Immigration secrets to SUCCESSFULLY move to Germany

Erez  0:05  
I felt like everything can change one or eight degrees to the other side. That's why, for me, it was very, very important to be focused as much as I can, you know, because if you lose yourself even for a second, you can lose everything. That's why I wanted to dedicate all the time I have on my immigration process.

Daniel De Biasi  0:34  
Hi, everyone, and welcome to episode number 59 of the Emigrant's Life Podcast, where we share stories of people who left their country to chase a better life. And through these stories, you can find ideas, resources, and motivation to do the same. I'm Daniel de BiasI and in this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Erez, the author of the book Berlin's Immigration Secrets, where he shares the ins and outs of moving to Berlin. What I love about Erez's story is his motivation and determination to stay in Berlin. He created a very religious schedule for himself, which allowed him to land a good and stable job, speak German fluently, and own an apartment. In just over two years. This episode is more focused on moving to Germany, specifically to Berlin. But the things you will hear very much apply to any other country. We will talk about finding the hows and the challenges that come with living with other people, dealing with loneliness when moving abroad alone, and learning from the day to day challenges. So without further ado, please enjoy my conversation with Erez.

Hey Erez, thanks for being on the show.

Erez  1:42  
Thank you very much, Daniel. Thanks for having me.

Daniel De Biasi  1:44  
It's my pleasure. And as I mentioned before we started recording, usually when I interview people, my guests usually are people that I don't know, but usually I have like 30 minutes window before the interview where I can ask a few question which we did actually. But in your specific circumstance, I was able to actually read your book, which is, I think is amazing book. I think there's a lot of things for people that wants to move abroad, specifically to Berlin specifically to Germany. But that book just because I was able to read your book, it made me understand more your circumstances, I was able to understand the challenges you went through, your emotions, the wins, and the losses and all that. So I think knowing more about you at least I hope it put me in a in a better spot where to know ask you better questions, which doesn't happen very often. So I'm grateful that you wrote that book and I was able to read it. So let's start from pretty much at the beginning. So your book is about moving to Berlin. And that's where you're living right now. But you're originally from Israel. Why did you decide to leave Israel and move to Berlin?

Erez  2:47  
Well, it's combined with numbers of reason. So the first one was that I always had a desire to immigrate. I was, it was my dream from a very young age. So that's why when I grew up, I traveled to many places in the world, every opportunity I had, I remember that I used to spend all my money on traveling. And another one was that I never actually connected to the Israeli mentality. You know, I'm an introvert I was I really liked quiet privacy, I really was more into the European mentality. Also, the situation over there was not the ideal situation, you know. So growing up in a political tension all the time, growing up in a situation that politicians forced you to go to the military, and there is always tension, and you don't feel pretty much secure. So I didn't see my future there. So if you combine all the reasons together, that what gave me the the final push, and then I reached a certain point. And then I said, I decided to immigrate, and these were the main reason. That's how I actually decided that I wanted to immigrate.

Daniel De Biasi  4:03  
Okay, and why specifically to Germany?

Erez  4:05  
That's a very good question. When we grew up, we always thought that the US you know, when we say immigration people, if you didn't think about the US, maybe Canada, those were like the hotspots of immigration. And I remember that in the 70s, in the 80s, people used to go there. My uncle actually immigrated to the US back in the 70s. They search actually for for people, but now obviously we have more opportunities, we have more options. At the moment, you know, it's pretty tough to immigrate to the US after I've done my research I read that it's not like what it used to be. And then you know, I started to read more and more about immigrations about other destinations and after a depth study I chose Germany for the following four reasons. Number one was the low cost of living and apartment rent. Other large cities in the world such as London, New York, have very have a high cost of living. Berlin's cost of living is pretty low, and it has a reasonable apartment renting prices unlike other cities, also, it's not fully industrial. So it has lots of parks. In some areas, it's forbidden to build skyscrapers. And it's nice. It's not like a very industrial city. The second one was strong economy and a low crime rate. Germany has the strongest economy in Europe, and it provides very good conditions and benefits to its residents and citizens. It's also combined the social economy model with a realistic one. And also the country is ranked as a country with a low crime rate. As a resident or citizen in Germany, you will be able to enjoy a high quality of life. Another reason was actually my possession of an Israeli passport. And I'll explain this one, after I've been doing my research, I found out that Germany allows Israeli to search for job opportunity within German borders, without requiring a specific visa to do so. Basically, I knew that in this case, I will be able to find a job there. And once or find a job, I will be able to stay and do the whole Bureau project procedures within German borders. It's not only by the way, are Israelis. So Germany has those the lists of privilege countries. Nowadays, due to the Brexit, they added the UK, so it's the US, Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea, those citizens are able to arrive in in Germany, and they have up to three months there. But during that time, they can search for job opportunities. And the last reason was my desire to learn a new language, I was really excited about it, many immigrants find it a bit difficult. But I was intrigued and fascinated by this process. And you know, I I've done it with the with love with passion, and I enjoy the process. So those were the main reasons why I chose to move to Germany.

