I once applied for a Chinese tourist visa. There was no interview, just a form, including the list of all the hotels I planned to stay at during my trip. No questions either when entering the country. But another participant in our trip was refused entry - apparently because his job had something to do with journalism, although he never had published anything political.
Interesting fact: In German, "Visa" is the plural form of "Visum". Apparently the English language created the plural form "visas" from the singular form "visa".
@@thkempe According to Wikipedia, the English word "visa" is not the plural form, but the feminine singular form of the original Latin word. It goes back to the expression "charta visa" (letter seen), as opposed to the neuter form "visum" which just means "seen". The plural form "visas" follows English grammar rules, not Latin (which would be "visae").
Tanzania: you can do it online. They just want the money. Algeria: on paper, plus 2 photos, and send in the passport. If you do not want to go to the consulate in person, you have to pay a visa service to go there for you. For southern areas you need an invitation, like a booking from an acknowledged tour operator. You are not allowed to travel on your own.
The original full name of the mentioned jelly donut is "Berliner Pfannkuchen" (lit. "Berlin pancake"). Because adding the place of origin was redundant within eponymous Berlin, it became known as just "Pfannkuchen" there, while farther afield beyond the Berlin region (primarily throughout former Prussia and other neighboring northern states) the name was shortened to just "Berliner". And yeah, a pancake is called "Eierkuchen" (lit. "egg cake") in Berlin and environs instead.
Very interesting episode. While listening, I compared your stories to my own experience of moving to Switzerland back in 2001 (as a German). First, my employer had to apply for my visa (they had the help of a lawyer), including a proof that they couldn't find a local resident (not necessarily a Swiss national) for the job. And of course, they had to prove they paid me a decent salary by Swiss standards. When the visa was finally approved, I could look for a place to live, move I'm and register with the local authorities. A week later or so, they gave me my residence permit, valid for one year. During that year, they signed an agreement with the European Union that granted a 5-year permit to (almost) any EU citizen who had an unlimited work contact. So when I renewed my permit, I got this 5-year one. And after living in the country for 5 years, I could apply for the unlimited residence permit for EU citizens, which required only some minor paperwork, such as a copy of my (empty) Swiss police record. Non-EU citizens had to wait for 10 years for this permanent permit. Unfortunately, my permit was revoked when I moved back to Germany.
My sister in law is ethnically Polish and they have a very similar pastry called paczki, which her family pronounces more like "punchki." I always just grew up with Shrove Tuesday pancakes rather than having the jelly in something.
Those are huge in Michigan. I don't know that there's a significant Polish-American population here, at least compared to Chicago (or to Michigan's German-American population), but everyone loves them.
In Detroit, Packzi are the Polish type of jellied doughnuts that people have on Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. The Detroit area has many Polish descendants.
@@robertdendooven7258 They're all around Michigan (local bakeries and chains), I didn't realize Detroit was a Polish hub (I've lived around the state and not noticed any huge Polish influence other than Paczki ;) )
You forgot about St. Patrick's Day. Very big in Boston & New York... parades, people play hooky from work, often too much to drink, corned beef and cabbage,soda bread, Irish coffee. People go nuts. I don't know how big a deal it is in other parts of the country
Feli's US immigration stories sound to me like my experience passing the iron curtain and entering the Czechoslovakia in the late 70ies. I was once to the US in 2014 for business on an ESTA and also this was kind of intense. Although I passed after first inspection However, the US border guards are trained to make you feel really uncomfortable. And in combination with taking pictures and finger prints from you you are left with a feeling you are entering a totalitarian state.
I think my comment did not get through, maybe because of the link... So another try: if you want to look up how different areas of the German speaking world call different things (like pancake) you can go to Atlas Alltagssprache. As an Austrian I always struggle with pancake etc as well because my husband is from Saxony. Here a few examples (English - Austrian - East German - Southern German) : Pancake - Palatschinke - Eierkuchen - Pfannkuchen Donut - Krapfen - Pfannkuchen - Krapfen Curd balls (?) - Topfenbällchen - Krapfen - Quarkbällchen Just drives me nuts....
