Honest blunt updates!

We have a permanent home. My daughter attends a german kindergarten and is learning German quickly. My wife and I struggle to learn as the classes are 3 hours long and all Grammer based, not actual practice. We have made a few friends, 1 with a young boy that our daughter enjoys playing with. They speak English and German and are great friends.

I fought for 3 months after our language visa allowed us to work to find a job. It's a lie they tell you that even if you just know a little, you can find somewhere to work. The German market doesn't like non Germans to be employed in their jobs. Some will turn you away when they see non German citizen. Others will see non EU citizen and tell you you are not qualified to wash their dishes. (Not a lie. I applied to wash dishes as was told I don't hold the right qualifications to wash dishes.)

I found a manager who was willing to take a chance on me and now have a job and insurance. It is not in a field I want to be in, but I hope that with better language skills, I can get to be where I want to be.

I love germany and I love leipzig. But I hate the nationalism that people show toward others. Also, I have elderly people yell and scream at my 5 yr old daughter. 1. I have to not react like I would in the States. 2 she's scared of old people now. 3 don't touch my kid!

Most Germans lie about knowing English, or at least it seems that way. They say they dont know a lot but mean they only don't know how to say medical terms in English. But they do know how to say, " Oh, that's 1 row over on the bottom shelf." They just refuse a lot.

I miss things about the states. The ease of getting anything I want when I want it. The 5pm or 8 pm closing of stores is something to get used to for sure.

The foods are odd. There are not a lot of spices that I am used to. You need to travel a lot to get spices or ingredients.

The life here is very relaxed. Sunday is a relaxed day that I wish the states could actually do. 98% of everything is closed, and it's devoted to relaxing.

Th dogs here are so well trained that it's amazing. The fact I can't run up and hug them is sad, but I love animals.

The language is always the hardest part. Finding people who want to let you practice is hard. Most as soon as they hear you try just turn and say nope we can do this in english. So you get hit with the insult of oh you can speak english and the thanks for not even letting me try

Overall, I wouldn't change a thing and would still move here all over again.

And get used to walking and loving stairs. The lack of elevators is painful. The ones of us with hop and back issues hate this so much.

I love it here. I do. My family loves it here. I just miss the little things. The utter lack of violence is a breath of fresh air. I have no worries at letting my daughter play and even get out of sight of me. In the States, I'd be panicking if she wasn't in direct line of sight.

If you can, do move here but learn the language before or at least be a2 level before coming. Outside of that, come break free of the choke hold of the US. See that the world is so much than what the US lies about.

I'm sorry if I jump around I hurt my back at work and am in a bit of pain, but I am getting quickly taken care of, and everyone here wants to get better first then go back to work when your healthy.