Expat Advice: Living in Cologne, Germany
What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?
Cologne
How long have you lived there?
about 9 years
What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?
Newcomers to Cologne will probably find the easiest way to make friends is to attend some sort of course at the Volkshochschule (adult education) located near Neumarkt. German courses are good ways to meet people, but not necessarily Germans. The announcement boards at the university (located at Albertus-Magnus-Platz) are a good place to put up notices for Stammtische (regular meetings in pubs and cafes).
In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.
Cologne, for German standards, is culturally and racially very diverse. About 10% of the student population is from abroad and the city's permanent residents are perhaps even more diverse.
What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?
Cologne is well-known as a media center, mainly for television, radio, and film. The local paper, the Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger (http://www.ksta.de) has job listings, but you need to know some German for them to be very useful.
If a friend of yours was thinking of moving to this city or town from far away, what other advice would you give them.
Here is a list of useful links:
Agencies:
http://www.stadt-koeln.de/bol/themen/anderebehoerden/index.html
Film:
http://www.cologne-in.de/kino/kino.htm
Eating Out:
http://www.marcellinos.de/
Maps:
http://de.maps.yahoo.com/
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