Renewing a US Passport in Germany

Rain is wet. Fire is hot. Passports expire. 

I had to renew my American passport this year, and since I live in Germany, I had the option of traveling to one of the three locations in Germany: the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, the Consulate General in Frankfurt, the Consulate General in Munich, or the Consular Agency in Bremen.

[Note: US citizens over 16 years old with an undamaged passport that was issued within the last 15 years are able to renew their US passports via mail. However, you have to pay the fee via check in USD or the credit card payment authorization form. Since I didn't have a checkbook and didn't want to fill out this form, I chose to do this process in person.]

I live near Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany. However, there are no U.S. citizen services offered in Hamburg, so I set an entire day aside to take the trip to Bremen, which is 2 hours away by train.

Before I ramble on about my trip to the U.S. Consulate in Bremen, however, let's start with facts of how to renew an American passport in Germany.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Passport

• Renewal form (DS-81 or DS-11)

• Passport photo (5 cm x 5 cm)

• Application fee payment

• Return envelope for within Germany
• [If you need to change your name due to marriage] International marriage certificate

Note that if you are going to the the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, the Consulate General in Frankfurt, or the Consulate General in Munich, you will need an appointment. The Consular Agency in Bremen, only takes walk-ins (which is where I went).

For specific information, visit the U.S. Embassy website.

Now that the formalities are over with, here is my experience with renewing my passport at the U.S. consulate in Germany.

HOW I DID IT:

To give you a proper idea of what a trek it was for me to renew my U.S. passport in Germany, I let's move through my day by time (and please excuse my potato-quality pictures - I don't have a very nice phone).

8:06

To get to Bremen for free with my student ID (all regional transportation in Lower Saxony is free with my German student ID), I would have to take two trains. To make my first train at 8:32, I got on a bus from my apartment at 8:06.

8:20

I arrived at the train station around 8:20 and walked to the platform. Less than five minutes later, I hear an announcement over the speakers:

"The train you are waiting for is delayed 22 minutes, and since your layover was only 12 minutes, this means you are also going to miss your connecting train to Bremen. Your day is doomed."

Okay, maybe the announcement wasn't that dramatic, but it was not a good start to my day. The train to Bremen ran every hour, but it was January, and I wasn't very keen on waiting outside at a crappy train station for an 52 minutes. After a frantic search on my phone, I found a train that would decrease my layover to 30 minutes.

8:54
The train that was supposed to arrive at 8:32 arrives at 8:54, and I am annoyed.

9:45
I make it to my half-way destination and have to wait for a half hour for my train to Bremen. Still annoyed.

11:05
I get to Bremen 35 minutes later than originally planned, but it's okay. The consulate was open that day until 1:00 p.m. So, everything would be okay. Next step of the plan was to get on a tram that would take me to the Bremen airport (the U.S. consulate is across the street from the airport).

11:30
It takes another 20 minutes to actually get to the consulate from the train station. I was super nervous and also too scared to take a selfie before going in (especially since there was a camera on the doorbell).

Note that it is just a consular agency in Bremen, which means they just offer very limited services for U.S. citizens - basically just passport applications and renewals. When I walked into the office, which is on the fourth floor of the building, there were two armed German police officers waiting to greet me. They asked me why I was there, and I immediately felt like I was doing something illegal and totally stuttered, "I would like to renew my passport..." They then searched my bag (remarking that I had a lot of food with me, hahah), and told me to take a seat.

The U.S. Consular Agency in Bremen is literally just a waiting room with 20 chairs and a single woman sitting behind a bullet-proof glass window. The only other person there was sitting in front of the woman behind the window when I walked in, so I took my seat and waited for my turn.

11:45
When it's my turn, I tell the woman what I need and hand her all of my documents. I hadn't printed/filled out the renewal form ahead of time, so she printed one for me (which I found incredibly considerate after my horrible experiences with German bureaucracy lately). Since some other people were waiting, I filled out the form back in the waiting area while some other people took their turn at the window.

12:30
I finally leave the consulate around 12:30. My meeting was overall pretty successful, except that I made the dumb mistake of bringing what the Germans call a "biometric photo." This is smaller than the passport photos used in American passports, so she couldn't accept it. Luckily, she still took my other documents and agreed to hold on to them until I could mail in a new picture. Here's me looking pleased with the whole experience after leaving:

13:00
I make it back to Bremen's city center and walk around for a bit while I wait for the next train back to Hamburg. If you live somewhere between Bremen and one of the consulates (i.e. Frankfurt or Berlin), then I highly suggest choosing the Bremen consulate for renewing your license. You don't have to make an appointment, it is a (if you ignore the armed German police officers) relaxed environment, and the woman that works there is very sweet.

Bremen is also a beautiful city.

13:30
I'm back on the train with another two-hour trip in front of me. You can tell from the state of my hair that it had been a very long day.

Since my new passport will arrive by mail, the woman at the consulate also invalidated my old passport by punching a bunch of holes in it.

This was actually the first passport I ever had. It accompanied on my first trip outside of the U.S., my semester abroad, and my move to Germany. But with four two-page visas and dozens of stamps, it was getting quite full.

Now I just have to sit back, relax, and wait for my new passport to come in the mail. I was told it would take about three weeks.

Have you kept your expired passports?

