I Moved from Germany to the USA at 22 (& you can too!) | Feli from Germany
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
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👉Feli, how did you move to the US? 🇺🇸 Why did you leave Germany? 🇩🇪 And why in the world did you pick Cincinnati of all places? I've told parts of my story here and there in my videos but I've never sat down to tell you guys the full story of how (and why) and moved to the US from Germany. Well, it's about time! If you have any follow-up questions, put them in the comments below and I'll try to answer as many of them as possible in the Q&A video! :) • WHY CINCINNATI?! Q&A A...
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DV Lottery Process - My experiences with Interview, Medical, Activation ▸ • DV Lottery Process - M...
AMERICAN FLUENT IN GERMAN! Our Bilingual Friendship ▸ • AMERICAN FLUENT IN GER...
10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN THE USA AS A GERMAN ▸ • 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT...
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Check out my PODCAST (with Josh)▸ / understandingtrainstation or linktr.ee/Understandingtrains...
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▸Mailing address:
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Cincinnati, OH 45219
USA
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0:00 Intro
0:53 How you can go to college in the US!
3:19 The Beginning
7:43 Exchange Semester
16:41 Trying to Return
18:16 Volunteering
18:54 Why I Left Germany
20:43 Master's Program
22:00 Green Card Lottery
23:03 Why Cincinnati?
25:21 Will I stay in the US forever?
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ABOUT ME: Hallo, Servus, and welcome to my channel! My name is Felicia (Feli), I'm 28, and I'm a German living in the USA! I was born and raised in Munich, Germany but have been living in Cincinnati, Ohio off and on since 2016. I first came here for an exchange semester during my undergrad at LMU Munich, then I returned for an internship, and then I got my master's degree in Cincinnati. I was lucky enough to win the Green Card lottery and have been a permanent resident since 2019! In my videos, I talk about cultural differences between America and Germany, things I like and dislike about living here, and other topics I come across in my everyday life in the States. Let me know what YOU would like to hear about in the comments below. DANKE :)
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*The Follow-Up Q&A Video is out now!* 😊czcams.com/video/FwPSxq2CSS0/video.html
This video took me down memory lane! It's crazy that I've already lived here for over 6 years now... 😅 Do you have any follow-up questions? Let me know in the comments! 👇
Does America have more flavors of ice cream than Germany?
Have you tried them all?
Do you like Pastrami pizza?
Are you going to go to Super Nintendo Land (Universal Studios) when it opens?
If so, would you go to the one in Florida or the one in California?
Where did you learn to speak English so well? You speak better English than a good share of Americans.
@@cousinfester4621 . Ditto to that. Also, have you become a citizen yet?
I can identify with a lot of what you said. After my fist contact with Americans in my native Poland I fell in love with the people and soon after, the country. Every time I would visit America, I would cry when I had to leave. Today I am living my dream, in the USA of course, green card for life, and soon getting my citizenship!!!!
Congrats Jake, glad to have you here!!!
Way to go! We need hard working people like you to help us pay off our $31 trillion national. How much can you hold?
you're orginally from Poland? do you speak polish?
@@tecumseh4095 I’m doing my best, working and paying taxes!!!
@@Hallo81398 yes I still do!
Feli filled in the space I had left open in Ohio. I came from Columbus to Germany for my year after college; that was 1986. Now I have two sons and a daughter, all adults who grew up over here. And that developed for me more or less the way she tells her story -- it was the never the master plan, it's just that one thing leads to another. Moin aus Hamburg!
That was so interesting! I had a very similar experience, but in the other direction. I moved from NY to Vienna after college at about the same age as Feli to work on my Master's degree. My first two years here were like living a fantasy dream. I met the most INCREDIBLE people, had the most AMAZING fun, did things I could have never imagined doing, traveled all over Europe from the Arctic Circle in Finland, Norway and Sweden all the way down to Southern Italy. Along the way I met dukes and princes, farmers and airline pilots, tiny little grannies who regaled me with stories about WWII, saw the most curious cultural traditions (e.g. Czech women getting spanked at Easter!), ate the most delicious food, partied like it was the end of the world and met a few true-blue lifelong friends that I could never imagine living without. Just like Feli, I can honestly say that this experience has allowed me to find myself and to really open my eyes to the rest of the world, learning different languages, learning different cultures, learning different ways of thinking and of doing things - this was THE BEST decision I've ever made, period!
