FAQ

Here’s a sampling of some of the questions I’ve been asked by readers over the years. I picked the ones that I think are most likely to pop into more than just one persons mind, or that were just odd. It was surprising to go back through all the emails and see how many there are!

About Germany

Are there World Markets in Germany?

Not that I’m aware of.

I’m moving to Germany and I’ve heard stories, but what is it really like for Asians in Germany?

I wish I could be totally reassuring to you, but it’s probably best that you come to Germany with your eyes wide open. I never felt like a minority in the US. I was just me. I’m very aware now that I am a minority, even when I go back to the US for a visit. Some Germans have issues with minorities, especially in the former East. Some younger Germans explained it to me that some of the older former East German residents see all Asians as refugees from Vietnam and because of this treat them badly. I was sometimes pretty miserable in the east, but have grown to love Germany now that I live in Bavaria.

About Moving to/Visiting Germany

I’m traveling to Germany soon, what should I see?

You will probably first want to go to your local bookstore or public library and browse through the travel guides for Germany. Find one you like and read it. If, after that, you have specific questions about an area that I’ve lived (Berlin, Rostock, Potsdam, Regensburg), I’ll be happy to try and answer them.

My girlfriend and I are wanting to move to Germany, where she grew up. Are we going to have a terrible time with this?

It really depends on the person. Not knowing you, there is no way I can give you an answer. But if you want to do it, you probably will do fine. You’ll of course have bumps in the road, but it’ll eventually be smooth sailing. Read some blogs by expats in Germany (there’s mine and there are plenty in my sidebar). That’ll give you an idea of the issues expats face.

I am traveling with my family for the first time to Germany. Do you know about how one would travel between the airport and the Inn we will be staying at? Is it a easy thing to get a train or taxi from the airport?

It is no problem at all to get a taxi from the airport and there are usually public modes of transportation available as well.

About Me

Why didn’t you reply to my message?

There’s a couple options: 1) my spam filter got it and I haven’t gone through/didn’t see it in my quick scan, 2) you didn’t ask anything and I’m busy with a toddler (I guess maybe I could reply “Thanks” to every “Cool site” email I get, but that’s giving away my email address to too many folks), 3) your message was a little kooky/crazy/scary.

Do you speak Italian?

Nope, only English and German.

I was just wondering what your current situation is at the moment in regards to work and if you are open to opportunities, either home working or in Germany?

Not really. I’m guessing you found me through XING or LinkedIn, I’ll update my profile on those sites when I am interested in reentering the workforce.

About the blog

I really like your blog and was wondering if you could put a link to mine on your site?

That’s a difficult one, as I can’t link to everyone out there, then my links would be pretty useless. I update my links about once a quarter; to have a chance of getting on my blogroll, your blog should be interesting enough that I put it in my Google Reader. You need to post regularly, in complete sentences, and have a decent layout and color scheme (no fuschia writing on navy blue background, dude!). That also means that I need to hear about your blog somehow. You could send me a message or make meaningful comments on my blog (preferred, and by meaningful, I don’t mean, “Hi, like your blog, read mine please”).

Other

I am looking for the X. I have found no website yet that ships to the US. Do you know of any websites or stores (I am willing to call) that would ship to the US?

I probably don’t know of a place that ships X to the US, you’ll have more luck, I think, if you try contacting the manufacturer of X directly (through their website) and asking.

Can you proofread my book/design my site/critique my 1000+ photos… for free?

I’m a busy gal and can’t afford to give away my goods for free. Plus, none of those things are a specialty of mine, so I’d have to so no. If you want some statistical analysis done, and I have some time on my hands, we can negotiate a price, but other than that…

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