moving to Germany

[zero1973]

Wife has a new job in mainz germany and we will be moving out next year. I'm a stay at home dad wondering how I am going to stay sane without going to the pub/football with my mates once or twice a week. Lack of german is also going to hinder me. Found loads of women/mums groups around mainz but nothing for dads. Anyone have any tips or know of any groups.

[ClareMarriott]

Learning the language is going to be one of your top priorities as ja oder nein oder vielen dank are not going to get you far. Also I am sure that there will be a team in the bundesliga that you will find you can support. Good luck

[Chislemum]

Hi there, I am a German in the UK. My DH is learning German at the Goethe Institute and started by learning it online via the Goethe Institute. Works really well and you should give it a try. Maybe going to German classes in Germany would be an opportunity to find friends.

Oddly enough my husband's cousin is also married to a German - however she moved to Germany. Her experience is that most Germans speak English so that her German is still pretty basic after 5 years. There is an online forum you can check out called "toytown Germany" (full of English speaking expats) they may have an idea what you could do. You can also get UK TV via satellite too, which will help. Oh, Germans aren't as bad you might think: they like bear and football too. :)

[MamaBlue4]

My DH is German and we'll be moving there hopefully in the next couple of years. Next year hopefully.

Luckily I learnt German in school and I've been attending German classes since marrying as I want my kids to speak it, and it'll be easier for them to pick it up and it helps that my DH is German how always corrects my pronunciation.

I'd say take a few classes, and there are English pubs in Germany - well depends on where you're moving, and most do speak English, so don't fret too much. :)

[WallyBantersJunkBox]

My dh is a SAHD in a Germanic country and it is looked on as a little strange. Very traditional countries!

Thankfully there are a few career mothers of the children in the international school and the dads have formed a network.

Try posting on the Living Overseas forum here, there are a lot of MN'ers in Germany.

Bring an expat can be very isolating you need to rely on each other for so much, your dw will also need support to settle into her new role. Perhaps she'd like a beer or two after work too?

Your mates can come over for Oktoberfest in Munich! You'd have to book now though, it's very popular!

[CaptChaos]

Sorry to join so late.

There is a massive US Airbase at Wiesbaden and an annexe bit in Mainz, so there will be lots and lots of people who speak English, and possibly opportunities to get to know English speaking people there. You really are going to have to learn German though, it makes life so much easier if you know your Hähnchen from your Hündchen!

Germany is an amazing country to explore, lots of history and days out for children are much more reasonably priced than here in the UK. We lived there for 5 years and I loved every minute of it!

[bingeddybongo]

You won't have to miss out on going to the football... Mainz 05 has a better atmosphere than any stadium you'll have ever been to :) And there are plenty of places to watch Premier League football, and plenty of people to watch it with, so don't worry about that.

I'd recommend getting stuck into German lessons asap (I'm from London and married a German, we've lived here 3 years, both work in Mainz but live across the river in Wiesbaden) - have a look at the VHS or the ESG in Mainz, they're much more affordable than the private options. There are various expat Facebook groups (family ones as well as ones for just mums) as well as meetup groups on meetup.com and you could also ask around in the Frankfurt/family life on Toytown Germany - I am sure you will find some dads one way or another. My husband doesn't qualify yet because I'm due in October ;) You are very welcome to send me a PM if you need any more advice :)