Belinda is no stranger to living in foreign countries. Originally from the Philippines, she has traveled to many lands and now lives with her husband in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, where she works teaching English. Read on for tips on what she did to settle down as an expat there, learn something about the area where she lives, and find out why she is brimming with enthusiasm for life and living in Germany.

Belinda Roozemond-Menzen

February 16 2007

-Where were you born?
In the Philippines

-In which country and city are you living now?
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany (19km from Bonn)

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my husband.

-How long have you been living in Germany?
In April I'll have been in Germany for 3 years.

-What is your age?
31

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Germany?
I met my husband at an Art/Photography website and after deciding we had to be together, I moved here.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
I have Dutch nationality because of my father so it was extremely easy to get a residence permit.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
YES! This is one of the hardest things to do as a foreigner in Germany.  There are really no inexpensive options for private insurance here and I had to go through a private agency in England that specialises in Expat insurance.  This is a vital factor in whether you receive permanent residency or a work visa so I recommend you have this sorted out before you come here.

-How do you make your living in Germany? Do you have any type of income generated?
I'm an English teacher by profession. I teach one-on-one through the language school I work for. I basically applied at all the local language schools and got extremely lucky because there were no other native speakers of English here that had qualifications. German employers are not looking to see if you have the potential to be good eventually. To them as long as you have educational qualifications and training in the field you want to work in, you'll be considered. I worked in the US previously and there you can pretty much apply for any job even if you don't necessarily have formal training/education. German employers very rarely look at your personal growth potential – it's all about your C.V./Resume. This can be very frustrating if you aren't used to that kind of mentality.

-Do you speak German and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
In reference to getting work one would think that it wasn't really necessary for me to learn German. However, I think that learning German is something you MUST do in order to go about your daily life here. From experience people in my city have been extremely patient with me as they knew I was learning. Perhaps people in larger cities may not be as patient, but then again in a larger city you may find more people who speak English. Don't count on that though. I recommend going to your Volkshochschule (a sort of community college) and finding out how you can take a test for placement in a language course almost immediately upon arriving here.

I live in a small city so the focus on local customs and traditions is quite high. It's not “expected” that foreigners participate but it is welcomed. As a wine city there are always a lot of tourists here so the locals are generally open to outsiders. I've been to a lot of other cities in Germany and in comparison I'd have to say that my city is really, really friendly. :)

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
My husband and I were in Singapore (where my parents live) for the whole month of December. Obviously I miss my family but I would call myself a professional expat. Having lived every 3 years in a different country since birth (I've lived in 10 different countries) I'm used to not really having a “home base.” 

As I mentioned previously, we are a Wine city and also being part of the “Karneval” region gives us quite a lot of celebrating to do! I live in the Ahrtal (the Ahr river valley) which is basically the base point of the Eifel region on this side. It is a beautiful region full of hills that span hundreds of kilometres. Consequently it's a region that has been made into a Northern Walking haven. Also because of all the hills, we get a lot of cyclists who like to train here. Our Karneval season (it started last November and ends on Wednesday 21st February) here is lots of fun. Who doesn't love a parade where you get to try some of the best wine in Germany?

As my city name suggests this is a joint city: Bad Neuenahr is a “Kurstadt” or a spa city. The Apollinaris water comes from here and we have a LOT of options in terms of bathing in the natural mineral waters that spring up everywhere here. Ahrweiler is our Medieval city and where the old city festival and wine festivals take place.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I don't have any immediate travel plans but my husband and I are beginning to put together a plan for our own business.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We currently rent a 76-square-metre, 1-bedroom flat.  We have a large bedroom, large bathroom, separate toilet, large kitchen and large living room.  We also have use of a storeroom in the cellar which is quite large and this was included in the price of the rent. Property for rent is listed as follows:
€X amount for the rent (Kaltmiete) + €X amount for the heating/electric/trash/water (Nebenkosten) + €X amount for the saftey deposit (MM).  It is EXTREMELY rare to find a place for rent with Warmmiete, or all inclusive. We pay €380 for the flat (included is €10 for our parking space) + €100 for our Nebenkosten.  In our city it is common for people to privately rent out their flats and not go through a real estate company. Everyone knows everyone so we didn't have to pay a safety deposit. This may not be common in larger cities.

I would say that real estate pricing is quite high in the Bad Neuenahr section because of its “Spa City” title. There is a massive number of retirees in that part of the city who have a lot of money so it's not uncommon for a flat there to rent for €1000+ for the same amount of space as in Ahrweiler. I would say that purchasing is comparitively cheaper than renting here. For around €500 you can get your own house here.

-What is the cost of living in Germany?
My husband and I love to eat so I think we spend more than normal couples on food. On average (and we only shop in Aldi) we spend €200 a month on food but if you're not as hungry as us, it is possible to spend a lot less.

I factor in gas prices, public transport, etc. in terms of cost of living and if you drive a diesel, gas is still quite reasonable. To take a taxi here is very expensive so I don't recommend it. My city has an excellent public transport system so it's really not even necessary to drive everywhere. To go 5km by bus or train costs €2,20 one way. To go out and eat (depending on whether you want fast food or fine dining) can vary between €8,00 and €60,00 for two. All cultural events hosted by the city are usually free. Buying clothing, furniture and other house/personal expenses are pretty much the same as everywhere else. There are inexpensive places to buy clothing such as KIK, NKD or Seeman where you can expect to pay between €2,00 and €12,00 for t-shirts, sweaters or pants. Then of course there are malls that house the more expensive clothing brands.

-What do you think about the Germans?
There is a group of bloggers here in Germany that I network with and the general consensus amongst the group is that Germans are extremely unfriendly and cold. I have to say I completely disagree. It could just be the region/city I live in but I can honestly say every experience I've had interacting with people in this country has been extremely positive. Actually, the only rude people I met while here were the Consulate workers at the Dutch embassy when I went to renew my passport. In my visits to larger cities (Frankfurt, Bonn and Düsseldorf) I expected a little less personal warmth but people were still really kind and patient when I struggled with my bad German. Bonn is especially open and friendly to foreigners because of their previous capital city status.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Germany?
Positive:
I love love love that there are bikeways in almost every city here. Being able to get around freely without relying on a car or public transport has really been one of the things that made it easier for me to be here. I love that Germany forces you to recycle your trash. I love the availability of public transport here. You can pretty much go 500m or 5000km with the bus or train. I love the nature in my region. The view I have on both sides of my flat overlook wine hills and to watch that as the seasons change is nothing short of breathtaking. I love the traditional celebrations. 

Negative:
The only gripe I really have about Germany is the bureaucracy that you come up against everytime you need a form. There are just seriously too many forms to fill out for everything. Other than that I pretty much love living here.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Germany?
Come here with an open mind and heart. German people are NOT going to be your best friend from the moment you say hello. They are a people that need time to get to know you, but once you're a friend, you're a friend for life. I'd much rather have to go through that than have to deal with people who are friendly but in a fake way.

So many expats in Germany whose blogs I read seem to struggle with their experiences here. This is not a negative critique on them as people. I just think that with any place you move to if you are convinced that everything around you is negative, then that's exactly what you're going to get in return, I'm afraid. I understand that you will be homesick and there will be culture shock but blaming that on the people around you is not the answer. I say jump fully into the experience you're given and enjoy it! And LEARN GERMAN!

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Germany?
I write sporadically at Island Girl, and I love to read the following blogs/sites:
Dixie Peach and Momma Time. Both are Americans living in Germany
Deutsche Welle: this site is great for bilingual news and learning German yourself.
Expat-Blog: to hook up with other bloggers in your country!