Discovering Traditions: Karneval by Conny Kaufmann

Carnival is early this year, I am happy to have Conny Kaufmann as my guest for Discovering Traditions today. She is sharing this very important German tradition, especially for those who live or are from Köln, Düsseldorf and the surrounding region. This is the 3rd Discovering Traditions post, you can find the other two here and here. Discovering Traditions: Karneval … Continue reading Discovering Traditions: Karneval by Conny Kaufmann →

Saint Martin’s Day

Today, is the 11th of November. In my very early childhood I celebrated Saint Martin's Day every year. When I started school, I was shocked to discover that this was not celebrated everywhere in Germany, that so many children had no idea what fun the 11th of November could be. Proudly equipped with a handcrafted … Continue reading Saint Martin’s Day →

Starting school

I was seven years old, had recently moved and did not always understand the local dialect, because even within the same country you can be lost in translation.

O is for Oma – A to Z Challenge April 2015

Oma, Omi, Omama short for Großmutter or Großmama, are the names that are given to Grandmothers in German speaking countries, and I have over the years found out that people with a German grandmother, or one of German origin tend to call her "Oma" too. The term Oma is often used to describe an elderly woman in … Continue reading O is for Oma – A to Z Challenge April 2015 →

H is for Home – A to Z Challenge April 2015

My first year living in the U.S. we read a book in school entitled "Homesick". I just remember that it was about a girl who spend a lot of her childhood in China, she was always longing to go home to her country of origin, we thought that she was homesick for her country of origin, but … Continue reading H is for Home – A to Z Challenge April 2015 →

A is for my Autobiography – A to Z Challenge April 2015 | Meine Autobiographie | Mon Autobiographie

Autobiographies tend to start in the beginning of the person's life. I am German, and was born to German parents in Germany. I spend the first 12 years of my life there. From then on things get a bit "complicated", four days before my 12th birthday we (my parents and my younger sister) moved to … Continue reading A is for my Autobiography – A to Z Challenge April 2015 | Meine Autobiographie | Mon Autobiographie →