europe are SCAMS. This week’s episode focuses on tourist scams! We share our personal experiences being scammed and give advice on how you can avoid them altogether. 

Running out of gas is not allowed? Speaking the wrong form of “you” might land you a ticket? This week we’re discussing weird German laws you probably didn’t know existed and even some from the USA for good measure. Alex and Geoff will also play a little game of, “guess where this law comes from.”

This week by popular demand we have dived into the workplace, which might be at a big corporation or just your laptop in your living room. We discuss doing business in Germany with the focus on the main differences between being a full time employee and working as a freelancer. There are pros and cons for both, which will be illuminated with the help of our guest Ryan, who has experienced both sid...

Who are the Mythbusters? This week, it’s not "Adam and Jamie". Instead, Geoff and Alex are tackling more myths, stereotypes & misconceptions about Germany and its people in the second part of our ongoing series.