Why I'm Not Moving Back to the USA

My thesis defense will take place exactly one week from today. As soon as that day is over, there is no longer anything requiring me to stay in this country. Still, I am not moving back to the U.S. and I don't have plans to do in the future.

As anyone that knows me (or reads this blog) would guess, I have long-term plans to stay in Germany. Although I miss my family and friends every day, I truly believe that my quality of life is much higher in Germany than it is in the U.S.

Why? Well, let me list a few reasons!

Employment
Germany's unemployment rate recently hit a record low, and while such figures are difficult to compare internationally, most sources agree that the U.S. market is not doing quite as well. I believe that this is especially true for university graduates.

I have previously written about how too many Americans go to college and how the U.S. could benefit by adopting a more comprehensive apprenticeship system. This is still something I strongly believe in, especially when I see so many of my college-educated friends doing administrative work that shouldn't require a college degree.

In Germany, on the other hand, less people choose to study. This means that the job market is less saturated with college graduates searching for the same kinds of jobs. This also means that I actually stand a chance at finding a job where I will use my Master's-level education and be compensated fairly for my educational background - something I do not think would happen if I were to move back to the U.S.

Health Care
Ever since moving to Germany, I have praised the country's public healthcare system. As a student, I only had to pay about 80€ a month for health insurance with less out-of-pocket fees than any American health insurance I have ever heard of.

When I start a full-time job, my health insurance fee will increase considerably, as it is calculated as a percentage of income. Currently this percentage is around 15% - half of which is paid by the employer and the other half by the employee.

Paid Vacation & Sick Leave
Americans work longer hours, get less paid vacation time, and retire later than Germans. Even though I have only worked part-time jobs in Germany so far, I have received at least 24 days of paid vacation per year at each of my jobs (24 is the legal minimum) and paid sick time (I just had to show a doctor's note if I am sick for over 3 days in a row).

The other important aspect to consider here is that German employers also expect their employees to take all of their vacation time. Nobody gets a bad reputation with the boss for taking a couple weeks off at a time because everyone does it! Meanwhile, due to the work culture in the U.S., over half of Americans don't use all of their vacation time (which is typically only 10 days per year to begin with). Yikes.

Parental Leave
The U.S. has no law guarantees full-time workers paid parental leave. Although I'm not planning on taking advantage of this anytime soon, I am happy knowing that I will never have to make the hard decision between family and career in the future as long as I stay in Germany.

Germany currently provides 12 months of paid parental leave (during which the parent receives about two-thirds of their total income) and this is increased to 14 months if each parent takes at least 2 months. Pretty nice, right?

Politics, public transportation, university tuition, recycling... this list could go on and on. But basically, it all comes down to the fact that I believe my quality of life will be higher in Germany than in the U.S. Will this change in the future? Maybe. But for now, I am very happy with where I am and where my future in Germany is headed.

The State of Germerica #2

Back in June, there was so much going on that I decided to write a post about the State of Germerica - that is, the general state of what's going on in my life. Well, a lot has gone on since then, and I am not sure how to organize that all into a sensible blog post, so here we go again.

Today's post will proceed by topic. First up on the docket is...

Apartment Hunting
I want to move! As of November 1st, Marco and I have been living in our current apartment for exactly 3 years. That's a long time! Although we do plan on staying in Lüneburg for the foreseeable future, we are ready for a change.

Our current apartment has is on the 3rd floor with one bedroom, 59 m² (635 sq ft), and is located near the university. We are looking for a ground floor apartment with a small yard, at least 70 m² (750 sq ft), possibly a second bedroom, and a more central location near the city center and train station.

Here is a picture of an apartment we looked at yesterday, which had an amazing location and was very pretty, but the heating system looked too inefficient (and expensive) and it was on the 3rd floor:

Wish us luck as we continue with the hunt!

Master's Thesis

I turned in my Master's thesis on Thursday, October 28! Since then, I have been trying to relax a bit and not think about it anymore. Although, I should actually be contacting my supervisors to plan my presentation and defense. I will get to that soon.

Just picked up my master's thesis from the printer's! Love the way they spelled my name... #gradschool #gradschoolproblems

A photo posted by Courtney (@courtneydmartin) on Oct 27, 2016 at 7:30am PDT

In the meantime...

Job Hunting
I am slowly beginning the job search! I am feeling pretty optimistic about finding a fitting position at a digital media company in Hamburg.

Luckily, I'm not under any pressure to take the first thing that comes along because I already have a part-time job at the university. Which brings us to...

Working
After agreeing to be in a video for my university in September, the university's communications department spontaneously offered me a part-time job to begin the very next week. My contract lasts through the end of March, which means I can take my time finding the right job for after graduation. After all, this will be my first big-girl full-time job in Germany!

Wedding Planning
As if all of that wasn't enough, Marco and I are still planning our wedding! I have written two posts about this process so far (wedding planning pt. 1 - wedding planning pt. 2), but we still have a few things to do before December 30th...

And that's it! Lots of changes going on right now in Germerica, and I am excited to see how different the state of things will be in 2017.

P.S. this post is participating in Gretch and Kristen's“What’s new with you?" link-up for November.

Registering to Vote from Abroad & Requesting an Absentee Ballot

If you are an American living outside of the U.S., you need to request your ballot for the federal election by October 8, 2016 (in most states), even if you are already registered to vote. 

