anotherAmericaninGermany

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Posts posted by anotherAmericaninGermany

  2. Posted

    I stopped at a red light and was hit from behind, hired a lawyer and lost the case because there was previous damage on the back bumper of my car.

     

    Apparently this is standard procedure in Germany that the insurance companies and the legal system has set up and  don't understand why my lawyer didn't ask:

     

    "was there any previous damage on the back of your car?"

     

    It would have saved me the legal fees and all the stress.

     

    Where can I file a complaint about my lawyer?

     

    I don't want to go to court with him because that just means another stack of unknown legal fees.

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  3. Posted

    1 hour ago, fraufruit said:

    Paypal is the only U.S. account that I have and can't access due to not having a U.S. number. I can also not close my account because I can't log in. Some nice person gave me a phone number for them and I confirmed and called it. After going through 10 minutes talking to their robot, I was told that they were unable to handle my call and to go to their Help page which is on their website. I can't log in.

     

    I think all bank accounts in the U.S. offer Zelle money transfers for free within the U.S. . It is much easier than Paypal and I use it often. I can't shop with it but I have a debit card for that.

     

    Without re-reading this thread, I'm not exactly sure what your needs are so forgive me.

     

    I don't want to step on your toes or any other toes for that matter but you cannot even open an account with Apple = Apple-ID without a US Telephone number.

    I will not make any assumptions about where it is or isn't needed, I need one and that is really all I care about.

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  4. Posted

    1 hour ago, karin_brenig said:

     

    yes, the website is slightly confusing. But I was able to set up my PEN (no physical SIM needed) for the purpose of receiving verification SMS from various US institutions. I now read those within the OneSIM app (on my German O2 android phone) and also have them forwarded to my email address.

    Works like a charm. And, yes, each incoming SMS costs money. If you want totally free, I wouldn't know what to recommend there.

     

    You just have to really pay very close attention to were you click during the setup process.

     

    I understood that the PEN numbers have a monthly fee?

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  5. Posted

    11 hours ago, catjones said:

    I have various US financial accounts.  I believe all ask in your profile about whether to receive various alerts and if so, how would you like to receive them.  Since I use skype I check "Phone Call", not "Text".  When a verification is needed (I'm on my laptop), I receive a recorded call with the code number.  For other alerts, I check "Email".  Never had a problem.

     

    Consider yourself lucky. It all depends on when and at which point the systems are. I have several accounts that are not a problem and those that are pain the the #@%

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  6. Posted

    9 hours ago, karin_brenig said:

    well, if anybody still has that problem, try OneSIMcard.com

    https://www.onesimcard.com/SMS-verification-phone-numbers/

     

    They charge a one time fee for setting you up with a US phone number, after that you just pay for the usage.

    I set that up just in case Fi would ever decide they want to cancel their service for me. Works for short code SMS from financial institutions too.

     

    I checked with them and was surprised at the various answers on their web site and the response to my email was not particularly encouraging either.
     

    "This is a international service. The main number of the Onesimcard is a international number based in Estonia +372

    We also have secondary phone numbers called PEN ( Personal Extra Numbers).

    The PEN number is primarily for local residents so they have a way to call you without incurring long distance charges. Incoming calls from a PEN are not free to receive. The SIM user is charged $.20 per minute to receive these types of calls.

    Your initial Onesimcard purchase will also include a Personal Extra Number (PEN) that is free to use for 30 days. This number can be extended after 30 days if desired.

    This will be a secondary USA number if ordered from the USA"

     

    Depending on how you read this, if you order a card from Europe, it won't even be a USA number but on the web site, they say something completely different.

     

    It's the world of false advertising and please read the 500+ pages of fine print that we don't show you, this includes apple and co of course

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  7. Posted

    2 hours ago, CincyInDE said:

     

    I had/have them but I didn't use the phone number for >6 months so they deactivated it.  So be careful that you don't lose the number like I did. 

     

     

    Thank you for the tip. I got a number for 1 month to test and things are going well except getting a google voice number but am still investigating this. Have the 30 days marked on my calendar and will book it for another year probably and look for a long term solution on the way.

     

    From what I have been able to find out, the "best" long-term solution is to get a real US phone number and have it ported to google voice, that way it remains yours independent of any company and what they might do in the future.

     

    It seems the technology is called  VoIP SIP and the numbers are being handled, sold and rented like crazy. This can cause problems, because some verification services exclude numbers already in the system.

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  9. Posted

    On 12/27/2019, 7:51:00, Santitas said:

    I’ve used Pinger or Textfree for the past 9 years which gives me a US number where I can receive text messages and phone calls. You can also call 800 numbers in the US for free. I’ve never had a problem with it.

     

    I have spent the last 2 days trying to get a US phone number or receive text messages.

    I signed up for TextFree, but need a US Phone number to verify!

