Robert Eimer and Tina Koenig moved to Greenville, SC from Munich, Germany and plan to remain in the U.S. for 4-5 years. Read on to see their take on expat adjustment to living in the U.S.

What are the best things about moving to Upstate SC?
We definitely enjoy the weather! But what truly has made our start in the USA a lot easier are the friendly people. We really appreciate our new friends and the opportunity to get to know a new country, a new culture and to have new experiences.

What is the hardest part of moving to Upstate SC?
Saying goodbye and leaving all of our friends was the more difficult part. Since we are fans of mountain biking, hiking, alpine skiing and climbing, we also miss the Alps.

What has been the biggest difference you have seen between here and your home country?
We were used to getting everywhere by bicycle within the city of Munich. Here in Greenville, we need our SUV.

How are you handling the language challenges?
Robert lived in the USA for twelve months during his studies some years ago, and as he was doing business in the States even before we moved to Greenville, he has no problems with the English language at all. I (Tina) took English in school for many years, so theoretically there should be no problems. Sometimes, after we first moved here, it was hard to understand people, but I am getting better and better. Listening to the radio and watching movies as well as reading books, magazines and the newspaper has helped me a lot. Now I am taking the Professional English Course at Wetzel, so I am confident that my troubles with the language will decrease, and hopefully one day they will disappear completely.

Besides family, what things are you missing most from home?
So far not much, except the Alps, good German bread and sugar-free cereals.

What is your favorite restaurant in Greenville?
We love to eat Sushi, and we love Downtown, so we often go to "Murasaki" on Main Street. Another of my favorite places is the "Kazbah." They have American-style tapas, good wines and a nice ambience. Next I want to try the "American Grocery Restaurant" serving products sourced from local and regional farms.

What is your best recommendation for a day trip so far?
Beaufort and Hunting Island, even if it is a long drive from Greenville, are our favorites. The small city of Beaufort is very nice, and the beach at Hunting Island is amazing!

Do you feel like you have assimilated well? Have you met many Americans?
Our American life has just begun, so we haven't met many Americans so far, but we have very nice landlords who live next to us. They really helped us settle in our new environment.

What have you learned about yourselves through this experience?
When we left Munich, and during our first few weeks in Greenville, we realized that we have good friends in Munich who are very important to us.

How has Wetzel helped with your expat experience?
Kristin helped us to find a wonderful house! It took a while to find our new home, but we are really happy that we did not give up our dream of an older house near downtown Greenville.

What do you hope to see while in the USA?
We want to see all of America! I (Tina) would like to spend our 2008 summer vacation in California, and Robert has plans to go skiing in the Rocky Mountains. We want to go to New York City and to Washington, and I would love to visit Hawaii and Canada.