What comes to mind for most non-Frankfurt residents when they think of the city on the Main? The skyline? Of course. The Eintracht football team? Sure. The Station district? Definitely. Probably not much else, though. Frankfurt is considered a village among Germany’s major cities.
That’s what I used to think, too. That was before I moved here. When I became a citizen of Frankfurt, I discovered very quickly that the whole world comes together in this village.
Statistics say that Frankfurt is the most international city in the country, with people from around 180 nations calling it home. What the statistics don't say and can't say, is what a gift this international diversity is. It makes this city more open, more engaged, more creative, more yummy, more exciting, more complex... and it's a hell of a lot of fun.
This podcast tells the personal stories behind the term "international diversity". And it reveals how and where each of us can discover other nations in Frankfurt – culture-wise, food-wise, society-wise… and always people-wise. Because nothing beats a direct encounter.
Alongside each episode, I’ll share a supplementing blog post on this website with a summary in German, English and the respective language(s) of my interviewee’s country of origin. This way I want to make the stories and tips from the podcast accessible to all Frankfurt residents, regardless of their knowledge of German.
Enjoy!
About me
While I feel wholeheartedly connected to Frankfurt, I was born and raised somewhere else: in the Niederrhein region, in Mönchengladbach to be exact, in 1984. My curiosity for the big wide world was awakened by many unforgettable trips with my family (caravan holiday in Istanbul!) and semesters abroad in the USA and Italy. Then I moved to Berlin for university and later to London for six-and-a-half years, and I learned what it means to live in a place that seems to be home to the whole world. This experience had a significant impact on how I view the world.
In 2018, my husband and I finally moved to Frankfurt. I never thought I would fall in love with this city so quickly and so deeply. And that is largely due to the many daily encounters with other Frankfurt residents of different origins. It is precisely these encounters that I would like to facilitate for my fellow citizens with this podcast.
By the way, I'm not doing this professionally (I'm a sustainability manager and communications expert by trade). Global Village 069 is my own private project, my love letter (or rather love podcast) to this city. Why a podcast? Well, I am an avid (my husband says addicted) listener myself. I firmly believe in the power of good stories. And I'm convinced that podcasts are a fantastic way to carry these stories through the ears directly into the head and heart.