Reflecting on the past year and a half

Last year I graduated from university, and since then, I’ve visited 12 countries in 3 continents.

It was quite the dream come true!

If anyone had told me that after I graduated, I would get to travel and end up living in Asia and Europe, I wouldn’t have believed them for a second.

Cuz you see, I’m not the travelling or living-abroad type. I like my structure, my comforts, and Toronto itself. I would dream of going away on some exciting adventure, but didn’t think I could execute it for more than 2-week intervals.

I was lucky to be able to do all the things I’ve done, but I also worked really hard for it.

Throughout my whole undergrad career, I held 1-4 jobs while I studied a full course load. Back then, jobs just came to me and I said Yes to them because I didn’t want to shun my luck.

So I worked a lot, and I studied a lot. After paying for tuition, rent, and food, I kept entertainment costs low by going out for coffee, study dates, and having people over instead of eating out. My frugal efforts started to add up, and before I knew it, I was graduating debt-free with some leftovers (hence the travelling!).

I don’t recommend working that much to anyone, because it was too stressful. But I’m proud of myself for creating my own unique experience, and so grateful that I even had the chance. I learned so much, saw so much, and experienced so much.

I feel it has made me a better person; I care less about material things and more about people. I became more responsible and independent. I prioritize my life a lot differently than I used to.

In short, I feel like I’m growing up and moving on. I don’t really know where my life is heading, but I’m pretty excited about what’s next!

7 jobs since graduating

Since graduating last year, I’ve held a total of 7 jobs! I can barely believe that but when I count it out, it’s true! Here is my list of jobs since graduating:

• Web Content Manager
• Researcher/Writer
• Office Support Staff
• Research Project Coordinator
• Stock Room Worker
• Business English Trainer
• Research Consultant

And no, it’s not because I got fired a lot! These were all contract jobs. I didn’t look for anything longer term because I knew I would be spending time in Asia with my Grandma whom I hadn’t seen for 11 years (!), and I actually intended to work there for a year. Then I went to visit Martin and found a job, which I later came back for after doing all that visa crap.

My English teaching job was fully supporting me while I was in Germany, which was kind of amazing! It really helped me not dip too much into savings (I had to because I got sick), and made spending all that time in Europe more affordable. I worked really hard though, and got much better at teaching and facilitating. Teaching English in Germany was a terrific experience for me. Now that I’m done, I miss it a little!

My plan now is to find a job!

I started searching and applying for jobs in Toronto while I was still in Germany, but then we lost the internet so I had to put my job search on hold. It was for the better – I wouldn’t have enjoyed my last few weeks as much.

My motto has always been to apply for whatever sounds interesting. I don’t expect to land a job instantly, so I was thinking of either getting a part time retail job, or learning how to sell things on eBay for the time being. I think I will choose the eBay route, because I have a bunch of things to get rid of! So hopefully I can get a job and sell a bunch of my stuff!

Düsseldorf Flats

Real estate in Düsseldorf is more expensive than in Berlin (West Germany vs. East Germany), but I think it’s still a good deal.

Düsseldorf was just voted the 6th best city in the world to live! It’s not a huge city, just over 600,000 people – but it’s a safe, wealthy city with an international airport and a transit system that is like WOW!

I found some flats for single people and families if you are interested.

Family Homes in Berlin

My Mom asked a good question – What about a condo that can fit 2 parents and 2 kids?

So Mom, here’s one in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin. It’s a 918 sq ft, 4 bedroom, 2 bath flat.

There’s a playground in the courtyard for the kiddies!

The nice thing is, there are 2 levels!

Listed at 72,539€ or $108,808 CAD.

Here’s another family home in Berlin Mitte (the city centre). It’s a 1069 sq ft, 3-bedroom, 1 bathroom flat with balcony:

Listed at 149,900€ or $224,850 CAD.

There are cheaper family homes in the Mitte, like under 100,000€ or in the 120’s. I just really liked this one so am showing it off!

Flats in Berlin

What’s the point in talking in generalities (?) when I can show you in pictures and numbers, what I really mean about real estate in Germany.