That was 20 years ago and I'm still here, and still loving it. I love that Vienna offers all the major conveniences but without any of the hassle of NY. People keep asking me if I'll ever return to NY, and I honestly don't have an answer. I never actually planned to stay here as long as I did, it just happened. But I love the European culture and way of life and can't see myself returning to the US anytime soon. So don't be surprised Feli, if you find yourself still living in Cincinnati 20 years from now...😉
As an Austrian I love to read that :) Cheers from a Viennese suburb :)
Vienna trumps USA any day of the week………….from someone who knows
@@alanpowell24 all depends on the person.
@@brownjatt21 More or less, though anyone with any degree of reason would prefer Vienna over the US in its entirety
@@MW_Asura just simply not true, everyone has different tastes. One individual might love the atmosphere of Vienna and at the same time another might hate it for various reasons. That's why this is a useless argument.
Your story was well told. Now I understand why your channel is so good. Media is your life.
Good to hear such a detailed recounting! I still think we (the US) got the better part of this deal! Thrilled to have you stateside, doing what you do. Hope Ben isn't too upset about the Bengals! Have a great week, Feli--another great video!
Bengals suck
Cincinnati is a great city. I’ve never lived there but visiting a few times has made me think it’s really underrated
I wonder what effect WKRP in Cincinnati TV show has had in drawing visitors to the city.
Feli you are such a cheerful and broadly -speaking automatic diplomat for both American and Germany relations on both sides of the Atlantic. You (and your boyfriend ) and families should be proud of the insights and tenacity to apply yourself to work and great endeavors including house VERMOEGEN and everything I Really hope that you get a great position in Goethe Institute to foster North American and Germany and EU relations. Please keep it going and have others learn the languages and making friends and giving constant enthusiasm on both sides of the Atlantic. It is your talent in so many ways. Gruesse aus NYC
Don’t let that fool you. Its all just a ruse. We deep down know that she is secretly a spy sent here to spy on the US. This CZcams channel is just a coverup /s
love this
So cool to hear other people’s stories.
I went to the US as an exchange student in 2016 as well (but I was just 16 and did a Highschool exchange). I met my now husband there and went back and forth until I finally got my fiancé visa in 2019. Now I finally have my Green-card, and hearing you talk about all the paperwork/appointments really brought back all the dreadful memories of climbing over this endless mountain of papers. 😅😓
P.S. I’m from Berlin 🇩🇪 😊
thanks for sharing! much love!
Bin in den USA geboren (1964 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky), wir sind ein Jahr später aber wieder rüber nach Deutschland.
Seitdem nicht wieder in den Staaten gewesen, bin mehr Großbritannien Fan, war mehrere Male dort.
Freut mich aber, dass es dir gut dort gefällt, und du einen so netten Freund hast. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your amazing story🙏
Great story, well told.
Fantastic Video!
love it. All of your videos are so happy
Nice to get a video just for this story, and very illuminating. 👍
Such a wonderful story.
Thank you Feli for a pleasant, informative video
i'm glad your here and you seem so happy and i loved the video
Amazing video, you always boost my energy and motivation
Great video. I have watched your CZcams since 2019, but had forgotten a lot of your journey. Thank you.
Have an amazing day and God bless you Feli.
Interesting to hear your story and glad you enjoy your home in Cincinnati.
Thanks for sharing! You would have been fun to meet in college.
Loved the old TV clip! Would love to see more of those.
That's an amazing story. I have watched your channel since about 2019 so I knew pieces of your story from that but i never heard the whole story until now. Thank you and best of luck to you and Ben in whatever you choose to do.
Great video! It's been fun following you on your journey. I'm looking forward to many more stories about your American and German adventures.
As a former Cincinnatian, I've enjoyed your channel and podcasts for many years, from the early ones in front of that beautiful fireplace (in Clifton?) to your new home (in the suburbs?). Learned so much about modern Germany, language, culture and about my home town. Congratulations on your achievements. Looking forward to more interesting videos and podcasts.
