Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

After a week of brainstorming, Nic has come up with a new introduction for co-host Dili. Despite his best efforts, the result doesn’t quite land they way he’d hoped, but at least he still has his health, unlike last week. After days of drinking randomly flavoured tea, which is the cure-all for any sickness in Germany, Dili wonders which is the best beverage to recover from a cold and why it has to be mint flavoured.While not drinking tea, Dili has been experimenting at the Christmas market, and this week reports back on her findings. Apparently liver & onions isn’t recommended, which comes as no surprise to Producer Simon who knows there’s only one sensible choice to make when looking for good food: currywurst! We dedicate a good portion of this week’s show to the recent results from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study that was released last week. Termed the “PISA Shock”, we discuss whether Germany is overly reliant on a flawed report on global education. 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

Dragging himself from his sickbed, Nic debuts his new smoky radio voice, which frankly isn’t worth the suffering. Sick or not, this doesn’t stop him bringing up Euro 2024, much to Dili’s disappointment. Knowing that one third of the hosting team is close to collapse, Dili takes up the politics beat by discussing the questionable social media use of a certain Bavarian politician. Despite our general rule about not talking about the weather, the extreme snowfall across the south of Germany is hard to ignore. We discuss the politics of snow clearing, why using salt isn’t always the best remedy, and how to cycle effectively in a blizzard.We finish things off with Christmas preparations as we spend some time discussing the merits of mince pies, how not to bake Butterplätzchen, and why more booze isn’t always the right approach to cake baking. 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 being inspired by talk of Christmas markets last week, Dili decides to sample the delights her own town’s festive offering. While she ponders the right amount of condiments that should go on a bratwurst, Nic is trying to work out how much porridge he can eat after he received a slightly strange advent calendar. We turn our attention to the retirement of Thomas Gottschalk, one of Germany’s most famous TV presenters and longtime host of “Wetten das…?”. We discuss this curious, and incredibly long lived television institution, and attempt to find the Thomas Gottschalks of Sri-Lanka, New Zealand, and the UK.To round things off, Producer Simon & Nic explain the problems of imposing speed limits on German roads, ask why road safety seems such a low priority for so many German politicians, and why German cities are angry about not being able to set their own speed restrictions. 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

No matter how hard you may try, it’s impossible to ignore the imminent arrival of Christmas markets to Germany. While we look forward to the lovely treats on offer, Dili is preoccupied with the availability of roasted chestnuts, and whether they will be better than the ones she’s been making at home. Famous for the largest Christmas market in Germany, we turn to Nürnberg, but less for the festive cheer and more for some sheepy visitors to the city centre.From Christmas cheer to financial blackholes, Nic takes us through this week’s political trauma in Germany after a court ruling created a €60 billion gap in the government annual budget. We discuss how politicians managed to make such a massive error, and why Germany decided a policy of austerity should be enshrined in the constitution. We finish on the topic of books as Simon discusses public bookshelves on the streets of Germany, why The Famous Five shouldn’t be considered a classic, and how free books can boost your language skills. 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 rare that Nic’s history of drunken shenanigans actually comes in useful, but it turns out it makes him pretty useful in very specific parenting situations. Sadly, this particular set of skills didn’t help when trying to get hold of Euro 2024 tickets, but it might aid in dealing with the disappointment.The beginning of Fasching means a chance to talk about the weirdness of Germany’s fifth season, including the rhetorical dexterity of a mustard pot dwelling harlequin. We also find time to discuss St Martin’s Day festivities, Dili’s hidden Birthday, and why it’s impossible to get hold of a goose on 11th November. This week we’re also delighted to welcome Radio Spaetkauf hosts Izzy Choksey & Anne-Marie Harrison to discuss their fantastic new podcast Sticking Point: Voices of Germany’s Climate Movement, which takes listeners through the main waves of Germany’s climate movement from the 70s & 80s, up to today.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

