Mongolian Tea (Suutei tsai) is an important part of Mongolian culture and is apparently quite different to any other tea. Served in little bowls with most meals, it is made with green tea (often of poor quality), yak milk or butter and salt! This sounds a little strange but given the chance I would try it.
Continue reading “Mongolian Tea”Heimweh oder Fernweh?
Whilst it’s easy to translate Heimweh (homesickness) into English, I am really struggling to find an English word to describe Fernweh. Perhaps you can help.
Homesickness: “a feeling of longing for your home during a period of absence from it.“
Example: ” I have lived in Germany for 22 years and have never felt homesick”
Fernweh?
Maybe we can use these words but I am not convinced.
Wanderlust: “a strong desire to travel.”
Itchy feet: “a sense of boredom or restlessness causing a desire to travel or move on.”
When compared with homesickness these definitions do not seem strong enough. There is no suggestion of pain or heartache.
What do you think?
Remembrance Sunday
Living in Germany I soon realised that November is a very busy and important month in the calendar.
Continue reading “Remembrance Sunday”Perfect loaf of bread
Use your loaf!
“Use your loaf” is an English saying which means you should use your brain or head. Often used in a derogatory way when telling someone to think and be more careful.
Continue reading “Perfect loaf of bread”Cemetery or graveyard?
As is often the case there are two English words for one German. Der Friedhof can be translated as graveyard or cemetery, but what is the difference?
A cemetery: “a large burial ground, especially one not in a churchyard.” These can range from the famous Highgate Cemetery in London (this on my list of places to visit) to the very moving World War I cemeteries at Ypres in Belgium.
A graveyard: “a burial ground, especially one beside a church.” These are steeped in family history, especially as the graves don’t get removed. Unlike here in Germany, where families lease grave sites for a specific period of time, usually from 15 to 30 years, in England you get to keep the plot (gravestone and all) – it is yours for life (or eternity).
The English graveyards are usually maintained by the church and one of the cheapest and most effective ways is to allow sheep to graze on and around the graves. This is quite a strange scene for a non-English visitor.
What is an expat?
This blog is a collection of my thoughts and experiences as an “expat” living in Germany.
You are probably wondering what an “expat” is. Well, according to Wikipedia “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than their native country.”
Continue reading “What is an expat?”Teacups
My interest in all things to do with tea has developed since I moved to Germany and I want to dedicate one side of my blog to my take on tea. I have had fun researching this topic and hope to post regularly on “Time 4 Tea” . All definitions are based on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Continue reading “Teacups”A Flying Visit to England
Dortmund to (LDN) Luton
We flew from Dortmund to Luton (which, by the way, is not in London) with Easyjet which we haven’t done for a few years. Normally we travel by car through the Eurotunnel so that we are more mobile in England. Because our visit was only a short stay, we chose to fly. We had a delay of nearly 2 hours due to a bird hitting the plane on its flight into Dortmund but I must say the crew and pilot were very apologetic and we even got a complimentary snack and drink. An added bonus was that we saw the Borussia Dortmund players go through security as they prepared to fly to Stuttgart for their match the next day.
Continue reading “A Flying Visit to England”Chimp the PG Tips Monkey
Found: Chimp the Monkey
Whilst recently visiting family in England I was really excited to discover a knitted monkey from PG Tips. Chimp was perched on a radio in my brother-in-law’s kitchen. You may remember I talked about him in my last blog. What a joy!
An Englishwoman from York
I’m an Alien
“I’m an alien, I’m an alien. An Englishman in New York” is what Sting sings in his single from 1988. That’s not true of me. As an expat in Germany, I consider myself a “tea-loving Englishwoman from York” who feels far from being an alien. Ok, I admit that I have the odd moment when I say something stupid and people look at me as if I am from another planet!
Continue reading “An Englishwoman from York”