Hi, there, friends! And welcome to my Felsberg Diaries. I came to Germany for the first time back in summer of 2011 to do a language course. My German level was at that time only A1, so you can imagine how scared I was of people talking to me or even looking at me. And Felsberg was the first town I have ever visited and lived in. So, in today’s post I would like to tell you more about it.
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Hi, there, friends! Today I have decided to share with you my old Photo Walk around Bad Salzungen. This Photo Walk happened quite a while ago, back when I was a student in Schmalkalden. Since we had a free student ticket around Thüringen, we would often travel around the neighboring towns and villages. The nature there was just amazing!
The name Bad Salzungen comes from the word “Salz” translated as “salt”. It was named so due to the salt deposits in the region. Now the town is well-known for it’s salt water health resort. Actually if you noticed, many towns in Germany have “Bad” as a part of the name. Basically this means, that there is spa resort in the town (Bad Neuenahr-Arweiler, Bad Münstereifel)! All of them have spa resorts. Cool, right?
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I have moved to Germany quite some time ago and New Year 2021 will be my New Year number 7 here! Super exciting, right? Over the years, I have celebrated it in many different ways – I had attended student parties, celebrated in the company of my German neighbors, stayed alone during New Year’s Eve and spend time with my loved ones. And every time it was the most special time of the year. To be honest, it is rather similar to the way it is celebrated in Ukraine – with some differences of course. Therefore, today’s post I have decided to dedicate to New Year and the way it is celebrated in Germany! So, let’s start. Continue reading
Hi, there, my dear friends! Today, 25th December, is a special time of the year – it is Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope this year will bring you lots of happiness and health! To me this is very beautiful day, filled with joy, aroma of eggnog and room filling with endless array of Christmas songs and binge watching of Christmas movies. I personally love it – watching Home Alone is like a sacred tradition for me and my family to do on Christmas. This year, I have always added new movie Christmas Chronicles to the list. Will be watching second movie this evening. Yesterday was Christmas Eve and I wanted to share with you how I spent it in Cologne.
Hi, there, friends! As Christmas is right around the corner, I have decided to create a special Christmas Food post for you. Do you want to immerse yourself in a German way of celebrating Christmas? Then what better way to do so, as to cook typical Christmas food? So, what is typical for Christmas?
Hi my friends, and welcome to my new post. As of yesterday, 16.12.2020, Germany entered new, even harder, lockdown. During previous “lockdown light” we had restaurants and cafes closed (except takeaway), as well as cinemas, theaters, fitness centers and swimming pools. However, those measures did not have much influence on the number of Coronavirus infections in Germany. Therefore, now, the new restrictions have to take place. And they include closing of most stores, schools and day care centers. Such things as walking outside and going to parks is still allowed, with social distancing in place of course.
In view of that, I have decided to create a list of things to do during lockdown. Myself, I have been home since March 2020 and many times I have struggled with boredom. So much boredom. I was bored as crazy, especially during first month of lockdown while I was still getting used to stay-at-home life. I have tried so many different things to keep myself busy and many of them were pretty exciting. Today I want to share those with you.
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Hi, there, my dear friends and happy 1st Advent to you. It is official! Countdown to Christmas has started – only 25 days till we can all enjoy Christmas celebration! As you understood, today I would like to tell you more about the Advent in Germany, what it actually is and traditions surrounding it. So, what is Advent?
Advent is a religious celebration, the special time of the year during which the preparation for the arrival, or “advent”, of Christ take place, which is then celebrated on 25th December. Advent usually starts four weeks before Christmas, to be more precise, four Sundays till Christmas. And today, on 29th November we are celebrating the 1st Advent. So, what do people usually do during Advent time in Germany? Well, there are many traditions surrounding this period including Advent wreath, Advent calendar, setting up a Christmas tree and general preparations for Christmas. Ohhh, and let’s not forget that around this season the Christmas Markets usually start (well, except this year unfortunately). Continue reading
Hey, guys! Today I would like to introduce you to Germany. I have already told you about how I first came to Germany, but now I will simply rewind back and actually tell you some interesting facts about this beautiful country of Germany. So, let’s start:
Hi, my dear friends! Today I would like to tell you a little bit about my impressions of studying in Germany. As you know from previous blog posts, I moved to Germany 6 years ago to pursue my Master’s degree in International Business and Economics at Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences. It was incredible time filled with a lot of joy and, of course, adventures! I would say it took me a little bit of time to adjust to educational system in Germany and way it works since there are quite a few differences compared to Ukraine. So, in this blog post I would like to tell you more about differences between university life in Germany and Ukraine!
Schmalkalden! Most of the expats living in Germany have never heard this name. Well, to be very honest even many Germans have never heard this name. Once I mentioned Schmalkalden to my German friend as an answer to his question “Where did you study”, and his reaction was: “No, I mean where did you study in Germany, not in Ukraine”. But well, Schmalkalden is actually in Germany.
This place is very special to me for many reasons, it is where it all began. Didn’t mean to sound like in one episodes of “Dark”. But well, that is true. That is exactly where my expat journey in Germany began. These place has so many memories of my student life – first time I’ve lived apart from my parents, first time I’ve lived in a student dorm, my first dorm party, my first part-time job, and the list can go on. It was a place where I met so many beautiful people and made friends for the rest of my life. I had so many sleepless nights of studying and, of course, partying. That is exactly why I decide to create a separate blog post to tell you more about this town. So, let’s start!
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My Life Diaries 