Just say yes to German. If you dare. Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

I once compared my experience learning German to dating a guy that I really want to like, but I just can’t seem to click with. We keep going out, because it seems like we should get along great, but he just doesn’t really do it for me.  Everyone tells me he’s actually a really good guy, once you get to know him. I’ve never been a quitter. Ever. In fact, I once won a trophy for “Perseverance” in my 4-H Horse club back in my youth. I also won an award on my field hockey team for “most determined player.” Like I said, I’m not a quitter. But German, well, trying to learn this complex and challenging language has made me want to throw in this heavy, hyper-structured linguistic towel almost every other week, or sometimes every other day.

Okay, so yes, the language is hard, but lots of languages are hard, right? So, why is it so hard to really learn German in Germany? My friends and family often ask me, “So, you must be fluent in German now, right? I mean, you’ve been there over a year now.”

I simultaneously laugh and get frustrated when I hear this. I know it would be different if I was living in a small town in Germany where no one really spoke any English, but I don’t. I live in Hamburg – Germany’s second largest city and an incredibly multicultural one at that. Almost everyone here speaks at least a tiny bit of English, and a heck of a lot of people speak a whole lot of English and they speak it incredibly well. As a friend of mine once said, “the chances of me finding a German who speaks worse English than I speak German are slim to none.”

It’s possible to find Germans who don’t speak English. I have a few absolute beginner students, for example, but they are the exception, not the rule. Nowadays all Germans learn English for a set number of years, just like Canadians have to learn French. But in typical German fashion, when they do something, they do it well. Most Canadians I know who aren’t French Canadian only remember how to say “Où sont les toilettes?” or “Voulez vous couchez avec moi?” No, that last one was not taught in school.

So, my problems with German aren’t simple (kind of like German) and are multiple (kind of like the amount of letters in German words). To start off, even Germans will agree that German is hard. Not only are there three different genders possible for every single object, person or thing, but once you memorize all these genders, then you have to remember something that might make you cry: “the four cases.” I’m not going to get into any linguistic details here, partly because it will just bore you to death and partly because after a year of studying them, most of the time I have no idea which one to use even now. So it’s not enough for German to have three different genders, but then there is a different way to express these genders in every single sentence you say. Thanks for that German, thanks. But at least it’s not Polish, which has a whopping seven different cases. Thank God for small miracles.

So you’ve got the cases, you’ve got the gender, and you’ve got the fact that you put the freakin’ verb at the END of the sentence instead of somewhere in the beginning. People joke that Germany is the land of yodas. I’ve even caught myself saying in English along the lines of, “When one works hard then one can happy be.” You wouldn’t believe some of the weird things I’ve said in English the past year due to the giant steam train of German smashing through my English brain tracks.

The thing is, I’ve always loved the romance languages. I was in French immersion as a child for six years so French has always been a part of me. I’ve learned some Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian and could connect with each of these languages on a deep and sensual level. Speaking Italian feels like making out with a language. When you speak it you feel sexy, alive, and beautiful. Speaking Portuguese makes me feel like I’m drunk, and I want to party. And Spanish is like a roller coaster on your tongue. These languages speak to me, pun intended. They are just so…pretty!

But German came along, loud and harsh and edgy and pushed all these other languages aside like a big bully and sat down right in front of me and said, “Just try to learn me. I dare you.” And so, with my ‘Perseverance’ trophy in one hand, my “most determined field hockey player” certificate taped to my chest and a backpack full of grit and humor I took up his challenge. Boy oh boy, I sure didn’t know what I was getting into.

I’ve been taking classes at the Hamburger Volkshochschule since I arrived in Germany and well, that has been an adventure in and of itself which I will reserve for another blog post. I’ll just say for now that it’s a community college which offers super cheap, government-subsidized language learning with varying levels of teaching quality and about 10-15 different nationalities and students in each class. To say it’s an adventure in language learning is a massive understatement. More on that later. But, the point is that I have only had time to take two classes a week for 90 minutes each at a time. The rest of my day is spent mostly in English, except for the part where I listen to the radio in German every day. I’ve done this for a year now and still don’t understand all of what I hear (she says as she bangs her head against the wall.)