Do it. Now.

If you don't know how to register to vote or request a ballot from abroad, then read on.

Earlier this year, when the U.S. presidential campaign was just starting to heat up, I started to feel quite guilty about the fact that I have never voted. Having moved so often since the age of 18, it just always seemed so complicated and difficult. I was also kind of lazy.

But now I have taken the first step to changing that: I registered to vote.

I always assumed registering from abroad would be complicated, but my home country pleasantly surprised me! Here is how I registered to vote from Germany:

1. Visit FVAP.gov

 FVAP is the Federal Voter Assistance Program for service members and other overseas citizens. This is the first stop for any overseas citizens that want to vote, whether you are already registered or not. 

2. Choose Your State

Voting procedures vary by state, so you will need to choose your state from the drop-down menu on the website.

3. Follow the Directions

Yeah, it's that easy. Creating a numbered list probably wasn't necessary...

When I was registering to vote, I was worried that I would have to spend a lot of time and money mailing registration materials back and forth between the U.S. and Germany. However, Illinois actually has a website that allowed me to download the forms, fill them out electronically, and email them to my local county clerk.

The hardest part was having to answer this question:

Can any expat really answer this question with complete certainty? Anyways, your answer will only effect whether or not you can vote in local elections as well as federal elections.

After sending my voter registration and ballot request form by email, I then periodically checked the website to see if my application was approved. Once it was approved, I received my ballot shortly thereafter.

If you are already registered to vote, remember that you still need to request a ballot for this election. 

If you are still feeling confused, here are some other resources to help overseas American citizens vote:

https://www.fvap.gov/

https://www.votefromabroad.org/

http://www.democratsabroad.org/

Let me know if you are voting in the comments below!

Torschlusspanik & Permit Problems

I am graduating. Soon. So, I am panicking. Now.

In German, the panic as something is coming to an end is known as Torschlusspanik, which translates literally to gate-closing panic. The castle's gates are closing, the enemies are encroaching, and you need to get through those gates ASAP. But you still have to herd your sheep, pack up your belongings, gather your wife and children. There's not enough time. AHHH!!!

I have been writing my thesis since about mid-May, and it is just about done. Still, I am terrified to turn it in. Even more terrified to get feedback on it. And most terrified to defend it.

Then there is also the bureaucratic side of graduating as a foreign student. Luckily, Germany allows foreigners that graduate from German universities to get a job-search permit for up to 18 months. This is what I was hoping to get when my student visa becomes invalid on September 30th.

Just one problem: I won't be turning in my thesis and other term papers until the end of September.

For "normal" students, you can already move on to the next stage of your life (job search, phD, whatever) as you wait for your official diploma. I distinctly remember going through the official graduation ceremony for my bachelor's degree in the U.S. and not getting my official diploma until over a month later. Unfortunately, foreign students don't receive this luxury. Through recent correspondence with my local foreigners' office, they told me that I will not be able to get my job-search permit until I have my official diploma in my hand.

Until then, I need to enroll in the next semester (that's 350€ in fees) and extend my student visa (~80€). A waste of my money and my time.

So, that's where I'm at. Wrapping up my studies yet extending my student visa as I long for the day that I can move on with my life.

Cashing Checks in Germany vs. USA

No matter how long you live abroad, you still come across little everyday things that will surprise you. Things that you know would be so simple in your home country, but are confusing, over-complicated, or even archaic in our host country.

Today, I am talking about cashing and depositing checks in Germany versus the USA.

As I already bragged about multiple times on my blog, I won an academic prize from the DAAD in July, and this prize included a check for 1,000€. Desperately needing the money to pay for my upcoming semester, I took it to the bank the next day to deposit it in my bank account.

To deposit checks in Germany, you (at least at my bank, Postbank) have to bring it to a teller, who will write down the check number and your account number on a little slip of paper, which you will receive a carbon copy of. Then, you wait for the money to appear in your account 3-5 business days later.

Although you can still deposit checks like this in the U.S., it feels quite archaic for me. In fact, just one week after depositing my prize money, I flew to the U.S., where my wonderful grandmother gave me a check for my birthday. 

To deposit the check, I simply drove to the ATM, feed my check into the machine, and made sure that it read the amount correctly. I could see the pending amount in my account almost immediately.

But who cares? If you have been to Germany, then you know that it's not the most technologically-advanced country in the world. But as long as the system works, it's fine. Right?

Well, after spending 2 weeks in the U.S., I came back to Germany and checked my bank account to see if my 1,000€ check was ever deposited. It wasn't. Cue panic.

I searched for my little carbon copy stub that the bank teller gave me, but I couldn't find it. I stashed it away god-knows-where when I was cleaning out my wallet before traveling to the U.S. Luckily, my proud fiancé had taken pictures of my check on the day of the award ceremony. [Note: I later found the receipt, and all the numbers on it are correctly written.]

So, I called Postbank.

"It's been over 2 weeks and my check still hasn't been deposited."

"Yeah...That's not normal."

I gave the customer service woman the check number and date of deposit. It wasn't in the system. "Just wait for a letter in the mail with more information."

Yeah. I couldn't wait. So, I complained via Twitter.