@1:38:32 Thank you for sharing your stories!!! @10:11 that's an interesting myth! I wonder if a lot of Germans were born 9 months later! @15:28 I enjoyed watching Rihanna's concert especially the ASL interpreter on TV! That was a lot of fun! @38:56 congrats on passing the C1 exam!!!!!!!!!!! I recall in the last episode you stated you didn't feel like studying so that's why you opted for C1 rather than C2. @35:40 that's interesting they base the blue card requirement on base salary rather than total compensation. I remember back when you just got the blue card you showed us a photo.... and it wasn't really blue lmao. @29:10 I wonder if the US consulate there in Munich feels like USA once you enter it. oh and @0:03 I didn't realize the thumbnail photo was an actual photo lol (I thought it was just a random frame in the video.)
The timing of Easter is based on Passover, which is based on the old Hebrew lunar calendar. In the Western Christian church calendar (Eastern Orthodox has their own thing, I'm not exactly sure how theirs is scheduled but I'm pretty sure it's always later), Easter is the Sunday after the first Saturday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
I've been to 2 consulates. Brazil for submitting a visa application for a work colleague & Germany for drinking on a Sunday morning while watching a World Cup match.
It's all linked to Easter, which is on the first Sunday on or after the first full moon (calculated in the Church calendar rather than observed) on or after the 21st of March (taken as the spring equinox). So Easter itself can fall from the 21st of March to the 25th of April.
Exactly. And carnival is 7 weeks before Easter. Except for Basel, Switzerland, where they celebrate on Monday after Ash Wednesday (following a former way to calculate the duration of lent in the early middle ages).
I can imagine Feli waiting on that bench in secondary inspection in Chicago with that same expression on her face as she had in that University of Cincinati photo ID card she posted in one of her other recent videos.
Getting into th e USA sounds very much like my UK husband (fiance at the time) getting into Canada .... similar customs story and all the same fees and forms....
Dear Feli, in your situation, I would think twice before becoming an American citizen as those have to file US taxes every year - even if they live outside the US - for the rest of their lives. Ask Hayley Alexis about her experiences. CU twinmama
When I remember correctly, the grounds of the consulate is for real a part of that country. So, Josh didn't just feel to be in Germany, he was in Germany.
We germans don´t discriminate, we also eat Frankfurter (sausages) Wiener (german name for Vienna, sausages) Nürnberger (you guesst it sausages again) and Americaner (surprisse! not sausges but a kind of cookie/small cake) and i am sure theres more
@@sonkeschluter3654 Don't forget "Kassler", a delicious meat dish 😝. And of course, an "Amerikaner" is a very sweet pastry, with extra sugar coating on top. 😏
@@UnderstandingTrainStation As I understand it, you get conditional permanent residency for 2 years and then it becomes permanent if everything goes properly. I don't think you need another visa before that.
the "illegal" immigrants that josh is referring to, aren't even working class. these are poor, sometimes illiterate people. and they're not looking to immigrate in the legal term, they are here to see asylum, and the legal way to do this is to get on US soil and say you're seeking asylum. and many of these people are seeking asylum as a result of our policies in this country. and believe me, it's much harder for people of color to get here legally than it is for white, northern european immigrants. this is true even for those seeking asylum. see how we treated ukranian asylum seekers v. those from central america. or africa or asia.
Have you ever applied for a visa? How was your experience? 🤔
I once applied for a Chinese tourist visa. There was no interview, just a form, including the list of all the hotels I planned to stay at during my trip. No questions either when entering the country. But another participant in our trip was refused entry - apparently because his job had something to do with journalism, although he never had published anything political.
Interesting fact: In German, "Visa" is the plural form of "Visum". Apparently the English language created the plural form "visas" from the singular form "visa".
@@thkempe According to Wikipedia, the English word "visa" is not the plural form, but the feminine singular form of the original Latin word. It goes back to the expression "charta visa" (letter seen), as opposed to the neuter form "visum" which just means "seen".
The plural form "visas" follows English grammar rules, not Latin (which would be "visae").
@@alexj9603 Thanks for this information.
Tanzania: you can do it online. They just want the money.
Algeria: on paper, plus 2 photos, and send in the passport. If you do not want to go to the consulate in person, you have to pay a visa service to go there for you. For southern areas you need an invitation, like a booking from an acknowledged tour operator. You are not allowed to travel on your own.
Lottery is an intrestring thing. A friend of mine won it the first time as well. I've been playing for 15 years now and no luck.
