Language Consultant, Intercultural Communication Trainer and Language Expert at Ute's International Lounge.
When your German friends wish you a “Guten Rutsch!”, “Einen Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!” or say “rutsch guet übere” (Swissgerman), they don’t want you to “slide” or “slip” (rutschen=to slide; (aus)rutschen= to slip). They simply wish you a smooth start into the New Year. Can’t they just […]
I’m very thankful for everything that happened in my life in 2013. There were negative and sad things (many, too many good-byes) but also quite a lot of positive ones. Personally, I rather focus on the good ones and prefer living in the moment, without planning too much. […]
If you live in Europe, you know that Fondue is a dish. It is actually a Siwss, Italian and French dish of melted cheese, served in a pot (caquelon) over a portable stove (réchaud) and you eat it by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese. Fondue […]
In many countries like Germany, Switzerland, Skandinavian countries etc. it is common use to take off the shoes when entering someone’s home (*). The custom of removing shoes is widespread also in Eastern countries like Japan, Korea and Turkey. In these countries it is considered a major faux […]
Sinterklaas or Nikolaus, San Nicola etc. in European countries is based on the legendary figure of St Nicholas. Born in 271 AD to a rich Greek family in Asia Minor in in the city of Patara (Lycia et Pamphylia), he was very religious from an early age. His […]
When we teach our children about our culture(s), we often draw on traditional folkstales. The versions of a folkstale often vary in the same culture: for example, in one version the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood gets killed by a hunter (or lumberjack), in another one he […]
St Nicholas is celebrated in many countries of Europe, mainly in German speaking countries and throughout the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, and is usually accompained by helpers. This dark or threatening companion of St Nicholas is called Krampus in Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Friuli (North Eastern […]
Many books, articles and posts give advice about what people can expect when starting a frequent moving life as adult expats. From an adult point of view, the benefits of a frequently moving lifestyle are the “priceless life experience, unique cultural insights and precious skills“. The excitement of […]
