6 Months In Germany: Highlights, Transitions & Adventures Of Life Abroad

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Happy Thanksgiving! Much like this black and white photo, life at the moment feels like an intricate, beautiful mix of excited holiday anticipation full of immense joy and thankfulness for this magical season in Germany blended with longings for time spent with loved ones in the warm South Carolina sunshine which strongly contrasts our recent cloudy, drizzly (soon to be snowy!) days where it’s dark by 4:30 pm. The beginning of November has just marked my sixth month of life abroad in Germany and I have to say, so far, it has been an adventure of a lifetime which I am extremely grateful for. It has been both good and hard, beautiful and challenging and I believe it is in the tension between the two that perhaps I have learned the most. While not for everyone, living abroad has been a wonderful experience in which I have learned so much about myself, Charlie, people, culture, and most importantly, the Lord. Like anything though, living abroad is not perfect and certainly comes with its fair share of challenges that frequently go unseen in pictures that showcase the beautiful environment and buildings, delicious food and cultural interactions. That being said, I wanted to go a little behind the scenes of my past six months in Germany including our highlights, transitions and adventures of life abroad. So, if you have an interest in moving abroad yourself, or simply want to know a little more of our story / what we have learned, let’s dive right in! 

interested in life abroad? Prepare To Camp

One of the most popular comments I have received since moving abroad is that it seems that we are having a marvelous time. And it’s true… we have been SO blessed with this experience and have loved this new adventure! But just as much, moving to Germany has come with an immense amount of transition. While the highs of traveling, beautiful sites and good food might seem more obvious, the lows of transition, physically, mentally and emotionally, are a bit harder to initially discern. Certainly any move comes with transition, but moving across the world brings a new amount of learning into everything. Learning where to shop. How to shop. What to say. How to get gas. Steps to receive a package. How to pay. What phrases are used. Where to pay your bills. How to visit a friend. How to set up a new life. 

Imagine with me for a minute… 

You have just stepped off a 10 hour flight into Munich and begin to board a bus to customs, excited, despite your lack of sleep, to see your husband who flew ahead of you to start work. You manage your way through customs to collect your 3 suitcases and finally are reunited!

To your happy surprise, he has been able to get a car to pick you up, as all public transportation is on strike. You squeeze everything into the car and head to the extended stay hotel you are staying at before your apartment is available to move in. 

From the hotel, you determine that, due to the transportation strike, your first course of action is to buy bikes. You have researched and heard from past expats that bikes are available for a reasonable price at Kaufland, a large Walmart equivalent on the outside of the city. 

Of course, you can’t take your car to pick up bikes (how would you get them back in your small vehicle?!), but with all the transportation down, you decide that you must rent a scooter. So, you rent an electric scooter for a chilly and exhilarating 30 minute ride through your new beautiful city. Since the scooter company operates in certain zones throughout the city (of which your husband learned the day prior due to him having to rent a scooter for over 2 hours because to the inability to park the scooter outside of its’ zone), and Kaufland is on the outer edge of the city, you park the scooter about 15 minutes from the store and walk the remaining way. 

Upon arrival at Kaufland, you search the store and when no bikes can be found, you finally ask in broken German, “do you sell bikes?”. Despite online describing them as in stock, you surprisingly hear that the bikes are indeed in stock, but in stock only online and are no longer sold in store. 

Bummed, you leave the store, walk the 15 minutes back to your scooter, then ride another chilly 30 minutes back to your hotel. 

Ok. Great. You made it back; now you can order the bikes online! You scroll for a bit and determine the bikes you would like to order. You add them to your cart and begin to check out… but you soon hit another roadblock as the online store will not allow for a separate billing and shipping address. Despite having a German debit card and local Munich address, your credit card (which must be used online) still has a South Carolina billing address and therefore can not be used to order online at this store. 

Bummed again that you have now wasted hours on a fruitless attempt to find bikes, you decide to search for bikes later and just prepare to get in your steps for the remaining time of the strike as you head back out the door to find groceries. 

You find your groceries; make dinner in; put the leftovers in your mini fridge; get ready for bed and finally, go to bed early, exhausted yet still excited by your first day moving abroad. Upon waking the next morning however, you discover that the night before your husband’s beard trimmer flipped your hotel room breaker, leaving your room without lights and your mini fridge full of newly bought groceries and leftovers spoiled. Time for an uncomfortable call to the reception desk…

Now, I don’t tell this story to complain in the slightest, honestly Charlie and I laugh at and remember fondly the adventurous events of our first days here in Munich (we have learned SO much since then), but I do mention it simply to demonstrate the transition that moving abroad involves. When you grow up within a certain place or culture, you grow accustomed to knowing which stores carry which products, which language those products are described in, which protocols and customs are normal, which methods of operation are needed, which payment methods are accepted and even which traffic patterns govern which areas at each time of day. So, when moving to a new place, part of the joy and challenge of settling in is learning those basic everyday tasks again. 

Before moving last spring, a mentor of Charlie’s likened embarking on an expat experience to going camping. When camping, you don’t know if the weather is going to turn bad, or if your tent might fall down, or if your food might burn over the fire. But despite this, when camping, you get to explore the great outdoors, take in the sights, go on hikes, see the stars and make smores. Like camping, moving abroad is going to bring a plethora of amazing experiences: new cultures, friends, travel, exploration, ways to see the Lord at work around the world. But also like camping, there are a million pieces to set up, learn and put into place to begin making a space feel like home. Within these challenges, as much as the excitements, give yourself (and your family / spouse) grace to adjust and lean into the Lord and the knowledge that He indeed has it all within His hands. Just keep taking your next step, keep learning and while it may not be easy, it certainly will build character and fun (/ funny!) memories along the way. 

