Relocating to another country is no small undertaking.  There are often language barriers and cultural obstacles to overcome, and many months can fly by before expatriates adjust to the countless changes.  Despite the challenges involved, many families are pulling up their roots in countries all over the world and now choose to call South Carolina home.

Recently, we met with one such family to discover their views of life’s new experiences in the United States. After only 5 months in South Carolina, they graciously agreed to let us ask them a few questions and share their answers in Blatt (which proves they are very brave).  So, meet the Klostermair family: Bernd, Maria, and their children Eva and Lukas. They came to the U.S. from Phaffenhofen, a city in Germany about 40 kilometers outside of Munich, and now happily live in Greer, South Carolina.

What are the best things about moving to Upstate SC?

First of all, I think we have to mention the weather.  I don't know how we will feel about the heat this summer, but so far it has been beautiful.
Also we like that everything is bigger here in the states.  It is nice not to search for parking spaces. There are many more restaurants, and the stores stay open longer than in Germany.  They’re even open on Sundays. 
The very best thing might be the helpful and lovely people here. Everyone is so relaxed. They helped us to get started here.  We have friends who put up with us no matter what - even when we forgot the traditional American birthday cake at our child’s party!
And in addition to our friends, there always is Wetzel Services we can ask - and we always get the help we need.  Thank you for that.

What is the hardest part of moving to Upstate SC?

I think the hardest part is getting started. Even with a lot of help from Wetzel, there are a lot of new challenges. Banking and billing, even paying for dinner in a restaurant is very different here in America than in Germany. You have to get used to the different ways of doing things.
For us, it was hard to find places to buy all the things we needed. We came to the USA without furniture - because we left everything in our house in Germany. We know where to go in Germany, but things are different here. The first few weeks we were very busy getting our plates, forks, knives, glasses, furniture, sofa, table, chairs, lamps, bedcovers... The small things were the hardest to find.
The next difficult challenge we met was the new situation with the school. We came to America near the end of December, so our children jumped into a school year that was already in progress. Lukas changed from German kindergarten (starts at 8:00 am ends at 12:30 pm) into American K5 (starts at 8:00 am, ends at 3:00 pm). He had to learn the language, how to sit still, how to communicate with his teachers and classmates, and it was very hard for him. Now he is doing much better, but in the beginning it was not so easy. Our son really missed his friends from Germany. I started asking myself, “Why are we here in America?”  But life has improved so much. We all miss our friends, our house, our neighborhood, and real good old German bread!! We also miss our family, but at least they came to visit, and we hope they will come many more times. I also miss the way you drive on the interstate… no speed limit!

How are you handling the language challenges?

I think for me (Bernd) personally, I had a hard time understanding my colleagues here in America. The Southern accent is very different from our pronunciation lessons in school, but with help from Wetzel and all the practical experience at work, it is getting better day by day. I think we can understand more and more with every week we spend in the States. I (Maria) am still hesitant to speak in some situations.  It takes bravery!

What have you learned about yourself through this experience?

As an expatriate, you quickly find out what is important in your life.
Daily you have to deal with completely new situations. And you clearly see how important family is. I (Maria) am surprised at how much the happiness and well-being of my kids affects my feelings.  We all influence each other.  A move like this only works well with your loved ones along for the ride. There would be no way we could surmount these challenges without our family being together.

What advice can you give to other expats who may come to Upstate SC?

Be well prepared. The first few months will be not easy, but when you have organized your life here in the states, you will love it. Maybe the new expats should network with the "old" expats. This would help them understand all the different aspects of life here. Interact with as many Americans as you can.
I think you need to know, too, that you can order authentic sandwich meats online from stiglmeier.com.  They ARE available!
Finally, please be aware that your whole family has to work hard in the beginning. For every family member there are new situations that have to be dealt with, so support each other.