Die @Postbank hat mein Scheck mit meinem Preisgeld vom @DAAD_Germany verloren. Kein Scherz. pic.twitter.com/uLCDr9RfOI

— Courtney Martin (@courtneydmartin) August 1, 2016

The next day, Postbank calls me to tell me that if the money still isn't on my account. The check disappeared. Of course they don't outright say that they lost it.

Now I have to ask my university if the check was cashed (Postbank did mention that it was possible that the check was stolen or deposited into the wrong account). If it wasn't cashed, then I have to ask them to cancel the original check and issue another one. Too bad I already tried contacting my university, and  they said it would be too difficult for them to do that. It's Postbank's fault, so they have to fix it.

So, here I am stuck in the middle with no money and no idea who to contact at this point.

Moral of the story? Avoiding using checks in Germany. And maybe bank somewhere else than with Postbank.

Germany, this is an area where you can learn a thing or two from the U.S.

Have you experienced any differences when banking in different countries?

My 3 Year Expat Anniversary!

As of today, I have lived for three years in Germany. That's right, it's my 3 year anniversary as an expat! And let me tell you, it was the best year yet!

Now that it has become tradition (1st anniversary, 2nd anniversary), I will now give a run down of all the things I have seen and accomplished in this past year.

July 2015

• I got my German driver's license! I still don't use it very often, but at least I have it...

August 2015

• After working for a full year at the same company, I had my last day at that job, but continued to receive paid vacation until the end of September. Score! ;) 
• (I also shared all about what it's like to work as a foreign student in Germany)

• With my first year of grad school nearly over, I renewed my German student visa for year number two. 

September 2015

• Marco and I celebrated our four-year anniversary!

• Missing home, I made some delicious homemade Reese's peanut butter cups

• I also started preparing for my trip home to Chicago at the end of September by sharing my USA shopping list and telling you all about how amazing Chicago is.

October 2015

• I got back from an amazing two-week vacation in the U.S. and shared my haul of American clothes and candy.

• I started my third semester of grad school in Germany! So, I also shared an overview of my second semester, of course.

November 2015

• For Thanksgiving weekend, Marco took me on a little vacation to the Baltic Sea, where he asked me to marry him (and I said yes)!

• By the way, this was also my FOURTH Thanksgiving in Germany! 

December 2015

• I stayed in Germany for Christmas this year, spending time with Marco's family in Nuremberg (even though they're not from Nuremberg).
• We spent New Year's Eve at home in Lüneburg, where I did lead pouring for the first time and lit off some fireworks in the street!

January 2016

• I calculated how much it costs to live and study in Germany 
• I also found out that I am 70% Müller

February 2016

• February is the start of the final exam period for the winter semester, so I did a run down on how I write term papers in Germany
• Marco and I started the very bureaucratic process of getting married in Germany

March 2016

• I successfully finished my third semester of grad school in Germany! If only I hadn't mistakenly taken a class that didn't end up counting towards my degree, this would have been my very last time taking classes...
• I also started tutoring two German teenagers (13 and 15 years old) in English this month, which has ended up being a lot of fun!

April 2016

• Marco and I spent Easter in his hometown in Southern Germany, where I tried driving stick shift again. It went quite well, and I even drove four hours on the Autobahn!

• I started my fourth (and hopefully last) semester of my master's degree, which means I also started writing my master's thesis!

May 2016

• Marco and I were quite busy requesting, collecting, and translating documents for our marriage application

Finally got my Apostille. One step closer to getting married in #Germany.

A photo posted by Courtney (@courtneydmartin) on Apr 19, 2016 at 7:10am PDT

June 2016

• UEFA European Championships started (but Germany lost in the semifinals)
• I was nominated for an academic award at my university for the "best foreign student" (spoiler: I won and received the award in July)

July 2015

• I won the award!

• And a local newspaper wrote an article about me and this blog!

And today, on July 24th, I have reached my 3-year anniversary living in Germany. What a crazy 3 years it has been.

Here's to another great year!

The State of Germerica

Lately, I haven't really been using this blog to tell you guys what is going on in my life - and there is a lot going on! So, I am going to do that today in the first ever...

State of Germerica Address!

Just like the president's annual State of the Union address, I will move through this post by topic, providing update on all of the progress I have made in my life throughout the past few months. Who knows, maybe this will even become an annual or biannual thing. Only time will tell.

Now let's see what topics are on the docket today...

Writing My Master's Thesis

I am still hard at work writing my master's thesis. My goal is to be completely finished by the end of the semester (September 30), which means I have 3.5 months to finish writing my 80-120 pages, turn it in, wait for my supervisors to grade it, and then orally defend my thesis to my supervisors. Currently, I am still in the writing stage, trying to write at least 500 words per day (you can keep up with my progress on Twitter).

I Won an Award!

Speaking of school, I won an award! Every year, my university gives an award on behalf of the DAAD to the best international student. And this year, they are giving it to me! I'll make sure to put up some pictures on the blog after the award ceremony on July 6th.

Working Hard

As I write my thesis, I am also still working hard on some side projects and freelance jobs. Once a week, I tutor two German high school girls in English - make sure to check out my most recent Mistranslation Monday to see the kind of antics that go on here. I am also working with Eight Hours and Change and am looking forward to showing some American students around my university's campus at the end of the month!