Lessons Learned, Highlights & advice For Life Abroad

Explore & Learn 

Much like camping, the first major lesson and highlight I have learned and would highly recommend for anyone contemplating life abroad is to approach your next weeks, months or years as an expat with a desire to explore and learn. As I mentioned before, everything will be different, not right or wrong, just different, so seek to take it in and learn from it. Obviously, not everything will be to your preference, nor should you give up entirely the culture that you have come from, however as a guest within another culture, I have found that being respectful with a genuine desire to learn will help you not only have a better experience, but also become better integrated into your new life. 

Reach Out, Gather In 

To piggyback on the lesson (and highlight!) above, I really recommend being willing to reach out and gather in to make new friends. One of perhaps the most challenging aspects of moving is leaving all of your family and friends behind. Back home, life goes on: weddings take place, babies are born, grandparents age and you miss many of those moments. Travel is wonderful, but enjoying traveling can only help you experience a place for so long. Without starting new friendships, it can feel that you are enjoying the highlights of one area while becoming a spectator to the new memories being made back home. To really enjoy living abroad (or really living anywhere), you have to become connected to the people within a place. So, initiate! Reach out and invite people over, or ask them to go on an adventure with you. For us, our church (Munich International Community Church – MICC; I described it in more detail HERE!) has been a HUGE blessing within our lives and brought us several sweet new relationships. From Bible studies to dinners to hosting baby showers and Thanksgiving, the new friendships (with both locals and other expats) that we have made have not only provided a wonderful community for us, but also allowed us to get to know and pour into their lives as well.  As it is much more common to keep work and life outside of work more separated here than in the States, if you meet others through a sports club, gym class, language class, or any other gathering, reach out, initiate plans and put yourself out there, because they just might be looking for a friend as well. Life abroad becomes so much sweeter when you share it with others.

Be Prepared To Be Embarrassed

The third lesson I have learned for life abroad is to be prepared to be embarrassed! I hate feeling embarrassed… Truly, when I was younger being embarrassed frequently brought me to tears which only fueled further embarrassment! Thankfully embarrassment doesn’t bring me to tears anymore (normally!) and while I am not sure anyone likes feeling embarrassed, you must come to terms with it a bit when moving abroad. Even if you are doing your best to learn as much as possible, be respectful and adjust smoothly, there will inevitably be times when you fumble with the language, forget your new pin number at checkout, misunderstand directions, or get singled out for breaking rules which you were unaware of. While each one (and more) of these situations has happened to me, just do your best to use them as learning opportunities and know that you likely will remember them longer than anyone else, so give yourself grace to keep going. 

Laugh About It 

Like our first scooter / bike search incident, breaker issues, carrying furniture home or experiencing embarrassing stories, I have found that embracing laughter is one of the best ways to prevent uncomfortable situations from ruining an experience. Explore and learn, but don’t do so so seriously that you can’t see the humor of the situation, as frequently these trying moments can be quite humorous in hindsight. 

Be Flexible 

The fifth lesson I have (re)learned moving to Germany is to be flexible. While this frequently was a motto of my mom’s during my childhood years and I would have liked to believe I had learned this lesson, I think I have grown in it to another level more recently. Like the camping analogy, moving and enjoying life abroad is largely enhanced by being flexible with circumstances, delays, situations, food and understanding. Yes, you may have to eat something you didn’t mean to order, ride your bike and get soaked to the bone or think creatively about how to approach a situation / how to get from point a to point b, but in the end flexibility is key and its all part of the adventure. 

Give Yourself Downtime

As I mentioned in 15 Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Fall, embracing the European lifestyle of slowness has been such a gift for Charlie and I and our marriage. It has been a highlight for sure to step back and savor the little moments of everyday life. So, if you are interested in moving abroad, give yourself downtime to enjoy this lifestyle change! Because we do live in the heart of Europe right now, it can be tempting to see as much as possible and fill each moment with travel and experiences. While this can be good and is preferable to some, I have found that striking a balance between enjoying the everyday, exploring Munich and getting to spend time with friends is as much, if not even more of a blessing, then seeing as many destinations as possible. 

Lean Into The Lord  

Ultimately, all of this experience would not be the same if not for learning into the Lord and His goodness and constant presence. It has been so beautiful to gather together with believers from all around the globe and to hear how God has transformed their hearts and lives. Seeing the way that He has created those of all backgrounds with unique cultures and personalities to glorify Him has been so eye opening. And personally, stepping back from what I was familiar with and processing all that took place to bring us here (you can read more on that journey HERE!) has provided an opportunity for me to lean upon the Lord in a deeper way as my best friend, confidant, creator and author of this beautifully humbling story that I am in awe of Him writing. Wherever you are dear friend, you can be confident that He is good and gracious and will draw close to you in whatever situation, location or station of life you find yourself in. 

Final Thoughts

Wow, these past 6 months have moved faster than perhaps ever before and I am so grateful for each highlight, struggle, transition and adventure that has taken place along the way. While life abroad can come with challenges and struggles, it also can become an opportunity to embrace and create a messy, beautiful and joyful life. Have you ever lived abroad or hope to in the future? If so, or even if not, what have you learned in the past six months? Whichever location you are in, whether in Munich, South Carolina or somewhere in between, I hope that this holiday season is a wonderful one where you can treasure those around you and all the highlights, transition points and adventures of your past year. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chloe

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