Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

On the show this week:After a weekend of fun at Nürnberg’s annual Badentreffen open air festival, Nic is still recovering from too many pints of…fun? We talk about one of Germany’s best festivals, and some weird interactions with the locals. We also recap the opening games of the Women’s World Cup, especially the goal bonanza for Germany, and ask whether anyone can really tell the difference between a lioness and a wild pig. The arrival of the Sommerloch in Germany means there’s very little news coming out of Berlin as Germany’s politicians all go on holiday, but where do government ministers go on holiday? We discuss the potential for a political holiday house share in France, Chancellors raving at the Ballermann, and why making bold political decisions during summer is a bad idea. We also find some time to discuss low-fi solutions to posting on social media, and a potential ban on junk food advertising that could be introduced by the end of the year. Articles mentioned on the show:Majority of Germans support planned advertising restrictions for sweetsFor 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

On the show this week:After challenging Nic to expand his horizons, we introduce a new segment to the show: Dili’s Fruit Corner! Finally Dili can force Nic to eat a variety of fruit under the pretence of making a podcast, and maybe, just maybe, he might enjoy it….probably.Since Dili is on summer holidays, and Nic is nearing his own, we bring you some recommendations with our first DFH Summer Reading List. Dili takes us through some of her finds in a famous second hand bookshop in Frankfurt, while Nic shares his favourite books from the last few months. We also discuss the vitriol faced by the first Trans politicians in the Bundestag, and we finish with a preview of the Women’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. 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

On the show this week:We sweat through this week’s show, and consider relocating the recording to the basement, where Nic can spend some quality time with his spider friends. We’re hot under the collar not only because of the summer sun, but also from discussing the average German propensity for public nudity at the swimming pool. Is this the final step on the path to integration?Dili continues her quest to make Nic eat fruit, and she kicks off by challenging him to eat gooseberries, and also pronounce the word correctly. We discuss a German joke on Twitter that got out of hand very quickly, and why German sarcasm can be dryer than your average desert. We discuss the curious word “Hammelsprung” and what jumping sheep have to do with the inner workings of the Bundestag, and we finish on a story about warring neighbours at the Tegernsee.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

On the show this week:We kick things off with a discussion on the changes to Elterngeld in Germany which will see couples earning over €150,000 become ineligible for state support. Is this progress or regression, should we really feel bad about excluding wealthy people from tax-funded benefits, and how might it affect gender roles?A social media post from a husband leaving his wife to look after four children while he holidays in Tenerife leads us to a debate on parental responsibility, and whether we can judge people’s ability to parent from social media posts. How should parenting be balanced between partners?We finish on an initiative in Berlin to test illegal drugs without involving law enforcement in the hopes of protecting people from overdoses and dangerous additives. Is this promoting the use of drugs or pragmatic thinking? Articles MentionedParenting at a distance Was ist wirklich in den Drogen?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

On the show this week:Living in Germany presents unique challenges, not all them are entirely predictable, such as fighting an 8 year old for a seat on the train. Dili may not have known she was about to throwdown with a small child, but she’s never been one to shrink from a confrontation. We discuss confronting unruly kids, another Bavarian Volksfest, and an invasion of hornets.With Germany still suffering from a heatwave, we look at government advice for keeping cool, and why putting your pants in the freezer is an alternative to air conditioning. We also turn our attention to the recent electoral success of the AfD in Thuringia, and the ramifications of the first district administrator from the far right party.We finish on a happier note as Nic attempts to educate Dili on the wonders of football in the run up to EURO 2024, starting with choosing a name for the tournament’s new mascot. 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 your two hosts attempt to not melt in the heat, we discuss the how the sunny weather seems to bring out all the smokers in Germany. Despite being a reformed smoker, Nic has some sympathy for his nicotine stained former brethren; Dili on the other hand has no time for them whatsoever. Where is it still acceptable to light up, and is one of those places a Biergarten?From complaints about smoking to complaints in general, do Germans really complain that much and is it actually so bad? We ponder this question and whether there’s a difference between British moaning and German complaining, and if one is more practical than the other.We finish the show on the topic of multilingual relationships and how speaking another language can make someone a more attractive proposition. We also look at how people in long term multilingual relationships develop their own languages, and whether it’s easier for people to move to Germany when their partner already lives there.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

On the show this week:Summer might have brought us some lovely weather in Germany, but it’s also exposed Dili to some maddening behaviour from her neighbours. From constant watering of their lawn, to burning random pieces of plastic, the warmer the weather, the hotter is Dili’s rage.Aside from enjoying German summer activities, we also have come to appreciate our newly discovered powers of prediction; sadly our newfound skills make for depressing news. We also discuss whether challenging objectionable social media content can ever be beneficial, or is it better to simply ignore it.We finish on the story of Germany’s first AI church service, can the mind of the internet teach us anything about the human soul?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 producer Simon taking the night off, Dili and Nic quickly go off script to discuss their experiences of living in shared accommodation, and the horror that entailed. From naked men in the kitchen, to hearing roommates having very loud sex, we look at the lows and very low lows of living in Germany.We discuss the novel way Germany celebrates the great and the good by honouring them with their very own traffic light. Although we may have to wait for the official Decades from Home pedestrian crossing, there are plenty of others to be found around the country, but does Dili know in which cities they can be found?We also take some time to chat about the usually calm Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz going rage mode, the riots in Leipzig, and the recent polling success of the AfD.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 leaving listeners with a slight cliffhanger last week, we return with some exciting news: Nic has a son! Not only that, we also have a the youngest fan of the podcast. Sure he has no idea what a podcast is, but that’s not stopping us from counting him among the listenership. With so much going on in Nic’s life, we dispense with the current events this week and talk about what it’s like going through the birth of a child in Germany. Why do doctors wear Crocs, what’s the etiquette for cutting the umbilical cord, and who is allowed to crack jokes in the operating theatre? We also discuss neighbourly gift giving, speaking German with sleep deprivation, and disappointing hospital food.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

On the show this week:Dili returns from her holiday, and as is tradition on the show, Nic demands to know what exciting souvenirs she brought him from her week in France. He may be disappointed by the lack French cheeses coming in the post, but it’s not really an issue, Nic has far bigger fish to fry as his wife prepares to give birth the day after recording the show. We discuss all the exciting details, and the many things Nic is looking forward to over the next week. However, before any of that, we have some other stories to share with you dear listener. We look at a survey that tells us more about the Germans than perhaps anyone ever really needed to know, the return of plagiarism scandals to German politics, and the terror of getting stuck on a chair lift at the top of a mountain.We also have some time to discuss the historical knowledge of the average member of the Bundestag and why being a young woman in politics is seemingly a massive problem for a lot of German men. We finish this week with a story about how a tattoo may help you save someone’s life. 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