The original full name of the mentioned jelly donut is "Berliner Pfannkuchen" (lit. "Berlin pancake"). Because adding the place of origin was redundant within eponymous Berlin, it became known as just "Pfannkuchen" there, while farther afield beyond the Berlin region (primarily throughout former Prussia and other neighboring northern states) the name was shortened to just "Berliner". And yeah, a pancake is called "Eierkuchen" (lit. "egg cake") in Berlin and environs instead.
As in: "Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen" (which I once saw translated into French as "paix, bonheur, crêpes" 🤣)
If my bakery in Frankfurt offers "Berliner" instead of "Kreppel"---I won't buy.
Very interesting episode. While listening, I compared your stories to my own experience of moving to Switzerland back in 2001 (as a German). First, my employer had to apply for my visa (they had the help of a lawyer), including a proof that they couldn't find a local resident (not necessarily a Swiss national) for the job. And of course, they had to prove they paid me a decent salary by Swiss standards. When the visa was finally approved, I could look for a place to live, move I'm and register with the local authorities. A week later or so, they gave me my residence permit, valid for one year. During that year, they signed an agreement with the European Union that granted a 5-year permit to (almost) any EU citizen who had an unlimited work contact. So when I renewed my permit, I got this 5-year one. And after living in the country for 5 years, I could apply for the unlimited residence permit for EU citizens, which required only some minor paperwork, such as a copy of my (empty) Swiss police record. Non-EU citizens had to wait for 10 years for this permanent permit. Unfortunately, my permit was revoked when I moved back to Germany.
"I love you" in business English - you guys crack me up! 😆
That was long but informative.
My sister in law is ethnically Polish and they have a very similar pastry called paczki, which her family pronounces more like "punchki." I always just grew up with Shrove Tuesday pancakes rather than having the jelly in something.
Those are huge in Michigan. I don't know that there's a significant Polish-American population here, at least compared to Chicago (or to Michigan's German-American population), but everyone loves them.
In Detroit, Packzi are the Polish type of jellied doughnuts that people have on Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. The Detroit area has many Polish descendants.
Those are common here in Cincinnati too! :) -Feli
@@UnderstandingTrainStation My favorite filling is Bavarian Creme, LOL! They are selling knockoffs at Kroger and Meijer stores around here.
@@robertdendooven7258 They're all around Michigan (local bakeries and chains), I didn't realize Detroit was a Polish hub (I've lived around the state and not noticed any huge Polish influence other than Paczki ;) )
You forgot about St. Patrick's Day. Very big in Boston & New York... parades, people play hooky from work, often too much to drink, corned beef and cabbage,soda bread, Irish coffee. People go nuts. I don't know how big a deal it is in other parts of the country
No it's definitely a thing in Cincinnati as well! :) It's not related to Carnival though or why are you saying we forgot to mention it here? -Feli
Feli's US immigration stories sound to me like my experience passing the iron curtain and entering the Czechoslovakia in the late 70ies. I was once to the US in 2014 for business on an ESTA and also this was kind of intense. Although I passed after first inspection However, the US border guards are trained to make you feel really uncomfortable. And in combination with taking pictures and finger prints from you you are left with a feeling you are entering a totalitarian state.
I think my comment did not get through, maybe because of the link...
So another try: if you want to look up how different areas of the German speaking world call different things (like pancake) you can go to Atlas Alltagssprache.
As an Austrian I always struggle with pancake etc as well because my husband is from Saxony. Here a few examples
(English - Austrian - East German - Southern German) :
Pancake - Palatschinke - Eierkuchen - Pfannkuchen
Donut - Krapfen - Pfannkuchen - Krapfen
Curd balls (?) - Topfenbällchen - Krapfen - Quarkbällchen
Just drives me nuts....
@1:38:32 Thank you for sharing your stories!!! @10:11 that's an interesting myth! I wonder if a lot of Germans were born 9 months later! @15:28 I enjoyed watching Rihanna's concert especially the ASL interpreter on TV! That was a lot of fun! @38:56 congrats on passing the C1 exam!!!!!!!!!!! I recall in the last episode you stated you didn't feel like studying so that's why you opted for C1 rather than C2. @35:40 that's interesting they base the blue card requirement on base salary rather than total compensation. I remember back when you just got the blue card you showed us a photo.... and it wasn't really blue lmao. @29:10 I wonder if the US consulate there in Munich feels like USA once you enter it. oh and @0:03 I didn't realize the thumbnail photo was an actual photo lol (I thought it was just a random frame in the video.)