I chose Berlin because I love Berlin and am more familiar with Berlin’s districts more than any other German city. I would also totally live in Berlin in a heart beat. <3

These flats are all from real listings on the German version of the MLS.

Flat #1 is located in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin:

This district resembles The Annex of Toronto (except better!), meaning the area attracts young, upbeat, funky, and artsy types. It’s 5 minutes away from downtown and near the water.

The flat is a 1-room flat or ‘bachelor’ suite in North American terms.

It could be more updated but I like the original hardwood floors.

The kitchen is terrible (the kind that I use now!), but if I owned this place, I would install a proper kitchen for a few hundred euros.

This is a mid-range flat in a trendy area of a big international city. What do you think it’s worth?

Well, it’s listed at 38,3oo€ or $60,000 CAD.

Bachelor apartments aren’t really my thing, so I also found Flat #2, a 1-bedroom flat located in the city centre of Berlin:

It’s near Alexanderplatz, the “New York City” area of Berlin.

I like the floor plan. There isn’t an annoyingly long hallway (typical of German interior design) that wastes tons of space.

Living room.

It even has a real kitchen!

This flat is listed at 59,500€ or $93,000 CAD.

These prices are incredible to me! We’re talking about Berlin here: population 3.4 million, voted as the 16th best city in the world to live in. It has convenient international and local connections, and is a fun, dynamic city full of culture and history.

You can’t find anything in desireable areas of Toronto that are less than $100,000. The closest I’ve found is $149,000 for a tiny bachelor suite in the Pantages building at Victoria & Shuter (right downtown):

Lots of single people live in 1-room units in big European cities. I know I do! It’s common and practical, so owning a 1-unit flat in Europe isn’t shooting yourself in the foot, or confining your rental demographic to only students.

But a bachelor unit at $149,000 is the absolute low-end of downtown Toronto condo living. So I’m comparing low-end Toronto prices with mid-range Berlin prices. If I compared low-range Berlin, the prices would easily be half of what I listed above. :8

I’ll post some Düsseldorf properties next!

Investing in German Real Estate

For a while, I’ve been researching and comparing Toronto and German real estate markets.

Germany’s real estate market was like Toronto’s market in the 1970’s, where it didn’t make sense to buy because it was cheaper and easier to rent. When Toronto went through the huge baby boom in the 1980’s, real estate prices shot up by a lot. Then it shot up even more.

If Toronto’s market is at all predictive of Germany’s market (which I know it may not be), then perhaps it is worth it to invest in German real estate now, while the prices are still soft.

As far as I can see, German residential real estate remains well below the averages of western Europe. Especially in East Germany.

A big reason for this is the culture and the way Germans view real estate.

Germans don’t look at buying a house or a flat to get onto the “property ladder“. They will buy a place and then live in it for the rest of their lives.  Whether the investment holds is not a concern, because they aren’t looking to ever sell it. Needless to say, the market here isn’t very “hot“. But neither are the prices.

Not yet anyway.

I think continued foreign investment (from UK and USA especially) will serve as a catalyst for a real estate boom in Germany one day. Foreign money will increase demand, but also bring in foreign values – in this case, a British/American perspective on real estate.

If tomorrow you were to buy investment property in Toronto, it is unlikely the rent can cover the mortgage (let alone other carrying costs). But many people invest anyway, because they are building equity. Couple this with the hot(ter) market, and the investment can result in a net profit over time when the market improves and you sell it.

In Germany, it takes a while for the market to improve. But lower prices means a lower mortgage, which means lower carrying costs. With the renting market as it is, it is possible to cover carrying costs through rent alone and then some.

So while you are building equity, you are also turning a profit!

Germans also culturally make good renters because they seek to rent for long term, and are notorious for taking pride in their homes.

I’m curious to see what will happen with Germany’s economy and real estate market in the next 10 years. I’ve been excitedly chatting with Martin about all of this for about a year, and now that I’m here, it’s even more exciting! He’s still not excited though. Ha ha.

Standard of Living Abroad

For those friends who don’t have facebook, here are my Easter Week pictures.

I’ve been thinking a lot about life here in Germany, and the pros and cons of staying versus going back to Toronto.

