Why I Started Germany & Me
Why I started Germany & Me, a blog about moving from Singapore to Germany and sharing the research, decisions and the lived experiences behind our family move.
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I was born and raised in Malaysia, but Singapore has been home for most of my adult life. I moved here for work in 2007 and, after more than 19 years, I’m now preparing to leave Singapore and move to Germany with my family.
A big part of why I started Germany & Me is because finding information specific to my situation was incredibly difficult. I searched online, asked around, joined Facebook groups hoping to find people in similar situations, and even got friends to ask around for me. Yet I still often couldn’t find the answers I was looking for, or someone who had gone through the same thing, especially when it came to my own personal circumstances.
A lot of the planning for this move eventually came down to my own research — endless hours spent in front of the computer, and far more work than I ever expected. When I couldn’t find a clear answer, I wrote directly to the relevant authorities or organisations, and where necessary consulted professional advisors. I can foresee a lot more work ahead of me as the actual move draws near.
There are so many things to navigate when moving countries. For me, that has included Singapore PR renunciation, CPF account closure, the tax treatment of CPF and investments in Germany, visa application, health insurance, driving licence conversion, the kids’ schooling, and plenty of other questions I didn’t even know I would need to ask when we first started planning the move.
Now that I’m still in the middle of the process and starting to see some of those pieces come together, I’ve realised that what I’ve learnt might actually be useful to someone else in a similar position. If this site helps even one person find an answer faster, avoid some confusion, or feel a little less lost in the process, then I think all that work is worth that much more.
Those who know me know that I rarely ever post anything on social media, so running a site like this and sharing parts of my life online is quite new to me. I find it a little ironic that I now feel motivated to do something that is so completely out of character for me. Perhaps it’s the thought that something I’ve spent so much time figuring out could genuinely benefit someone else, or that I might connect with other individuals who are going through similar experiences. On top of all this, I’m also documenting a chapter of my life that has a lot of personal value to me.
I don’t really know where Germany & Me will eventually lead. For now, I’m just happy to write, share what I learn, document my experiences navigating the process and the bureaucracy that comes with it, and hopefully help someone else along the way.
This is my story.
© 2026 Germany & Me. All rights reserved.
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