I really enjoyed this story, reminds me of my study abroad days in Europe. Best time of my younger life
So glad you are here you are a pillar for both countries
This is such an interesting and inspiring video, thank you for sharing your story with us! Greetings from Germany :)
Very interesting story. Sounds like you had a bit of luck the way things just kind of fell into place. I really enjoy your channel and when you & Josh do Understanding Train Station
Feli…you’re always such a fresh breath of air. Thanks for elaborating on your experience. I can’t wait to randomly meet you somewhere.
Congratulations interesting story.
What a great story. You are easy to listen to: nice pace and very clear, and you pack a lot of content into your videos, especially this one.
I enjoyed this confident free-spirited video. Not planning anything is the best way to live in my opinion. Leaving the comfort zone always opens doors, builds confidence, and leads to some of the most amazing adventures in life. I've hired many exchange students and helped them get their H1B, Green Card, and some have become US citizens. All of them have amazing stories that brought them to the US.
Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring story 🥰
Speaking of sports: it must have been hard to experience the loss of the Bengals in the last year's Super Bowl and this year's AFC Championship Game 😢
Schöne Geschichte. Mir gefallen deinen Videos!
Great video and history, Feli. I'm a year late watching it, but that's ok 👍 Really enjoyed it. Keep doing them 🍻
I've really enjoyed watching many hours of Feli these last several days. Always wondering about her degrees. Finally got my answer in this one!
I played at 75% speed to relax and catch everything, with SO much info in 27 minutes! ❤ your grin and “Why not try it?” outlook. Best to you both as you look ahead while enjoying today.
Thanks!
Thanks for the details Feli. I'm an American living in Tbilisi Georgia. I've been here 4 years now and I'll be doing a four year report soon, and your video gave me some new ideas of what kind of information to include.
Enjoyed the video, you do a great ad for Cincinatti! 😉 I fell in love with Germany when visiting my daughter who was studying abroad there. I'd totally move there in a heartbeat, so I was really interested to hear what made you want to stay here. I love that you're just trusting your gut and doing what brings you joy! Everybody does not have to love the same things or places, and there is no utopia, there will always be trade offs, though I still think western Germany around the Mosel is pretty close to perfect!❤
One interesting video! I am actually doing an exchange semester right now in Germany, living in a shared flat with people from all around the world! Have travelled before, but this experience is unforgettable- first time in Germany and I was alone! Going back home in late March, can't wait to see my closest people!
I loved hearing your experience and wish you continued success.
I am very happy for you that you have built such a nice life there and that you feel comfortable. Lovely Greetings from northern Germany.☺
Ohhhh, I remember taking ETS tests when I was in college becoming a teacher. I once saw a young woman start going through a test before the proctor said we could begin and he took her test and said, "Buh-bye!" to her while she began to cry. A story I make sure I relate every year before state testing.
Great show. So many great memories studying in Frankfurt Germany, taking Pan Am Clipper across the Atlantic all the time, moving to LA to start a new life in my computer job. It was a great time, I did not even know how great back then :)
Very genuine, open and honest! Very helpful advice that will be useful for so many people. Love your natural flow. Your story reminds me a bit of mine since my first Visa was a J1 almost 16 years ago straight from Morocco 😊 (Germany had denied my visa a few years earlier, but hey, we never know what life has in store for us).
Hi Feli, so fröhlich, wie du dieses Video präsentiert hast, scheint es, dass dein Bauchgefühl dich bisher immer gut beraten hat. Mach' so weiter, ich wünsche Dir alles Gute und freue mich auf deine kommenden Videos.
That college party culture at a lot of the schools sometimes depends on the school you attend and/or the sorority or fraternity you're associated with.
Hallo Feli! Ich möchte nur mal Danke für die tollen Videos sagen! Ich komme aus der Nähe von Köln und höre Dich teilweise über Stunden auf der Arbeit und verstehe mittlerweile fast alles.
Mach weiter so! Liebe Grüße! Achim Kretz
To me this video is like the most inspiring as well as entertaining and interesting video that you ever uploaded! 🥰 I immediately wanted to be a step further in life to come to the US! xD
Very interesting! I was born in the USA and have always lived here. It is fun to hear your origin story. I’ve always wondered how you ended up in Cincinnati. Thanks for sharing!
Wow you got lucky with tuition. I bet you would be good in radio for sure. Ok young lady glad to have you in the states.