I live in the northwest of Germany and here carnival is completly ignored,
The timing of Easter is based on Passover, which is based on the old Hebrew lunar calendar. In the Western Christian church calendar (Eastern Orthodox has their own thing, I'm not exactly sure how theirs is scheduled but I'm pretty sure it's always later), Easter is the Sunday after the first Saturday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
it's based on an older calendar. they don't use the julian for easter, they use the gregorian.
Pancake is Eierkuchen in Berlin and at least also in Northeast of Germany.
Its the only logical name - its made from eggs, right?
It's cooked / fried in a pan... So we call it Pfannkuchen.
Wir sagen auch Plinsen zum pancake.
I've been to 2 consulates. Brazil for submitting a visa application for a work colleague & Germany for drinking on a Sunday morning while watching a World Cup match.
the jelly doughnuts are called bismarcks in the Midwest
Another great episode! Can't wait until the next one.
In Ostdeutschland sagen wir Eierkuchen
It's all linked to Easter, which is on the first Sunday on or after the first full moon (calculated in the Church calendar rather than observed) on or after the 21st of March (taken as the spring equinox). So Easter itself can fall from the 21st of March to the 25th of April.
Exactly. And carnival is 7 weeks before Easter. Except for Basel, Switzerland, where they celebrate on Monday after Ash Wednesday (following a former way to calculate the duration of lent in the early middle ages).
The requirement of "there's no American available to fill this job" is for the Green Card, not the H1B application.
I can imagine Feli waiting on that bench in secondary inspection in Chicago with that same expression on her face as she had in that University of Cincinati photo ID card she posted in one of her other recent videos.
Bonaire just celebrated Karnival. Southern Caribbean.
Getting into th e USA sounds very much like my UK husband (fiance at the time) getting into Canada .... similar customs story and all the same fees and forms....
Dear Feli,
in your situation, I would think twice before becoming an American citizen as those have to file US taxes every year - even if they live outside the US - for the rest of their lives. Ask Hayley Alexis about her experiences.
CU twinmama
Green card holders like her have to file taxes as well
@@mlml8018 Her green card is only valid as long as she resides in the US. Once she moves back permanently, it will expire and you eventually lose it.
"Blank Page" is the same in english.
Took me 8 months to get a permanent residents US visa from Great Britain. At that time, I had been married to an American for 7 years.
When I remember correctly, the grounds of the consulate is for real a part of that country. So, Josh didn't just feel to be in Germany, he was in Germany.
That's actually more of a myth! -Feli
Where I from (Lusatia) we call pancakes "Plinse". Also, eating Berliner sounds evil to me.
We germans don´t discriminate, we also eat Frankfurter (sausages) Wiener (german name for Vienna, sausages) Nürnberger (you guesst it sausages again) and Americaner (surprisse! not sausges but a kind of cookie/small cake) and i am sure theres more
@@sonkeschluter3654 Don't forget "Kassler", a delicious meat dish 😝.
And of course, an "Amerikaner" is a very sweet pastry, with extra sugar coating on top. 😏
Got me enough scared so this will be my last trip to Germany
Eierkuchen is right
Green Card paths: Employment, Lottery, Family (marriage or family sponsorship), Investment.
If you go the investment path, don't you get another Immigrant visa first? -Feli
@@UnderstandingTrainStation As I understand it, you get conditional permanent residency for 2 years and then it becomes permanent if everything goes properly. I don't think you need another visa before that.
Sorry Visa/Passports/Etc is so difficult too USA…..Tgis episode was like a series I watch on TV. Very very good;but Shit that happens to you! Sorry.
Where can one hear Josh actually speaking German?
There are a few episodes of the podcast where both of them use more German, maybe go back through the backlog (sorry I can't be more specific)
Just fly into Mexico and sneak across the boarder and save all of the hassle.
And you honestly believe that this actually works?
Krapfen 💯👆
the "illegal" immigrants that josh is referring to, aren't even working class. these are poor, sometimes illiterate people. and they're not looking to immigrate in the legal term, they are here to see asylum, and the legal way to do this is to get on US soil and say you're seeking asylum. and many of these people are seeking asylum as a result of our policies in this country. and believe me, it's much harder for people of color to get here legally than it is for white, northern european immigrants. this is true even for those seeking asylum. see how we treated ukranian asylum seekers v. those from central america. or africa or asia.