“That American Family”

Vignettes from four years in Germany.

Our house in the center, November 2006.

Stadtberger Straße 2e was a doppelhaus, or “double-house,” sharing a wall with our neighbors but making up for its slenderness in its four levels. It was smaller than a lot of places I’ve lived, but to me, each floor was its own castle. And despite this shared divider, we never felt cramped or heard the people next door. In fact, we were pretty isolated from…