My name is Claire, and I am American expat living in northwest Germany.
“Where are you from?” is a rather complicated question. Although I spent much of my childhood in South Carolina, I have strong family ties to Michigan. I did my first stint abroad in 1997 in Kassel, and in 2002 I met “my German” while doing research for my PhD thesis in Oldenburg. I often say that I went to Germany for work, but I stayed for love.
I now find myself in a small town in northwest Germany, where I live with my German husband and our two boys. Expat life resulted in re-thinking my career path (toward academia and tenure) and now I teach English and politics in a German public secondary school.
I am passionate about teaching, politics, superhero movies (mostly Marvel, but I adore Wonder Woman) and cocktails. All of my German friends think I am a bit odd.