Alex, the Ex-New Yorker who grew up in Cologne, Germany

Hello everybody! I am so excited to be part of this wonderful group of Chatterbug streamers and am looking forward to getting to know you all through streams and teaching English in fun and inventive ways.

How I ended up in Berlin:
Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, which is famous for the Cologne Cathedral. The “Kölner Dom” is a beautiful gothic cathedral that is nearly 800 years old and 157 meters tall. Plus, it is home to an amazing stain glass window made by one of my favorite artists, Gerhard Richter. It still impresses me to this day - and I grew up there! I always light a candle in the cathedral when I am back in town to see my family.


I moved to New York City in 2000 for a 3 months long acting class and ended up staying for 20 years. Last year my American hubby and I decided to uproot our lives and move to the glorious Hauptstadt Berlin. Even though I no longer live in the big apple, I will always have a soft spot and much love for anything NYC (plus a healthy dose of criticism, LOL) and who knows, one day I might find myself back there. Here’s ‘baby’ me in 2000 - 16 days after I stepped off the plane at JFK airport.

What I have been doing all these years:
In my time on this planet, I have worn many hats before moving to Berlin. I worked in TV production before relocating to NYC, studied acting and dabbled in theater and short films in New York, received my BA in creative writing and literature from the New School in Manhattan, and worked for Delete Blood Cancer (the US branch of DKMS) the biggest bone marrow donor center, where I managed the donor and data management team - a far cry from my creative world - but it did make me feel like an adult and at that point in time I really needed some adulting in my life. Eventually the arts pulled me back in and I did turn my back on the non-profit office world. I started acting again, which also brought me back to working in restaurants. I was super lucky to be part of the OG service team to establish estela, hands down the best restaurant in Manhattan. Great people. Great food. Great job. I worked there as a server and bartender and it was fabulous.

What do I do when I don’t stream:
I work as a relocation coach, helping people from all over the world settle in Berlin and I also teach conversational 1 on 1 English. I am currently brushing up on my Spanish, which I want to be able to speak more fluently, since I would love to have a third language ‘under my belt’. Here’s me fresh off the plane last October, soaking in the fall sun.

What does the future hold:
Many more streams :blush: and plans to write and read and travel more. Plus, one thing is for sure, the ritual of cocktail hour on the balcony with my husband will be continued until we are old and grey :rofl: :cocktail:

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Welcome as a streamer @alexQ! I’m sure that our English students will enjoy your streams!

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Wow @alexQ impressive story. Welcome to Chatterbug :wave: :smiley:

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What an impressive introduction! I love NYC, been there twice and still feel like I dont even know a third of the city!

what is one of your favorite places, would you mind sharing??

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So great ! I can’t wait for your Streams, @alexQ :grinning:!
As an actress and language lover, you’ll do a perfect streamer :star_struck:!!

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Great to learn a little more about you @alexQ! I absolutely love your streams. :eyes:
I visited NY a couple of years ago, but I really wish we had met back then because I now realise the many mistakes I made while there! :rofl:

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One of my favorite places is the High Line Park on the west side of Manhattan. Build entirely on sections of old elevated, defunct subway tracks. It was especially wonderful when it wasn’t completed all the way (it had three stages of completion) and still felt like a hidden secret. I also love the ‘Peter Pan’ donut shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, an old Polish neighborhood. You can still get the best donuts for $1/$1.20 each. Plus, if you take the 6 train all the way to the last stop Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall and then stay sitting on the train, it goes through the abandoned City Hall station and it’s truly a gem on a sunny day. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/city-hall-station

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Thanks for your sweet words. It’s been super fun combining my acting background with my love of language. Looking forward to exploring more and more aspects of our streams. :smiley:

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Thanks so much for your kind words and for watching my streams. It’s been a really great journey so far! And, :rofl: It’s impossible to know everything when you are a tourist somewhere. Impossible! The next time you are back in NY you will be a pro :wink:

Thank you! Very happy to be here :blush:

Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Really happy to be part of the Chatterbug family :grinning:

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