Daniel De Biasi  7:07  
So sounds like you did quite a bit of research before you picked the country to move to. And because you mentioned in your book, and maybe even the listener, maybe they're thinking the same question from Israel, like being a Jewish person, like you've been brought up, seeing like Germany as the "enemy." They were not sympathetic. You mentioned that in your book, they were not like brought up to be sympathetic towards German culture or German people. Was there any pull back or there was like somewhere like a friction for with your family when you decide to move to Germany? Or were your parents like not let you go but were actually happy for you or like supportive for you to move to Germany?

Erez  7:46  
It's a very good question. Because, as you mentioned, you know, I grew up in a in a very, very negative environment toward Germany, you know, people were very, very conservative, they always thought about what happened during the Holocaust, World War Two. And you got to understand that in the 80s, Germany was still divided between the east side and the west side. So nobody would thought that Germany could go through that process and become the Germany that we see today. So things are changing. I remember that this whole negative environment, actually, when I grew up in that negative environment, I, I actually, you all have the feeling towards Germany, but then, you know, I started to hear stories and read more information and saw that the country changed completely. And then I realized at some point that I had a window of opportunity. I knew that actually, nowadays, it's a very sensitive issue. The whole racism issue is a very sensitive issue in Germany. That's why if there is an incident regarding racism, or anti semitism, you will hear about it immediately. And everybody like trying to do whatever it takes to to avoid it. So they really sensitive about that issue, especially here in Berlin. And we're talking about a tolerance environment. And exactly, it's a very, very international feeling, because a lot of people feel safe here. They know that this country has changed. And that's why many people from all around the world are coming because they know that they will be accepted. And I read it. I heard stories before. That's why I knew that the country changed.

Daniel De Biasi  9:32  
Okay, so there was no friction or anything from the family or from your peers or friends to tell you why are you going to Germany or why are you going there? Can you go somewhere else or?

Erez  9:40  
No. No. I mean, my parents are open minded people, and they have knowledge. I mean, they also knew what went on with Germany and they also knew about the whole development that the country have been through. I also heard stories about happy people that moved to Germany, and that's why I'm glad I've done my research because I was actually, when I chose Germany, I was 1% happy with my choice. I was satisfied with that choice.

Daniel De Biasi  10:08  
Okay, because then you move to Berlin, from Israel. First of all, how old were you when you decided to leave Israel and move to Germany?

Erez  10:15  
I was 35. 35 years old when I decided to immigrate. So I'm happy that I've done it at this age, because I gained a lot of life experience as well. That's why I was fully ready for the change. And I was fully ready to start the immigration process, I felt like I've gained a lot of knowledge. I'm ready, I've saved some money. I was mature i and this is what I wanted to do. And this is what I intended to do. I knew exactly what I was getting into. And I knew that it's not going to be easy, but I was prepared for that, by all means.

Daniel De Biasi  10:52  
That's actually was one of the question was going to ask you, because you didn't wanted to stay, in Israel, that was pretty clear. Even the fact that from what I read in your book, the things you've been through, the challenges you went through, and your motivation to stay in the country in Berlin, were amazing. And that must have been from a really good place of motivation. Like, I don't really want to go back to Israel. And my question, which you kind of answered was that, like, why did you wait so long to leave Israel, like, if you really do want stay in the country, if I was you, or maybe other people listening right now, like, I probably as soon as I turn 18, as soon as I can go out of this country, I will leave. But as you say, like, you probably were in the place where you have enough knowledge, enough work experience of life experience to move abroad and succeed in a job abroad. So what point in your career were you in Israel were you like having like a good job, and that really stepped up the ladder on your career in in Israel?

