Meet Aaron and Meghan - scuba diving, traveling, and recovering expats! They just moved back from Germany, where they lived and worked for two years and are now making their home in the great state of Texas, quite a change for these northerners! Follow along as they dive and travel all over the world.
In between our ''bigger'' trips, we have found we like to stay closer to home and explore. The past two weekends, we spent in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), which starts just an hour south of where we live. The first weekend, Aaron planned, and didn't tell me where we were going of what we were doing. I always love when he surprises me like that (and secretly hate it too, I never know how to dress for it!).
Read MoreWhile we were in the Philippines, we came to a startling realization: we haven't been accomplishing things on our Bucket List very quickly. We both worry that *poof* it will be the end of our assignment here and we won't have much to show for it (and empty passports!). With that thought, we had originally planned to head to Basel, Switzerland for a night the weekend after we got back from the Philippines. Well, life managed to get in the way, planning was too rushed, and so we decided not to go to Basel at the last minute. Instead, we caught up on the boring stuff - laundry, cleaning, sleep, that sort of thing.
Read MoreThere are few things that I miss food wise living in Germany. The way we eat (lots of produce, fresh meat, not a lot of processed foods) is very conducive to living here. The weekly markets are a great place for produce. And the grocery stores carry a decent selection of meats, dairy and non-perishable items that we may need. In general, we haven't had trouble feeding ourselves over here and have actually enjoyed incorporating some more German specialties into our meals (spätzle anyone?). Although, I wouldn't object if someone wanted to open a Taco Bell over here, or a decent Mexican place. Anyone?
Read MoreAs many know, especially if you live in the US, Halloween was last Friday. In Germany, Halloween isn't as big of a holiday as it is in the US and trick or treating is not widely conducted. Some areas do, but most do not. However, there are always some Halloween parties happening (we're in Germany and it's another excuse to drink!). On Friday, an expat group we are loosely a part of, Internations, held a Halloween party in Mannheim. We thought it would be a fun, relaxed way to meet others and there were even a couple from our Culture Training a couple weeks ago who were interested in attending.
Read MoreBefore Aaron and I moved to Germany, BASF provided an 8 hour ''Cultural Integration'' training seminar for us to make sure we were equipped to interact with Germans. Although, in all honesty, 8 hours is woefully short and can't possibly cover everything that one would need to know on how to seamlessly integrate into German society. It would take an entire 8 hour course just to explain how they sort their garbage.
Which brings us to last week. Aaron and I, as part of the relocation package, were able to attend another 16 hours of cultural training. I know it can sound dry since ''cultural awareness'' is generally lumped
Read MoreIt's been a while since we last posted, but there was a good reason for it. I promise. Aaron was in Washington until last Saturday and I was in Michigan this past weekend to two close friends tie the knot. I am so glad that I was able to be there to celebrate with them. Cari was a beautiful bride and Murray seemed so excited to be marrying the love of his life.
The other awesome part about this last weekend? Seeing my sisters and being in 'Merica! Some of them I had seen in the past couple of months, the others I hadn't seen in quite a while. I realized how much I miss them all and miss having friends close by
Read MorePop culture referance anyone? I know there's some controversy over the song, but I can't lie, it's catchy as hell and can work it's way into quite an Ohrwurm. Any who, back to our (ir)regularly scheduled post...The Germans take their work life balance very seriously, much to the chagrin of many Americans. Depending on the company, they often work less hours than Americans, get better vacation time and really take relaxing seriously. In fact, doctors can even prescribe time at a spa or time off from work. I wonder if the fee for a spa would apply towards my deductible?
Read MoreIn the summer of 2014, the Oaks' packed up their life and moved to Mannheim, Germany. Now they live in Texas! Follow along as this former expat couple travels the world with the two girls, doing some scuba diving along the way!
Welcome! We're Aaron and Meghan. This is a place where we blog about our travels, scuba diving, our experience living as expats in Germany, and now what it's like to be repats in Texas. Please join us on our journey!
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