Married To A German :)

[jundp 191]

skype gives me a very good rate to Germany..

Pedro you should use www.peterzahlt.de It will ring J's phone first and she'll have to listen to some ads for a few seconds but it's free for 30 minutes.

[SarahCK 0]

Hi,

Just wanted to introduce myself! I had an old VisaJourney account, but I can't seem to access it anymore, so I have re-registered. Anyway, my husband is from Berlin, and we were married there in 2003. We now live in NJ, but are seriously considering moving back to Germany for various reasons. Has anyone here done that? Anyway, hello to everyone from Sarah & Boris in New Jersey!

[jundp 191]

Hi Sarah. Well, Wacken lived in Germany for a while and there's at least one person in this thread who lives in Germany now with her husband. We have discussed moving back some day, but not yet.

ETA: I just came back from a conference in Berlin in March and I think it's my favorite city in Germany!

Edited May 15, 2009 by jundp

[veronicavonn 7]

Hi SarahCK,

I am the American who lives in Germany with my husband. (Most likely the one that jundp is refering to.)

The reason I moved here at first, and not vice versa, was because when we had initially made the plans that he was going to come to California, USA on a Fiance Visa and we would go from there. But as soon we he got home from his vacation in California, his oldest son was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer and there was absolutely no way my husband was about to move.

So, in July 2008 I took the big leap and left my (good) job, family and friends behind and moved to Germany to be with him. I came on a Tourist Visa and we were married while I was on that. I have since gotten my Residence Permit to live here legally.

What exactly are your reasons for wanting to move back to Germany?

Just so you know, Germany is in a recession too. It's not just the USA. It is also pretty hard to get a job here. So, unless your husband (or you) have already got a job offer, I highly doubt you will just walk into ANY kind of job here. (Unless, of course, your lifelong dream is to clean toilets and mop floors. In which case, you still need to speak the language. I have found this out the hard way as well.)

Anyhoo, I read this thread quite frequently. Feel free to respond here or you can even PM me. But I am sure if you respond here you will get advice from people who have moved to the USA as well.

Edited May 15, 2009 by veronicavonn

[Dr. ZoSo 0]

I cant really comment as to why my wife decided to come to the US and live here rather than in Germany. She came to the US before we met with her ex-husband. I have asked her several times why she moved initially after hearing about all of the things she misses on a daily basis.

Although she has never given me a straight answer, I tend to believe she like to compare all aspects of daily life in the US to Germany and then pointing out the differences to me. She really enjoys throwing the "that's not how its done in Germany" line in my face!

[jundp 191]

I hear that things are different in Germany too, but mostly in a joking manner. My husband decided to move here because of my kids. Plus, he lived in the US before, and he's a software developer so it made more sense since I live in Seattle.

If we moved back to Germany one day it would depend on jobs. I'm a teacher, so if there was availability at an international school or one of the DOD schools, it would be fine. We both really like the German approach to life though. We've worked to incorporate that into our lives here. For example not working constantly, taking life at a slower pace, etc. It's really just a state of mind, I think.

[Betti 1]

We have decided to live in the US because it was easier to find good jobs for both of us here. Both of us speak both languages (german and english) fluently, so that would not have been a problem.

Sometimes we talk about moving to Germany at some point, because we like it there as well. The social system is better and it's nice to have all that paid vacation time and sick leave, when you need it. But for at least another 5 years we will stay right here in Texas...we just bought our first house together! :-)

[Otto 83]

We enjoy talking about the little things (or big things) that are different here vs in Germany - some are no big deal while others are simply head-scratchers (in a 'why would that be different at all' kind of way)..

[jundp 191]

Case in point regarding cultural differences: the other night P informed me that the dinner I had cooked was devoid of flavor and terribly tough. Now it's funny, but at the time I was PISSED! When I told him it hurt my feelings he said "well, if I don't tell you then how will you know not to cook it again?" Note: he cooks too and he has no problem sharing household chores, so it's not a macho thing...he just is much more blunt than I am.

[cassi9879 20]

Benny tells me my rice isn't moist enough and adds ketchup.

[jundp 191]

ot: I hate the word 'moist.'

[cassi9879 20]

ot: I hate the word 'moist.'

lol

[jundp 191]

Hey have any of you been to Prague? We want to take the kids this summer. When we were first planning our wedding before we found out about many little snags with the K1, Prague was to be our honeymoon destination. Clearly that didn't happen.

Suggestions?

[Dr. ZoSo 0]

Case in point regarding cultural differences: the other night P informed me that the dinner I had cooked was devoid of flavor and terribly tough. Now it's funny, but at the time I was PISSED! When I told him it hurt my feelings he said "well, if I don't tell you then how will you know not to cook it again?" Note: he cooks too and he has no problem sharing household chores, so it's not a macho thing...he just is much more blunt than I am.

My wife (the German) is always trying to make her special sauces work with American ingredients. She prides herself on her cooking and although I have been told to tell the truth about her concoctions, I know it's a loaded question that can not be answered without penalties.

I suspect this is the same in any household where one partner cooks and the other "eats".

When her mom comes over to visit it's like the culinary institute in the kitchen with those two. One cooks, one learns, and they both yell about the right way to do it until my wife just adopts her mothers way and admits defeat.

I honestly think one of the reasons she enjoys going home is because her mom will make what ever she wants while she is there. Last time we visited for three weeks we both gained 10 pounds.

Hey have any of you been to Prague? We want to take the kids this summer. When we were first planning our wedding before we found out about many little snags with the K1, Prague was to be our honeymoon destination. Clearly that didn't happen.

Suggestions?

Never been to Prague. We almost made it to Austria last trip to Germany, but it was during the week and we couldn't get anyone to take us there.

[jundp 191]

P and I have been to Austria together, but he says it's "barely Austria" We went to Hoher Ifen to hike. We'd like to take the kids also to the Alps, either to Basel or somewhere else in Austria, for hiking. We've got a pretty full trip planned, Ulm, Nuernberg, Nordlingen, Prague, Vienna, hiking in the Alps. We feel so lucky to have a place to stay and a car to use! My son has been to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France, but my daughter's never been to Europe. Other than a couple of small trips to Canada, this will be her first time out of the country.