The Expat Cast theexpatcast

Season 6, Episode 25. Do you want to have kids or not? How has your geography impacted this?

We asked these questions to the listener community, and fellow expats, immigrants, people living abroad shared their pros and cons, their talking points, their feelings, their beliefs, their dreams. Their answers range from YES to NO to MAYBE, and they're gathered here for you.

This marks the end of season six! What a gift it's been - 150 episodes and nearly 4 years of podcasting. Thank you to everyone who has formed the community of listeners, which creates a safe space for us to take on these difficult topics.

 

This episode is sponsored by MyExpatTaxes. Use the code EXPATCAST to save 10%!

 

RESOURCES

Cheryl Strayed's essay, The Ghost Ship that Didn't Carry Us

BeMyTravelMuse's video, How I Decided to Have Kids (Not an Easy Choice!)

Edna Bonhomme's essay, Infertility Stung Me: Black Motherhood and Me

SharetheLove Blog's post, Pregnancy Troubles as the Expat

WantedAdventures's video, STOP ASKING ME IF I'M HAVING KIDS

Balancing Stories episode, What if I Don't Want Kids?

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

GUESTS

Julian, former guest for Finding Therapy in Germany

Casey, former guest for Becoming Bilingual and Visiting Home

Shaun from The Germany Experience, former guest for Raising a Son with Special Needs in Germany

Ashley, former guest for Pregnancy in Germany and Expat Mama

Meghan from Balancing Stories, former guest for Expat Resilience

Stefanie, former guest for Austria v Germany and Travel Germany: Stuttgart

Jorge from The Canadian Wants to Know

Steffi

Keltie

Chase from About Abroad

 

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Season 6, Episode 24. What's it like dating a German? How do I make friends as an expat? Can I get a job in Germany without knowing German? Is the rental market reallllyyyy that bad?


Nicole is joined by Idan from Unmatch Me Now to get into all of these questions and more! From personal experiences and opinions to concrete resources about Kindergeld and donating blood, nothing is off the table.


Thanks to all the listeners who submitted questions for this episode.


 


This episode is sponsored by MyExpatTaxes. Use the code EXPATCAST to save 10%!


 


RESOURCES



The Expat Cast episodes: the initial Ask the Expat episode, the Travel Germany series, To Stay or To Go? with Katherine from Bad Days Abroad, Being Queer in Germany


Unmatch Me Now episodes about dating in the queer community: Bi-Sex and the City, Slide into My DMs Like a Sexy Snail, and Everyone Have Extra Large Dicks and Other Grinder Myths


Information about Kindergeld


Help for refugees from Ukraine


Abandoned Berlin


 


FIND IDAN



His podcast, Unmatch Me Now
On Instagram @unmatchmenow

 


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Season 6, Episode 23. What's it like to be a foreigner working as a librarian in Germany? We've got two international librarians here to tell you!


Katherine and Nicole both fell in love with the career of librarianship before moving to Germany from Venezuela and USA, respectively. Now, they both live and work in German libraries, Katherine in a university library and Nicole in a public library. Both of them first worked at the libraries of cultural centers as a transition when making the move.


They explain how they got the paperwork in order so they could take their careers with them when they moved, what it's like working as a librarian in Germany, difference between libraries in different countries, and how to find an international library job.


 


This episode is sponsored by MyExpatTaxes. Use the code EXPATCAST to save 10%!


 


RESOURCES FOR INTERNATIONAL LIBRARIANS


INALJ


Open Biblio Jobs


Anabin, for librarians moving to Germany


The season one episode, "Prepping for a Job Hunt in Germany"


 


FIND KATHERINE


On Twitter @Kat_Lui



She recommends "Wir können mehr sein" by Aminata Touré


 


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Season 6, Episode 22. When she was 15, Nyla moved from the US to Germany. It was supposed to be just for one year.


Spoiler alert: it's been 6 years and counting!


Nyla comes on the show to discuss how the temporary moved turned permanent, and what it was like moving abroad as a teenager. She had to learn the language from scratch and adjust to a new culture, all while those delightful teenage hormones are there messing with your emotions.


From dating to drinking to getting your first job and finding your career, there have been many challenges and big life moments in Nyla's expat life, which may be just beginning.


 


This episode is sponsored by MyExpatTaxes. Use the code EXPATCAST to save 10%!


 


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Season 6, Episode 21. Being a single mom ain't easy. Being an expat ain't easy. Being a single mom AND an expat? Yeah, it REALLY ain't easy.


But it is possible. Tanya is here to tell us how.


Tanya moved from California to Germany when her son was 2. She had been single parenting until that point, and initially when she moved abroad, her then-husband was able to provide support while Tanya adjusted to life in Germany. After she and he divorced, Tanya found herself facing single parenthood again, this time in a country that wasn't her own.


She lays out the pros and cons of relying on Germany's robust social system for help with her kid. Plus, Tanya recently decided to do a test move back to the US, and she shares how being a single mom has played into that decision.


 


This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% on your first month of professional therapy at BetterHelp.com/ExpatCast.


 


FIND TANYA



Our previous episode together, "Weltschmerz and Culture Shock"


Her website


 


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Season 6, Episode 20. Did you know that 80% of expats who moved abroad for work are male? Often, men get relocated for their work and their wives or partners to come with.


Kate has been working with and studying expat partners, or trailing spouses, who tend to be women, for years. Lately, she got curious about that other 20% - the women who moved abroad for their jobs, sometimes with their husbands or partners as the trailing spouse.


Thus launched a research project about the breadwinning female expats. After lots of research, interviews, and analysis, the study results are here! Kate shares with us all about her research method and the conclusions she's found about who these women are, what their motivations are, how they incorporated family planning into things, and why there aren't more breadwinning female expats.


 


This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% on your first month of professional therapy at BetterHelp.com/ExpatCast.


 


FIND KATE


Our previous episodes together, "Expat Partners" and "Repatriating During a Pandemic"


Her website, SharetheLove.blog


Download the study, The Thriving Female Expat


Instagram @SharetheLove.Blog


 


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CONNECT


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