Erez  11:51  
Well, regarding jobs in Israel, there is no stability. And I'll explain. So even if you work in a good company, there is no guarantee that you will continue, things tend to change real really fast, because you gotta understand that the economy affects everything. So whether you have a small business or a large corporation, things tend to change. And I felt instability, and I wanted to move to my life. That's why, basically, I'm happy that I live in Europe, because Europe is not 100% capitalistic. Therefore, if something happened, that country will take care of you. And this was really, really important for me. And I think I really care about equal rights, I really care about the fact that individuals will receive benefits, I think it's right, it's the right thing to do. And that's why I like the social economy model. That's why I like the German model, I like this Scandinavian model as well. So countries like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, they have pretty much the same model as the German model regarding economy. That's why I knew that I will have more opportunities. And that's why I decided this is another reason why I decided to go to Germany,

Daniel De Biasi  13:08  
When you decided to leave, when you move to Germany, or trying to find a job you already have experienced at least in one field, right? Because many people if they're moving, when you're 18 years old, it's hard to find a job or it's hard, not maybe not finding a job, it's hard to actually getting a visa and finding a sponsor and going through the immigration process, because you don't have enough knowledge, enough skills, enough work experience in the field that you're trying to find a job that will let you go and move forward in your immigration process. In your situation was different, like you said, like you were 35, you already have some work experience back in your country. And by reading your book, you already knew what kind of field you were looking for a job, you were able to find a job because you were better than other candidates just because you have more experience, which is the fact that you left your country. So not late, but later than probably the usual what people would expect from somebody in your position where you don't want to live in your country, you want to get out of your country, and move somewhere else. So I think that was an advantage for you to be able to leave your country at 35. But your immigration process and then finding a job wasn't that easy, right? Could you tell us a little bit more about the process in finding a job and all that and trying to stay in the country in Berlin?

Erez  14:21  
Yes. And I think that the process was not easy, because when I came to Germany, the whole world came to Germany. So there is a huge cup of competition even now, people need to understand that it's a very, very popular destination in terms of immigration. So you have to compete to find an apartment, you have to compete to find jobs, you have to compete in other fields, you know. It's not enough that you you go there, but you got to understand that like you there are 1000s of others who are seeking and trying to find and applying to the same position. And this is the main part of the economy. So I understand, of course, you know, there is also the language barrier, you know, if you do not speak German, you will be able to apply only to English positions. That's why the competition is even higher in English position. That's why I stated in the book that if you are a bilingual or you speak more than one language, it will be easier for you to find a job because then you can focus not only on the English markets, but on other markets as well. Even though you don't speak German.

Daniel De Biasi  15:31  
Speaking of the language, I guess you're fluent in German, but how did you learn the language?

Erez  15:36  
Like I mentioned, you know, I had a desire to study the language. So I was very motivated. And that's why I've done when I first got here, even before I found the job, I started immediately, I didn't want to waste any time. So I just went to intensive course. And then I met more immigrants, and it was fun. They gave me motivation as well. So I've had like my daily routine. So I was going to my German course every day for three and a half hours, the rest of the day, I was applying for jobs. And it's really important to have a daily routine, because otherwise you can get lost really quickly. You need to have goals, and then you can move forward within the immigration process. So for me, I created this plan that I will go, I'll do whatever it takes to start to study German as soon as possible. And then I'll also search for job opportunities during the rest of the day. And that's what I did basically.

Daniel De Biasi  16:34  
Okay, so you left Israel with no English or with no German at all?

Erez  16:38  
No, I spoke zero German, no German.

Daniel De Biasi  16:41  
Okay, that's kind of that's kind of brave. I mean, one of the benefits of knowing English is you can move pretty much everywhere in the world and still communicate, at least a little bit of communication needs to be able to communicate with people just because you've got this universal language. But still, it was pretty brave going to Germany and trying to start a new life with absolutely no language knowledge. But at the same time, like you mentioned you had your routine, your schedule, you have your goal and goal, which I read through your book, and it's something I really relate with you yeah, like these goal, I want to stay in Berlin, I want to stay in the country, I'll do whatever it takes to get there. You were like so focus into it that you're like having this schedule as you said like, if you study the language three hours a day, the rest of the time finding a job, finding apartment, which is another chapter I like to talk about later. You have like a day's like a strict routine, because you wanted to make it work. And I found like very a connection there because I was the same. Because for me, I didn't have a plan B but I only had the plan A to stay in the country. I didn't want to go back to Italy. I wanted to make it work. So I had to do whatever it took to actually make it work. And so I really connected on the level with you in your book. Now I want to talk about the challenges to finding a job and finding apartment specifically actually, let's start maybe talking about finding an apartment because sounds like for like my people that are thinking moving abroad an easy process, you find an Airbnb, you find a place and seems like it's actually we never actually really discussed this in the podcast. So I'd like to talk to you. Because you went through quite a few apartments and bad situation. And oh, my God, just okay, I'll let, I'll let you go. And I'll let you explain like your process of finding an apartment because it was it was hard to read at someplace like Oh, my God, is it crazy. Which I totally relate to as well.