European Championships

The UEFA European Championships (for you Americans out there, this is a soccer competition among the European countries) started on June 10th, which means my football/soccer consumption has gone up 100% over the past few days. I'm also part of a betting pot with Marco's family, which is kind of a joke since I have no idea who is any good, and I am already in last place.


Summer Vacation

In the midst of all this craziness, Marco and I are also getting ready to go on vacation! My brother is getting married on Long Island in mid-July, so Marco and I going to be flying to the U.S. for two weeks! But there is still lots of things to do before then...

So, that's the state of my Germerican life right now. If you have any big summer plans, let me know in the comments below!

How Moving to Germany Affected My Carbon Footprint

It is a fact that Germany releases much less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per capita than the United States. This is due to a mixture of factors that include large investments in renewable energy and an overall environmental consciousness among German citizens.

This got me thinking: Has moving to Germany helped my carbon footprint to shrink?

First, let's look at some numbers:
Tons of CO₂ Produced Per Capita in 1990
USA: 19
Germany: 15.2

Tons of CO₂ Produced Per Capita in 2010
USA: 19
Germany: 12.3
Information received from Carbon Footprint of Nations.

This means Germany has actually improved its carbon emissions by nearly 3 tons since 1990. The United States' carbon footprint per capita actually spiked to 21 tons in 2000, which they did recover from. When you look at the big picture, however, it is basically like they have never made any progress at all.

USA
So, I was curious to see how my carbon footprint improved since I moved to Germany. Using several carbon footprint calculators in order to get the most accurate result possible, I first calculated my carbon footprint for the last six months while I was living and working in Illinois from January 2013 to July 2013:

Ecological Footprint: 20.5 tons of CO₂ eq/year
Global Footprint Network: 25.3 tons of CO₂ eq/year
Stanford: 17.2

Average = 21.0 metric tons of CO₂e

Major contributing factors:

• During this time, I was driving 60 miles round trip each day for work = 3,900 miles over six months
• I lived in a 3-bedroom house
• Only about 11% of the energy produced in the U.S. comes from renewable sources

Germany

Next, I calculated my carbon footprint for my last six months in Germany, which would be from November 2015 to May 2016.

Ecological Footprint: 13.7 tons of CO₂ eq/year

Global Footprint Network: 9 tons of CO₂ eq/year

Stanford: 6.6 tons of CO2 eq/year

Total: 9.8 metric tons of CO₂e

Major contributing factors:

• I live in a 1 bedroom apartment
• Marco and I are very conscious about electricity use and only use about 25 kWh per week
• I travel most often by foot, otherwise by city bus (we only drive our car max. 1x/week)
• Approximately 40% of our electricity comes from renewable sources (and that is the cheapest, basic electricity plan available)

There are many factors that I could not take into account, which is why my carbon footprint is so much lower than the average. However, we can still assume that the difference between these two numbers is fairly accurate.

I am now producing 11.2 fewer tons of CO₂/yr than I was 3 years ago.

As a side note, I do realize that because I make a transatlantic flight approximately once per year, my carbon footprint is actually much higher than each of these numbers indicate. Since I just wanted to focus on the impact of my day-to-day life in each of these countries, I did not take my yearly flights into account.

For those that have moved to another country: how do you think your carbon footprint has changed?

Voting from Abroad: My Voting History

I have a confession to make. A confession that I am not proud about. A confession that many people may criticize me for. However, I am making this confession to you now because it is something that I am finally going to do something about.

I have never voted. But this will change in 2016.

I turned 18 in 2008, the year that Obama was first running for presidential office. It was also the year I started college.

During those first couple months on campus, it was impossible to go anywhere without seeing a table or booth encouraging students to register to vote. So, like a good college student, I registered.

As the election neared, however, I never got any confirmation of my registration. And when I checked my mailbox just a few days before the election, I found out why.

I had received a letter that said there was something wrong with my registration, and I was, therefore, not registered to. Since I had received the letter just days before the election, there was also no chance for me to re-register.

So, I didn't vote in 2008. I also never bothered to re-register in the following four years for no real reason other than laziness and ignorance.

Fast forward to 2012. Obama is running for reelection, and I am staying in Germany for two months from September through November. Of course I didn't think about registering before leaving. I also didn't think about registering from abroad (I suppose I didn't really know it was possible). Anyways, the election rolls around, and I remember anxiously turning on the radio in the morning to hear who had won. And in the four years following that day, I still never bothered to register.

Unfortunately, I already missed the primaries for this year. However, there is still time for me to register to vote in the presidential election. I have already started this process, and I promise to write all about my experience and how to vote/register to vote from abroad throughout the coming months.

Have you ever voted from outside of your home country?

Learning to Drive Stick Shift, Part 2

Back in September 2013, my German fiancé gave me my first stick shift driving lesson. We went from driving circles in the parking lot to driving around a traffic-filled roundabout in about 15 minutes, which was too much too fast. I was terrified the entire time, and I never got back into the driver's seat of a manual transmission car for the next 2.5 years.

Over Easter this year, Marco and I drove 800 km (500 mi) south to spend the week at his childhood home in Ravensburg. As usual, Marco drove the entire way, as I fed and watered him from the passenger seat (I'm a great passenger).

A couple days after arriving, however, Marco started suggesting that I try driving stick shift again. Just the parking lot, he kept saying. We don't have to leave the parking lot.

