Expat Chatter

You’re not supposed to use birthdates for passwords or combinations, so I used important historical dates. But as an American who lived in Spain and now lives in Germany, many dates stand out. Which led to a lot of...

I was brimming with confidence that my French was good enough to navigate around southern France. But not only was my French not suffisant , my lack of botanical knowledge also got me into trouble. Merde! Support the...

The windy city, indeed! But why windy? And who really caused the Great Fire - if you think it was a cow - then guess again! Support the show www.expatchatter.net Brenda Arnold

Germans are so careful about maintaining their cars and they build their houses so well that they are practically airtight. But on New Year’s Eve, their sense of caution quite literally vanishes into thin air in the...

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore kicked off so many holiday trends, like the idea of a white Christmas (with a little help from Charles Dickens) and the idea (I mean revelation of course, for all of...

Nuremberg is world-famous for its Christmas market but every German town worth its gingerbread has one, too. It isn’t just tourists who flock there but locals, too, all hoping for a white Christmas to create the perfect...

Christmas is confusing enough with Santa, St. Nick, and Father Christmas. In Bavaria they also add the Christkind, the Christchild to the mix. Oh yes, and let’s not forget the three kings who arrive on Epiphany. It took...

Germans could never afford to celebrate a big holiday like Thanksgiving at the end of November the way Americans do. But there’s a good reason for this: They’re already getting all revved up for Christmas! Germans...

After moving to Germany, I was excited to recreate Thanksgiving the way I knew it from my childhood. But then I learned that the traditions I wanted to recreate were not as traditional as I thought. Support the show...

It's not a holiday without pumpkin pie, but what I bake is a far cry from my mother's version. I was shocked to discover that Germany didn’t have ready-made, canned pumpkin mix. This was followed by the equally shocking...

Americans celebrate fall with Halloween, but Germans have St. Martin. Children carry lit lanterns in processions through the dark, singing. It sounds so lovely, until you’re the one out there battling the cold wind to...

If you’re just settling in on the couch, then don’t let any Germans into the room. They’ll open up all the windows to let in fresh air – regardless of the outside temperature. Support the show www.expatchatter.net...

Some Germans celebrate Halloween, but not all of them. I was determined to find a way for my kids to enjoy it the way I did, spurring me to take some unusual action. Support the show www.expatchatter.net Brenda Arnold

My experience with mushrooms was confined to cans as a kid. In Germany, collecting them is a cherished hobby. But don’t bother asking anybody where to find them because they’d rather sacrifice their first-born before...

School has started, a good moment to consider the burden on mothers with children in German schools. The extra work required to support their children in German schools – or rather systems of schools - is so great that...