Hallo! I’m Nicole, an American originally from Philadelphia (like the cream cheese), Pennsylvania and currently living in Freiburg, Germany.
Wanderlust has always been in my heart, so when I lived in the states, I implemented a life hack in order to experience different cultures within America’s standard 10 vacation days per year: namely, I made it a point to move to different regions every couple of years. After growing up in the Northeast, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina to learn the South and then moved to Chicago, Illinois to learn the Midwest. Somewhere along the line, I accidentally fell into a long-distance relationship with a half-German, half-American guy. What’s that saying about life being what happens when you have other plans? Right.
After completing my master’s degree in Library and Information Science, I decided now was as good a time as ever to try out life in Germany. I was excited to move in with my boyfriend and drop the long-distance term, and I was curious to see how I fared when faced with the challenges of immersing myself in a foreign culture and language. Despite being in a fairly international city with plenty of infrastructure to help foreigners adapt, I still had a very tough time, thus inspiring me to launch a podcast, The Expat Cast, where I share stories, promote resources, and create community for expats all over, but especially those in or from Germany.
I’m now a librarian by day and podcaster by night, but when I’m not working either gig, I’m most likely found reading, doing puzzles, hiking, drinking a hot beverage, heading from here to there, or getting to know someone new.
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest at @TheExpatCast, and the podcast is available on all major podcast apps.