Well, that boy convinced me to drive circles around the parking lot that afternoon, and it went pretty well. It was especially entertaining for the nearby construction workers, who I think the workers had a fun time watching me sporadically stall the car. 

The parking lot experience went so well, in fact, I asked Marco to take me to some country roads where I can drive faster without encountering many other drivers. And that's exactly what we did. And it went pretty darn well.

A couple days later, Marco and I were invited to his cousin's house for a grilling party. Over dinner, Marco tuns to me and says, "That should probably be your last beer, because you are driving home."

Since he didn't ask me previously, I felt quite anxious at first, but I agreed to the arrangement. And when the party finally died down around 3 AM, I actually ended up driving home Marco, his brother, and his cousin - a car full of drunk German men.

The drive home from Marco's cousin's house was only about 15 minutes, and I don't think I ever saw another car (it was 3 AM on Easter Sunday). And although I did drive well under the speed limit, it went pretty darn well.

On Easter Sunday, Marco was anxious for me to practice driving again, so he suggested we go to McDonald's to grab a coffee (yes, we went to McDonald's on Easter Sunday). I quickly agreed, thinking that I could handle anything after the drove home the night before.

Unfortunately, there was one thing I didn't take into consideration when I agreed to drive into town: stop lights. There were five stop lights on the way to McDonald's, and every single one turned red just as I pulled up. The first three were fine, as there was nobody behind me, so I felt comfortable going really slowly. On the fourth, there was a car behind me, and in my attempt to take off quicker, I stalled the car. Luckily, I got it on the second try, and the person behind me didn't seem too perturbed.

When trying to turn left into McDonald's side street, I got caught by my fifth and final red light. And, of course, there were three cars behind me. The light turned green, and I stalled the car. I turned the key again, let my foot off the clutch, and it stalled again. Third times a charm? Nope, it's dead.

Then the light was red again, and as I sat there waiting for the green, I tried my hardest not to look in the rear-view mirror.

I didn't drive home from McDonald's that day.

After that slightly traumatic experience ("Scheiß Anfahren!" - as Marco's father said to me), we headed back to the parking lot, where I practiced stopping and starting again over and over and over.

On the day after Easter, Marco and I were planning to drive the 800 km back north. After strategically building up my driving confidence over the past week, Marco asked if I would like to drive "just the first half hour" of the trip. "Sure," I said, "as long as there aren't too many stop lights."

Well, that half hour quickly turned into four hours. That's right, I drove half of the way home! And I did it with only one minor freak-out when traffic on the Autobahn slowed to a near stand-still for a couple kilometers. Otherwise, Autobahn driving is pretty easy, considering you can just stay in 5th gear and forget that you are driving a car with a manual transmission.

Unfortunately, I am still nervous about driving through city traffic and have not yet taken to the wheel in our city. Hopefully with a little more practice, however, I can reach that level.

Can you drive stick shift? How did you learn?

Getting Married in Germany: The Required Documents

If you didn't already know, I am getting married! Since I am marrying a German in Germany, however, this process is much more bureaucratic than romantic (at least for now).

The German fiance and I scheduled our first appointment at the local Standesamt (registry office) for Monday, February 15th at 10:00 a.m. This made for a very exciting Valentine's Day, as we were anticipating what would happen on the following day.

What documents do we need to get married in Germany? Will I need to go to the American embassy? How much money will it all cost? Can we set a date already?

Luckily, we got answers to all of those questions and more.

Before going to the Standesamt, I did a lot of research. I read about the experiences of other American expats that married Germans such as Sarah at My German Life and Marisa at Adventures of La Mari. However, just like all of the bureaucratic processes I have overcome so far, my experience is turning out to be completely different.

When we got to the Standesamt at 10:00 a.m. on that Monday morning, Mr. Standesamt-Man already had our profiles printed out in front of him (it kind of freaks me out what a thick file the German government has on me). He had also already created and printed out a list of the documents required for us to get married:

In total, here are the documents I need:
✓ Birth certificate with name of parents
       ✓ with Apostille*
✓ Passport
✓ Residence permit
✓ Proof of income*
✓ Affidavit of family status at the local registry office
✓ Affidavit of family status at the American consulate*

*Items marked with a star are only required in extraordinary circumstances.

Now let's go through and look at exactly what each of these documents are, and how I will get them.

✓ Birth certificate with name of parents (and apostille*)

Mr. Standesamt-Man was very careful to stress the importance that my parents' names must be on the birth certificate. The birth certificate also has to be issued within 6 months of when I turn it in. Since I am from Illinois, I looked at the Illinois Secretary of State website to see how I can order a birth certificate. The options are either in person, by mail, or online. Although I could do it online, there is a $13 handling fee. So, I convinced my mother to order it by mail.

In about 10% of cases, an Apostille (international certification) is also required. Mr. Standesamt-Man said that we can turn in the birth certificate without it, but it is possible that it would be rejected if the high court is unsure of the birth certificate's authenticity. Since the Apostille only costs $2 and can be ordered by mail, this is something else my mother has graciously agreed to get for me.


✓ Passport

Luckily, our Standesamt is very generous (I've read horror stories from other expats), and Mr. Standesamt-Man made copies of our passports right then and there. So, that's already taken care of (hence why he checked it off of our list).


