There are good things about living here. I am near Koln, and in most months of the year there is a celebration / festival going on. December there are the interesting Christmas Markets lasting the entire month. (Nov to)Febuary is Karnival! !!! March, starts the biking months. Meaning you can bike everywhere (flat landscape) ...- even to Spain!
...Germany is very bicycle-friendly & has the most bike trails of any country. Beer gardens are fabulous - You can even sit in/at a castle. Castles are everywhere. BTW you don't have to drink beer.
...Germans know how to party - Octoberfest ring a bell - but head to Augsburg instead of Munich!

Anyways, you get the idea!
If your coming here to live, Learn the language! You may think that is a redundant thing to write. But really, learn the language and ways. If you don't like it after that, then_you can comment.

BTW, driving here is fabulous! But be aware of the rules or you could be in really deep trouble.

Any questions, ask a way, I'll try and answer them.

M

Germany has good whorehouses, for what I pay for a lap dance in New York or Las Vegas, I get it all bbbj, fucking in all positions, daty, everything. Yeah this is the cool part about Germany, the hordes of hot Eastern European hos.

We believe you man who must find weenie with tweezers or 20 dollar bill. Bye bye.

ou're not suggesting that kcjojo and kathaksung are the same person are you Peter? Mt Kat has a similar problem (according to his post at <a href="http://jollyroger.com/zz/ylawd/LawEnforcementhall/cas/48.html" Target="_BLANK">http://jollyroger.com/zz/ylawd/LawEnforcem...48.html</a>)

Their posts are similar in clarity and credibility.

Quote:

Germany has good whorehouses, for what I pay for a lap dance in New York or Las Vegas, I get it all bbbj, fucking in all positions, daty, everything. Yeah this is the cool part about Germany, the hordes of hot Eastern European hos.

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KC, you are such a low life.
I hope you get an STD <img src="../images/emoticons/ywink.gif">

German tarts are the best, unfortunately there are very few nowadays

...and most German men are thankfully not of the miniscule variety - check the gym locker room boys :-) At last, something substantial...


No seriously, Germany is quite a nice place to live and work - especially Cologne. Public transport is quite extensive and reliable etc...

You can usually get a decent apartment - in fact you'll be hard pressed to find many slum landlords about.

If only the TV was a bit more interesting...

what you mean by miniscule variety??

As an American who grew up in modern suburbia, it was easy to get seduced by the quaint cobblestone streets and half-timbered homes. Also the accessibility to things, i.e. I can walk to doctors, grocery stores, and cafes. Therefore I agreed to move here with my German husband. However, and this is a big however, there is a dark cloud hanging over this country. I don't know if it has to do with the past, which is constantly brought up (Nazis and WW II) or if the dark cloud was always here and hence the Nazis coming to power. In any case, if you plan to raise kids, I would really caution you here. The school system is stress-pure. Kids just don't seem to have fun like in the USA. I miss the friendliness of my people, their free spirit and their optimism. Americans will reinvent themselves whenever they want. Here, you choose your future at 16-21. If you don't like your choice, too bad. Just walk around in your beautiful town and through your beautiful forest with that dark cloud over your head. That is Germany for me: a beautiful land with a constant dark cloud. How I long for American sunshine. I am at the point where I have to convince myself to get out of bed each morning. This place may be right for other expats, but after 10 years of trying to force myself to love it here, I know I never will. Please consider very carefully before you commit to a German boyfriend/girlfriend and rush into an international marraige. Find somebody who shares your roots. It is much less complicated. If you can't see that now, you will see it later. When the children come. I know other American women like me, married with kids, and they are miserable here.

One more thing: I can speak fluent German. I have German friends. I mingle with Germans and go to all the festivals. It still doesn' matter. My heart is not here. Is anybody else feeling this way. I mean, it isn't just a matter of learning the language and finding German friends. I still feel like the outsider, and that is getting harder and harder every day. Just want to be with my own people, all the time. It also doesn't help when I meet a German and he/she say: "Why in the world did you leave America to come here?" My answer.....I have no idea.