Erez  18:32  
Yes. So Berlin has a unique situation, it's not full like that in other German cities. But since Berlin is very, very popular, finding an apartment is not an easy task. And therefore, you know, when you apply, you're gonna end up a hundreds will apply the same thing to the same ad. That's why, you know, it was very important for me to find the right way to find the right method that will make it easier for me to find apartment. So if I would have found a number, I would call the advertiser immediately, because there is nothing like a personal connection. If there was no number, I will just send the application. There are actually in the book class forms that I used to use a website that I used to apply for finding apartments. Also, you know, since the situation since it's pretty hard, also, it's even more difficult to find apartment for long term. So even if you find apartment, you got to understand that it's not going to be for the long term, you have to search again for another one, and another one until you find apartment that will be suitable for you that will have a long term contract, but since we're talking about a lot of demand, it's going to be hard, you know, at some point I couldn't so I stayed in a hostel. You know, I stay there with like eight people in the room, but I think Jerry and I, I mean, for me, I only saw the goal of staying. So it wouldn't matter that much. And that's the situation in Berlin. So it's not easy to find an apartment.

Daniel De Biasi  20:12  
But also like you went through some apartments or you share apartments, so you have a room with other people in the same apartment, which adds another layer of complexity and challenges, because then you have to deal with the people in your apartment, like I have these different custom, have different lifestyle, different way of living. And not all of the time can that matches your lifestyle or your life or living and the way you want to have your privacy and all that stuff. So you went through quite a bit of challenges there as well. So you have to finding a place where you were like, trying to stay and finding a job, finding a place like, so many different challenges. That's one of the things I like to talk about it because, as I said before, like we never spoke about this topic in a podcast, and I've been through, and I never actually thought about like talking about until I read that in your book that sometime you can't afford to find a place on your own. You have to share a place with other people, I need to deal with other people that can be challenging. And also I don't know if you agree with me, but for me, even the fact that you sharing a place with other people, I enjoy it, even because that's a way to connect with people to make new friends. And in some cases, if you're lucky, like I was in New Zealand, you create your own your second family. Was that your case? Or do you agree? Or are you more like a person no, I want my own space I won't I won't me, I can meet people somewhere else?

Erez  21:38  
Well, for me, at some point, you know, I what I cared about is just you know, to find my own quiet place, and my privacy there, a place that will allow me to focus on more immigration goals. But you know, as you read in the book, it wasn't that easy, because I had lots of issues, you know, issues with tenant, issues with landlords and, but I think the most important thing is, even if you have to switch lots of apartments, just treat it as a temporary stage. enjoy as much as you can, you know, laugh about it. I mean, you know, one place you're you're here the next day, you're there. And this is another thing to remember, everything that happens to you don't take it personally. Learn from it. And then on your next search, you'll be able to come with more experience. That's what I've done, basically. So I think that the more places you switch, the more apartments you switch, the better you know the contract, the better, you know how things will go, What's the procedure, and therefore you can come ready. That's how I saw it for example, Of course, you meet nice people, you meet less nice people, but it's the part of the immigration, you know, it's a part of the immigration, some of them say, Okay, I want to immigrate, but first I must have an apartment, I must have a European passport, I must have a job, I want to feel secure, but it's not going to go this way, you know, you have to start from something. And that's why I think that even if you come just imagine if I asked you, Daniel, if I say you come right now to a new country, you have everything there you have apartment, you have a job, you have everything you want. When you run into a difficulty, it will be very, very hard for you to solve that difficulty. Because everything was prepared for you totally. But when you have difficulties along the way, you can learn from it. And then you know how to tackle those difficulties in the best way. And that's how I saw I saw every difficulty that I had, I learned from it. And then I gained experience. That's how I saw it/

Daniel De Biasi  23:42  
Well, I can totally agree with what you just said. Like even though at the beginning, maybe the challenges or the things the obstacle came in my way like oh my god, another one. But the same time then you start appreciate it just because the fact that the thing that you can learn from this challenge and that person you become because you overcome these challenges in your life. So I absolutely agree with you. So your experience when you move from Israel to Germany into Berlin was the same that you have, was the idea of Germany and the idea of Berlin the same that you had in mind and what makes you stay in Berlin, what made you felt like you are- you find a place, you find a home?

Erez  24:17  
I believe in visualizing, you know, people when they have goals, they have dreams, they always lots of mentors also they say to visualize imagine what it would be like, how would you see your life? Feel the streets, feel the alleys, feel the people. How do you see it? Just even before you get there. And I think that it's really really important, because if you visualizing it before, it can become reality. That's what I believe in. And this is actually a fact. That's why even before I came, I tried to visualize and imagined what would it be like. No matter how much you read about the immigration process, or read about Berlin or read about Germany, nothing can prepare you for being there, yourself arriving there. But since I read a lot of information, and I actually visited the city in 2012 as a tourist, I knew what Berlin was was like as a tourist, of course, not not as an immigrant. But it was easier for me, the whole process was easier for me, because I was actually I read a lot of information. I imagine what it would be like. And then when I came there, it felt it was easier that just because I've done it, just because I read about it, and I pictured my life there before I even came.

Daniel De Biasi  25:44  
And what was the thing that made you stay made you feel like home?

Erez  25:48  
First of all, the acceptance, the fact that they accept other immigrants, the fact that the country is fully open, the fact that they have tolerance, we'll talk about international city, we're talking about the city, you got to understand that I didn't move to a small German village with a German environment, I moved to international city. So when I arrived there I met lots of immigrants, and when you meet awesome immigrants, and they are in the same situation as you, you can exchange ideas with them, you have bonds, you have connections. And that's why it's in my opinion, it's much easier to move forward, because everybody's helping one another. Everybody has the same goal, and everybody wants to succeed. I think that's what gave me motivation, and straighten my beliefs, even made it easier for me to stay, I liked everything, I liked the fact that everything is very, very organized. The bureaucracy, the fact that they are very kind people, the atmosphere, the streets, I liked it. And also like the fact that it was not 100% German city, there were foreigners and immigrants. And they also provided me the motivation I needed.

Daniel De Biasi  27:07  
And going back to the challenges that we were talking about before, like what was the main challenge you have to face or what's the main thing that you looking back, remember, like, oh, my god, that was like the big thing?

Erez  27:17  
Yeah. So as I always say, you know, the difficulty that for me, anyways, you know, the most difficult part was the feeling of loneliness, I was alone, basically, I had to do everything myself. And then at some point, you feel lonely, you feel like, even though you're there, you don't have fully connection with the surrounding. So that was the hardest part for me. You know, we can talk about work visa, we can talk about requirements, we can talk about jobs, language, but this was the most difficult part for me. And that's why I try to avoid loneliness as much as I could. But I went to social gatherings, I forced myself to go, I forced myself to meet new people to interact with people. I spoke with my parents, my family. And that's what got me out of the loneliness feeling that I had.

Daniel De Biasi  28:12  
Okay, because reading your book sounds like you find like a good compromise between reaching a goal and deal with loneliness. Because I was we were talking before we started recording the fact that you mentioned in your book that you met this girl, you were going out with this girl. But having a relationship at that point in life was something that will pull you away from reaching your goals. You were focusing on staying in the country finding a job and making finding going through your immigration process, or you find at that point in life, that having a girlfriend, having a relationship would take away time from reaching a goal. So I like the fact that you find that a compromise or at least a compromise for you, did that change now that you have reached your goal? Or have you reached your goal into because you know, you got a visa unless things have changed by reading your book, you know, you got a longer visa, did that change or you still have the same kind of mindset of like reaching other goals?

Erez  29:09  
You bring up a very, very interesting point. You know, at some point, I was not ready to develop a relationship because the reason for that is was because I felt instability. I felt like everything can change one or 80 degrees to the other side. That's why for me, it was very, very important to be focused as much as I can, you know, because if you lose yourself even for a second, you can lose everything. That's how I felt. That's why I wanted to dedicate my all the time I have and focus on my integration process. Now you know, as time goes by, you understand that you have more and more stability, you reach a task you have more stability, you reach an another task, you gain more stability. Right now I have my stability. I have steady income. I have I have a great job, I have stability. I don't have to switch apartments, switch jobs, no. Now I have stability. I'm happy. That's what I wanted. That's I gain that stability. But then again, you know, even if I will run into difficulty, I will know how to solve that difficulty. You know, there's always things can change. But for me, the most important thing that this is why I wrote the book, I wrote it because I wanted the readers to have tools, and the more tools you have, the better understanding will help how to solve the problem that you have to face during the immigration process.

