What if these feelings of never quite fitting in don't go away, no matter how long I live here? Does that mean I've made some sort of mistake -- that I didn't try hard enough to integrate, or that I simply chose the wrong place in the world to live?
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The perceived prevalence of cigarette smoking in Germany has always baffled me. Germans are model citizens in so many regards. So why, in God's name, do they smoke cigarettes like it's 1950 and lung cancer isn't a thing yet?
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How do you find a balance between fairly absolute convictions about what is appropriate and what is not with acknowledgements that you are interacting with a different culture with a completely different history and relation to these "racist" ideas?
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Although the chasm between American and German culture is not as wide as, say, the chasm between American and Chinese culture, there are still many areas where it's clear that Germans just operate a little differently from us Americans. And, inevitably, after spending so much time in Germany, some of my habits have begun to change to mirror the German way of life, for better or worse. Here are a just a few of the ways that living in Germany has changed me
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I recently hit a very important milestone in my move to Berlin: I have finally received my Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit) as well as my working permissions. I am now free to take up gainful employment in Germany! It's been quite the journey since I arrived in Berlin in mid-September. Here is a breakdown of all of the major milestones I had to hit to make it to this point, as well as some tips that could prove helpful if you ever find yourself making a similar move.
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Germany is a country thoroughly well loved by Americans. We glorify their beer, we admire their economy and industriousness, and we think Angela Merkel should run for U.S. president (just kidding). But just because Americans tend to love Germany doesn’t mean they actually know that much about it. Here are four of what I would say are the top misconceptions Americans have about Germany and its inhabitants.
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