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All Things German In California

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Holiday & End of Year Festivities – Lantern Parades & More

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It’s hard to believe but we are slowly approaching the end of the year! 

First, however, we have all our wonderful traditional German and, of course, American festivities coming up next.

While Christmas season for sure starts with Thanksgiving for the Americans, for us Germans Saint Martin’s Day (Sankt Martinstag) with its festive lantern parades on November 11 rings in the holiday season.

At least that’s how I remember it… Often times the first snowfall covered the city streets in Munich already I recall, when I was walking with my friends in the crunchy snow, our self-made lantern in hands, excitedly singing traditional lantern songs. The air would materialize in front of our mouths so cold it was already, but we knew that a nice hot chocolate would await us at the end of the parade, often together with some delicious cookies and a yummy ‘Weckmann’ as well. Mmmmhhh!

Speaking of lantern parades. If you are looking for some family oriented parades in California, you are in luck!

The following Saint Martin’s Lantern Parades are all happening in Northern California this weekend on Saturday, November 10th . Let us know if you hear of any other ones and we can keep adding them to the list.

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Saturday, November 10th:

Bay Area’s Kinderstube has its annual Laternenfest

WHEN: Saturday, November 10 from 4pm-7pm

WHERE: 842 Key Route Boulevard in Albany

Bring your own lantern or buy one. Get your ticket to enjoy German fare from Glühwein, Weckmänner, Pretzels, Spätzle, Bratwurst and more.

Get your TICKETS here

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Saturday, November 10th:

German School in Novato

WHEN: Saturday, November 10th at 5:30 pm

WHERE: Pioneer Park in Novato

RSVP here

German School in Santa Rosa

WHEN: Saturday, November 10th at 5:30 pm

WHERE: School Campus in Santa Rosa

RSVP here

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Saturday, November 10th:

GISSV San Francisco – Lantern Parade & Festival

WHEN: Saturday, November 10th from 2pm-6pm

WHERE: 4 Funston Ave in the Presidio

More Info here

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PLAN AHEAD for Christmas –

Christkindlmarket – Annual Christmas Market At The Phoenix Club in Anaheim

November 25th, 11 am-4pm in the Pavillion

Free Admission & Open to the Public

Enjoy German fare in a Christmas atmosphere setting with music, art & crafts and Christmas gift market featuring jewelry, European gifts and much more

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WEIHNACHTSGOTTESDIENST – Christmas Service

St.Luke’s Lutheran Church in La Mesa

Weihnachtsgottesdienst – German Christmas Carol Service

WHEN: Sunday, December 16th at 3pm , Sonntag, 16. Dezember 2018, 15:00 Uhr

WHERE: St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 5150 Wilson Street, La Mesa

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Let us know if you hear of any German Christmas Festivities in your neighborhood and we gladly add them to the list!

Image: Pixabay.com

Go Vote! – The Midterms. A Big Deal for California.

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elephant-2798628_1920Tomorrow, November 6th is the General Election? Are you going to vote?

If you are an expat, who enjoys dual citizenship, it is your privilege, but also your duty to go out and vote tomorrow! After all, you chose to be a citizen of the United States, as well as your home country, and part of being a good citizen is going to vote in elections.

“But, it’s not the election for the president…!?”, you might say. Yes, that’s true, but the midterms are just as important an election and your vote counts!

In fact, this year’s midterm elections see the largest number of Californians (19 million!) registered to vote in California’s history, according to ABC7news. Especially this year, California’s voice is important.

So, what’s at stake? The control of the Congress and statehouses across the country. And, 36 states will hold elections for governor as well – including California!

On top of voting for our new governor in these midterms, we Californians will have a deciding voice in regards to 7 (!) congressional seats that are up for election. [Read more…] about Go Vote! – The Midterms. A Big Deal for California.

The Rollercoaster of Life brought her to California – InnerWeaving Coach Silvia Schroeder (Interview)

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TreeWeaving Silvia Schroeder InnerweavingXPAT Spotlight – Interview with Austrian Innerweaving Coach Silvia Schroeder

California was never on her list nor one of her dreams. Contrary to so many others, whose most inner wish is to one day make it in California, Silvia Schroeder was happy with her life and career in Vienna and enjoyed every minute of it. If anyone would have told her then that one day she will call California her home, she would have just laughed.

