Hello all. I just stumbled across this site while searching for a German language course in Hamburg. I thought I'd register, put up a post and see what happens.

I moved to Hamburg 5 weeks ago with my German girlfriend and our son so am still really new to Germany. I don't speak German but so far this hasn't posed too much of a problem. I've actually only come across one person so far that didn't speak English, which was an old lady in Aldi. When I said in German that I don't speak German (I've at least learnt this) she simple spoke German to me again but slower and louder. I thought it was only the Brits that did that. Start a German course in October so should be able to sprechen sie deutsch soonish.

Anyway I'm 32 have a 1 and a half year old son to hang out with but would like to meet more English people living in Hamburg of a similar age with similar interests.

I'm interested in football (LFC), design, street art, music and drinking cold beer when I get the chance. I’d love to go and see St.Pauli play so if there are English St.Pauli fans out there give me a shout.

Hope to hear from someone soon. I’d hate to have a big 0 next to the replies column.

Cheers, Mat

The first thing that usually happens is that someone sees your post and writes to say "Welcome to Toytown!"

I'm nowhere near Hamburg so I'm afraid I can't tell you where and how to meet other English speakers, but I'm sure that some of them are on TT and will write in. Also, don't forget to consult the events and meetups section, there's bound to be something of interest - and if there isn't, you can always suggest something yourself!

All the best,
K.

Well you just missed British day (I also missed it). And you are just in time for the British consulate closing down.

There are even some welsh-speakers in the area (not me!)

Don't lose hope in meeting other Brits/English speakers, Mat. The Hamburg section is growing and there seems to be new members here every week. We're trying to publicise the site up here and may about to arrange a big TT meetup if we can get enough interest. Not sure about your choice of English footie team but there are St Pauli fans here.

You didnt indicate in which part of Hamburg you are located (its a big area) or if you are/intend working.

If you are on the west side of Hamburg you could well bump into a number of Brits involved
in research at the DESY laboratory (thats what pulled me out here all those years ago but I have since lost touch with most of the goings-on there - the DESY bridge club used to run at our house but
is in a defunct state since some years - the club that is...).

I also believe that there are some involved at Airbus in Finkenwerder.

Hi All,

I have been here just over a year now, but haven't really bothered getting together with any ex-pats on a regular basis so far and have just stumbled across this site. I also have a German girlfriend (what we men will do for love!!) and live two minutes away from the Alster in Hohenfelde.

I learnt German for six months at school, but still have a long way to progress. You are right and it is very easy to fall into the trap of speaking English all the time because most people are happy to want to talk English if they can.

I'm 36 years old and have been to St.Pauli a few times where the atmosphere is usually pretty good. However the standard of football is pretty dire, but it is probably not much better than in Newcastle where I come from at the minute. I've also been to HSV, but I find it not so good in terms of either getting there and also there are not many pubs in the vicinity.

Perhaps we can all meet for a pint or two. I certainly like my football and am also into gigs and concerts and anything sporty really and a good curry!

I'd like to be able to get a dose of good English humour which is probably what I miss more than anything from back home.

Martin

@ Biffski: Get yourself down to Finnegan's Wake near the Rathaus. They show all Premiership games on a big screen and have loads of expats in there as well as locals. You'll allways end up chatting to someone about the game and you'll get to know a few people.

Hey, everybody,

My name is Mitch. I just joined Toytown because I will be moving to Germany in January to work with an engineering firm in Nuemunster. They are currently setting up a place for me to live, and have told me that they would try to get me a place in either Hamburg or Kiel. No word on the exact location yet, but I figured if I do end up in Hamburg, this would be a great way to get to know some people right away, and maybe get some meetings set up.

I'd love to hear about any of the social events you have in Hamburg, or just suggestions for making my stay a little more enjoyable. I'm looking forward to hearing back from all of you.

Thanks!

If your place of work is going to be Neumünster then it will be a hefty (time-consuming & possibly costly) commute from Hamburg or Kiel to there.

Neumünster is a bit over 50km from Hamburg as the crow flies...

Additionally you should put a bit more information into your profile (interests etc)
so that those who might advise you have some clue as to where to start from...

Hi all!

I heared about this website from a Canadian lady I worked with at Airbus (thanks Becky). I thought it would be cool to ckeck it out some time and contibute to some fun in the forum.