That's quite and interesting journey you've had! I appreciate your chipper attitude and your willingness to try new things. Not everyone does that and I think they miss out because of it. Thanks for sharing your story with us!
Her chipper, bubbly way is so not German though...
I wonder if she was like that before her American experience...
Hey Feli! I realized from this video that I went to UC the same time as you since I graduated in 2017! I’m glad it was such a positive experience for you there. We are happy to have you in Cincinnati! Thanks for making such an informative channel and talking so positively about our city. Cincinnati is very underrated even in the US. We have come a long way in the last 15 years!
I do live in San Antonio Texas for right now just lived in Würzburg for almost 42 years reminds me of her life story
Good luck, may god bless and protect you beautiful dear
I LOVE my hometown! YaY Cincinnati!! Though I live in Florida now.
Thank you for sharing
This was a fun video Feli. Cincinnati gets a bad rap sometimes and it isn't really fair. Glad to hear you are enjoying it. Not studying abroad during college is one of my greatest regrets. By the time I realized I wanted to try it, I was so far along in school that none of the credits I could get would have counted towards my degree.
Thanks for describing your journey and why you like Cincinnati.
Great video 😊
I’ve never been to a college party since I never went to college but I’ve been to plenty of parties that played beer pong but we never used water in the cups. Learn something new everyday.
Thanks so much!
I hope you and Ben have great life
I love your story! Both the US and certain places in Europe are like home for me in different ways because I grew up in the Netherlands (3-12yrs old) and Austria (12-19yrs old) but my family is American. My husband and I are thinking about moving to Germany but not certain how long or when that would happen.
Cincinnati is a great place to live! My brother and his family used to live there and I would visit them. They live in North Carolina now, but I think my sister-in-law would prefer to be back in Cincinnati. I remember playing golf at the Clovernook club when my brother was golf champ there. I can see why you prefer to stay there.
You should visit Milwaukee during Oktoberfest. Milwaukee was settled by many Germans in the 1800s. It is the beer capital of the US.
I saw the video of you introducing your boyfriend. You two all but devoured each other with your eyes. It was so heartening to see true love again blooming and beaming from the two of you. Hoch sollt ihr leben!
You English fluency never fails to amaze me - great vocabulary and no noticeable accent.
Grüße aus München, so ganz nebenbei 😉 Meine Urgroßmutter war Native American, mein Dad wurde in Texas geboren, also bin ich gerade dabei, meine Wurzeln zu erkunden. Ich hoffe, ich schaffe es dieses Jahr mal in die USA. Bin aber bestens gerüstet, u.a. dank deiner Videos. 👍
Feli, Super cool that American culture brought out a part of you that you like. Great to hear. Congrats on all the hard work. All the best in the future. Schau ma mal ! 🇺🇸🇩🇪 Also, great to hear a good word about the Midwest- it is what you make it! Tschüss!!
Really enjoy your stories..my grandfather & grandmother were both from Germany though I never knew much about it...I understand my grandfather came to the US to avoid being drafted by the Russians, so he was a draft dodger (good) not sure about my grandma... I'm from Cleveland, extremely north of Cincy, but there is a very large presence German presence here also...keep up these great cultural stories!
Started watching your channel in may of 2020. I was starting to date a German girl at the time. We were having a lot of miscommunications in the beginning, so I had to google “dating German women” 😂.. long story short. It didn’t last. Our issue was going to be deciding which country to live in permanently. Traveling back and fourth not getting to be near your friends and family gets old after awhile… I’m glad it’s working out well with you and Ben though!! Best of luck with everything.
Great video! You were very lucky with your green card. I know sometimes who wants to study in the US so I am going to share this with them.
Very lucky!! :)
Glad you like Cincy. I lived there from 1970-77, graduated 1974 from UC-CCM with a B.M.E. Been living now since 1977 in Switzerland outside of Basel. Came to Basel for one year to study externally at the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel, then got a job there, met my wife there and am now retired. Became Swiss in 2004. Greener pastures and all, gell?