I’m really enjoying myself here, so it pains me to think about having to leave. But my move date will be fast-approaching and I want to make sure I think things through so that it doesn’t sneak up on me.

One con is the job market. It’s hard to get a non-freelance teaching job in Germany when I don’t speak the language and am not an EU citizen. Luckily, I also like teaching, but it’s hard work with no room for growth. Therefore, I don’t think I could do it for long.

But a big pro right now is earning an income in Euros. Especially during a ‘world wide economic recession’. It might make sense to earn Euros over Canadian dollars if it is hard to find a good job in a down market.

When I compare my cost of living and standard of living, surprisingly my cost of living in Düsseldorf is lower than in Toronto, and I feel my standard of living is higher if I base it on 3 main categories:

-Rent

-Food

-Transportation

My rent in Düsseldorf is cheaper per square foot than my former downtown-Toronto apartment. And it is furnished, and I don’t have to share! Düsseldorf is one of the more expensive German cities to live in. But, apparently still less than in Toronto!

Grocery food is also better here. It’s unlike North America where junk foods/canned foods/convenience foods are cheap while the good fresh stuff can cost. Here it’s the opposite. I eat very well and regularly get foods I would have to save to splurge on in Toronto. (Other necessities like toilet paper, q-tips, shampoo, creams… they can also be cheaper here.)

Transportation (as in public transportation) is SO good here! Not only is the city itself very connected, but getting around to other nearby towns is convenient and not that expensive. Also, my work pays for my travel to and from classes, which constitutes the bulk of my transportation costs.

These 3 factors drastically affect my standard of living in very quantifiable ways. But of course there are other unquantifiable factors, such as social support networks which I lack here.

Anyway, just some thoughts I’ve been bouncing around in my head! Feel free to give me your opinions if any.

The Conversation of Global Poverty

While I am using my savings to come to Europe to live, work, and play, Shawn from The Uncultured Project has used his savings to go to Bangladesh to help people in extreme poverty.

Shawn keeps an interesting and thought provoking blog and YouTube Channel. His goal is to change the conversation of global poverty by presenting it in a way that is not guilt inducing or centred around donation-seeking. By re-framing global poverty, it becomes less hopeless and easier to change.

I’ve been following The Uncultured Project for the last few weeks and feel very inspired by Shawn’s plight. As a Nutrition grad, global poverty has always touched me in an academic sense (from the comforts of a cushy library). But now with Shawn’s changing conversation of global poverty, it touches me in a way where I feel like *I* can make a difference.

While I go about my new life here in Europe, I’m going to think about ways I can contribute to fighting global poverty too. This also has the added benefit of helping me put things in perspective so that I don’t freak out about money and things like that.

btw, Shawn is a Torontonian. w00t w00t!!!

Shifting my Goals: Torontonian Vs. Düsseldorfer

In Toronto, it’s easy to be on what I call the ‘Condo Path‘. Everyone my age seems to be looking to buy a condo in downtown Toronto, if they haven’t bought one already. Especially now that the real estate market is slowing and prices are projected to fall even more.

Downtown TO

That is exciting to me. To get in on the property ladder and to build some equity. Real estate also has that nice way of being tangible enough to understand as an investment. Like, you need to live somewhere, so why not live in your own investment and pay yourself rent?

I would most definitely fall into the Condo Path if I stayed in Toronto. Not necessarily a condo, because I prefer to live in a house, but I’ve always wanted to own my own dwelling. I think there is great satisfaction to be had in that.

So, question: Is it a Good Choice for me to be in Germany??

Düsseldorf

Sometimes I wonder whether it is or not. Not because I’m unhappy here (I am actually incredibly happy here), but because financially it doesn’t make ANY sense.

I’m moving from the least economically stressed G8 country to the worst! Not to mention I am hindered here in citizenship and language when it comes to finding and getting a job. Basically, my job prospects in Toronto, or anywhere in Canada, are much better and easier.

Like, what am I doing?!?!?!!!!!!!!!