But, life had it all planned out for her. After eighteen successful years in her coaching and consulting business doing projects for clients like the European Union and the Cancer Association, for which she designed a therapy camp to help the siblings of cancer kids, she suddenly felt the whole world collapsing on her.

What happened?

Silvia, how did you end up in California? What was the trigger for you to consider moving here? [Read more…] about The Rollercoaster of Life brought her to California – InnerWeaving Coach Silvia Schroeder (Interview)

Casting Call for German Speakers to test Skin Care Product

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skincare product

Speaking German and want clearer skin? This might be your call.

Gabrielle Schary Casting is seeking native German-speaking volunteers to participate in a 3-month trial using a totally new system to treat acne before it goes to market.

You’ll receive $200 a month for full participation, plus free monthly supplies of a new acne treatment system and one-on-one support to help get you clear. Participants are required to send in photos and videos to track the skin’s progress.

CRITERIA TO QUALIFY FOR THE TRIAL · Men and Women between 18-28 years of age · Teens between 15-17 with Parental Consent · Must have visible, active acne on face – mild to moderate

· All ethnicities welcome · German Nationals preferred · No facial tattoos · Must be willing to discontinue use of other skincare and acne products for the duration of the trial · Must be willing to commit to the 3-month trial duration · Must not be a professional actor Contact: Gabrielle Schary Casting 310.450.0835

Happy German Unity Day!

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800px-World_Cup_2006_German_fans_at_Bochum.jpgTag der Deutschen Einheit 

A relatively young country is celebrating its coming of age

When I was in elementary school, there was no certainty when or if the two Germanys would ever reunite. Every time I visited the United States then, I was met with great interest by many trying to figure out which Germany I was from. … “Are you from West Germany?”, ” Have you ever been to the East?”, and so on …

Nowadays it’s almost unthinkable that Germany, as it looks and feels today, has not always been like that. It had to go through a lot of growing pains!

From its birth as a united country in 1871, to forcefully being separated after WW II, to miraculously being reunited in 1989.

Germany’s reawakening

Germany has gone through quite some changes during my lifetime. I would have never anticipated seeing the German people cheering on the streets with cars happily sporting the German flag. Young people proudly singing the German national anthem and having the colors of the German flag painted onto their faces.

This was 2006. And we happened to be visiting Germany while the country was hosting the Soccer World Cup. We witnessed first hand this newly found self-confidence of a ‘new’ Germany.  It still gives me the shivers!

It’s good to see Germans being proud of their country again. May the past, however, not wane as a reminder of the darker times that Germany lived through but encourage the German people to stand up for the ideals of humanity, social justice, freedom and equality, and keep its doors open to a world that is moving closer and closer together.

My best wishes to a beautiful young country! I am glad you have been finding your way.

Much luck for the future.

Now let’s celebrate! 

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Credits: © Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.de / CC-BY-SA-3.0

‘Wine, the Elixir of Life’ – Continuing a Legacy of German Winemaking in California. (Interview)

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IMG_9478XPAT – Spotlight – Interview with Claudia Schug Schuetz, Partner at Schug Carneros Estate Winery.

Claudia, a dual citizen of Germany and the USA, has experienced both worlds, only the other way around compared with most of us expats.

Born in California and raised in Napa Valley, she has the wine business in her genes! She learned about wine from one of the most respected winemakers in California; her father Walter Schug. Both of her grandparents were part of this education as well, who were highly accomplished winemakers in Germany, with the Staatsweingut Assmaannshausen in the Rheingau and the Weingut Annaberg in the Pfalz.

After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics at Stanford University she moved to Germany in 1988 and lived for almost 30 years in North Rhine-Westphalia, where her ex-husband was from. There she started a California wine import and distribution business, worked as a wine educator, and served even as an international wine judge. From 2012-2017 she was California Wine Institute’s Trade Education Ambassador in Germany before she relocated to Sonoma in July 2017 to join her brother in managing her family winery, Schug Carneros Estate Winery. [Read more…] about ‘Wine, the Elixir of Life’ – Continuing a Legacy of German Winemaking in California. (Interview)

Oktoberfest – All around the world and right around the corner from you.