The adventures of parenthood continue as Nic deals with a sick child, which Dili can sympathise with. To keep our minds off germs, we look at the recent news story about cuts to the Bundeswehr’s food budget. It’s said that an army marches on its stomach, but apparently not in Germany.Following the recent election in New Zealand, Producer Simon takes us through the ins and outs of the political process in his homeland, and some of the connections with Germany’s own voting system. We also discuss Germany’s remedy for an ever growing parliament and whether New Zealand may follow a similar path.We finish the pod on Dili’s food adventures as she visits a Frankfurt Stadtwald shop, an independent supplier of fish and game provided by a team of professional hunters. Dili tells us why buckshot is an unavoidable hazard, how to find a professional hunter, and what to do with several kilos of dead deer.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

Your trio of hosts are back together again and just in time for Halloween. With all those ghouls and ghosts knocking about, safety in numbers makes sense, you never know who might knock on the door at this time of year. We discuss the increasing popularity of Halloween, posh pumpkins, and avoiding trick or treaters.School holidays mean Nic can’t go to his usual lunch spot, and instead must face the horrors of the university canteen, which gives us the chance to discuss the joy of eating on your own, and a chance for Dili and Simon to pepper Nic with low level insults about his weird eating habits. Fortunately Nic’s well of patience runs impressively deep, after all, he’s been dealing with a particularly unruly 3-year-old for most of the week. With the general admin out the way, we still have enough time to discuss the weird 50 point manifesto published by BILD Zeitung over the weekend, and ask why the most divisive tabloid in Germany believes it has the credibility to bring a divided country together. 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

With Dili away this week, Producer Simon wants to talk about the Rugby World Cup, while Nic would rather talk about something else, anything else in fact. Luckily a listener comes to Nic’s rescue with an important correction that leaves Simon feeling more than a little goofy.Language is our main theme this week as your hosts discuss their less than straightforward paths towards improving their German. With so many ways to learn, the lads go through the various challenges of taking courses at the Volkshochschule, and the curious approaches some teachers have to motivate older students. Of course, language learning doesn’t always have to happen in the classroom, and your hosts review the apps that have helped and sometimes hindered their progress.Continuing the theme, Simon brings the knowledge after a Sunday spent reading about the minority languages of Germany, and why some variations of German are making a comeback in French schools. 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 week off, Dili returns to the pod and just in time for some very important admin. With us approaching episode 150, it means that Dili has been co-hosting for nearly a year, which means only one thing: it’s annual review time!! Despite Nic’s best attempts to keep things professional, Dili & Producer Simon are determined to derail his efforts.With the beleaguered German government hoping to regain the initiative after months of disappointing polls and local elections, we look at the change in direction occurring in Berlin. The first step in this new approach seems to be tightening immigration laws and stricter regulation of refugees. We discuss the logic of this new strategy and whether it will actually have the impact coalition government are hoping for.A lovely listener email concerning the quality of German radio sparks a discussion between your hosts over whether German radio is really so terrible, and why it often feels like every radio station sounds exactly the same.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

Despite Dili being out sick this week we have the fortune of being able to welcome the wonderful Kate Mueser to the show to talk about her debut novel The Girl with Twenty Fingers, as well as a variety of other topics! Of course, before we get to the details of her new book, Nic is contractually obliged to go through the less than positive results from the weekend’s state election in Bavaria. We break down the details and consider what it means for the rest of Germany.Thankfully, Kate & Nic are able to distract themselves in the best way possible, by talking about Kate’s time in Las Vegas, and why she chose to leave Germany, and also why Kate decided to return to Germany to raise her children. With the release of her new book, Kate tells Nic about the catharsis of writing about her experiences of living in Germany, her love of Mozart, and why finding home isn’t always a linear process.To get your hands on Kate’s book, The Girl with Twenty Fingers, check out the links below: Bookshop.orgblackwaterpress.comwww.amazon.delesezeichen.bizFor 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