I am from Holland, but used to live in California, Arizona and Texas as well. And at work I work with so many English speaking direct and indirect colleagues that next to German I get to speak a lot of English too. I can imagine that there are some people here that also work at Airbus and recognise me from my intro. I work for CAX support so I get to meet a lot of people at many departments, either on the phone or in person.

After 2 years my German became quite fluent and I have a German girlfriend. And my English was already fluent as well. I speak so much English and German and now I need to practice my French again since I also need to be in Toulouse quite often, that it is affecting my native language which I hardly speak anymore. I also get to experience both sides of both languages as I hear native English speak German and vise versa and when I struggle with translations. It's funny sometimes =)

Anyway, I already wrote some in the forum before I made this intro. I hope we can share some more entertainment, information and relaxation in this forum.

Martyn

How do everyone!

Happy Christmas and all.

I too am moving to Hamburg in February and quite fancy the idea of a curry group.. having lived near B'ham for many years.

Is there a large ex-pat network in Hamburg already? Does anyone play badminton or squash?

Am trying to decide where to live at the moment, have heard that Altona, St. Pauli, Schanze, Eimsbüttel, Bahrenfeld, Winterhude and Eppendorf are all lively areas. Is anyone able to express any preference? I'll be working in Georg.Heyken-Str south of Harburg but would like to live in central Hamburg to increase my chances of building up a good social network.

Any advice, suggestions or general banter would be appreciated.

hey yeah i wanna play some badminton and tennis! (squash i've never tried yet, but am keen also!) it's my third or fourth day in hamburg, and finding it pretty fun to experiment with my german i'll start work at GE healthcare in Hoheluft, and live in othmarschen. i'll be keen for some sports or general socialising after 5pm in the week days if anyone keen oh yeah, im 20 years old, kiwi girl from New Zealand

Hey Jun,

Sounds cool... How are you finding it all? And what is Othmarschen like?

I'm 24yo Male and keen to meet people of a similar age, well in fact all ages to be honest.

Seeing as you're there first you can do the groudwork and find somewhere we can play. Perhaps we can setup a group if others are up for it??

Can't wait to move out there!!

Hi newbies
I'm not even a newbie yet. I guess that makes me a prenewbie. I'll be moving to Hamburg in March with my German girlfriend after seven years slowly going spare in Cornwall.
I'm a musician and professional graphic designer.
I lived in Lubeck for 2 years about 10 years ago (I'm 37) and taught english there from home. I hope to develop design commissions through networking with business students who want to improve their conversational english, with a view to self-employment, if feasible.
My big concern is wether i can get English telly; I'm not square-eyed, but it is simply the best in the world, especially now with bbc3 + 4 etc. Couldn't live without the comedy and documentaries. Does anyone know if it's poss to get freeview channels on cable? or satellite? or?? We'll probably move to Ottensen.
Does anyone know of a library with a good English section? the Lubeck one was superb, and I'm a voracious reader.
For other people just landed in a strange land - get on MySpace. It's got to be a great way to keep in touch with other Hamburger patties. (ahem).
I'm www.myspace.com/leeboydmusic
my 'official' music site is www.leeboydmusic.com
my graphics site is www.leeboydgraphics.co.uk
Really excited about the move now. We've been discussing it for a year, and now the decision is made, it feels like a snowball slowly building in momentum and size as it rolls down a hill.
If there are any expats with businesses who could use any kind of design for print or web at great prices, and would like to work with a native English speaker, do get in touch.
Count me in for the curry gang!!! I need spicy grub regularly or I might suddenly die, really. it's a very rare condition.
Looking forward to seeing you all in the Spring!
Tchuss!

Yes Lee, English TV is not a problem. A satellite dish is pretty essential, although you will need a south(ish) facing balcony (if you're getting an apartment) or some other way of pointing your dish at the Astra 2 satellite. It's a constant problem with expats and landlords. Some landlords take exception to dishes or where they are positioned. Search the site for info posted previously. Keep in mind the fact that even with a South facing balcony, signals can be blocked by trees, other buildings, etc, so there's no guarantees.

We know a pretty good guy in Hamburg who can set you up with a dish once you've got here. Either bring a Sky box with you from the UK or go online and check out some of the sites that will supply you with a Skybox thru a dodgy UK address. - StoreSatellite is one. GermanSky is another.

Important: You are not really allowed Sky in Germany, so DO NOT let Sky know you are watching from Germany. People have done this before only to have their cards cancelled.