Daniel De Biasi  30:36  
Yeah, no, absolutely. That's the similar reason why I started this podcast. Just help like people like the tools to go overcome the challenges also to put in front of them, like the challenges. Like, for me, sometimes when you go through challenges, and maybe there's a challenge after challenge after challenge, and you say like, maybe this is not meant, for me, this is no like what I'm supposed to do, because seems like everything is in my way, I can't reach my goal. But knowing that other people have done it, and other people going through the same kind of challenges that you're going through, right now. It's a normal process. It's a normal thing. So it's not because you're not good enough now, because it's not your path is not, it's just a normal process. And that's why I love your book. And that's why I started this podcast to share to other people, like what it's like to move to a new country, and what the challenges are of moving to another country and the benefit, because now we're going to talk about the benefits like, yes, there's gonna be all these challenges, but the grass usually is greener on the other side. What's your takeaway from that?

Erez  31:36  
Well, first of all, I think that I totally agree what you said people have done before. And this is the message I would like to bring to the viewers, you know, I, I used to go into the streets of you know, I was wandering into the streets of Berlin, and then I've met this vendor, he sold hats on the streets, he was a Pakistani vendor, I started talking to them. And then I realized that he already lives in Berlin for over 10 years. And then after the conversation with them, I realized that anything is possible, you know, he had no formal education. He was just a simple guy who sold hats on the streets. And I thought, if he can do it, I can do it too. And then actually, I realized that anything's possible, you know, it is achievable. And already, it gave me more motivation. Now, of course, you know, you have ups and downs. But if you are prepared for challenges, if you are fully focused on your goals, you can achieve it. For some immigrants, it will take longer for some, it will take less time, but everyone will reach that finish line at the end. That's the most important thing, always keep the eyes on the ball. Always move forward, and never give up. That's was the main thing, the main idea of the process.

Daniel De Biasi  32:55  
And do you have any regrets about leaving Israel leaving your own country?

Erez  32:59  
Absolutely not. I think that, on the contrary, actually, for me, it was my dream, you know, I really wanted to immigrate. And I wanted to do it for a very long time. For me, my dream was to leave the country permanently. And I don't regret it. And actually, it's the best decision I've made in my life. That's how I feel. I get to enjoy the fruits and to leaves in Europe, and I see the opportunities and everything.

Daniel De Biasi  33:26  
And what was the biggest upside about immigrating about leaving your country?

Erez  33:31  
It's another very interesting question. First of all, let me start by saying that there are a lot of advantages, there are a lot of advantages. And I think that I've met in my life, people that I would not meet anywhere else in the world, such as, let's say, Arabs, who immigrated to Berlin from Arab countries, for example. So today, most of Arab countries prevent the entry of Israelis and vice versa, Israel also prevents the entry of most of our countries and a little secrets, you know, regarding immigrants from Arab countries, it was much easier for me to connect with them due to the fact that, that we grew up with the same mentality, Middle Eastern mentality. So I'm very grateful that I was able to meet new people that, you know, it was not possible elsewhere. And I, as I mentioned, you know, I also enjoy the social economy model, and the equal rights that residents in Germany receive. And this is the upside. And I think it's great, you get to know another culture, you get to know more and more people. That's great. You know, it's, it's great.

Daniel De Biasi  34:39  
That's the beauty of living in a city where like a multicultural city where you can meet people from everywhere. And in your case, and in my case, you speak English or maybe German. You speak like these universal language and you talk to people from all over the world. That's one of the things I loved as well. One of the first thing I noticed when I went to New Zealand, the fact that we're sitting at a table with people from all over the world, like all communicating with the same language, it was mind blowing for me. And do you feel lucky to be an immigrant?

Erez  35:08  
Absolutely, I think the immigration process strengthened me mentally, and also made me appreciate many things in life. You know, like, for example, the fact that I'm grateful that I'm physically and mentally healthy. I feel lucky for meeting amazing people who helped me during the immigration journey. So absolutely, I feel like I've gained experience, really, really important experience during the immigration process.