You see, I’m an English teacher, and I’m a writer. I teach English every day, I write in English, and the majority of my friends here are international or native speakers themselves so English is our common language. Even my German friends here and the German men I date speak to me mostly in English. At least all my daily tasks now, from ordering at a bakery to doing my banking, are conducted in German (unless something comes up that I really don’t understand), but having a real conversation about real topics or heaven forbid, a German party where a massive group of people are speaking German really quickly all at once, are all still massive challenges. FYI – drinking excessive amounts of wine does NOT help you speak or understand German better. I recommend one to two glasses to loosen the inhibitions. I’ve learned this one the hard (though not entirely unpleasant) way.

It’s not that Germans are unwilling to speak German with me, or that they don’t appreciate me trying but it’s just that they have this uncontrollable need to correct us (which can be equally helpful and aggravating) and when that doesn’t work, they’ll just switch to English to make things easier. After a while you get so used to Germans always switching to English that many days you just give up with a sigh and speak English. They also simply love practising their English too, But remember what my friend said? Their English is usually better than our German. Don’t get me wrong, I have friends here who are quite fluent in German. It really impresses me. I listen to them speak with my jaw dropped in awe. But many of these friends not only had the chance to take intensive German courses for months on end (this is really the most effective way to properly learn German when you’re here) but they are also married to Germans or have German partners, which helps a whole lot.

When you’ve just moved to a foreign country, and you’re working your butt off just to make money, learn the ways of the country and get by, the last thing you want is to make something more difficult than it has to be, so you choose the language of least resistance – which is usually English. And English is just…well kind of freakin’ cool. Even some of my students have told me they’d rather swear in English than in German. And even the words for “cool” are cooler in English, as a friend and I were discussing just last night (though now I’m tempted to translate German exclamations literally and say things like “That is the hammer!” and “That is super horny!” in English now.)

There is one place where German is actually ridiculously cool and I love it and connect with it. Really. Wait for it….German rap. I could listen to German rap and hip hop all day. Something about the rhythmic and crisp nature of German makes it work SO well in this genre and it’s also pretty easy to understand. It seriously rocks. Well, if rap can rock, it does. If you want to check it out have a listen to the famous Hamburg rapper, Samy Deluxe, with one of my favourite tunes, “Poesie Album“. Whenever I get frustrated with German or Germany I just listen to my “Die Deutsch Rap Playlist” on Spotify and I instantly feel better. For those in Canada – Spotify is amazing and I really hope it comes to Canada by the time I get back. And seriously, listen to German rap.

So, there’s just a small peek into my difficult journey with learning German so far. I’m happy to say that I have actually made progress, but it’s just been happening very, very slowly. Maybe one day I will make a massive break through and suddenly everything will click and I will fall deep and hard for German. Maybe. I mean, there are some things I do love about German, other than just the rap, like the logic of German words and the fact that there is really a word for everything in German. There is probably even a word for how a cup of coffee is placed on a table. My students often just don’t believe me when I tell them we don’t have the equivalent words in English. And I actually learn a lot of German from my students so thanks all of you guys! I may never master this language, I may never even love it, but the fact that it is so challenging to learn makes me even more proud of any breakthrough I have or progress I make and I appreciate and respect it. German may be kicking my butt, but I’m kicking back hard. I’m not giving up yet.

This post was originally published here.

Mmm, donuts. When donuts are half the price of veggies, which do you put in your shopping cart? Photo copyright dpa/picture alliance

Today YG guest blogger Cup of tea anyone? talks about supermarket shopping in Germany versus in the UK.  You can find her posts here every Monday morning.

Nine days in the UK and two kilos heavier, I am now safely back in the bosom of my much-loved Berlin home and family.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my homeland and my albeit mad-as-a-bag-of-cats family. I even get quite nostalgic when it rains or when I see a person walking around in shorts in the balmy 12 degree sunshine (clearly British: Who else dresses for summer, purely based on the level of sunlight?) However, Berlin / Germany appears to have gotten under my skin.

