Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

With Dili away this week, Producer Simon wants to talk about the Rugby World Cup, while Nic would rather talk about something else, anything else in fact. Luckily a listener comes to Nic’s rescue with an important correction that leaves Simon feeling more than a little goofy. Language is our main theme this week as your hosts discuss their less than straightforward paths towards improving their Ge...

After a week off, Dili returns to the pod and just in time for some very important admin. With us approaching episode 150, it means that Dili has been co-hosting for nearly a year, which means only one thing: it’s annual review time!! Despite Nic’s best attempts to keep things professional, Dili & Producer Simon are determined to derail his efforts. With the beleaguered German government hopin...

Despite Dili being out sick this week we have the fortune of being able to welcome the wonderful Kate Mueser to the show to talk about her debut novel The Girl with Twenty Fingers , as well as a variety of other topics! Of course, before we get to the details of her new book, Nic is contractually obliged to go through the less than positive results from the weekend’s state election in Bavaria. We...

Always willing to make sacrifices for the podcast, Nic takes the gallant decision to miss his beloved Newcastle United’s first home Champions League game for 20 years in order to sit down with Dili for this week’s record. Of course, he blames Dili for everything, but thankfully he doesn’t go on about it… For her part, Dili has come prepared with questions about Halloween, which like Christmas, see...

After months of fruit based chat, Nic finally takes Dili to task on her fruit obsession. Perhaps talking about kiwi and peaches makes sense, as it does prevent Nic from worrying about bald men driving Porsches. Dili explains how to punish unruly schoolchildren, and we ask the most important question facing educators: does a leather jacket and motorbike equal cool or midlife crisis? A Saturday trip...

After being out sick last week, Dili is back among the podcast microphones to share her adventures in German healthcare. We also learn how to start a pigeon wellness hotel, which only requires some vinegar and a spare bottle of shampoo, and discover why crows aren’t scaring anyone. While one half of the pod was focused on bird healthcare, Nic was in solitary confinement in his daughter’s Kindergar...

Sadly Dili is out sick this week, so we once again call upon the sonorous tones of Producer Simon to step up to the mic and join Nic for a discussion on apocalyptic weather and why talking about the weather might have more purpose than simply meaningless small talk. Swiftly moving on from biblical storms, Nic has found a new way to buy cheese, although it does require climbing mountains in order t...

It’s a race against time to record the podcast this week as Nic’s access to the internet could be shut-off at any moment by some well meaning, but rather strange rules dictated by the owners of a Bavarian guest house he’s staying in. No matter, at least the full DfH gang are back together again after last week’s episode. Just in time too, since Dili has some important updates on her adopted pigeon...

Nic is absent this week, so for a change of pace, Dili has chosen to have a conversation with Producer Simon, the podcast’s mystery microphone man. Ostensibly a discussion about their individual and collective experiences of moving to Germany, unsurprisingly it heads in other directions too; when the cat’s away, the mice will play! Producer Simon explains how he came to be in Germany, and what it...

Germany’s late summer heatwave weighs heavily on our hosts, but the mood immediately lifts as Nic details his involvement in another “The Sealed Knot” battle reenactment, but Dili seems more interested in how Nic will pass a pike through airport security. Politics is heating up again after a quiet few weeks, with the topics of cannabis reform and the Self-Identification Law rising to the fore. Dil...

It’s been a tough week for Dili, first Producer Simon axed her favourite segment, then she suddenly became a surrogate mother to a nest full of baby pigeons. Luckily Nic is here to support her, if by support you mean talk about the progress of England in the Women’s World Cup. Sticking with football, the arrival of Harry Kane, England captain and newly minted Bavarian, gives us a chance to ask how...

On the show this week: In a first for the podcast, we have a live audience watching the pod this week, sadly it’s only a family of pigeons that have taken up residence on Dili’s balcony. Avian squatters aside, we talk about dodgy pavements and why the infrastructure in Germany seems so patchy. We bring you an update on the Women’s World Cup, and commiserate with Nic as 50% of his hopes of celebrat...

