How to become a single Mum on welfare

I'm not really sure what I imagined for myself when I idealistically moved to Berlin from London in late 2007?! I had worked here for 12 weeks on a theatre show, a whirlwind 12 weeks of partying, a 'holiday romance', a holiday broken heart (they don't wax lyrical about those) and the experience that really stole my heart...experiencing BERLIN. After 3 weeks I knew it was the City for me. A place where they love beaches so much that they make their own along the river and plonk bars there for you to drink till your hearts content at. A place where you go into a bar believing that you are entering a world that you know so well (bars are all the same aren't they?!) and than you notice that something feels strange underfoot?! Is that? No it can't be, yes it really is! There's sand on the floor! Needless to say there are many reasons that brought me here to this strange yet wonderful City and as much as I like sand, there are enough cities to move to that have both plentiful amounts of sand AND some heat to add into the mixture, something Berlin is severly lacking these days.

So here I am living in a one bedroom apartment in which I sleep on the sofa bed whilst my son, 10 months old and cheeky, sleeps, snoring in his second-hand cot, in his own bedroom. I am a single mother, an Ausländer (foreigner), living off the State (be it temporarily.......at least I am hopeful of that) and raising my unexpected Son whilst his father lives round the corner making us one of those modern families. Statistics, statistics. I've built a good life for myself though: Wonderful friends (a special mention goes out here to 'The Ladies' a group you will get familiar with over time), a beautiful son, a great apartment (which is a work in progress by the way) and the workings of a business. I guess the workings of building a life.


If you live in Berlin or are thinking about visiting this wonderful City, head on over to my new Facebook page 'Berlin with Kids' to share & discover even more family related activities and classes going on in and around Berlin.