Hi there and welcome! My name is Anika, I was born and raised in Germany (all the way up north), and have been living in the US since 2002, and am currently residing near Pittsburgh, Penn., with my American husband and Germerican son.

I studied German Literature, History, and Social Psychology at college earning two Master’s degrees. I have been teaching German to children and adults, privately and at a college. When teaching one’s native language to foreigners, you come across all kinds of curious things that you had never thought about until somebody asks you why. Even though I was the teacher, I learned a lot from my students’ questions and the presentations they had to give on a cultural topic.

And these new things I learned about Germany and the German language led me to write this blog. Many Americans associate Germany with Oktoberfest, beer, sausage, schnitzel, oompa music, and lederhosen. And I, being from the North, feel myself cringe when that comes up. Just like Americans aren’t all cowboys or New Yorkers, Germans are also very diverse. Considering Germany didn’t become an actual state until 1871, there was a lot of exchange between the different ethnic groups of Europe. That’s why you can find Vikings’ graves and boats in the North and Roman artifacts in the West.

If you are a Germanophile, a student of German, or a German I hope you will find something here that interests you, that was new to you, or that made you think. In my posts, I try to be as thorough as possible and I link my sources at the end of a blog.

If you find a mistake, want to ask me a question, have a comment about my posts, or would like me to write about a specific topic, let me know. You can leave a comment, or use the contact form below. Please sign up to be notified when a new blog post goes live.

Vielen Dank and now have fun reading and exploring. Just click on “Blog” in the menu to read the latest, or choose from a specific menu item or use the search box below. You can also follow me on instagram and pinterest.

Kind regards,

Anika