One of biggest occupants of my pandemic pause is Jetztpat, a fully-fledged company I co-founded with two fellow expats. We support foreigners living in Germany with navigating their way through the bureaucracy—from visas to taxes and everything in between. Go check us out!
All articles filed in life in hamburg
The Worst Parts of Being an Expat
There are days when I wake up, and I am so damn grateful to have this expat life. Living abroad means days are full of surprises and new experiences, delicious foods and castles (yes castles!) just sitting there on the side of the road. But there are other days when nothing seems to go right,…
Read More
From Hamburg to the Haupstadt
The other day I looked at the calendar and realized it’s been a month since I moved to Berlin. In that month, a ton of things have happened. To whit: Another move. Since I was 17, I’ve moved 17 times. Which is kind of staggering. But it also makes the moving process a bit ritualistic.…
Read More
7 Important Things Living Abroad Taught Me
Last Saturday marked the start of my second year living abroad in Germany. Which seems insane—it feels like I just landed from California! I learned a lot of important things living abroad in the past year—about myself, about my new country, about people. In truth, I think a lot of things I knew already. I’ve…
Read More
Eating Like an American in Germany
“Tacos.” “Cheez-its.” “Corn on the cob.” “You know what I can’t find here? Pumpkin!” “You looking for pumpkin? I got. You want?” So went a recent conversation with my Ami* amie, Britt. Sharing a post-inauguration drink to drown our sorrows, we were resigned to staying in Germany, but bemoaning four years without our American food…
Read More
Culture Shock #5: It’s (Unapologetically) Christmastime
Americans know better than to wish each other a Merry Christmas. Issue it with the best of intentions, and you’re likely to receive a lecture on political correctness. Holiday decorations have to be kept to generic winter themes, and even the traditional red, green, and white is often tweaked for inclusivity. Not everyone celebrates Christmas.…
Read More
Oktoberfest an der Alster: Celebrating Hamburg-Style
I had really hoped to get down to Bavaria to celebrate my first Oktoberfest in Germany—but with a packed work schedule, coordinating with visiting friends, and the rest of real life, somehow time got away from me. Should I also blame in on the common conviction that Oktoberfest is held in October? Sure! Machen wir…
Read More
Before and After 2 – Painted Statements
This post continues where the Before left off. Having come to this country with only the clothes on my back (okay, and two suitcases and four boxes), I also had no furniture. The first night I spent in the place was in a nest of blankets on the floor. While a lack of furniture made everyday…
Read MoreBefore and After 1 – First Look
I have moved 25 times in the last ten years. And honestly, I don’t know which I find more staggering—that it’s been ten years since I first moved away from home, or that I’ve been such a nomad. Over those years I spent a lot of time fantasizing about what my ideal place would look…
Read More
A Beautiful Day in Hamburg’s Neighborhoods
Let’s play a game. As in San Francisco, I’ve found that one of the first questions people ask here in Hamburg is, “What neighborhood do you live in?” There is the hipster neighborhood (Schanze) and the LGBT neighborhood (St. Georg), the party neighborhood (St. Pauli) and the multicultural neighborhood (Altona), the neighborhood for wealthy old people (Winterhude) and the neighborhood…
Read More