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Oktoberfest LionIt’s officially on! The Oktoberfest has started in Munich this past weekend.

Have you watched or perhaps even been part of the traditional opening ceremony? It’s always a fun event, starting with the Grand Entry Parade with the Oktoberfest landlords and their festive horse carriages loaded with beer barrels to the entertaining procession of the various costume groups, historic riflemen, flag throwers and many other performers … all on their way to the famous Oktoberfest grounds at the Theresienwiese.

Oktoberfest has come a long way since the day when Bavaria celebrated the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig in October of 1810. Today, you can consider it almost a worldwide event in the sense that you can find and celebrate at some Oktoberfest near you almost anywhere you are on the globe. In the U.S. alone, there are plenty of them you can attend with the largest one in Cincinnati according to Wikipedia. The list is explosively expanding every year.

oktoberfest-Many of the ‘Oktoberfests‘ in California listed in our last year’s post are still happening this year with many new ones popping out all over. In fact, the media is full of suggestions of where to go (Bay Area Events & SoCal Events ), so we didn’t dedicate a separate post to all the listings this year.

However, we’d like to highlight very traditional ones, which have been known to be in California for a long time.

One of them is the Oktoberfest at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, which has put on an Oktoberfest for more than 55 years! This year they started out their festivities right at the same time as the original Oktoberfest in Munich, on September 21st.

You can celebrate Oktoberfest at the Phoenix Club every weekend until October 28th, and starting on October 7th – you can enjoy a delicious German Sunday brunch just before you dive into the rest of the fun. End your Oktoberfest outing with a hearty meal and a large ‘Mass’ at their beer garden. Check out their website for more information.

Oans, zwoa, g’suffa! Prost!

 

Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest

Images: Pixabay.com

School is back in session! Viel Glück im neuen Schuljahr.

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Schultüte

We are starting the second week in September, and the truth is… Summer is over now! Even if it’s not the official end of this favorite season, it sure feels like it.

Once all kids are back in school again and you don’t hear the laughter of children playing in the streets all day, the beaches are deserted, and the freeways are crowded again, I know,… the serious side of life is back.

All children in California are back in school as of last week. Some were lucky enough to enjoy their summer vacation until right after Labor Day, others had to go back to school already in the middle of August.

German language schools in California are back in session as well. If you are interested in enrolling yourself or your children, go check all of them out on our website. No matter where you are, Northern California or Southern California, we have many of them listed here.

Here is the latest news from some of them:

[Read more…] about School is back in session! Viel Glück im neuen Schuljahr.

Following Your Dream – A Challenging Experience at Times! (Interview)

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DSC_5917XPAT Spotlight – Interview with Franziska Steinmetz originally from Barleben near Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt.

Persistence, flexibility, and determination mark Franziska’s path of making her dream of living in California a reality.

When she traveled to the USA for the first time as a teenager, Franziska was bewitched by the beauty of California and decided to check out the U.S. as soon as she had finished school. She chose to become an au pair to find out if living in the United States was something she would like to pursue.

Today, Franziska lives in Alameda, CA, but her search for a way to make California her home forever isn’t over just yet. 

Read about her challenging journey in our interview. [Read more…] about Following Your Dream – A Challenging Experience at Times! (Interview)

Travel Life after AirBerlin : Norwegian is the Way to Go

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Robbed Of Our Favorite Choice to Fly to Germany, We Were On A Mission to Find A Replacement.

AirBerlin used to be our go-to airline for years whenever Germany was calling . Even though the leg space between seats seemed to have shrunk a bit each time we booked another flight, we appreciated that it was an airline that would only have one stop-over (depending on the destination), and that one was already in Germany.

Besides, AirBerlin always surprised with a special touch like giving out chocolate hearts upon boarding or sometimes upon arrival, or delighting kids with little toys like stuffed toy airplanes and such. Best of all was that it was an airline that proofed reliable, at least to us, and was not breaking our bank; an important factor if you travel as a family with kids in tow.

Unfortunately, Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy last year, in 2017. “Now what?”, was my first desperate thought. Knowing we would fly to Germany in the summer of 2018 I was determined to find an airline option that would offer me a similar service at a price that would still let me enjoy my vacation. [Read more…] about Travel Life after AirBerlin : Norwegian is the Way to Go