✓ Residence Permit

Mr. Standesamt-Man took care of this for us too. I actually expected him to make us walk downstairs, pull a number, and wait in the waiting area until we could request a copy of this document ourselves (I wouldn't put this past German governmental offices). However, I was pleasantly proved wrong!


✓ Proof of Income*

Since the documents need to be checked by the high court, couples are charged a fee of 300€ to 500€ for the entire process (yikes!). However, this amount is income-based, so many couples do not actually have to pay the full amount. Providing proof of income is optional, but it can only help. If you don't turn it in at all, you automatically pay the full amount.


✓ Affidavit of family status at the local registry office
Mr. Standesamt-Man will take care of this for us when we turn in the rest of the documents. Basically, I just have to say "I solemnly swear I have never been married," and sign my name on the dotted line.

✓ Affidavit of family status at the American consulate*

This is another thing that is not required in most cases. Since it also costs $50 and a trip to one of the consulates (Berlin, Frankfurt, or Bremen), Mr. Standesamt-Man said not to worry about it. So, we will put this on the back burner for now, and hope our paperwork doesn't get rejected without it.

And that's it! After doing so much research over the past few months, reading "No! Don't do it! Get married in the U.S. or Denmark!", I am honestly quite surprised at how little seems to be required. So far, I think it looks quite manageable, and I will keep you updated on my progress along the way.

German Christmas Card Fail

This an apology to my family. I tried my best, but nobody will be receiving Christmas cards this year. Don't blame me, blame the strict German postal service (see below).

I was so good this year. I bought a pack of Christmas cards just days after Thanksgiving. They were even the kind where part of the profits go to charity. I addressed the envelopes to all of my friends and family in the U.S. I wrote personal messages in each of the Christmas cards. I even drove (well, Marco drove) to the post office just a few days into December with the intent to mail them weeks before Christmas. 

But alas, no one will be receiving Christmas cards from me this year.

This isn't my fist time sending Christmas cards to the U.S. Last year, trying to be safe and fit within the post office's size limits, I bought mini-cards that were half the size of a standard greeting card. Imagine my disappointment when I got to the post office, and the man told me that "Oh, due to the miniature format, these don't fit through the machines. Therefore, postage costs €1.50 per card instead of €0.80. 

But that was fine. I was only sending about 5 cards anyways, and €1.50 still seemed somewhat reasonable.

Learning my lesson from last year, I decided to buy a pack of (what I thought was) standard-sized greeting cards this year. Well, imagine my disappointment once again when the women at the post office told me, "Oh... these are too big. It would be €3.45 per card to send these." What?! Since I had 10 cards in my hand (and not very much money in my bank account), I just couldn't justify it. So, I didn't send the cards.

Turns out, what the Germans consider "standard" is very specific. I know it is my fault for not checking beforehand, but it is also infuriating that these Christmas cards could be sent for just €0.80 each had I cut 1.5 cm off the bottom of each card.

For reference, here is the price list for international postage in Germany (2015):

I have learned my lesson. Since the measurements for "standard" are based on the typical business envelope, instead of Christmas cards, maybe I will just send New Year's letters.

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers

Much like chain emails back in the early 2000's, some bloggers like to send around "awards" to each other that come with a set of questions for their nominees to answer. I have never taken part in one of these awards yet, but after being nominated a handful of times, I figured it was time to participate :)

This particular award is called the "Sisterhood of the World Bloggers." I was nominated by American Faultier, Confuzzledom, and Ami in Schwabenland. Each of them created ten questions, but since I am lazy, and 30 questions seem like it would be a lot for people to read, I have selected my favorite from each of my nominators.

I will start with Jennifer's questions:

How did you come up with your blog's name?

As many of you probably know, my blog used to be called Courtney the Ami - "Ami" is the German abbreviation for "American." I really didn't like the idea of labeling myself like that forever, though, so I changed the name of my blog to Welcome to Germerica - Germerica being the place where German and American culture combines.

What is your dream pet?

Definitely dog. I browse the local shelter's website almost daily and dream about the day (hopefully in a year) when I finally get a dog of my own. If I could adopt a dog tomorrow, here would be my favorites that are currently at the shelter:

Sam

Ljuba

Sally

If you had the change to travel to space, would you go? Why or why not?

Maybe. If it was free (or I was super rich), I suppose it would be cool to look at the Earth from space.

If you had infinite money, what would your house look like?

If I am living with Marco, then I would want a master bedroom with 2 separate en suite bathrooms (think of all the fights that would be avoided). I would also have a big open kitchen - dining room - living room (which is hard to find in Germany). 

eBooks or paper books? Why?

Marco bought me a Kindle when I passed the TestDaF in February 2014. I have never bought a paper book since. I love my Kindle, and since I am a broke grad student right now, I always just download the free books from the Kindle store (at least I am reading something). 

Now for the questions from Beverley:

Why did you start your blog?

I started it once I made the decision to move to Germany as a way to keep my friends and family updated.

What is the best food you've ever had while travelling?
In 2012, Marco took me to Freiburg, which is where he used to study. While there, we went to a popular student restaurant called Brennessel. Now, this is a pretty cheap restaurant (they serve a huge serving of Spaghetti Bolognese for 1.80€ everyday from 18-19:30), but the pork chop I had there hit the right spot in an indescribable way. I still dream about the brown sauce that meat was smothered in...