Du machst mir so Hoffnung ich will nichts mehr als endlich mit meinem Freund aus Dayton,OH zusammen leben❤
2nd time viewer here from Buffalo , NY ( near Niagara Falls & Canada !) . Just subscribed. This British reaction channel brought me here. Waaay cool. Happy to have found you !! You maaay like 30 something , Chelsea Callahan’s videos here . Realistic NYC vlogger originally from Oregon. And . 30 sumthing , Vera, in the Netherlands at : Simple Happy Zen ! I’m not at all affiliated with them; just a tireless natural promoter of soul enriching stuff !! Love yer upbeat vibe ! Liz
I left home in Connecticut right after my bachelor’s degree and moved to Texas for a master’s degree. I thought that was a big shock, but it’s nothing compared to what you did.
You explanation about "Why Cincinnati?" is perfect. Ultimately it comes down to people of course. If you listen to Anthony Munoz for example, it was the people that got him hooked on the place. Yea, we're that nice. As amazing as this country is, and the selection of where to go for a foreigner is wide and deep, it's tough to beat this place. I am not being jingoistic, I lived in Greater Boston for three years. It's a great place, but it ain't here. I was an early adopter of this channel, thanks for filling in the blanks.
yes, sounds like she is a bit tired of all the Cincy hate, from folks like me
That's new! When I was at Uni we played beer pong with beer in our cups.... definitely sounds cleaner....now that I think about it.
Excellent video..........now I know!
Thanks. Good video.
Your enthusiasm is great and inspiring. Your English is better than many born Americans 😄 I think some come here from European and other countries as the bureaucracy to set up and run a business is much easier. Less restrictive access to higher education (college/university). More flexible as to working/employment. In some parts of the USA (like your Cincy) one can afford to own a home. Less 'class' status issues.
I love your attitude and outlook on life. It’s obvious you’ll do well at whatever you’ll set your mind to. Best wishes for continued success and fun!
Hey Feli, I like your viedos very much, I use them, not to forget my English skills. And I like your positiv "Ausstrahlung", sorry at the moment, I forget the english word. I always feel a little better, after looking your videos! Liebe Grüße aus Oberbayern (Miesbach) Otto
I did the same exact thing but moved from the USA to France.
You are wise beyond your years!
Very interesting to hear about your journey so far. After being stationed in Germany, I might have stayed there if I was on my own. But it would have been too difficult with a wife and two small children.
Wow. This was fascinating. I did a similar-but-different thing as a young-20s adult: moved to Berlin to study/work, with the goal of learning German as deeply as I could. I ended up staying for two years, teaching English mostly at the Volkshochschule.
This was the longest of your videos that I’ve watched, I think, and I confess that while watching, I’m constantly distracted by the following: I simply cannot detect almost ANY trace of a German accent whatsoever, nor any Germanisms or non-idiomatic usages. The closest I heard in this one was an occasional “houssing” (hard S) for “housing”, but that was it. I have never heard anyone with so much American English fluency who didn’t in fact grow up in a bilingual family. So kudos.
Good for you 🙏 friend
Would love to see/hear more of your media work in Germany when you were in college. Which begs the question: do you do any media work in German for Germans today?
Everything you experienced was meant for you since the beginning ❤
Howdy Feli! I'm not sure if you've talked about this already, but Cincinnati is one of those Midwestern cities that seems to have limited public transit / biking options, and would be difficult to get around without a car―very different from Germany / Europe. It sounds like you don't mind, though? Personally, I'd like to try living in Europe at some point, but just haven't found a good excuse to do so.
Wonderful story, Feli! Thank you for sharing. We're lucky to have you here. One sorta question: You already spoke English so the language transition wasn't too difficult. I'm guessing it's more of a challenge for other international students? Incidentally, my daughter went for her undergraduate degree at Hiram College, which is near Cleveland. Before we visited, I'd never been in Ohio. Having come from a large city (Austin, Texas), it was nice to be in a place a bit smaller and less crowded. UC is the Bearcats, correct? Go, Bearcats!
Nothing wrong with Cincy, (except skyline chili) i live in Illinois and the company i worked at had a plant in Cincy so i was there every once in awhile, nice city with a beautiful downtown and river front, i am actually thinking of going to watch my cardinals beat on the reds this summer and check out the ballpark. As far as living in the usa goes the midwest is not a bad choice there are good and bad things about every region, so live where you are happy and comfortable!
Canada is most multinational country. I have worked for companies HQ'd in Quebec, Germany, UK, NL, and USA, and worked closely with so many ppl who are ESL. You have a completely indistinguishable accent after 6 years of living in US. Amazed.