Hello. I'm new to Hamburg too. I have only been here for 3 weeks so you are more experienced than I am! I am living with my German boyfriend who is a St. Pauli fan...I'm a Spurs fan, born and bred but any sport is fine with me! I'm 34 and I'm teaching English here in Hamburg. They offer german lessons at my language school if you are interested...

Othmarschen is a fairly well-to-do subburb west of the centre of HH.
Since its fairly close to DESY (the physics lab) you may come across people of many nations
(DESY bought me to the region & I stayed...)

In my time at DESY a number of people played squash etc at RCS (Racket Centre Schenefeld).

Hello and greetings.
I am here in Hamburg since last October and only recently i discovered this site while searching to buy an english laptop here in Germany. I checked this site and thought that its a good idea to join. I am a student here doing masters in Law and Economics in University of Hamburg. The programme is in english. I would love to meet or chat with some english speakers here in Hamburg and share some thoughts. So please welcome me also in this club as I feel ver isolated here because of the language problem. Hope to hear from some of you soon.
Sincerely,
Salman

Salman... I suggest joining one of the regular English/German exchange meetings.

Hello, I'm an American girl moving to Hamburg this November. I'm leaving a lot of friends behind (I've lived in Chicago for about 10 years) so I can move in with my boyfriend. Seems like a lot of people move for their relationships I'll be done with my BA this semester and hope to get a job teaching.

Hey, cool, that´s two Spurs fans (at least) in northern Germany...

Hi, I've just arrived in Hamburg this week and am looking for English meet up groups as my German is minimal - I'm a 23 year old female. It would be great if people could send me information. I'm also looking to teach English here - does anyone know where the best places to look are?

Natasha

Hi all,

I'm not new to Hamburg but am new to this forum. I really like the idea of getting an English-language book exchange thing going.

I've got a lot of books gathering dust, some of which I couldn't bear to part with but others I'd be willing to swap. It *is* possible to sell them at a couple of used book places here, but I tried that once and for what little money I got for them, I would have gotten far more satisfaction trading them with someone else or simply leaving them behind in a bar where expats hang out.

I have a blog on which I am going to set up a page called "Hamburg English Book Swap"

The link to the page should be at the top of the home page, right under the heading: Letters Home to You

If you have books to swap, I invite you to leave me a comment on the page with contact details. Don't worry, they don't appear automatically on the blog - they get sent to me via email to moderate. When enough people have expressed interest, we can all arrange to meet and swap away!

Sound OK?

The blog address is: http://lettershometoyou.wordpress.com

Hope to hear from you soon,

Ian

Well, how about putting a little information into your profile for a start?

wow, that was fast! Getting right to it.

Hiiiii... thought this site looked pretty handy for us international lot in the Deutschland with no friends.. haha. Just to say Hey and see firstly if anyone knows of a room going? Staying with a friend just now, but looking for somewhere til mid May. Did anyone manage to get to Cologne for Karnival? oohhh it was soo good!! So, i'm 21, from Glasgow/Edinburgh in Scotland, studying here in Hamburg til May and having as much fun as possible in the short space of time. Also any info on jobs would be much appreciated.. pretty useless when my German language skills go as far as, "das ist gut, ja" - So i figured teaching English somewhere...?

And of course if there are any gatherings happening.. count me in! I'll even bring along some authentic Hanseatics xx

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Hello All,

I am so excited that I stumbled across this site during my ritual Sunday afternoons at the Starbucks near the Rathaus.

I moved to Hamburg about a month ago and am finally starting to get settled in and make my way around the city. I have discovered a few precious gems like the Abaton-Kino, the Grindle Palace Theater, the Starbucks, a newsstand in Dammtor station that sells People Magazine & the DVD selection at Karstadt.

I am here on a 6 month assignment working for Unilever. It sounded like a good idea when my boss offered me the position. If I can handle living in the NYC area then I can live anywhere right!?!? It's been an adventure so far and I am looking forward to the next 5 months (especially looking forward to spring time). I would love to get to know some English speaking people to hang out with in Hamburg.

