I was confused as to why my then manager was laughing as I shared my weekly updates with the team. "No one can understand your accent," he, a fellow Brit, explained as I then realised that although everyone could speak English, my thick Souf Lundon accent wasn't going to fly with my predominately German teammates.... Continue Reading →
Alisa: An extrovert with many long-standing friendships from different paths of life, including school, travels and work. Strong interpersonal skills, good at keeping in touch with people, and always, always socialising.Yep, that was me before I moved abroad. To be more accurate, you could even add a third 'always' before 'socialising.' I loved being surrounded... Continue Reading →
Along with Beer, Pretzels and the Autobahn, Germany is well known for it's 'Ordnung', often translated as 'order'. However, when exploring the assumed order, organisation and efficiency of German culture, there seems to be more than what meets the eye. Before delving into the topic, I feel a definition is appropriate: Rumour: "An unofficial interesting... Continue Reading →
It's only natural that we want to know more about the person behind the blog posts - I'm exactly the same! After years of sharing my experience of living in Frankfurt and being in touch with so many of you, I've put together your FAQs, so that the answers are all in once place 😊... Continue Reading →
I was shocked when I first moved to Germany and people would tell me they couldn't meet up because they wanted to relax and just be at home. Like really, I was shocked. Why so honest? Could they not have at least made up a real excuse? It's not like they're actually busy. However, after... Continue Reading →
The stare I received as I quickly tried to get to the other side of the road in Germany in 2012 was so piercing that I've not forgotten it until this day. And it took a few of these unwelcoming stares for me to realises that I was being frowned upon for crossing the road... Continue Reading →
"Zusammen oder getrennt?" Together or separate asks the waiter/ess as you finish a meal with friends and request to pay the bill. If you're wondering what is meant by this, in Germany you are literally asked if you want to split the bill between the table or if one individual will be covering everyone. Honestly, I think... Continue Reading →
"What!? How can an apartment not come with a kitchen?" Is the exact reaction I had when I first found out that German apartments do not necessarily come with a kitchen. I mean, really, how is that even possible? It's like the bathroom coming without anywhere to wash, or like a friend of mine said,... Continue Reading →
Imagine being hungry, like really hungry and instead of offering you a nice, filling, savoury meal, someone asks you if you want slice of cake. Noooo, I don't want cake, I'm starving, I want real food! I recently went to a cafe with a group of friends (German and non-German) and given that it was... Continue Reading →
Being sick is a weak excuse in the London office. Unless everyone can see that you have dragged yourself to work that morning, are looking extra rough, tried to act as if you’re not ill, but still ended up nearly fainting at your desk, you’re either completely faking it, exaggerating or running out of annual... Continue Reading →
Essential organisation is required for the brutal 3 minute procedure of having your food practically chucked at you after being scanned, whilst you’re expected to pack, swipe your points card, sign after using your debit card (because apparently a PIN just isn’t good enough) and then maybe you’ll get a "tschüß" if you’re lucky as... Continue Reading →
Germans are so direct that the term 'small talk' doesn't even exist in their language. Why? It's just not something they do. Regardless of whether it's a touchy subject or not, Germans jump straight to the point in conversation, rather than beating around the bush and facing confrontation as indirectly as possible, as do the... Continue Reading →
Alisa Jordan Writes 