If you could have a second home, where would it be and why?
This is maybe a boring answer, but I would have my second home in Chicago! Preferably one of those multi-million dollar brownstones in Lincoln Park.

If you were a ghost, which place would you haunt?
To this day, my mother still claims that a ghost haunted her childhood home. So, I think I would haunt my childhood home as well. Specifically, whoever is sleeping in my childhood bedroom (I always had nightmares about someone living in that closet).

Have you ever planned a trip just because a book/film was set there?
Not yet, but I have wanting to visit Bruges ever since watching the movie In Bruges.

And from Beth:

What is a blog post you wrote within the last year or two that you really like?

Probably the one about folding vs. crumpling toilet paper. It is such a mundane habit that you never even consider being culturally specific, but it turns out that it probably is! I loved hearing the responses from people about whether they fold or crumple too.

What type of blog post do you find the most difficult to write?
Anything personal or opinionated, which is why I often write more objective/factual posts about studying or living in Germany.

Is there a German TV show you enjoy watching?
Yes! My favorite German TV show is, without a doubt, Tatortreiniger. Don't mistake it with the long-running German crime show Tatort. Der Tatortreiniger is about a man who cleans crime scenes, where he meets pretty eccentric characters or gets himself into some precarious situations. It's hilarious. You should watch it (if you know German, that is, because I am not sure if subtitles are available).

Where are you on your journey of learning the language of the country in which you live?
If you were to look at my resume, you would see that I write "proficient" when describing my German fluency. I have passed the TestDaF, I am doing a German-language Master's program, and I speak German on a daily basis. Am I perfect? No. I still have a lot of room for improvement, but my German is good enough for all of that...

Which dialect (of any language) do you really enjoy listening to?
My favorite German dialect is probably Fränkisch, which is the dialect from the region in Bavaria known as Franken. I think the way they roll their "R" is so cute, especially when they try to speak Hochdeutsch, but retain the rolled "R." That's my favorite. Marco is probably disappointed that I am not answering Schwäbisch (his native dialect), but I think it sounds like a dialect for inbred farmers (I apologize in advance to all of Marco's family).


Now it is time for me to create 10 new questions and nominate new bloggers.

My questions:
1. What is the most unusual item you always have in your carry-on?
2. What is your favorite social media platform?
3. You are going on a weekend getaway 4 hours away. What do you prefer: driving, going by train, or flying?
4. What are you in the mood for: a relaxing beach vacation or a trip to a big city you have never visited before?
5. What is your favorite breakfast food?
6. Have you ever had a vacation destination not live up to your expectations?
7. What is your favorite non-US TV show?
8. You are going out for the evening with friends - what drink do you order?
9. What is your favorite souvenir that you bought on a trip?
10. And lastly, share your favorite inspirational quote!

My nominees:
Sarah at My German Life
San at The In Between is Mine
Caitlin at Life as an Ausländer

USA Haul #2

I came back from my two-week trip from the U.S. on Friday. So, naturally, I have another haul to share!

Before I left, I shared my American shopping list, which mentioned some of things I had planned to pick up during my trip. Well, I got all those things and then some.

Most importantly, I got clothes. As a graduate student that did her Bachelor's in the U.S., I do not have very much money. So, I very rarely go shopping for new clothes. I actually cannot remember the last time I bought any new clothing in Germany.

Since clothes are also a little cheaper in the U.S. (especially jeans), I went to town searching through the clearance racks of nearly every store within a 20-mile radius of my parent's house. Here are the clothes (including a pair of new shoes and a bag) I bought, all of which was discounted by a minimum of 30%. The most expensive item of clothing I bought was a pair of Calvin Klein jeans, which were on sale at the outlet mall for 40 dollars.

The Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations were also really getting to me, so I told Marco that I really wanted to bring some kind of Thanksgiving decoration back for our apartment. Still not wanting to spend much money (and worrying about the weight of my suitcase), we grabbed a dish towel from TJ Maxx for three dollars. We are using it as a kind of tablecloth/centerpiece for our little dining room table.

Next on the list is, of course, was Yankee Candles. Although I have figured out that I can buy Yankee Candles online in Germany, they are much cheaper in the U.S.

Marco and I got two big jar candles: Iced Spice Cake and Fall Wreath (the labels vary depending on what store you buy the candles from, but they are all the same candles).

Since they were crazy on sale, we also grabbed some scented wax for our tea light wax melter thing (you know what I mean). Each of those little plastic containers of wax were only two dollars!

If you read my USA shopping list, then you also know that Marco and I love Crest Whitestrips. We don't do them very often, but they are not available in Germany, so we always like to pick them up (but only if they are on sale, of course).

Lastly, candy. Most importantly, peanut butter candy. You can see I got Reese's, Reese's Pieces, and peanut butter M&M's (oh how I wish they sold these in Germany). I also got a bag of candy corn, Wild Berry Skittles (the best kind of Skittles), Red Vines, and a Butterfinger.

Let's hope I can make this pile of candy last more than 2 weeks (after just 5 days, I have already opened a bag of peanut butter M&M's, the Reese's Pieces, and the Skittles - oh, and I already ate the entire bag of candy corn).