Marci

I'll hang out anywhere but Starbucks!

hi guys.Delighted when I found this forum,looking forward to speaking with you dudes.Im here in Germany about a month now,originally I came to visit my girlfriend who is studying for the year in Goettingen.
But now I really want to stay and begin some German lessons and maybe a job.I love it here,im origionally from Ireland and really dread having to go back anytime soon.Germany is a far better country to live..Since Ive arrived I have picked up a little bit of German mainly from asking my gfriend every two mins,whats that mean??
I would be interested in getting accomadation for myself in Hannover or maybe Hamburg.My main queries are where to begin german lessons and how do I go about finding a job.So guys please reply with some helpful advice.

Thanks a bundle...

Hello to everyone!

I'm also new here or better to say will be new here because I'm still in Okpo, South Korea. Hopefully I'll be in Hamburg in mid-May, I'm planning to settle down here and make it my new home. I think Hamburg is a lovely place and I'm excited to meet new people and make new friends.

Can anyone here give me some info about taekwondo classes? I'm a green belt now and willing to continue.

Cheers!

Leyli

Hello,

oh ... I´m also new here. I live in Hamburg for about 1 1/2 years now. It´s really a lovely and friendly city! I´m 30 years old, married to a german guy and we´ve got a 5 month old daughter.

There are a lot of different asian martial arts around, so you´ve got to think of in which part of Hamburg you´ll gonna settle down! I would recommend Eimsbüttel or Altona.

So have a safe trip!

Cindy

Hi Cindy!

I'm 29 y.o., have two kids who are 2 and 3.5 years old from my German ex-husband. I'll probably settle down in in Ottensen or Altona because its close to Hamburg International School, where my daughter will study.

Do you or anyone on this board play Mah Jong? I'm not a gambler but just loooove this game.

Leyli

Hello there .
I'm a married mum of 2yr old twins and will be moving to live in Hamburg very soon with my German husband. I am very curious about the expat scene in Hamburg and I would love to meet up with other Brits to have a chat and see what events and social meetups might be happening that I could be involved with . I'm also rather interested in whether there might be any English playgroups that I could join.
I look forward to hearing form anyone that can give me some tips!
catrin

hey to all you who have or had german partners... it seems like it's always the other person having to move to germany right? how are you finding it with 'home' being so far away? how about the kids... and their grandparents? can i ask of the challenges and pros?

Hi Jun

Do you have a German partner in Hamburg?

I have just become engaged to my lovely local Hamburg guy and can tell you/confirm that home is definately where the heart is. Yes, of course I miss my friends and family back home in NZ but I think its important that if you are planning to settle in another country - no matter where - you need to remember that you can create a home anywhere you are... especially if you have moved for love. I certainly have my moments but they are short lived. There are so many ways these days to keep in touch that mostly it seems as if my loved ones are just around the corner. We plan to stay here for at least 5 years and then head back to NZ for a stint so in essence we both feel like we have two homes. You need to view it as being lucky!

When do you come back to Hamburg?

Good day to all! My name is Amber and I am an American girl looking to meet some of the locals of Hamburg before my move there next year. I will be attending school in Hamburg next year to study the Germany language, history, culture and arts as well as learn as much as I can about my family history. I’m sure it may seem a bit strange to some that I am posting a message like this but I’m a very outgoing person who likes to to make friends and for me, knowing someone else while living in an unfamiliar place makes it much more fun! So, if anyone out there is interested in a new pen pal or someone to chat with from time to time please feel free to message me!

A few of my interests are music, spending time outdoors, my family and friends, movies of all sorts, the theatre and traveling. There are more details of my interests in my profile as well as a crazy picture of my sister and me in California a couple of years ago. If there is anything else you’d like to know I’m more than happy to tell you! I look forward to talking with many of you and perhaps meeting some of you next year!

Hi everyone,

I'm about to come over to Hamburg to spend a month with my ex-girlfriend. I will be spending some time brushing up on my German (I have just completed A1 here in Australia), by doing a month worth of the A2 course that my ex has offered to pay for.

I am interested to find some English speakers that would like to meet up in Hamburg for coffee, beer, wine, chats, sight-seeing, well anything really.

I land Sun 08.Jul.2007 and leave again 05.Aug.2007, so if anyone is interested in meeting up with an Aussie guy, please drop me a line, it would be great!

Bit about myself...
Male, 29, IT Architect, enjoy getting out and doing stuff. Rock climbing, swimming, bike riding. Really I'll give anything a go.