     

    They are out to get us!!!!

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  12. Posted

    On 11/6/2019, 2:23:34, Santitas said:

    That’s very true; we certainly don’t, so I think I’ll have to put it in the Keller until next year. 

     

    I’m trying the plastic turkey bags this year, but I’ve heard about the brown paper bag method and would like to try that out next year. 

     

    I can highly recommend it.

     

    I have used the recipe for over 15 years myself and

     

    1. enjoy the looks I get from my guests and

     

    2. it works, every year!

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  13. Posted

    try an old American recipe for Turkey... my Grandmother started following this recipe and always works!

     

    Turkey in a bag

    butter the Turkey and put in a brown paper bag with a string to tie bag

     

    @ 350°F or 176°C
    12lbs or under 25 min per pound
    larger birds at 20 min per pound

     

    translated for german #'s

    < 5,55kg @ 5,51 min/100g
    > 5,44kg @ 4,41 min/100g

    1

  15. Posted

    I really feel for you elle_hd.

     

    As a single dad stuck here in Germany because of very similar circumstances, it does get lonely here and the longer you are in Germany, the less "American" you are and yet are never German. I speak fluent German and until recently had a dog and day for day, I would say hello to joggers on the dog walk every morning and even after 5+ years, never got a hello back from the majority of them and have heard similar stories from others so it's not me.

     

    Meetup.com is nice simply to meet like minded ex-patriots sometimes. If you want to chat, send me an mail as well.

     

    I would like to share a poem by a Turkish author:

     

    In between

    Every day I pack my suitcase and then unpack it again.

    In the morning when I wake up, I plan to return, but by noon I get more used to Germany.

    I change and yet remain the same and do not know who I am.

    Every day the homesickness becomes more irresistible, but the new home holds me tight every day even more.

    And every day I drive two thousand kilometers in an imaginary train back and forth,

    undecided between the wardrobe and suitcase, and in between is my world.

     

    by Alev Tekinay, Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Förderpreis 1990

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  16. Posted

    Peanut Butter is back!!!!

     

    I walked into Aldi yesterday and was amazed to find peanut butter in the shelves again! No more yucky phooey weird tasting substitutes  - regular old american peanut butter :-)

     

    Happy days are here again and the first jar is already gone :-0

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  17. Posted

    23 hours ago, BradinBayern said:

    Linkedin mostly.  The recruiter that got me my current job contacted me from Monster.com but I don't have anything posted there anymore because I am happy where I am. 

     

    would you mind if I sent you a message? I have a few questions about LinkedIn.

     

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  18. Posted

    On 9/17/2019, 3:38:00, BradinBayern said:

    Munich is great.  I am still on job search lists so I get a ton of mail from jobs in Munich and often am contacted by recruiters.  However Munich is very expensive and even places in commutable distance are expensive. I would still try posting something to Monster (or similar) and give Munich as a location you would consider.  If you are not contacted by a recruiter I would be surprised.  Just make sure you would earn enough to live there.  

     

    Hey BradinBayern,

    since you are getting so many emails from recruiters, how are they finding you?

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  21. Posted

    My daughter recently finished Gymnasium and, while she is waiting to get into the medical program here in Germany, would like to study at a university in California.

    It is my understanding that some of her classes in Gymnasium are equivalent to some of the lower level University classes and I would love to see her get credit for those, at least in the sense of not having to repeat them and maybe can start at Topic102 versus Topic 101.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

     

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  22. Posted

    My daughter recently finished Gymnasium and, while she is waiting to get into the medical program here in Germany, would like to study at a university in California.

    It is my understanding that some of her classes in Gymnasium are equivalent to some of the lower level University classes and I would love to see her get credit for those, at least in the sense of not having to repeat them and maybe can start at Topic102 versus Topic 101.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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  23. Posted

    20 minutes ago, aries6 said:

    Have you tried contacting your previous business contacts/clients directly if they have something for you?

    I would really start with getting in touch with recruiters. It's in their financial interest to get you a job, as they get paid commission every time they place someone. This also avoids going directly to HR who might simply reject your CV without maybe even looking at it. The recruiter will ask you some questions and you can explain what your experience has been and if it fits with something the recruiter has, he/she will forward the application directly to the employer. I think it's always better to let people know (verbally) what your background is. Much more personal and informative than a 1-2 page CV.

     

    I have never really looked for a recruiter nor paid much attention to Xing or LinkedIn, are the recruiters on LinkedIn and Xing? It seems I have always found companies running adds for certain jobs, but not really working for the people after jobs.

     

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  25. Posted

    16 minutes ago, LukeSkywalker said:

    I think it's also difficult to return in the role of an employee if you were your own boss for a very long time.  I believe that companies are skeptical and wary in this.

     

    As long as things make sense, it is ok. It is also an asset because I find ways of improving things and can identify problems rather quickly.

     

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