I do feel maybe a little pang of treachery when I find myself waxing lyrical about the wonders of the Berlin transport system or the German way of life when I’m amongst friends and family in the UK (and I’m sure they’re groaning inwardly whenever I start a sentence with “In Germany..”) but actually, my ideal situation would be to take the best of both countries/cultures and make the British/German equivalent of the Turkish/German Neukölln district of Berlin….

Imagine: We’d have fish and chip shops and Greggs instead of Imbiss/Dönerbuden; There’d be Primark and Asda Living and best of all, TESCO (especially for my friend, Fiona Gray).

I was going to say “I can’t imagine what damage this would do to my wallet” but actually, having walked, wide-eyed around Tesco during my trip, imagining all of the things I could buy there and eventually eat, I felt a sense of despair (and became somewhat nauseous). Despair that for my money, I could get SO MUCH MORE CRAP than in Germany. Cookies, two packs for a pound, an aisle full of loaves of soft fluffy white bread with no nutritional value whatsoever, an aisle of cheddar cheese (I think this is the only negative thing Hendrik’s said about the UK with which I will agree- do we even know about the existence of brie? Camembert? Gorgonzola?) and convenience food galore. Oh, and Ben and Jerry’s for, like £3 ??!!  So whilst my wallet might not suffer, my waistline would (and did when I lived in the UK).

It makes me sad that it costs less to buy a jar of ready-made pasta sauce than it does to make a nice sauce from fresh ingredients from scratch, and though I like the idea of the much greater range of foods available in the UK supermarket chains, the amount of processed and convenience foods is phenomenal. That plus the discounts offered seem to be a recipe for supermarket-chain-led obesity.

And it shows: In Germany, I sometimes feel like a whale compared to the seeming majority of lithe ladies, whereas in the UK, I feel pretty comfortable with my size (UK 18/EUR 46).

OK, so I’m not saying that supermarkets are the root of all evil and that they take away shoppers’ freedom of choice but when you’re faced with a bunch of bananas for £1.30 or two packs of 5 custard filled donuts for £1, it’s hard to go for the healthy option, especially when you have to look at every penny you spend. Freedom of choice is a bit redundant there, don’t you think?

Just saying…..

This post was originally published here.

Neuschwanstein Castle lurking in the mist. Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Everybody is talking about Neuschwanstein

It is, after all, like, the prettiest castle ever.  We talked about it this week.  She talked about it this week.  Bask in the glory of Crazy Kind Ludwig’s architectural gift to the world.

German bread is awesome. Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Germany: Land of Bread

Grounded Traveler has declared that Germany isn’t really the land of beer or cars or lederhose.  It is the land of bread.  Good point.

“Freiburg is a city attached to nature. The Black Forest isn’t just nearby, an arm of it comes right down into the center of town as Castle Hill.  It is also a city of relaxation and enjoyment of outdoors.” Read more about Grounded Traveler’s perfect day in Freiburg.

Depending on where you live apartments may or may not come with a kitchen. Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

German apartments don’t come with kitchens

There will always be a room with kitchen hook ups, but that room will usually be empty.  It is a big sticking point for many expats, used to a functional kitchen coming with every dwelling, who are looking for apartments in Germany.

“I’m not sure where the concept of the Einbauküche, or ‘fitted kitchen’, being entirely optional and downright rare for rented apartments came about, but it is the most ridiculous concept ever created (note: this is not the first, nor will it be the last time I rant about this subject). Renters are supposed to buy and install an entire kitchen – as in, cabinets, countertops, sink, appliances, the whole deal – each time they rent a new apartment. Because let’s face it, how many kitchens are exactly the same layout and amount of space? Therefore, how likely is it that the kitchen you invest thousands of euros into is going to come along with you to your next place of residence? Exactly. For practical Germans, this is one of the few areas that they have left me completely stumped.”  Read more about An American Expat in Wiesbaden’s experience apartment hunting and frustration on this topic.

Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Berlin via instagram

iheartberlin is doing a series about expats living in Berlin.  This week they’ve featured their favorite Berlin expat instagram-er  In their words:

“In the new edition of The Berlin Experts we talk with Linda, a young Berliner whose Instagram lindaberlin has been among our absolut favourites since we started using the popular photo app. Besides being always exceptionally aesthetic, her photostream has attracted our attention especially for Linda’s ability to capture the essence of our city from a different perspective, constantly challenging stereotypical images and classical visions of the Berlin we all know.”  Read the entire profile here.

What are inverse customs? Well… Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Inverse customs

As usual, the bloggers over on The German Way Expat Blog are writing about interesting things.  This week it was a list of customs that are done exactly opposite to what is done in America.  I am an American who has been expating in Germany for quite some time, and I learned something.  Check it out:

“Expats in Germany and the other German-speaking countries are often surprised by a type of culture shock I call “inverse customs.” These are practices that are either the exact opposite of, or extremely different from the same custom in the US. Expats quickly learn this fact of life abroad: There is always more than one way to do things, and sometimes it’s the opposite way!”  Read the entire article here.

Guest blogger Jalees Rehman explains the Posiealbum. Photo coypright dpa / picture alliance

By popular request, we’re publishing a blog in German for all those out there looking for a bit more practice (and of course the native speakers).  Guest blogger Jalees Rehman explains the German tradition of the “Posiealbum.”

Ich habe meiner Tochter zu ihrem neunten Geburtstag ein Poesiealbum gekauft. Warum gerade zum neunten Geburtstag? Weil ich neun Jahre alt war, als mich eine Klassenkameradin zum ersten Mal bat, etwas in ihr Poesiealbum zu schreiben.

Das ist jetzt schon 32 Jahre her, aber ich weiß, dass ich damals ziemlich nervös war, noch nervöser als bei einer Prüfung für die Schule. Man will schließlich etwas Nettes in ein Poesiealbum schreiben, irgendeine Lebensweisheit oder ein schönes Gedicht – etwas für die Ewigkeit. Es darf aber auch nicht zu kitschig sein. Wenn man als Junge etwas in ein Poesiealbum schreibt, muss man ja aufpassen, dass es nicht zu “mädchenhaft” klingt.

Bei diesem ersten Mal fiel mir ein Lied ein, das wir in der Schule immer wieder gesungen haben. Dieses Lied war eine Lebensweisheit, die für alle Ewigkeit sein würde. Ich nahm meinen Pelikanfüller zur Hand und fing an, in meiner allerbesten Handschrift ein paar allgemeine Sätze über unsere gemeinsame Schulzeit zu schreiben. Als ich dann das erste Wort dieses Liedes schrieb, habe ich es mir doch anders überlegt. Es war doch wirklich nicht „cool“ genug für ein Poesiealbum. Mit dem Tintenkiller wurde dieses erste Wort gelöscht– und dann ein paar „coole“ Sätze, an die ich mich gar nicht mehr erinnern kann. Als ich fertig war, dachte ich mir, dass ich alles wieder löschen sollte, weil es doch so doof klang. Ich habe aber dann im Poesiealbum herumgeblättert und geschaut, was die anderen so geschrieben hatten. Ich weiß bis heute nicht, ob diese Form des Poesiealbumvoyeurismus unmoralisch ist, aber es war hochinteressant und auch sehr erleichternd. Die anderen Beiträge waren nämlich genauso unbeholfen wie meiner.

Ich habe nie ein eigenes Poesiealbum besessen. Aber nachdem ich diese anfängliche Nervosität überwunden hatte, hat es mir immer wieder Spaß gemacht, etwas in ein Poesiealbum zu schreiben.

In den USA gibt es keine Poesiealben und ich weiß gar nicht, ob man in Deutschland immer noch Poesiealben benutzt. Vielleicht schickt man ja heutzutage nur noch Emails mit Emoticons oder schreibt kleine Facebook-Posts und Blogbeiträge, die für alle Ewigkeit bestimmt sind. Trotzdem wollte ich die Tradition des Poesiealbums wiederbeleben oder beibehalten, und als meine Tochter vor ein paar Wochen neun Jahre alt wurde, war es die perfekte Gelegenheit, ihr ein Poesiealbum zu schenken und ihr zu erklären, was man damit macht.

