Winter in Berlin can easily fool the uninitiated – when the air gets crisp, and the Christmas lights twinkle seductively at every corner, it’s easy to get suckered into the winter wonderland mindset. However, come January when there is nothing to distract you from the cold sinking into your actual bones, the fact you haven’t seen the sun in 2 months, and 50 physical shades of grey become your daily reality (not in a fun way), it’s hard to stay in love with this sprawling concrete jungle. But as a veteran of the nippy season, I’ve got a few tips and tricks up my thick woollen sleeve to help you hold on through to sunnier, happier days.

Sophie, 27: Berlin, Germany

In this series I sit down and have a chinwag with some of my fellow expats from all around the globe. We cover what makes them tick, and ask them to share any advice they may have on moving, living their best expat lives and their pro-tips on making it in their new home. Hopefully their collective experiences help give you an insight into how to kill at the expat game.

Simon, 26: Wellington, New Zealand

In this series I sit down and have a chinwag with some of my fellow expats from all around the globe. We cover what makes them tick, and ask them to share any advice they may have on moving, living their best expat lives and their pro-tips on making it in their new home. Hopefully their collective experiences help give you an insight into how to kill at the expat game.

Got any burning questions about life in Germany? Being part of an online expat community is the easiest way to quickly gain access to a huge database of advice from like-minded people in similar situations.

Alex, 24: Canberra, Australia

In this series I sit down and have a chinwag with some of my fellow expats from all around the globe. We cover what makes them tick, and ask them to share any advice they may have on moving, living their best expat lives and their pro-tips on making it in their new home. Hopefully their collective experiences help give you an insight into how to kill at the expat game.

Ben, 27: Berlin, Germany

In this series I sit down and have a chinwag with some of my fellow expats from all around the globe. We cover what makes them tick, and ask them to share any advice they may have on moving, living their best expat lives and their pro-tips on making it in their new home. Hopefully their collective experiences help give you an insight into how to kill at the expat game.

If I could give the Anna of yonder (or you, dear reader) some advice before upping and moving to Deutschland, the following culturally quirky FYI’s would be handy to note:

Chelsea, 25: London, UK

In this series I sit down and have a chinwag with some of my fellow expats from all around the globe. We cover what makes them tick, and ask them to share any advice they may have on moving, living their best expat lives and their pro-tips on making it in their new home. Hopefully their collective experiences help give you an insight into how to kill at the expat game.