The Spotted Sparrow

For those of you not familiar, Eurovision is an annual song contest that has brought us countless numbers of cheesy songs. It is dreadful, but it makes for an excellent excuse to drink and laugh hysterically at the bad singing, cheesy lyrics, and over-the-top themes. I was seriously disappointed this year! There was not one song about vampires, no death metal, nobody dressed up in an animal costume, and only one bad dance anthem. Don't these people realize that we are watching the show only for the awesomely bad performances? The only one that stood out as seriously bad was some early 90s 'rap' song from Finland (note to Finland, please stick to your usual death metal, kthxbye). While I'm whinging about it, can someone please tell me when Israel became part of Europe? Since I have no ridiculous performances to show you, you'll just have to make do with my favorite song of the evening.

Isabella from A Touch of Dutch recently wrote a meme for expats. You know I had to participate being an expat myself. I know there are more of you out there; feel free to participate and change the questions to suit your host country. I would love to hear about your adventures!


BEFORE

• Before you knew you'd be coming to Germany, for whatever reason you originally came to Germany, truthfully how much did you know about the country?
  I knew a good deal of the country's history and a bit about the culture. I had stayed with my husband's family several times before we moved here, which gave me some insight into everyday life here. I had also been to Germany twice before meeting my husband.
  
• Did you learn about Germany in school when you were growing up?
  Yes, but mostly in regards to WWII.
  
• Do you have family who is German or of German heritage?
  Yes, one of my aunts is German, although she moved to the US as a child and does not speak German.
• Had you ever lived outside of your home country for longer than one month prior to living in Germany?
  No. I had been to Europe before, but never stayed in any one place long enough to get more than a tourist perspective.
• Had you learned to speak any other language than your own, even if only partially so, before coming to Germany?
  Yes, I studied French for 8 years. Sadly, that was 10 years ago and I've since forgotten almost all of it.
• When you learned you'd be coming to Germany, did you feel it was important to learn German?
  Yes. While many people do speak English, especially in Western Germany, it just seems rude to live in a country without even trying to speak the language.
• Did anyone prepare you with information of any type before you came to live in Germany, did you attempt to find information on your own, or did you come to Germany without preparing?
  I am very lucky that my husband is German, so I was able to ask him and his family all types of questions before we moved. I also read a book about the cultural differences between the US and Germany.
• How did your friends and family react when they learned you'd be moving to Germany?
  They were very supportive and excited to have an excuse to visit Europe.
• What did you think would be your biggest challenge living in a foreign country? Or did you feel you would face any big challenges?
  learning German

AFTER

• Upon arriving, can you remember the overall impression you had in the first 48 hours?
  I was beyond excited. I had always wanted to live in Europe and it seemed like I was in a dream. I hadn't seen my husband in a month and was so happy to be together in our new home.
  
• Name three of your favorite things about the German culture which first come to mind:
  I have to admit that these things didn't immediately come to mind. In fact, I had to think long and hard to find something I like. I go back and forth between liking and disliking Germany, and the past few months have been leaning heavily toward dislike. For those of you who have lived in a foreign country, I think you will understand; some days you love it and some days you hate it.
  1. Farmer's Markets - I love wandering around the markets with a cup of coffee, buying fresh produce and flowers while people watching.
  2. Castles - Living near the Rhine means there are castles all over the place. The goth nerd in me loves castles!
  3. History - There is stuff here that you just can't find in the US. While walking in the woods near my in-laws' house, we found a Prussian stone border marker.
• Culture shock. Does this ring a bell? [Not sure what culture shock is? Click here to learn more.]
  DING DONG, the bells are deafening! My culture shock has been prolonged as I don't have much interaction with Germans. You're probably wondering how that can be when I have lived in Germany for two years. For the first 9 months, I commuted about 4 hours a day to a full time job where I worked with almost all non-Germans and spoke only English. Obviously, the commute left me no time for a life outside of that. Now that I work from home, the only interaction I get with Germans is while running errands or writing emails to German customers. I have found it extremely hard to meet people here and have yet to find the secret of how Germans meet new people. Like I mentioned before, some days I feel lucky to be living here and other days I want to punch everyone in the face.
• How far have you come with learning German?
  I'm at an intermediate level of German. I can understand about 75%, depending on the situation. I make a lot of grammatical errors, but can get my point across.
• Has your view on politics or world issues changed from how you previously viewed things before living in Germany?
  Not really. I was a liberal democrat who leaned toward socialism before coming here. After experiencing the wonders of universal health care, I am more in favor of certain aspects of socialism than I was before.
• Since living here, have you learned anything new about yourself? Or perhaps have you learned anything else new? A new hobby or a new way of life?
  I've always prided myself on being fiercely independent and am still coming to terms with having to rely on my husband for so much here. I started The Spotted Sparrow which has been going very well so far (knock on wood). I'm so used to having jobs that are just OK, so it is an amazing feeling to spend most of my days doing something that I really love.