My American Immigration Story

As I am looking back on my time in the US I wanted to share my story of how I got my green card and what it took to get it. The goal is to shed light on the journey and reflect on what I have learnt over the years. How it started I came […]

I moved to LA and looked into a mirror

The town is totally bonkers. So much traffic that makes your brain melt in the Californian sun. So much irritation, coming from cars, from pollution, from aggressive men shouting at each other on Sunset Boulevard, occasionally seeming like it could turn into a potential crime scene. So many girls in very tight dresses posing in […]

Learning to fly

San Francisco, That’s it. I am one of these folks now – the ones that are leaving you, abandoning the billionaire playground in order to find rooftop bars, cheaper rent and a little bit more heart somewhere else. I’ve been criticizing you for quite some time now and you know why. I have to admit: […]

Playlist #11: Winter Blues

““Have you got any soul?” a woman asks the next afternoon. That depends, I feel like saying; some days yes, some days no. A few days ago I was right out; now I’ve got loads, too much, more than I can handle. I wish I could spread it a bit more evenly, I want to […]

Confusing Times, Confusing Thoughts

The alarm goes off. You hit the snooze button and doze off. The alarm goes off again. You make a grumpy noise and try to pull the blanket over your face. It’s sunny outside and the birds are chirping, a beautiful day. It’s October and you can see the green palm trees in your window. […]

San Francisco and me: A conversation in a bar

Over the weekend I had the chance to sit down with San Francisco in a shady bar and talk about life over strong drinks. This is what I got out of our fictional conversation. San Francisco: Honey, good to see you! Me: We have to talk. San Francisco: Oh. Why so serious? Let’s order drinks […]

Letter to my sisters

A few months ago I wrote a letter to my two much younger sisters (8 and 14) who live in Germany. Being so far from them (on a different continent), I sometimes have the urge to teach them things about life. Mostly because I want them to avoid making the same glorious mistakes I did, […]

Playlist #10: Young and Restless

“What a weary time those years were — to have the desire and the need to live but not the ability.” (Charles Bukowski) Bakermat – Teach Me Ady Suleiman – What’s the Score Years & Years – Shine Jacob Banks – Monster Listenbee – Save Me Zhu – Working for it Lucas diPasquale – […]

Brief an meine kleinen Schwestern

Liebe Ewa, liebe Vivi, ich habe beschlossen euch einen Brief zu schreiben, weil ihr sonst wahrscheinlich nicht auf mich hören würdet und eher mit den Augen rollen würdet, wenn ich versuchen würde, euch etwas ans Herz zu legen. Kann ich euch nicht übelnehmen. Auf Geschwister hört man nicht, man steckt ihnen lieber die Zunge entgegen […]

Geeks, dreams and Silicon Valley

Everyone who has ever taken the train from San Francisco to Silicon Valley knows that the trip is more comparable to a journey to fantasy-nerdlandia than to your usual train ride. The slightly antiquated train that connects San Jose with San Francisco is filled with young techies and occasional Giants fans. You get the best […]

San Francisco and Me: It’s Complicated

A fictional conversation between San Francisco and me. The first encounter Me: Hi. SF: Hi! How are you? Me: I am okay, I had a really long flight and then there was a … SF: Nice to finally meet you! Me: Uh… You too. SF: Where are you from? Me: Germany. From Munich, more precisely. […]

Playlist #9: Spring Fever in January

One of the best things about living in San Francisco? Coming back from freezing Europe in January and having emotional outbursts of Spring Fever in the middle of the winter. Well, you know, because of the climate… Makes total sense to me: Walking around with a slightly stupid grin on the face and listening to […]

Ein Jahr San Francisco – Geeks, Träume und Silicon Valley

Allein schon die Fahrt mit dem Zug aus San Francisco ins Silicon Valley gleicht einer Fahrt durch Phantasialand. Caltrain heißt der bescheidene Zug, der San José mit San Francisco verbindet und von Techies und gelegentlich Giants Fans belagert wird. Die beste Aussicht hat man auf der linken Seite des Zuges, wenn man an einem See […]

Playlist #8: Songs to make you feel sexy

Actually only the first song on this list will make you feel sexy and strong. The rest is just good stuff for any other occasion. 1. Chet Faker – Gold 2. KWABS – Walk 3. SBTRKT – Higher (ft. Raury) 4. X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons – Jungle 5. alt-J – Left Hand Free 6. […]

What it means to go on vacation with a big family

Summer time is family time! Whether you just graduated from your university and decided to go on vacation with your big family or you travel home after a long time – how sweet it is to finally hug each of them and go on road trips together. But going on vacation with your parents and […]