The Jürgen Klemann giving putting down roots in Mönchengladbach a try has little in common with the Jürgen Klemann twenty years ago. It’s hardly surprising that all spots across the globe in which I’ve lived have contributed to shaping me. They’ve all left a mark. Yet I’m not filled with doubts which venue has made the most substantial contribution. Thar venue isn’t South Africa, though living in South Africa over the transition period there cuts it for the term spectacular.

Instead, the place that’s shaped me most has been Auckland. There are a few factors coming together that make me think so. For starters, New Zealand’s business environment fits the bill for privatised, deregulated and very competitive by dint of the far - reaching economic reforms launched by the country’s former finance minister Roger Douglas. You perceive that competitiveness specially in Auckland, which is New Zealdn’s financial and business hub but not the capital.

Over my stretch of time in Auckland the Employment Contracts Act regulated employment contracts in New Zealand. Painting in very broad strokes, the Employment Contracts Act placed an emphasis on individual bargaining, which in essence replaced collective bargaining. The Employment Contracts Act has been subsequently displaced by the Employment Relations Act, which tilts the scales a tad more in favour of employees.

Then add that loads of remuneration packages in New Zealand comprise a fixed remuneration and a performance - related bonus. I worked for an insurance brokerage in Auckland for a string of years. It’s little wonder that my package too comprised a fixed portion and a performance - related bonus. Whilst my performance - related bonus was regularly raised, the fixed remuneration remained the same.

Sales jobs in financial services and recruitment or real estate aren’t highly regarded in my country of birth Germany. In contrast, they’re the order of the day in Auckland, even for university graduates with degrees along the lines of a BBA or a BCom. That sort of job entailed a vertical learning curve for me. It was an entirely new experience. All the same, with the benefit of hindsight that sort of job marvellously geared me up for my subsequent university teaching because it honed my communication and presentation skills.

In addition, what we may dub my conversion took place in Auckland. I’m an evangelical Christian since my first year in Auckland. There are surprisingly many churches in all shapes and sizes in Auckland’s wider city centre. Apart from a Catholic cathedral, there are a Baptist church, two Anglican churches (one evangelical and another one thelogically liberal), a Presbyterian church and a handful of Pentecostal churches. You’ll find plenty fewer churches in comparative German cities, by contrast.

On top of all this, New Zealanders across the board tend to be an awful lot more serene than Germans. In New Zealand the attitude “should be all right” takes front and centre stage, even though it sounds like “she’ll be right” when Kiwis (as New Zealanders fancy calling themselves) pronounce it. When hearing “she’ll be right” the first time, it leaves you wondering “who’s she?”. Anyway, by courtesy of my string of years in New Zealand I gradually realised that a whopping dose of serenity does wonders, now and then.

Let’s round all this out by briefly comparing Auckland with New Zealand’s capital Wellington. Whilst Auckland sits in the northern part of the North Island, much smaller Wellington is situated on the southern tip of the North Island. I spent a little more than a week in Wellington with a Kiwi friend of mine. Our connection dates back to our rowdy days in Johannesburg.

On the whole, Wellington resembles San Francisco, though San Francisco is much bigger than Wellington. Both cities are noted for their hilly suburbs. Wellington makes a rather compact spot. By contrast, Auckland looks very spread out, like Los Angeles. Most New Zealanders presumably like Wellington plenty more than Auckland. Because I know my way around Auckland better than I do around Wellington, yours truly leans to Auckland.

Never mind. That was then. Now is now. And now it may be the right time to put down roots in Mönchengladbach.

Real Estate on Roatan

5 Bedroom Island Estate Home Little French Cay & Leo Cay

Two small idyllic islands gracing the pristine coral reef, azure waters and white sand beach with palms swaying in the cool tropical breeze… Little French Cay and Leo Cay are surrounded by pristine coral reef and crystal clear turquoise waters. This beautiful island estate home has 5 bedrooms + caretakers house and much more, please call for showings. Appointment only.

Features:

Appliances
Ocean View
Ocean Waterfront

Dryer Oven Refrigerator Stove Washer

Contact Information

Phone: 011-2455-7220
Fax: 011-2455-7213

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So, I’ve determined to give putting down roots in Mönchengladbach a go after living all over the world for more than seventeen years. It goes without saying that Mönchengladbach had never sprung to my mind as a venue to do so. Prior to my colourful return to my country of birth a few venues were shortlisted in that regard. They ranged from Estonia to Slovakia and included Beirut.

All the same, life is full of surprises. Instead of Beirut Mönchengladbach may be the spot where yours truly gets old and loses the rest of his hair. Even though Mönchengladbach wasn’t tossed into the pot in terms of spots to settle down, let’s have a blush at the city’s upsides as a place to live. There are indeed a string of arguments that tilt the balance in Mönchengladbach’s favour.

