Berlin’s most desirable neighborhoods to live in

Ah, to live in Berlin. The capital of Germany is a bustling metropolis welcoming any and all who dare to call her home. Known for an open mentality, a top-notch nightlife scene, and home to a thriving start-up atmosphere, Berlin is an enticing choice to settle down in.

One of the key steps in doing so? Finding a place to live. The housing shortage in Berlin combined with the intricacies of German bureaucracy can make house hunting a headache. In an attempt to alleviate some of the stress, GLOBALS Homes features some of the best apartments in the city.

Choosing just where to live in Berlin is an important choice! The charm of Berlin is the different worlds that can be found depending on the neighborhood you happen to be in. Read on as we highlight three of Berlin’s most desirable neighborhoods – and the apartments that will let you call them home!

Lichtenberg

Just East of Mitte lies the quiet district of Lichtenberg. At first glance it can seem far removed from the vibrant and historic center of Berlin but don’t let that fool you!

In just 15 minutes you can arrive at Alexanderplatz. Strolling through this quiet suburb, its free from the broken glass and hipsters that crowd Kreuzberg and Neukölln’s busy streets.

Within 20 minutes from the Lichtenburg S+U station you can travel back in time and visit the historic former Stasi Headquarters, or travel to Vietnam and step inside the Dong Xuan Center, an Asian market with over 150 stalls. You can also visit one of East Berlin’s most famous attractions, Tierpark, a large zoo where animals have free roam and gives residents an amazing green space in the center of the district. Lichtenberg is a trending gem in Berlin, get here fast!

Mitte

Mitte means “center” or “middle” in German and you can bet that if you live in Mitte you can reach anywhere in Berlin’s city limits very easily. Not only are you well connected with transit, but the multiple bars, restaurants and cafes are not just there for the tourists.

Grab a craft beer around Torstrasse, visit the Berlin Wall Memorial or catch a show at Babylon Berlin or the Volksbühne and discover that thriving Mitte is the heartbeat of the city and one of the best districts to live in.

Schöneberg

Discover all the colours of Berlin within one district. Famous since the 1920s for its vibrant LGBTQ+ scene, Schöneberg really has something for everyone.

You can browse the latest trends at the famous KaDeWe (Kaufhaus Des Westens), one of the largest department stores in Europe. For nature lovers there is the protected biological park Schöneberger Südgelände, a nature reclaimed WWII rail yard and just in the district limits is Templehofer Field, the airport-turned-public-park, where you can catch the best sunsets in the city.

GLOBALS 5 year Anniversary: new milestone & new glassesv

Wow, 5 years have flown by since we started GLOBALS! Our passionate journey to make international life easy has been quite the rollercoaster, but despite our many ups and downs, we are thrilled to announce our next milestone.

This past month has been rather quiet for us, but don’t worry, we have a good reason. We have been focusing on launching our latest product, AiRelo – a smart chatbot that assists you with your city registration through Facebook messenger!

Pretty cool right? But first, I would like to thank my wife Anne and all of our family and friends for their relentless support during this endeavor. You were there for us during the good times and the bad, and we cannot thank you enough for your help. We are also honored to welcome our latest investor Michael Brehm, as well as our tech partner Dirk! It’s an exciting time to join us and we are blessed to have your knowledge and experience during the development of this product.

As you may know, with every milestone we complete here at GLOBALS, we have a pair of glasses to match! Check out this brief video celebrating the occasion.

Introducing AiRelo! It’s a Chatbot on Facebook messenger to assist you with filling out your city registration form. After spending many years personally helping newcomers get settled in the city, I learned that the bureaucracy of registering a new address is the first challenge before you can actually enjoy it. With AiRelo, all you have to do is pick a language, city, scan your passport, answer some simple questions, hand in the form AiRelo filled out for you and that’s it. No need to answer all the questions on the form or struggle with the office worker when you don’t speak the same language. If everyone uses AiRelo, there will no longer be hours of waiting in line, which will ultimately save many hours of valuable productivity time!

