Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

Things are decidedly zen this week, with good vibes spread by Nic after he sat in total silence for three hours. He’s not been on some transcendental meditation retreat however, but invigilating exams for the university’s Prüfungswoche. Perhaps it’s this peace of mind that leads to our first topic of the week: creating a ten point plan to fix Germany.Having created a clear path for Germany’s future success, your erstwhile hosts turn their attention to the creation of new political parties, and one in particular that seems ripe for ridicule. We discuss whether the splintering of the right and left wings of the political spectrum might have some advantages, and ask why we aren’t laughing at the more ridiculous aspects of German politics.To finish things off this week, Producer Simon takes a look at the current situation for Ukrainian refugees in Germany and how it compares with other countries. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It was Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, and it turns out your co-hosts aren’t incurable romantics, if anything, we’re all very curable. We discuss plans for “the most romantic day of the year” which involve cooking leaves, editing podcasts and sitting quietly on our own. From love to shopping, Nic is shocked by the state of his local city centre. Boarded up shop fronts, closing down sales, and general feeling of circling the drain seems to part and parcel of the traditional high streets of German towns and cities. Is it the same across the country?We also find time to discuss Producer Simon’s Chinese New Year festivities, and we finish on xenophobic Fasching chants going viral. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

New week, new episode, new cold suffered by Dili. It’s not all negative though, this weeks variant of low level sickness has gifted Dili some Miley Cyrus level vocals, which we all appreciate. From one pop starlet to another, a quick music chat leads to the revelation that Producer Simon is less than enthusiastic about Taylor Swift’s back catalogue. Don’t worry listeners, we’ll make a Swifty of him yet.Speaking of music, Karneval, or Fasching, is rapidly approaching, which means Nic’s playlist has been filled with the high tempo beats of some of Germany’s best/worst party tunes. Sadly this is as close as any of us might get to celebrating for various reasons, from a lack of overall enthusiasm to uncooperative offspring. Having spent time over the last few weeks discussing the recent protests against the far-right and the AfD, we take some time to discuss the topic in detail after another weekend that saw thousands take to the streets across Germany.For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

As we come to the end of the month, Nic celebrates an accidental Dry January, until Dili & Producer Simon point out an obvious flaw in his logic. No matter, perhaps sobriety is overrated, but at least Nic can console himself with a conversation about brunch, or is that an argument about brunch?Inquisitions into breakfast food aside, we thankfully have some less contentious issues to discuss, like protests and strikes! We discuss the various updates on protests against the far right, cancelled strikes at Deutsche Bahn, and possible stikes on public transport. We also bring you a recent study on the rise of populism in East Germany and its possible connections to feelings of being “left behind”, and we finish on the most popular German in the UK. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It’s a week of rather fruity voices as both Nic & Dili have varying degrees of cold, thanks to germ infested children and coughing commuters. Of course, that won’t stop the pod, and we kick things off with a forceful debate over the correct terminology for underwear. We have a number of updates to cover from last week, with listeners providing solid advice on his bakery goblin problems, which may motivate Nic to take his new nemesis to task. We also bring more news on the farmers protests as unions call for renewed demonstrations against the government. We also celebrate the thousands of Germans who took to the streets against the rise of the far-right and the AfD.We finish the show with a look at the progress of the new laws around German citizenship, and discuss how it might change life for thousands of long time residents in the country.For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

After a major microphone malfunction last week, Producer Simon is forced to eat a healthy slab of humble pie, much to Dili’s enjoyment. Once the admin is out the way, and Simon has finished crying, we turn to the important issue of Nic’s burgeoning hatred of a particular bakery employee. We also look at some updates on the ongoing farming protests across Germany.We dedicate a large portion of this week’s show to the increasing support for the far-right AfD, and the recent revelations over party members meeting to discuss the racist policy of “Remigration”. We ask why the right-wing continues to see polling success, and how ordinary people might finally be taking the initiative against it. Producer Simon also looks at why thousands of Germans are demanding on AfD be banned from standing for election.For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Well, it’s finally happened, after weeks of low level insults, Dili decides to go on strike. Thankfully that’s a major topic in Germany at the moment, so at least one third of the podcast is on topic. Luckily for Nic and Producer Simon, Dili quickly returns to work, and good thing too since no one else is capable of talking about the world’s first botanical garden. With many areas of Germany facing the possibility of flooding, Producer Simon brings us the curious story about emergency services having to police flood areas to prevent flood tourists from swimming, kayaking, and kite surfing through some of the most dangerous areas. Returning to the theme of strikes, we discuss Germany’s current winter of discontent, as the country comes to a standstill as farmers protest the potential end to diesel subsidies, and Deutsche Bahn workers take to the pickets over pay and working hours. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It’s the first podcast of 2024, and we’re all still recovering from an action packed festive couple of weeks. Producer Simon has been enjoying himself a little too much and after a week of almost solid eating, he attempts to podcast via the recovery position. Nic has been fighting off a variety of flus & colds, while nursing his wife and children through their own seasonal sickness. Finally Dili is still traumatised by an unexpected meeting with her nemesis.We pick over the Christmas leftovers and catch-up after a week off from the show, starting with Dili who walks us through her rather horrifying Christmas dinner, and why kissing is an important part of the celebration. With food still on his mind, Producer Simon explains slow cooker practicalities, and the perfect roast potato. We finish on Nic’s ill fated trip to the UK, expensive sausage rolls, and why people who like airports are terrible. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

As 2023 begins to make itself scarce, we look back on a year of the weird and wonderful, not only in Germany, but among your podcast hosts. We recap Dili’s short-lived segment on fruit and find exactly who was to blame for vetoing such creative output. We are also once again joined by Nic’s infant son, who is more than happy to offer up his opinions on DfH over the year. It’s not all recriminations though, we go through some of our favourite stories and general highlights from the pod in 2023. We also chat about the things we enjoyed in our own lives through the year, and try to avoid making any bold, and inevitably inaccurate predictions for 2024. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It’s almost Christmas which means we throw off the shackles of podcast structure and unleash the festive chaos, although some of us may be more chaotic than others. As Dili and Nic’s baby son compete for who can cause the most on-mic pandemonium, Producer Simon kicks back and enjoys a few beers as all semblance of order crumbles about his ears. It falls to your erstwhile Geordie co-host to enforce some much needed organisation, and what better way to do that than with a festive game! Nic uses all his dad powers of grumpy disappointment to cajole his demob happy colleagues into a jolly game of Would You Rather (German edition).We also discuss Christmas plans, colonial cakes, sexy firefighters, and why competence is the most attractive trait in any partner. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß