murmel
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- Jan 11, 2009
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What is your very personal experience (or in your family) with moving in another country or culture? Please keep this completely personal.
I have three siblings (half siblings to be precise) and we are all sort of migrants.
My dad moved to the U.S. when I was a little kid because he got a call from Wernher von Braun to join NASA, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a scientist. My Mom stayed in Germany with me. My two sisters were born and raised in the U.S. my brother and I in Munich, Germany. My sisters were born in Huntsville Alabama, and later moved into the Boston area, first Lexington,MA then Concord,MA. Both are American citizens.
Today no one of us four lives in the place where we were born and raised.
My brother is in Zurich, Switzerland. He is married to a Spanish women.
He works in a world leading insurance brokerage. His colleagues are pretty international, and so are his friends. As far as I know he doesn't have any native Swiss friends. He is not speaking Swiss language, he says the Swiss wouldn't like it when Germans speak (or try to) speak Swiss. Also I bet he couldn't speak or behave as slowly as the Swiss. He is more than 12 years in Switzerland now, but still feels like a foreigner. He would return to Germany, but his wife doesn't want to.
He earns a lot of money, but also the expenses are huge. He lives in an apartment with a small garden. He has the second lowest standard of living of us four.
My younger sister moved to Southern California. She is married to an American of Irish decent. She works as a professor. Their friends are mostly American, some international. She lives in a very nice house with an outdoor pool and a nice garden. They changed the graden to some sort of desert style garden because of the water problems in California. She has zero immigration issues. She doesn't have a German accent at all (Actually she doesn't speak German very good), she speaks the typical New England English. Her New England accent seems to be no problem in California. I would say she has the highest standard of living of us four, but they don`t have kids and two incomes.
My older sister moved to London. She is married to an investment banker from Scotland. Their income is by far the highest, but so are their expenses. They live in a ridiculously small house with a tiny garden. Like most building the house has ****ty build quality but it costs more than 4 million pounds. I find that pretty bizarre. She would like to move to Berlin, but still being is London is important for his job. She said that might change after the BREXIT and they might actually move to Berlin. Their friends are British and international. Their standard of living is by far the worst of us 4. Everything is super expensive, all places are crowded and most ordinary things are bad quality. You can get and everything of course, but it`s very expensive and even if you pay for it it may still be crowded. Despite none of them is from London they have no integration issues as most of the people they interact with aren't native Londoners either.
I moved from Munich (Upper Bavaria) to Bamberg (Upper Franconia) 12 years ago, because my wife is from there and it`s a lot less expensive to live there with the kids. We have a big house with a 32m2 indoor pool and a nice garden. We payed only a tenth of what my sister in London had to pay. I am actually not very well integrated. I don`t speak the language, and I am not willing to learn. They are using even Prussian words like Kloß instead of the Bavarian word Knödel, disgusting. I don´t have many friends here. I think the Franconians are harsh, stubborn and narrow minded.
I try to teach my kids some Bavarian, as I don`t want them to behave like Prussians when we are in Munich. I don't like most of the Franconian beer, but it`s easy to buy Augustiner here, so no big deal. I still work in Munich three days a week, they say I have developed a Franconian accent. Our standard of living is pretty good, e.g. we can go out and eat with the whole family for same price they charge in London or Zürich for a single person.
I have three siblings (half siblings to be precise) and we are all sort of migrants.
My dad moved to the U.S. when I was a little kid because he got a call from Wernher von Braun to join NASA, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a scientist. My Mom stayed in Germany with me. My two sisters were born and raised in the U.S. my brother and I in Munich, Germany. My sisters were born in Huntsville Alabama, and later moved into the Boston area, first Lexington,MA then Concord,MA. Both are American citizens.
Today no one of us four lives in the place where we were born and raised.
My brother is in Zurich, Switzerland. He is married to a Spanish women.
He works in a world leading insurance brokerage. His colleagues are pretty international, and so are his friends. As far as I know he doesn't have any native Swiss friends. He is not speaking Swiss language, he says the Swiss wouldn't like it when Germans speak (or try to) speak Swiss. Also I bet he couldn't speak or behave as slowly as the Swiss. He is more than 12 years in Switzerland now, but still feels like a foreigner. He would return to Germany, but his wife doesn't want to.
He earns a lot of money, but also the expenses are huge. He lives in an apartment with a small garden. He has the second lowest standard of living of us four.
My younger sister moved to Southern California. She is married to an American of Irish decent. She works as a professor. Their friends are mostly American, some international. She lives in a very nice house with an outdoor pool and a nice garden. They changed the graden to some sort of desert style garden because of the water problems in California. She has zero immigration issues. She doesn't have a German accent at all (Actually she doesn't speak German very good), she speaks the typical New England English. Her New England accent seems to be no problem in California. I would say she has the highest standard of living of us four, but they don`t have kids and two incomes.
My older sister moved to London. She is married to an investment banker from Scotland. Their income is by far the highest, but so are their expenses. They live in a ridiculously small house with a tiny garden. Like most building the house has ****ty build quality but it costs more than 4 million pounds. I find that pretty bizarre. She would like to move to Berlin, but still being is London is important for his job. She said that might change after the BREXIT and they might actually move to Berlin. Their friends are British and international. Their standard of living is by far the worst of us 4. Everything is super expensive, all places are crowded and most ordinary things are bad quality. You can get and everything of course, but it`s very expensive and even if you pay for it it may still be crowded. Despite none of them is from London they have no integration issues as most of the people they interact with aren't native Londoners either.
I moved from Munich (Upper Bavaria) to Bamberg (Upper Franconia) 12 years ago, because my wife is from there and it`s a lot less expensive to live there with the kids. We have a big house with a 32m2 indoor pool and a nice garden. We payed only a tenth of what my sister in London had to pay. I am actually not very well integrated. I don`t speak the language, and I am not willing to learn. They are using even Prussian words like Kloß instead of the Bavarian word Knödel, disgusting. I don´t have many friends here. I think the Franconians are harsh, stubborn and narrow minded.
I try to teach my kids some Bavarian, as I don`t want them to behave like Prussians when we are in Munich. I don't like most of the Franconian beer, but it`s easy to buy Augustiner here, so no big deal. I still work in Munich three days a week, they say I have developed a Franconian accent. Our standard of living is pretty good, e.g. we can go out and eat with the whole family for same price they charge in London or Zürich for a single person.