We would like to thank the hundreds of people in the community who tested the bot, gave the team useful feedback and helped us pick out the name. We would greatly appreciate you continuing to help us by liking our FB page, following on Twitter and Instagram sharing this article, giving us feedback and spreading the word with your friends! #AiReloMe

We can’t wait to see what you think of AiRelo.

Bye for now! 8)

According to the annual ranking global ECA International, this year most expensive city to live in is the Capital of South Sudan, Juba, which last year was #9. The second place is to Luanda, Angola, one place more than last year and the third on the list is  Zurich, Switzerland. Check out this interesting Infographic we created for you. Here you’ll find the latest data on the life costs in different cities. Of course, as you can observe, this list is constantly changing but some cities remain in the list every year.

For more info like this and much more Register in our Website  8)

Source: eca international and Business Insider UK

Relocating is a unique experience

One thing that can be challenging when you move abroad is making new friends. Something that usually happens without you realizing it, has to be achieved promptly when you just moved abroad. Of course, it doesn’t help that you are a stranger, either. But if you keep an open mind, a friendly attitude and actually leave the house, it is almost impossible not to meet people you like to be around. Here are some pieces of advice on what you can do to accelerate the process.

Get involved!

Join clubs, such as sports, dancing, art classes, volunteering, etc. This way you can get to know people gradually, which is nice if you’re not super extroverted, and you can be sure you’ll have at least one thing in common with them.

Go out!

There are, at least in bigger cities, local magazines and networks for expats where you can inform yourself about events, bars, classes, organized trips and so on. Making friends with other expats is great for mutual support and sharing our experiences on being an expat.

Locals are the way to go!

Don’t forget to make friends with locals as well to feel more at home at your new location, improve your intercultural social skills, be exposed to new impressions and broaden your horizon. After all, this should have been one of the reasons for relocating in the first place.

Cultural point of views

The way people become friends differs from culture to culture. Some are very open from the beginning; others need some time to warm up. In some cultures having a vast network of contacts is highly valued; others prefer having less, but very close friends. Remember, of course, that those can be clichés and every person you’re dealing with is an individual, not simply, for instance, “a German”. Become aware of your own culture as well so you understand how it affects your expectations towards other people. If you’re from a more open-hearted culture, don’t be disheartened if people need longer to open up than you’re used to and don’t push them.

Be open to some miscommunication

Another example of differences across cultures is friendliness vs. honesty, i.e. should you always truly express your opinion even if you’re hurting or insulting someone by doing so? When in doubt, rather go for being nice, but don’t fade into characterlessness.

Time to finally use the few words of  German you remember from high school!

Learning a language to a degree where you can engage in more meaningful conversations takes quite some time, of course. But even by trying, you show that you’re interested in your local friends’ culture.

Finally, no matter their culture or degree of shyness, people generally like to have friends. So that’s one thing you can rely on!

Relocation recommendations for expats and travelers

• Prepare a small timeline and add tasks, visualized by time and supportive resources for the preparation process of your relocation.

• Before leaving, take notes of things you have to lend to friends, passwords of local access utilities, add tags if you plan to borrow or store things with friends.

• Reach out to people in your network who have been in touch with the host city already. Talk to them and get to know a few stories that help you understand the new culture.

• Consider an intercultural preparation training that provides visibility on similarities and potential differences between you and local people.

• Look ClubGlobals.com in the new city who helps you collect all the products, services and administrative work that need to be done at or before arrival.

• Remember that your cultural background is a treasure and can widen the perspective of the new cultures as well. Do the effort to understand and integrate the new way, but don’t lose your own identity.

• Give yourself time to adjust to the new culture. Observe – Contribute – Participate!

• Make sure you stay in touch with friends, colleagues, and people at home. Show an interest in developments in their life and also share your experience.

• Keep an open mind! Knowing different perspectives is a strength. Expect to go through a process of positive personal development and that your picture of the world will change. You will learn to apply different cultural strengths in international projects.