American Expat Living in Germany - Interview with Jessica

Published: 21 Apr at 9 AM
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Filed: Interviews,Germany
Jessica is a twenty-something, married lady who recently moved to Germany with her husband and Cockapoo, Copley. She enjoys traveling, writing, working out, cooking and decorating their new apartment. Jessica's expat blog is called Room for Gelato (see listing here)


Here's the interview with Jessica...


Where are you originally from?
Cincinnati, Ohio

In which country and city are you living now?
Stuttgart, Germany

How long have you lived in Germany and how long are you planning to stay?
2 months and will be here for 3 years

Why did you move to Germany and what do you do?
My husband's job brought us here for a 3 year assignment. I am not currently working but hope to work in Marketing and/or Teaching while here.

Did you bring family with you?
Only our two year old Cockapoo, Copley

How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
The transition has been harder in some ways and easier in others. It is definitely difficult not speaking German (yet!) and communicating with others. The rules and laws are difficult to navigate and even finding an apartment was harder than I thought. The nicer things are transitioning to bringing our dog everywhere, the great food and being able to walk or take a train everywhere.

Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
I am lucky to have had friends here already and some are expats and some are Germans. It's still early to tell if it's easy or hard to make friends, but we have met some very nice people so far.

What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
The Ludwigsburg Castle is amazing!

What do you enjoy most about living in Germany?
I enjoy bringing my dog inside restaurants, to the mall and on the train. I also love the ease of traveling.

How does the cost of living in Germany compare to home?
Our rent is comparable. Food is surprisingly less expensive, as is Internet.

What negatives, if any, are there to living in Germany?
Not knowing the language is a negative.

If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to Germany, what would it be?
Have a plan A and a plan B and have someone you can call who speaks German and can answer all your questions!

What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
Going through the registration process!

When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
Oh gosh! I have no idea!

What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
  1. Be as prepared as possible.
  2. Accept that the process is long, frustrating and really, really exciting!
  3. Apartments will not have closets and sometimes kitchens, so be prepared to go to IKEA A LOT!
  4. Finding an apartment will be harder than you think and the good apartments go really, really fast.
  5. Have fun! This is an exciting time. Focus on the positives or else you'll go insane.
Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
I started my blog, RoomforGelato.com, as a way to share the great things happening in life, like great food, friends, travel destinations, home decorations and puppy photos. Since moving to Germany a few months ago, my blog has become my place on the internet to share my experiences, the good, bad and ugly.

How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
Twitter

About the author

Expat Blog ListingJessica is an American expat living in Germany. Blog description: Always room for great things in life. Recently became an expat to Germany with my husband and dog. This blog explores our life adventures.
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