Favorite shows and the familiarity with home
When relocating to Germany one is forced to give up on many of the beloved habits and other things that made life worthwhile back home. Having to find new friends, possibly a new job and even a new gym can impose a lot of stress on those forced to go through with it. The TV shows that one used to watch back home can serve as a sense of familiarity. However, many may be disappointed that watching these shows in Germany isn’t as easy as it may seem at first glance. Though many of the popular shows are broadcasted in Germany even shortly after they are being released in the US, they are not shown in their original language, English. They are first translated and then voiced over for the German audience which is hardly interested in an English show they can hardly understand and have to miss half of the punch lines of. So, if you are very interested in learning the German language, watching reruns of your favorite show may just help you out a lot, since you already know the plot and maybe even the jokes; however, watching the newest episode of the show you have been following for years in a language you only know the basics of, hardly presents itself as a good option.
Using Netflix to watch the favorite show in English
Some of those relocating to Germany probably believe that for them watching their favorite shows won’t be much of a hassle as they have Netflix accounts that enable them to watch the reruns of their favorite show as often as they want to. That unfortunately is a wrong believe. Netflix imposes strict GEO-restrictions on their customers.
What is VPN and why you’ll need one:
As you try to go to the Netflix site from your home computer in Germany, you will stumble upon a message that informs you that the service is not yet available in Germany. This actually means that even though you are a paying customer, you are not capable of using the service as you are used to. If you are willing to walk on the wild side and pay a few Dollars on the side, there is a way to surpass the GEO-restrictions. There are so called VPN-sites that will hide your IP-address and allow you to gain access to your Netflix account. As you are disguising your identity, it is not fully legal and at the same time not illegal, as there are no conclusive court verdicts or laws that deem it illegal to use such sites. They will cost about 0 Euros a month, a price that your favorite show may just be worth to you. If you have the time, you could also wait for the big European expansion of Netflix that is planned for the end of 204 that may or may not cover Germany.
Alternatives to Netflix
A great alternative to Netflix is Lovefilm.de. It is powered by Amazon and offers a great variety of films and shows either for streaming or as mail to the doorstep. As the streamed movies and shows are only available in German, the mail option should be better for most expats. If the original language of the show or the movie is English, then both English and German will be available on the DVD or BluRay Disc.