Anyway - hope someone is interested for when I am over there

Should say that I'll be staying in Altona-Nord while in Hamburg, and will be mainly pedal-power for getting around

hey trav. i'm a fellow aussie! have been in germany since november, n in hamburg since end march. think i'm leaving hamburg (but staying in germany) first of august... if u feel homesick anytime while ur here n i'm around, drop a line. or if u want to help alleviate my h/sickness!! peffanie@hotmail.com
travel safe
steph

I just moved to Hamburg (2 weeks ago) and have lived here before a couple of years ago, its a great place and I culdnt wait to get back here!!

I know a few German folks here but never really found the expat scene, I just saw this site for the first time and would love to hook up with xpat folks who would like to go out at weekends have dinner as a group/gang etc. I wondered if any xpats liked to hang out at the Beachclubs in the week after work on thursdays?, I have been down there a few times but never managed to bump ito any native English speakers.

I saw an earlier thread also about a possible curry club, did that ever happen?

I'm from the UK, 32 and work in IT for an American company in Hamburg. Lets hook up...

Hi All,

Well I'm new to this forum but "old" to Hamburg. Been living here for around 6 years now and moved over to be with my (ex-)girlfriend. For some reason I never got round to getting into the expat scene. But now I have the urge to meet up with fellow escapee's

I'm a Project Lead/Software Developer at a middle sized German software house. I have a 2 1/2 year old son who I am trying to hand over some Englishness to, but as I've been here in Hamburg so long I seem to have lost my touch. Oh yeah, I'm on the sunny side of 30 but only by one year Like to bike around and am frustrated at the flatness of Hamburg. Drink cold beer (I'm not stealing other peoples comments honest guv), my favorite local being Finnigans! And much more...

Get in touch if you fancy meeting up with a beer or doing something else fun.

--Matt

I've been here 25+ years and have also had no urge to get involved... But its interesting to look in here

American IT company? So do I... However I work from home & am thankful I can avoid the drive into the city each day.
I'm no good for hooking-up - my weekends are totally taken up (see profile)...

Hi everyone... Well, I'm from London, but I've recently started spending a couple of weeks a month over here in Hamburg, working with the LOVE Club on Grosse Freiheit (as you can might be able to tell from my very imaginative username). I'm eally loving being over here, it's a beautiful city, the lifestyle's great and the people have been really friendly so far. However, I still haven't learned any German yet, but I'm keen to meet a few locals to improve my language, and to socialise a bit outside work (although I do work funny hours, such is the nature of the nightclub business!)... I'm into DJing, music production, art, good food, nice wine and the good life in general. Can't wait to meet a few new friends over here!

Oh yeah, and I speak fluent French as well as English so if anyone wants to swap a few hours French or English conversation for some basic German that would be awesome.

Cheers!

Hi there

I am rather new to Hamburg too, although I live at a little distance (1.5 hour drive that is) - but in our village there hardly any expats (although the local authority has done a thorough job providing me with a list of various nationalities here, and there even 14 people from Tajikistan!) Nil, as far as Brits are concerned.

I will be in Hamburg next Saturday the 30th of June and can actually be there during the week too (so is a nature of my very flexible work from home / run UK business from Germany). One of them is IT related.

Oh, yes - soon to be 32, lived in Switzerland (1y), UK( 8 years, of which in London 7) ... Now on a farm near Oldenburg.

Any plans on getting together?

Tornadogirl

Wow - if you get from Oldenburg to Hamburg in 1.5 hours you must be either flying or driving rather fast!
I had the pleasure of driving twice to near there recently to take a trailer & bring it back and it took over 3 hours
without the trailer and one journey over 5 hours just before Himmelfahrt holiday

Farm near Oldenburg sounds idyllic if you are into horses (which I am not...)

Well, if you're in town on a Saturday evening, and you like House music, why not stop into my work and say hello over a drink. I can put you on my free guestlist and if you want to bring some mates I can arrange cheap entry for them as well...

or unless you were driving at 60km/h.

even google maps say just over hour and a half..

Haha! I suppose I want to sound optimistic about my social life prospects. We actually went out a couple of times in Hamburg - and my boyfriend was driving - so we did make it in 1.5 hours... The Googlemap therefore is no authority

It's just bloody frustrating - I can get to nearly everyone in the business world of England, but the local english speaking community are like underground commies in the pre-Revolution years...

i joined this group yesterday, but i'm not a newcomer in Germany, been here for about 2 yrs now and its really nice to chat with other English speaking people...

Then maybe a little more information in your profile?