DSW....or would you rather go by 'lissa'? The real question is not 'Why did you come here?' but "why do you stay?" if it is as bad as you claim it to be? If you are that home-sick for the American way of life then it may be time for you to 'go home' and stop being so miserable. After 10 years i would think you would come to the realization that Germany is not going to change for you.

DSW is also Lissa? That's neat.

DSW,
I am Ami also married to a German. We're raising a child in Köln and I understand that you are having a difficult time. I have those kinds of days, believe me. Maybe it's because I've spent a lifetime traveling here and there that I feel finally happy to settle 'somewhere' is why I take it a bit easier living here. I've come to love where I live. I may have days where I really feel homesick, but that is to be expected. We travel a lot and go back to the US as much as we can. But I just wanted you to know that you're not alone in feeling that way. Just try to keep positive... maybe in the future you all could consider moving to the US again if you just can't make it anymore. Good luck to you.

Samantha Jones experienced a miniscule man in SATC. I doubt she'd have ever had the problem had she experienced what German men have to offer. Talk about tripods...:-0

Thanks, Lissa, for your post.

"Mikeyt" -- you're not so clever. I'm not Lissa.

To just leave is not so easy. I have a husband and kids whom I love, and I will not break up my family.

We do keep our eyes open for opportunities in the USA, of course.

By the way, are there Germans posting here. Why? This is a website for non-Germans living in Germany!!! I couldn't imagine posting on a website for foreigners living in the USA. That has nothing to do with me.

The Expatica Germany website is for all people who have an interest in the expat scene in Germany and that includes "Germans".

Your answer regarding having 'no idea' why you left America to come to Germany is bollocks. You had a reason and it's the reason behind why you are staying there now. Best of luck with your search to return to your homeland.

Thanks, Mikeyt. It's a real bummer to be so down about my current situation. Yes, I had a reason to come here, but I guess I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get back home. Well, as they say: Fools rush in.... So it was my own immaturity which did not enable me to recognize the seriousness, and perhaps permanence, of my choice. Bitching about it does not help, I know. I am in a phase now, which I need to pull myself out of.

Part of this has to do with guilt feelings about abandoning family back home. I believe this is something which women suffer from more than men. My parents are getting older, and my father suffered a heart attack last month. Fortunately, he got to the hospital in time.

"Im Gegensatz" my husband does not have any feelings of duty towards his mother, although they have a very, loving relationship and he helps when he can. But he would have no problem moving forever to Australia, if that suited his fancy. He would never feel a twinge of guilt. He's said this, and I believe him.

So I need to meditate and pray and come to peace with my huge, life-changing choice. I know, it's been 10 YEARS, but this fear and sadness still bubbles up to the surface sometimes. Even now, after all these years.

billybob, I must have found the slum lords. I am near Koln and we found the one that slum landlord in the area I guess. We have had a 3 month nightmare and now can not afford to go somewhere else. Anyway, we were not hard pressed to find the slum landlord. The truth is the flat is nice if the company were not so horrible.

DSW - I'm a Canadian woman, married to a German, mother of two and have lived here for over 17 years. I feel EXACTLY the way you do. You are not alone. In fact I could have written every one of your posts.

DSW: you may be right about the male vs female thing. My spouse & i are the same way. I would have no problem moving to another country / continent and away from my family. My spouse prefers to stay close to her family. It's a tough situation but there are ways to make the best of things. What about scheduling a couple of trips a year back home, just yourself or you & the kids? I'm sure hubby could survive for a week or two on his own. See if you can locate a women's expat support group in your area and join it. I would think some of the other members would have strategies to deal with their feelings. Maybe some of the others who have posted their support for your situation here could offer other suggestions?

As DSW said earlier, its a case of finding inner peace with our decisions. Choosing to exchange one life for another is not an easy thing to do. You can be well-integrated with many friends, but the homeland was a great part of you, your identity. And as expats, living here permanently, it starting everything brand new. Even to learn to speak. So sometimes, we may grieve for the familiarity. For what most of us spent more than half of our lives building and then making a conscious decision to change all of that, mostly for the sake of families and love.

No one really can help turn on that magic 'click' inside that says this is your new home now so just adapt. It has to come from within, somehow. But the support of others helps greatly.