Erst musste ich mal ein Poesiealbum in den USA finden – keine leichte Sache, denn ich wusste nicht einmal wie man „Poesiealbum“ ins Englische übersetzt. Nach einigen Internetrecherchen habe ich auf Ebay etwas gefunden, das echt toll aussah und hoffentlich meiner Tochter gefallen würde. Ein handgemachtes „Journal“ aus Bambusmaterial mit einem schönen Einband.

Als ich es ihr zeigte, war sie wirklich begeistert. Dann musste ich ihr aber erklären, was man mit einem Poesiealbum macht:

“Your friends can write their wishes and thoughts for you, talk about your friendship, maybe draw something or write a poem….“

Dann habe ich ihr gesagt, dass ich den ersten Beitrag schreiben würde, und zwar auf Deutsch.

“Why in German?“

“Because it is a Poesiealbum!“

“So? Can’t you write it in English?“

“No, because it is a Poesiealbum!“

Ganz überzeugt war sie nicht, aber sie hat dann gesagt, dass es ok wäre, so lange ich alles für sie mündlich übersetzen würde. Ich habe eingewilligt, und als ich mich hingesetzt habe, musste ich feststellen, dass ich wieder sehr nervös war, wie beim ersten Mal vor 32 Jahren. Was schreibt man denn als Vater in das Poesiealbum der eigenen Tochter? Gibt es denn überhaupt Lebensweisheiten oder Gedanken, die für alle Ewigkeit gültig sind?

Dann hatte ich eine Idee, und ich schrieb die Worte, die ich mich vor 32 Jahren nicht getraut hatte. Als Vater kann man es sich ja leisten, nicht mehr “cool“ zu sein und etwas Kitschiges zu schreiben.

“Froh zu sein bedarf es wenig, und wer froh ist, ist ein König“

This post was originally published here

Pillowfight at Brandenburg Gate, 2011 Photo workingberlinmum

Today Sarah of workingberlinmum is back with another guest post.  Today she ruminates on her five-year anniversary in Berlin.  You can find her writing here every Thursday.

As crazy as it is to write these words, today is my fifth anniversary of living in Berlin. Oh yes! Five years ago to this day, I flew over with a suitcase filled to the brim with clothes and I made the start of my new life in Berlin.

It’s been a pretty mad five years. A very life-changing five years of course. I can honestly say that since moving, I have lived some of the best and some of the worst times of my life. There have been real ups and downs of many differing forms, and I have grown up a lot in that time. Never would I have thought that five years down the line, I would be in my own apartment, single, expecting my second child, running my own business, and living the life I now live! I have never regretted coming here though. Yes, I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with Berlin and Germany:

Love: How every spring, this city surprises me and how the place can still take my breath away at times with its beauty.

Hate: German customer service or serious lack of it. I will NEVER come to terms with how awfully you can be treated as a customer here!

Love: How child-friendly this city is and the sheer amount of playgrounds, family cafes there are etc.

Hate: German bureaucracy.

The list can go on. At the end of the day though, there are definitely more loves than hates and whilst life has been far from easy for me since moving here, I am so glad I have and I am here for long haul.

On Saturday I will be going out to one of my favorite local(ish) restaurants to celebrate my five years in style, and I’ve decided to put together a small list of places and things to do that I have discovered and loved in the last years….

Eating

Com Viet, Münzstr. 3, Mitte – This wonderful little Vietnamese restaurant/cafe is one of my absolute favourite places to go eat. Super cheap and gorgeous food, there’s little better in my book. I particularly recommend their crispy duck and take a look at the English language part of the menu for a little giggle at some of the translations

Hudson’s, Boppstr. 1, Kreuzberg -  British owned, gorgeous little cafe near the Graefekiez serving yummy full English breakfasts, amazing cakes and they also stock HP sauce, what Brit could want anything more?!

