@brittanyalaine: I’ve been living in Germany for almost eight years now, and honestly, it’s still really hard for me to slow down. I always felt like I was rushing through life. Like everything important was always somewhere in the future, and no matter how hard I worked, I could never fully catch up. I was always behind. Always hurrying to the next thing. Part of that is probably just me. But I also think a lot of it came from the culture I grew up in in the U.S. And honestly, that’s one of the reasons I left. Adjusting to Germany was hard at first. Germans work hard too. They care deeply about quality, craftsmanship, and doing things properly. But there’s also this feeling here that there’s a time and place for everything. And somehow, time itself feels more respected here. One of my favorite examples of that is East Frisian tea culture. When they pour the cream backwards into the tea, creating the little “cloud,” I was told it’s meant to almost freeze time for a little while. To slow things down. To sit together a little longer. And even though I don’t live in East Frisia, this has become one of my favorite German traditions. Because it reminds me that resting for 30 minutes isn’t wasting time. Spending time with people you care about isn’t falling behind. Slowing down doesn’t always mean you’re being unproductive. Sometimes, it just means you’re actually present. Hi, I’m Brittany 👋 An American immigrant living in North Germany sharing culture, travel, food, and the little things that make life here feel so different. #Germany #GermanCulture #NorthGermany #EastFrisia #TeaCulture LifeInGermany AmericanInGermany SlowLiving GermanTraditions LivingAbroad

Travel & Life in Germany

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Wednesday 30 September 2026 15:00:00 GMT