I’ve been getting some inspiration off of Fabulously Broke in the City. The author is a 25 year old new-ish grad who lives in Toronto and dug herself out of $60,000 of student debt and created a net worth of $83,000 in 2.5 years! Even though I don’t know her personally, I feel very proud of her. She also accomplished her financial goals by not cutting out the things that were important to her, which is reflective of my own personal finance principles and practices. It’s a good read if you want to learn about personal finance and business, or to just read about the life of a 25 year old IT Consultant who lives/lived in Toronto .

See, FB’s financially forward movements are the types of movements I would strive for were I in Toronto. And I still want to, but it might not be that possible here in Germany . Here, my Düsseldorf priorities take over, and that is to live comfortably, enjoy time with my Sweetie, and learn German!

But that doesn’t alleviate my itch to make some money and to manage it. I worked so hard to come out of undergrad debt free. I know that affords me to have traveled and be in Europe now, but I also want to have some financial security too. It was very hard to live ‘poor’ for the last few years. I mean, it was totally worth it but living as a student is tiring.

Now I’m giving up the ‘Condo Dreams‘ (or at least pushing it back) to be in Germany, where I’ll not be making much, won’t have much… basically like a student again.

Mostly this doesn’t bother me, because I know the reasons I’m here: I’ve always wanted to be abroad and to learn another language. If anything, I think learning another tongue is worth the financial investment on its own. My Cute Boy being here doesn’t hurt the equation either. He is a big reason why I’m so happy here, if not the reason.

Cute Boy

Perhaps making money and chasing condos don’t need to be the priority right now. I will make money later in life, or maybe if I stay in Europe long enough, I just won’t care because it’s less rat-racey here! keke.

My long-time dream come true

So I’ve been in Germany for just over a week now, and I can barely believe it!

Everyday I think about how it’s so *neat* to finally be living abroad and living in Europe of all places. If you told me 4 years ago (before I started my new degree) that I would be living in Europe right after graduating, I wouldn’t have believed you. (I wouldn’t even believe you if you said I’d move to west-Toronto!)

At the same time, I feel like I’ve been here for much longer than a week. I mean, this is my 5th time in Europe (and my 3rd time in Germany) over the last few years, but what I mean is, it feels very comfortable and nice here.

I love it!!!

Things are not completely settled for me yet – I still need to find myself a flat, move into it, see how my job works out (and whether I can make enough money to support myself), look for more jobs, and learn me some German while at it.

But I feel very good. I don’t feel like any of this is beyond me, and I’m just looking forward to learning new things and expanding my horizons.

My Sweetie is also making me feel nice and comfortable here too. He’s really good, and is helping me out a lot. I feel like I’m cheating a bit, but am very appreciative of him and his help.

I can’t stress to you how much I’ve wanted to live abroad for so long. How I’ve spent countless hours dreaming about it when I should have been studying instead. It all started when I went on a 4 week trip to Hong Kong back when I was 15. Since then, I was hooked on the idea of an ‘international life’.

Me in HK

The trouble was, I loved Toronto too much. Like, I reeeaaallly reeallllyyy reaallllyyyy love Toronto. The city I was born and raised in has treated me well, so why would I ever want to leave it? Or more importantly *how* could I leave it?

This was probably the biggest challenge, but in addition to loving Toronto, I also know I love being somewhere new. Especially being immersed in a different culture than what I’m used to. I love how it makes me grow, challenges me, and changes me as a person. These lessons are something I value in my life.

Another roadblock to moving abroad was that I had commitments in Toronto like finishing up my degree, and aiming to graduate debt free. Timing and money, those are always big ones too.

But the timing and money just seemed to work out perfectly. By the time I graduated, I paid off my student loans so I wasn’t limited in that way. I also had to travel to Hong Kong and stay for a solid chunk of time for personal family reasons. This shifted my focus away from looking for a full time job, and instead made think about traveling!

Me + Cute Boy

After Hong Kong I went back to Germany to see my Sweetie, and happened to find a job while there. I didn’t actually want the job, since teaching English was never my interest (I would rather teach Science or something involving numbers, only because I think I am better at it). I went for the interview anyway where I just felt *right* about it. So I accepted the job to be an English Trainer, and here I am!

Who knows how it will all work out, but I’m just excited to see what happens!

This is so incredible!

btw, I know I mustMustMUST post new pictures soon. To be honest, I only have a few. But will getter done.