Mae Charoen, Sonnenallee 134, Neukölln – Super local to me, I head to this Thai cafe at least once monthly. Their gorgeous (spicy) curries are really affordable and quickly made. Love the lady who runs this place too! I recommend the green curry. Yum!

Avril, Graefestr. 83, Kreuzberg – The service may be a little slow but I adore their food (recommend the garlic bread, Italian Style sandwich and the king prawn risotto) and they have a little children’s play area at the back which makes it a tasty choice for an afternoon play date.

Cinema

Cinestar, Sony Center, Potsdamer Platz – I am regular here. They play films in their original language meaning you can see a British or American film without the annoying dubbing that the Germans so love!  Tuesday is Kinotag meaning all tickets are cheaper on that day, on a Sunday families can go to see family films with everyone paying children’s prices and Thursday nights are ‘Sneak Preview’ night. You pay €6/€5 to see a surprise film. I’ve seen some gems and some utter crap but I love it all the same.

Hackesher Hoefe Kino, Hackesher Markt - A cute, independent cinema much like those I used to work in in London, this one screens films in their original language with German subtitles. Small screens and not so comfy seats but a real gem of a cinema.

Yearly Events

The Haybale Rolling Festival, September, Richardplatz, Neukölln – I sadly missed it this year because of my run-in with my neighbour, but this is one of my favourite days of the year. Fun to photograph and entertaining for both adults and children. I definitely recommend it. (Photo below.)

The Haybale Rolling Festival or Strohballrollenfest, Richardplatz, 2010. Photo workingberlinmum

Festival of Lights. Photo workingberlinmum

Karneval der Kulturen, 2010. Photo workingberlinmum

This post was originally published here.

Sieben Linden is one of many alternative communities that thrives in Germany. Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Germany might be well known for big ideas in fields like green energy and engineering, but it also supports a thriving counter culture, which means that thousands of small groups and individuals are also trying their hand at making the world a better place.  A Wagenplatz is one form of collective living (almost entirely) unique to Germany.  In the video below, an American expat living in Germany talks about her own tiny house, how she renovated it herself, and why she chooses to live the way she does.  Could you imagine living in such a small space?

Language is funny, isn’t it? I remember when I was a teenager, fighting my way through puberty with the help of a whole host of wonderously creative expletives that (I thought) only my friends and I understood. I was reminded of one of them a few months ago on a trip back to my hometown when I heard a young person shout “That’s shan, that is!”

It could mean anything, couldn’t it, but I know for a fact that ‘shan’ means (or at least meant, in my time) something equating to the adult use of the term ‘bollocks’ or ‘bullshit’. The origin of the term fails me- who knows where youth pick up this crap from? Lush, mint, ace, minging (and variations thereof): You’ve got to love the vivid colours of the slang used by the youth of Britain (innit?)

In the same way, I just love learning new crazy terms in my second language (or 3rd if you count Geordie). Who can resist a chuckle when someone asks them to drück mir die Daumen (literally ‘to press your thumbs for me’ = cross your fingers for me), not to be confused with druck mir die Daumen, which may result in a very nasty accident with a printer and some thumbs. And what about every employee’s favourite word Feierabend (literally ‘celebration evening’ = finishing time), a great and important word that doesn’t even exist in a concise form in English!

The German language brings me constant entertainment: I use my chest warts (Brustwarze) to breastfeed, sometimes I only understand train station (ich verstehe nur Bahnhof = I don’t get it) and have hair on my teeth (ich habe Haare auf den Zähnen=  I’m sharp-tongued), especially if  it’s dead trousers here (es ist hier tote Hose = there’s nothing going on here). Fantastic, right?

There are a zillion more examples and I’m sure more will crop up at a later date. Until then, I don’t have all cups in the cupboard*… they’re in the dishwasher at the moment…

*(ich habe nicht alle Tassen im Schrank = I’m a few sandwiches short of a picnic)

This post was originally published here.

Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Police don’t know what to do with a run away tarantula

“Two Munich police officers out on their regular evening jog ended up having to call a spider man – after finding an escaped tarantula and managing to capture it in a beer glass.”   Shudder.  You can read more about the runaway spider’s run in with the fuzz here.

Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Eating out (vegetarian) in Berlin

“Meat may be the standard order of the day, but in Berlin, at any rate, there is a very active and for the most part delicious vegetarian / vegan scene. From the annual vegetarian food fair at Alexanderplatz to fine dining on Kollwitzplatz, there is plenty classy (and non-cheese based) vegetarian food to be eaten. You can find something to suit every budget and palate – our current restaurant favourites are the Lucky Leek and Kopps. And as in London, you can find some of the best vegetarian food at restaurants specialising in more international cuisine – Lebanese, Turkish, Thai, Indian and Italian for example. In such restaurants, the range is marvellous and the flavours are more adventurous.”  Read the rest of the article here.

Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

May 5 in German Style

Expat blogger Ifs Ands and Butts celebrates Cinco de Mayo in Germany.

“I love holidays. Why? Well, the combination of loved ones, excellent food, and celebrations, of course! There’s really nothing wrong with it (at least before you enter into some dreaded in-laws situation of sorts or something, but I’m not there yet). So, when a holiday that involves my favorite cuisine, Mexican, and holiday festivities, it can’t be missed – even if you are in Germany where 99.5% of people are not aware of such a holiday.”  Read more and feast your eyes upon a lot of photos here.

Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Ready or not, here comes Eurovision

Expat blogger That Queer Expatriate does a run down of this year’s Eurovision songs.  The results are not good.  Find out which tunes he picked here.

Photo copyright dpa / picture alliance

Euro crisis said to be causing flood of immigrants to Germany

“Germany is attracting ever more migrants as conditions at home worsen and the German job market continues to be strong, official figures revealed.”  Read more of the statistics here.

Photo workingberlinmum

Today Sarah from workingberlinmum is back at YG to tell us about the Zoo BabyCard that makes a trip to the zoo with the kids affordable for new parents.  You can read more about Sarah’s adventures in Berlin with two kids here.  Thanks for joining us Sarah!  Enjoy!

Did you know that Berlin-based mums with little babies can go to the Zoo, the Tierpark or the Berlin Aquarium as often as you like for 13 months for just €20? Seriously! Want to know how? Well I’m going to tell you!

One of the fabulous pluses of living in Berlin is the Zoo BabyCard scheme. I had a card with Milo back when he was little but things have changed in the 4 years since he was born.

Here’s how it works:

You choose which venue you want to get your card for:

• Berlin Zoo
• Tierpark Berlin
• Zoo Aquarium Berlin

or if you wish to combine 2 you can buy a card for Berlin Zoo and Zoo Aquarium Berlin (€40).

The normal BabyCard (€20) gives the mother free entry to the venue or you can now buy a ‘BabyCard XL’ (€35) on which you can allocate a 2nd adult free entry with the card too. This could be the baby’s father but isn’t exclusive to that person, so it could also be a friend or family member.

Once you’ve chosen the venue(s) you want the card for and which card you want to apply for, head over to:

Infocenter in der Zooverwaltung
Hardenbergplatz 8
10787 Berlin

(the info center is just along from the main entrance to Berlin Zoo)

Bring along your baby’s birth certificate and be prepared to have your photo taken. If you are applying for a BabyCard XL then you need to either bring the second chosen person for the card along or a photo of that person (I presume a standard passport photo)

The card will be valid until the end of the 13th month after you baby is born, no matter when you apply for the card and there no longer seems to be a 3 month time limit like to apply like there used to be.

A baby’s ability to truly take in what the zoo’s have to offer may be minimal but the card is fabulous for the parents, a nice chance to get a change of scene and if you have other children, it means you can get in free with them too. Also, with the card, you don’t need to queue, you just head direct to the entrance and they will scan your card and let you in. Very handy when the queue is leading all the way back to the station on a Summer’s day.

If your little one is too old to qualify you for the BabyCard then there are standard year-tickets for those who love visiting the zoo. You can find more details on the prices here.

For more tips on Berlin with kids, check out my page reviewing what there is to do in Berlin for families.

This post was originally published here.