To begin with, Mönchengladbach sits in the Rhine Ruhr area, which represents Germany’s economic powerhouse. Germany’s old industrial heartland - known as Ruhrgebiet - is within easy reach of Mönchengladbach. Rhineland’s two metropolises - Düsseldorf and Cologne - are equally within easy reach from my present playground. In fact, Düsseldorf is pretty much located round the corner from Mönchengladbach.

If you intend doing some job hunting whilst living in Mönchengladbach the city’s proximity to Cologne and Düsseldorf as well as Germany’s old industrial heartland is likely to extend a helping hand to you. Whilst working in Cologne or Düsseldorf or anywhere in Ruhrgebiet, you could easily commute between your job and your home in Mönchengladbach.

The same line basically applies to the fact that Mönchengladbach is located nearly in spitting distance to the border triangle of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Which is to say that you can effortlessly hop across the now invisible border to work - specially - in the Netherlands - but also - in Belgium whilst camping in Mönchengladbach. Again, commuting presents no challenge here.

In addition, life in Mönchengladbach comes across as less pricey than in metropolises like Düsseldorf and Cologne. That train of thought is applicable to renting apartments and acquiring property as well as dining out in restaurants and who knows what else. Then add that life in Mönchengladbach too strikes me as less costly than in Dutch metropolises, let’s say Rotterdam as a case in point.

Add that Mönchengladbach puts itself on the map as a very green city with plenty of parks and you’re starting to fathom that you won’t find fault with Mönchengladbach when it comes to recreation. Needless to say that I’ve spent loads of time in Mönchengladbach’s clutches of parks when I was still on my road to recovery after my stint at Luzira Remand Prison in Kampala.

On top of it, my current playground’s culinary scene can’t seriously compete with its counterparts in Düsseldorf and Auckland, though being cricket requires sketching out that Mönchengladbach’s restaurant scene looks an awful lot more interesting than the restaurant scene in my childhood parish Münster. Across the board, Mönchengladbach’s restaurant scene projects a more international image than I’d initially reckoned. And if push comes to shove, Düsseldorf waits round the corner.

Let’s draw all this to a close. Mönchengladbach doesn’t reflect a perfect place. There’s no such thing as a perfect place. At least I haven’t yet found it. Yet living in Mönchengladbach over the long haul is at least worth giving a shot. And finally, there’s Germany’s coolest football (soccer) club, namely Borussia Mönchengladbach.

I grew up and scraped through law school in Münster, a medium - sized city in Westphalia that’s largely known for its big university. At present yours truly is endeavouring to settle down in Mönchengladbach, an unglamorous city in Rhineland that is about as large as my place of birth Münster. The journey from Münster to Mönchengladbach has essentially taken me across the globe. Let’s have a look at the spots involved.

After scraping through law school I worked in Düsseldorf. A train ride from Mönchengladbach to Düsseldorf takes me less time than sauntering from my headquarters in Mönchengladbach to the city’s train station. Düsseldorf makes one of Germany’s truly international cities thanks to international law firms and banks as well as the fashion industry doing business there. Königsallee in Düsseldorf puts itself on the map as an extravagant and pricey shopping mile. These days you now and then see me in Düsseldorf. After all, Düsseldorf’s restaurant scene offers a little more variety than Mönchengladbach’s, though I can’t lament about the latter.

My first international stint brought me to Miami, which strikes me in hindsight as a more Latin American than an American city. That assessment harks back to the fact that Miami has evolved into a hub for international business and trade with Latin America. There are presumably more people in Miami speaking Spanish than English. Miami gave me the first opportunity to flirt with adventure. I returned from a brief holiday in San Francisco right on time to experience hurricane Andrew. And yes, I still have friends and contacts in Miami and Southern Florida, even though my spell there took place twenty years ago.

I lived in Johannesburg over the transition period in South Africa. When the old order in South Africa was seeking the exit and the new order was coming out of the pipeline, the city of gold looked like the place to be, at least from a contrarian’s angle. The stretch of time in Jo’burg included bomb explosions and a street battle that killed more than fifty folks and injured more than two hundred. Over that street battle, which the South African military sorted out, I couldn’t leave my office for lunch. In retrospect, living in Johannesburg at that point in time didn’t exactly bore me stiff. Sleeping in the African wilderness in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe rounded the experience out. And yes, I still have friends and contacts in South Africa.

My string of years in Auckland were comparatively uneventful when put into context with Johannesburg. Auckland’s comparatively uneventful life is arguably what lures thousands of South Africans to the city of sails. You find loads of them living on the North Shore and the Eastern Bay there. Unsurprisingly, Auckland reflects quite a vibrant city, which must’ve come as a by - product of the far - reaching economic reforms in New Zealand launched by the country’s former finance minister Roger Douglas. Although Auckland suffers from traffic jams and other ills the city of sails stands for good quality of life. And yes, I still have friends and contacts in Auckland.

