InterNations and Blogging

Wiesbaden from Neroberg

When I realised that I would be moving back to Germany from the UK in February, I decided to do an internet search of what expat groups were available in the area. At the time I was not sure if we would end up in Maiz or Wiesbaden, the two cities on opposite sides of the Rhine River. In fact the two cities are both the capital cities of two different German provinces. Wiesbaden is the capital of Hessen while Mainz in the capital of Rheinland-Pfalz (unpronounceable in English as Rhineland-Palatinate). As it turned out we ended up in Wiesbaden.

I discovered Internations.org who hold meet up covering both cities. There is a free membership as well as a premium service which costs a few Euros a month. InterNations, apart from having regular meetings for members to get to know each other, has a premium service allowing you to access useful information about the country you are moving to. This is no doubt a very useful service, as they say forearmed is forewarned. You need to know things like were to register your car, how do you separate your recycling, what about liability insurance?

To be honest I have not made it to any of the meetings as yet. But I am well informed of when things are happening. It was a nice touch to receive a birthday email recently from InterNations. I know I said in a previous post it should be a real card, but not in this case. For those who would like to accuse me of inconsistencies in my story telling. When you move to a new country it is good to know that others have similar issues. Yes, yes I have lived in Germany before Wiesbaden so knew what to expect, but always life in hope of meeting some interesting people. Who knows it might still happen one day.

A number of InterNations members maintain blogs of their travels and experiences, which if not always directly relevant to me, makes interesting reading. Lets me see how they are developing there web presence. It is for this reason that I have decided to have my blog added to the list of InterNations Recommended Blogs, [I think this is a membership site]. Who knows maybe something I write may be helpful to someone moving to Wiesbaden or even Germany. At least they will get to read something from what I hope is a slightly different perspective - to the usual expats - and I will reach a wider audience.

Day 3 Brussels - Seaside - Oostende

We did make it to the seaside today. Happily the day started off a bit cooler than it has been for the last few days. When we arrived at Oostende, around 10 am it was about 19 degrees, and overcast. So about 15 degrees cooler than yesterday. We also experienced a few drops of rain on the drive from Brussels. The buildings along the coast are quite drab and uninteresting - even for holiday apartments. There is however, a nice long promenade. The only problem is that it is a bit hectic/chaotic/insane. Lots of people and children on bicycles, with no or little traffic sense. There is no separate of bike path from the pedestrian path. I am very surprised that I did not see any fatal accidents. I would have thought it best to separate walking pensioners from Red Bull fueled, cycling teenagers, but perhaps I am being too German about it."Ordnung muss sein" - roughly translated in English as "Let There be Order". The 11th commandment of the German Bible. Another way of looking at it: if you allow people self regulate, they actually do. And you get better social order than when you try and control people and they simply ignore your attempts. Worth thinking about in the time of the NSA,Prism, Bradley Manning and Edward Snowdon etc. etc.

We were hoping to find something to eat, so we went into a shopping centre, which proved to be a bit of a disappointment. Not sure why you would need a Media Markt - Electronics Retailer - at the seaside, with exactly the same products they have back Wiesbaden. We did manage to find something to eat, at the beach. Some really fresh falafels. The service was really excellent, as the place was under new management. After spending some time in and around the water. I played a personal game of catch the seaweed. Very intellectual, but so what. Afterwards it was time to seek shelter, as it started getting really hot again. We had some really tasty eclairs. Walking in the opposite direction to the one we had been in, we found the centre of Oostende, which was quite a bit more interesting than the Media Markt. We even found public toilets, which up until then had been completely absent. Around 5 pm we started our drive back to Brussels. I am pleased that we were able to a day at the seaside on this holiday.

Beech at Oostende

Beware the Cyclists: I had to wait about 10 mins to get this picture with out the maniacs swooping past.

Historical Background - How I came to be in Wiesbaden, Germany

We all like stories. Telling them and listening to them. If this were not so, the publishing, film and TV industry would not be the money spinners that they are today. In fact you can include the music industry as well because after all songs tell stories. Although most people do not listen to the words, I am told. Well I do listen to the words. The point is that stories are very important to us, especially our own versions of events. How often in the retelling of an event, do we not add little things to make the story and thus ourselves seem more: interesting, scary, tough, weak and desirable then the actual events themselves support. So I would like to share my stories and in the process try and sort the facts from the fiction. The Ancient Greeks took story telling very seriously and acknowledged the effect that drama has on the viewer. They realised that we are drawn into the story and can experience arrange of emotions without actually having to go through the pain and gain in real life. This is certainly one of the reasons that I went and saw The Great Gatsby at my local Cinema in Wiesbaden, in 3D and in English.

We are told that stories need an introduction. My introduction will aim to tell the story of how I came to be in Wiesbaden in 2013.  I think it might be a rather long introduction but we will see. At this point I will try not to turn it into a either a Comedy or a Tragedy.

I was born towards the latter half of the last century in the Western Cape, South Africa. After leaving school I attended University in Johannesburg, South Africa. There I studied Business and Law. After leaving University, I worked in the administration and accounting in Johannesburg. I left South Africa in March 2002 and relocated to Munich, Germany to join my partner. My residence permit did not allow me to work in Germany. I used the time to improve my German – an ongoing process- and started a correspondence degree, majoring in the ancient history and culture. I also helped a German friend improve her English and assisted her with her English Exam preparations.

In mid-2003 I moved to Berlin from Munich after spending about a month in South Africa. I returned to South Africa at the beginning of 2004. The plan was to stay and find a job, but after one week I decided to return to Germany. I applied for and was accepted on Masters Programme in Berlin at the Humboldt University.  My particular focus was British Culture and History. As part of the programme, I spent three months in Manchester on a student placement. During this time I researched and wrote articles for the organisation’s magazine and other publications. To complete the Masters I wrote a 20 000 word thesis on “The Internal Limits of Third Sector Organisations in the UK”.  Once the Masters degree was complete I turned my attention to finishing my degree in Ancient History and Culture. I finished my BA in 2008 with a distinction, something that I am immensely proud of. 

In 2007, I moved to Nuremberg. At the beginning of 2009 I finally approached the Job Centre for assistance. I ended up participating in a six month German Language course. At the end of which I found an unpaid internship at a local company. And although, I received a glowing reference the company was not able to offer me remunerated employment. In August 2009 I received my German citizenship.

My partner was offered a position in the UK in April 2010. I was responsible for organising our move from Germany to England. I was able to find temporary work on an off and on basis in administration and accounting. My longest contract was ten months, my shortest four days. I lived about 45 minutes from London. Close enough to go to London to watch Dance or go to the Theatre on a special night out, but otherwise London was too far away. In any case this all came to an end when I moved back to Germany in February 2013.

After staying in a furnished apartment for a few months, I have finally moved to a really nice apartment in the Rheingau quarter of Wiesbaden.This then is the first chapter of my story. I am now seeking a way to make Germany work for me, or rather for me to find a way of earning money in Germany, so Wiesbaden as a Foreign Language.

So what things am I passionate (overused word- but cannot think of a better one)? Even if the answer is not obvious from what I have said above: History and Culture, and especially the ancient world of the Greek city states and the early Roman Empire.