Integration

Integration to my mind means mixing of groups of people. As I learned during the integration course which I attended this is not how it works here. Attending was not compulsory for me but it is a requirement for german citizenship. I am as yet undecided if this would be …

Betwixt and between

It's been a year of huge change and upheaval. This year is going to be no different. Leaving and arriving were the defining moments of 2022. Although feeling a mix of sadness and guilt at leaving my home country Scotland has changed since I left. New monarch, two PM's and …

Four months in...

Beurocracy is everything ohne stempel gehts nicht/nothing works without being stamped Healthcare is excellent even though you have to wait efficiency is a myth to sell flashy cars Berlin is a series of small towns which are joined together by the S and U bahn Scotland and Ireland are …

The different days

are strange times. We are both foreign but familiar which creates a unique state to be in. Being in Gerany and speaking the lanaguge are not new to us. There are things that I am becoming aware of now that I live here that I had only heard about before …

The hard middle days

are filled with forms, paperwork and Termine. We are slowly starting to find out way around out local area. Each day we venture further and futher both to attend to every day tasks but also to get a better sense of where we are and how the places join toegether …

The steckdose days

are spent coaxing our British tech to speak German. Life as we knew in Scotland has been turned on its head and we now have to make sense of a new everyday where everything is new. We are fumbling about trying to make sense of the onslaught of new experiences …

The pfand days

are complicated. There are two Berlins, they know about each other. Contemporary Fairy tales are told. If you work hard you will get to go to University, get a good job, meet someone you like and live happily ever after. On the other hand if you dont work hard you …

The polite days

are somewhat difficult to navigate. In Scotland being polite shows that you are being considerate to others and this drives social behaviour. Not to do so is considered rude and it is considered shameful to be impolite. In Germany being efficient overrules any consideration on politeness. It is seeen as …

The stempel days

are the first steps towards getting settled here. In Germany official documents are stamoed and signed. The only time I can think of this happeneing in scotland is when you check out a library book. I am new to this legitimacy through stempeling. I am still apalled that I had …

The travel days

are somewhat anxious ones. Is the suitcase too heavy, do we have enough jumpers and how can you really fit all of your life into a suitcase? Just a few of the questions that have been buzzing in my brain like angry wasps. The short version is we made it …