On the show this week: Some recent listener feedback at Nic’s expense delights Dili no end, as does the return of her Fruit Corner, where she once again puts her co-host to the ultimate test. We discuss a weekend spent wandering botanical gardens and visiting museums, and we ask what’s the best way to spend your summer holidays. The truth behind one of Germany’s favorite banana brands shocks Dili,...

On the show this week: After a weekend of fun at Nürnberg’s annual Badentreffen open air festival, Nic is still recovering from too many pints of…fun? We talk about one of Germany’s best festivals, and some weird interactions with the locals. We also recap the opening games of the Women’s World Cup, especially the goal bonanza for Germany, and ask whether anyone can really tell the difference betw...

On the show this week: After challenging Nic to expand his horizons, we introduce a new segment to the show: Dili’s Fruit Corner! Finally Dili can force Nic to eat a variety of fruit under the pretence of making a podcast, and maybe, just maybe, he might enjoy it….probably. Since Dili is on summer holidays, and Nic is nearing his own, we bring you some recommendations with our first DFH Summer Rea...

On the show this week: We sweat through this week’s show, and consider relocating the recording to the basement, where Nic can spend some quality time with his spider friends. We’re hot under the collar not only because of the summer sun, but also from discussing the average German propensity for public nudity at the swimming pool. Is this the final step on the path to integration? Dili continues...

On the show this week: We kick things off with a discussion on the changes to Elterngeld in Germany which will see couples earning over €150,000 become ineligible for state support. Is this progress or regression, should we really feel bad about excluding wealthy people from tax-funded benefits, and how might it affect gender roles? A social media post from a husband leaving his wife to look after...

On the show this week: Living in Germany presents unique challenges, not all them are entirely predictable, such as fighting an 8 year old for a seat on the train. Dili may not have known she was about to throwdown with a small child, but she’s never been one to shrink from a confrontation. We discuss confronting unruly kids, another Bavarian Volksfest, and an invasion of hornets. With Germany sti...

As your two hosts attempt to not melt in the heat, we discuss the how the sunny weather seems to bring out all the smokers in Germany. Despite being a reformed smoker, Nic has some sympathy for his nicotine stained former brethren; Dili on the other hand has no time for them whatsoever. Where is it still acceptable to light up, and is one of those places a Biergarten? From complaints about smoking...

On the show this week: Summer might have brought us some lovely weather in Germany, but it’s also exposed Dili to some maddening behaviour from her neighbours. From constant watering of their lawn, to burning random pieces of plastic, the warmer the weather, the hotter is Dili’s rage. Aside from enjoying German summer activities, we also have come to appreciate our newly discovered powers of predi...

With producer Simon taking the night off, Dili and Nic quickly go off script to discuss their experiences of living in shared accommodation, and the horror that entailed. From naked men in the kitchen, to hearing roommates having very loud sex, we look at the lows and very low lows of living in Germany. We discuss the novel way Germany celebrates the great and the good by honouring them with their...

After leaving listeners with a slight cliffhanger last week, we return with some exciting news: Nic has a son! Not only that, we also have a the youngest fan of the podcast. Sure he has no idea what a podcast is, but that’s not stopping us from counting him among the listenership. With so much going on in Nic’s life, we dispense with the current events this week and talk about what it’s like going...

On the show this week: Dili returns from her holiday, and as is tradition on the show, Nic demands to know what exciting souvenirs she brought him from her week in France. He may be disappointed by the lack French cheeses coming in the post, but it’s not really an issue, Nic has far bigger fish to fry as his wife prepares to give birth the day after recording the show. We discuss all the exciting...

On the show this week: Dili is on holiday this week, but we’re joined by the wonderful Rachel Loxton of The Local & The Germany in Focus Podcast to talk about being Scottish in Germany, how paying the bill separately is a sure fire way to upset British friends, and why pretending to be Scottish might help make friends. Loneliness is a common complaint for many who move to Germany, but a recent...

An angry reaction to a curious Oma leads to questions about whether it’s ever OK to compliment someone else’s child, and why Nic’s resting face may be preventing him from making friends with other parents. We also discuss ever increasing supermarket prices, and what a small selection of groceries tells us about the state of the German economy. We run through some of the major news stories, with cl...