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Health system in Germany | A summary
Of the many things we had to research and learn about this move to Germany, were the various types of insurance (Diego wrote a post about it included) and the health system was one of the most important things, since health insurance is mandatory in Germany. In our many years in Canada, we learned how the system works there and of course, our comparison comes straight from there. In Canada, health is public and you pay nothing on the spot (only in the your taxes, which are high). You have access to the family doctor and from referrals, to a large number of professionals, where almost 100% of the services…
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Nuremberg – Bavaria | Trips in Germany
Last december, just a few days before Christmas and with our family from Brazil visiting us, we had a quick stop in Nuremberg, in the state of Bavaria. The city of Nuremberg or how it’s called here in Germany, Nürnberg, has a bit over 500,000 people and is about 225km from Frankfurt. But perhaps, if you are visiting Munich, you are popping in Nuremberg for a day trip, is it is only 169km from the biggest city of Bavaria. Besides the first known records show the area was established around the year 1050, it was in the WW2 that the city got to be known all over the world, as…
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Fasching/Karneval | Celebration in Germany
Even month we spent here in Germany comes with another surprise and this month we found out that Carnival is celebrated, in a very different way of Carnival in Brazil, where we grew up. Those days around Carnival celebrations are called Fasching or Karneval here in Germany, similar to another countries in Europe. The terms also differ depending of each region, so you might hear karneval, fasching, fastnacht among other names. The celebrations are usually concentrated from Friday to Tuesday and here in the Frankfurt area, most of the parades are on Saturday, Sunday or Monday (Rosenmontag) with decorated floats, bands and lots of people in costumes (ones that are…
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Speaking German in Germany | Expat life
One of the most common questions we get since we moving to Germany is about the language barrier. How are you guys moving to Germany without speaking German? So here in this post, I share some of our experiences in this “long” 6 month journey and insights about it. Well, I must say that although it is our situation at the moment (not speaking German in Germany), we are not comfortable nor would recommend it. For those who have the time to learn the official language of wherever you are moving to, I strongly recommend. Our preparation time before the big move to Germany was relatively short , so with…
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Public Pools in Germany | Family Activities
When in Germany, do as the Germans! And Germans like their “Schwimmbads”. This post describes our experience with three different public pools in Germany in the Taunus region, where we live. When we arrived and it was still hot outside, we went to two different ones. Then the “cold” started, and we stopped visiting pools. But last weekend we went to a new one and loved it. They all had similarities (like pools, of course!), but also offered different activities, depending on which season of the year you decide to visit them. In the summer, the outdoor pools are freezing (at least for me and in the ones we went).…
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New Germany Skilled Immigration Act
Come to Germany!! That is the message the German government is trying to convey with the Germany Skilled Immigration Act. It is a new law that enters into force on March 1st. It opens access to the German labor market for skilled workers from countries outside the EU. According to estimates by the Federal Government, this should bring an additional 25,000 skilled workers to Germany each year. So what is changing? The new law should make it easier for qualified professionals from non-EU countries to come work in Germany. The key changes are as follows: The new law includes all occupations, not only the ones defined as “shortage occupations”. The…
