Expat Interviews: Christina Stoll-Shewmaker, A German Living in Dallas, Texas
In December of 2024, Dwellworks proudly acquired CORT's Destination Services business, expanding our commitment to delivering industry-leading relocation solutions. Read the full press release here. To ensure a seamless transition, we are making the materials previously available on the CORT Destination Services website accessible as valuable resources for our clients and partners.
For more information on Dwellworks Destination Services, please click here.
"Ex·pa·tri·ate: (n) a person who lives outside their native country. Each year, our Destination Services supports thousands of individuals and families through the challenges inherent in relocating for work. Our Destination Services Consultants help assignees discover great neighborhoods, find the right home, choose the best school, and get settled into their new community with less stress and more confidence. We occasionally invite an expatriate to share their thoughts about the experience of moving to, and living in, the United States. Our latest Expat Interview is from Christina Stoll-Shewmaker, a German national living in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. We hope you find Christina’s remarks to be both fun and informative.
Name: Christina Stoll-Shewmaker
Nationality: German with a US passport since 2014
Industry that brought you to the U.S.: My husband’s job. Sales of German packaging machines.
Are you alone on this assignment? No, with my husband but no children.
Is this your first international assignment? If not, where else have you lived? I have lived in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1994-1996.
Was the decision to move to the U.S. easy or difficult for you and your family? It was both, as my husband is US citizen, but it was very hard for me to leave my German family and friends behind.
What is one American tourist attraction that you have visited? Grand Canyon
What is your favorite American saying or slang word? ""Y’all""
What word or saying from your native language do you find yourself using often because it just doesn't translate well to American English? ""Gesundheit""
Is there anything that you really miss and can't find in U.S. stores? German bread, pretzels, baked goods. However, in the meantime, you can almost find anything from Germany in the Dallas area. You just need to know where.
What is your favorite American food? Chicken Wings/Baby Back Ribs
Fill in the blank. Americans are: Very nice, friendly but sometimes superficial.
Sometimes I wish Americans: Would be more culturally educated.
What has surprised you (good or bad) about life in the U.S.? Affordable lifestyle vs. Europe.
The best thing about being an expatriate is: To experience another culture.
The worst thing about being an expatriate is: Missing home.
If you could relocate anywhere in the world, where would you go? California
Imagine that a good friend just called to tell you that he/she has accepted an assignment in the U.S. What advice might you have for them as they prepare to relocate? Making sure the relocation package is generous and covers the needs of the family and spouse, too."
About Dwellworks
Dwellworks is the world’s largest provider of destination-related services and temporary living solutions for the globally mobile workforce and business travelers. We provide business-to-business solutions for Fortune 1000 and emerging companies directly and through their relocation management partners. Whether a company needs to relocate its employees across the country or around the world, we provide a range of support services to help employees and their families transition successfully from their home location to a new destination.
Dwellworks supports the diversity of our clients’ globally mobile workforce with personalized destination solutions in 16 countries, covering hundreds of major relocation markets. Dwellworks Living, our global furnished temporary living solution, offers corporate housing accommodations for relocation and business travel customers in 125 countries. Our full-service real estate brokerage, Station Cities, supports home rentals, sales, and purchases in the Tri-State New York area and Chicago. Visit our homepage, learn about our services, and read our blogs to learn how we can help with your relocation and business travel needs.