Daniel De Biasi  35:35  
And for the people that wants to move to Berlin, or maybe move to Germany, do you have any specific advice. I know you wrote a book with a lot of information a lot of but what would you tell one of the thing, or the main advice you would give to people that wants to move to Berlin?

Erez  35:50  
if you really want to immigrate, you got to understand that the journey is not going to be easy. And therefore, I would suggest that read before, read information about it, you'll have to work hard, I strongly suggest to read more and more information, and prepare yourself for the challenging journey. But with that said, remember that people have done it before. And therefore anything is possible. And you can achieve it for sure.

Daniel De Biasi  36:20  
If you could go back in time, or if you can make a phone call like imagine if you have this magic telephone, you can make a phone call to your younger self, like 18 years old yourself, like, what would you tell to your younger self?

Erez  36:33  
I would tell him, you're a very strong person, you can do it, you have the immigration spirit, go do it.

Daniel De Biasi  36:40  
Would you tell your young self to leave Israel earlier or you think 35 was the perfect time to leave Israel?

Erez  36:48  
It's a good question. Because I think that I left at a stage that I was ready mentally to do. So of course, I could have done it earlier. But then again, you know, I had less experience. And there is advantage and disadvantage. That's why I strongly suggest that if you want to immigrate to another country, do it when you fully understand what it means. If you are prepared in your 20s do it, you know. When I was in my 20s I wasn't fully prepared, you know, I wanted to see the world I wanted to travel more. I wanted to experience other stuff. And that's why there's upside and downside, you know, but I'm glad that I have done it, you know, better late than ever, you know, it's I don't feel like I've done it late. I feel like like the fact that I've done it in my stage actually made it easier and gave me a better perspective about the process. That's how I feel.

Daniel De Biasi  37:48  
For the listener that maybe wants to get in touch with you maybe wants to find your book, first of all, where they can find your book and what's the title of the book?

Erez  37:55  
The book is available on Amazon, all of Amazon's regions, you can also purchase the Kindle version, the book is called Berlin's Immigration Secrets. So of course, you know, read it, enjoy it, it will give you a better perspective on the immigration process. If you intend to immigrate, you'll find this book very, very valuable. Listeners can connect with me. I'm available on website called goodreads.com. It's a platform for authors. So it's a large platform for readers and authors. You can search my profile, ask me anything you want. Once again, goodreads.com that's the platform you can ask me anything there. If you purchase the book, enjoy. This is the most important part.

Daniel De Biasi  38:36  
Yeah, no, as I said, like, lucky enough, I got the copy of your book. And I started reading it. And I have to say it's like a so it's very easy to read. It's very like as I said before the interview like it's, it's well written. And I think it's more focused for the people that wants to move to Berlin or Germany in particular. But even for general people that wants to move abroad, I think you can always find some information or use also like the mindset, like the thing that you talk about mindset, the things you went through, the challenges you went through and how you overcome them like the things, like really, really what you said and I really enjoyed the book. So I don't know for people that wants to think into moving abroad, thinking of moving specifically to Germany or Berlin. Yeah, definitely get a copy. It's really it's really good. It's really good.

Sweet. Okay, I think we got a good time to wrap this up. Thank you so much Erez for sharing your story and being on the show.

Erez  39:33  
Thank you very much Daniel for having me. And let me spread the word about the book and giving this platform for immigrants to tell their stories.

Daniel De Biasi  39:43  
Thank you very much Erez. Bye bye.

Erez  39:45  
Bye.

Daniel De Biasi  39:50  
Thank you so much for tuning in this week and stick until the end. If you enjoy this episode and wantt o support the show. You can share this episode with your friends or you can leave us a review on Apple podcasts or pod chaser. You can find the links in everything we discussed in the episode in the show notes, where I also listed some of the resources I found inside Erez's book, you can find the show notes by visiting emigrantslife.com/episode 59. If you want to follow us on social media, you can find us on Instagram and Twitter at Emigrant's Life and Facebook at Emigrant's Life Podcast. And one more thing before we go, if you want to move to Germany, or any other country and need some help, feel free to reach out to me. You can email me, DM me on social media or even imessage me at daniel@emigrantslife.com. My goal here is to help you move abroad. So don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions, concerns, whatever. I'm here. Thanks again for listening. Talk to you next one. Ciao.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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