After Auckland I lived for a string of years in Colima, a nondescript place near the Mexican Pacific Coast, located in the southern half of the country. At that time, Colima offered a quiet and uneventful life, which I did enjoy, though Mexican culture and Jürgen Klemann don’t make a dream match, to say the least. That quiet and uneventful life was once disrupted by a massive earthquake that took place in the middle of one of my classes. It would be a little far - fetched to say that I appreciated the disruption. A note of caution here. Since my departure from Colima and Mexico the Mexican drug war has been spilling over into Colima. Colima may no longer offer peace and tranquility. And yes, I still have a few friends and contacts in Colima.

I then spent a year in Changchun, a city with a population of seven million in Northeastern China towards the North Korean border. My spell in Changchun represented my first exposure to Asia and Asian culture. Having changed planes a couple of times at Hong Kong’s airport doesn’t really amount to much in that regard. Anyway, Changchun meshes a modern Chinese city with traditional facets in China. You can effortlessly locate internationally oriented restaurants there whilst identifying traditional Chinese cuisine and restaurants at the same time. A note of caution regarding life in Northeastern China in winter. Winter there comes across as freezing cold and is made specially disagreeable by a strong wind blowing across the land. And yes, I still have friends and contacts in Changchun and elsewhere in China.

Afterwards yours truly spent a year in Eastern Uganda, about halfway between Soroti and Mbale. If you’re into experiencing what it’s like to live in an underdeveloped African backwater, Eastern Uganda is likely to be your truck. Catching Malaria there nearly made me join the ranks of the departed. My stretch of time there was brought to a head by an one month stay in an African prison. The German embassy in Kampala launched a rescue operation and got me out of that little jam. Whilst in that can representatives of the German embassy advised me on how to act and behave there so as to make sure that I could leave that fine institution in one piece.

Since my flamboyant departure from that African hellhole I squat in Mönchengladbach and have concluded that settling down there may not be the worst idea. All in all, my journey from Münster to Mönchengladbach has been colourful enough. Time will tell how things are going to play out.

Real Estate in Costa Rica

Large 1400S.F 3 Br. Home on 7.7 Acres.

Large 1400 S.F. 3 bedroom home remodled and renovated, American owned. New 16′x 26 cement block garage/workshop/storage. Greenhouse, fruit trees,coffee, pastures fenced and cross fenced for horses or cattle. Stream and spring. 3 more building sites construction ready. 100% usable land! 600+ feet of public road frontage. Located 1 mile off newly paved hwy on a public gravel road, no 4×4 required! 30 minutes from San Isidro, capital of the Southern zone offering everything San Jose has but not the crime and pollution! 1 mile to Mesas with school,restaurant/bars,stores,churchs etc. Country living at it’s best, safe and tranquil. Great neighbors,English speaking families close by. Fantastic views of the Chirripo mts. and surrounding valleys and mountains. Perfect climate at 2450′ no A/C or heat needed!

No owner financing is offered.
Public services- Elect. Water, Phone, H/S Internet, Dish TV.
Titled and in an S.A.Corp. for easy,low cost, fast transfer. Illness forces sale.

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Real Estate in Mykonos

PLOTS WITH BREATHTAKING SUNSETS OF MYKONOS ISLAND

Panoramic views of the aegean sea with breathtaking sunsets of Mykonos island.

Three plots of 5000 sq mts each (all together 15000 sq mts)

All of them have pre-approved legal planning permission to built 300 sq mts villa + swimming pool

strategically located facing west side of the island with stunning views of Delos Syros Tinos.

Choulakia beach mythologically famous for it sacred rounded stones erupted used Poseidon the god of sea.

Situated same side of the island to the main port 2(kms) and town 4(kms), this is an area with high profile villas,surrounding it,must be seen to appreciate the amphitheatrical setting,truly magical sunsets!

850000 euro each one or 2300000 euro all together.

Contact Information

Contact MANOLIS SYKINIOTIS.

Phone: 00306945589990
Phone: 00302289028435

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Real Estate in Roatan

Key Hole Oceanfront

This is a prime piece of property with 327 feet of oceanfront and a beach. Great area where you will be able to live up-scale and enjoy your own little piece of a Key Hole. Check out the pictures and the survey and see where you are going to build next.

Contact Information

Phone: 011-(504)-2455-7220
Fax: 011-(504)-2455-7213

Pricing Options:

Asking Price: USD 850,000$ (United States Dollar) - Fixed

Address:

West Bay
Roatan
Honduras

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