The German Native rides the 720 bus to work at Demand Media in Santa Monica, Calif. (Ivana Nguyen/ Neon Tommy)

Like many Angelenos, Severin Nesselhauf rides the bus to work every day. But he’s not a regular Angeleno. Nesselhauf’s life changed when he decided to leave Germany for the United States. 

The 29-year-old moved to Los Angeles after earning his master’s degree in global management at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Ariz. 

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“I wanted to see something else, something new, a new set of experiences,” Nesselhauf said. “So that’s why I decided to do my master’s degree in the United States and was lucky enough after school, I found a job that would sponsor me and give me Visa.”

Nesselhauf met his wife after graduation and they moved to L.A. together. They have been living in L.A. for five years and have one English bulldog. 

Severin Nesselhauf, 29, uses the Google Maps app to receive live bus times and routes. (Ivana Nguyen/ Neon Tommy)

Usually Nesselhauf rides the bus from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica for his job at Demand Media. As the director of content, he works with brands to come up with content on their blog. Eventually he would like to take charge of his own company. 

“I want to either start or join a media company that operates globally and allows our family to split our time between the U.S. and Germany,” Nesselhauf said.

Although the German native has been riding the bus for only a few months, Nesselhauf is no stranger to public transportation. Using the bus and metro is very common in Europe. 

“Coming from Germany, I’m used to taking public transportation,” Nesselhauf said. “There’s no stigma associated with taking transportation unless like here sometimes.” 

Although there are some differences with public transportation in L.A. and Germany, Nesselhauf prefers riding the bus over driving a car. He hasn’t had any negative experiences and enjoys reading a book on the way to work. 

Nesselhauf has a few tips for those who have never used the bus before. He uses the Google Maps and Next Bus apps to look up live bus times and routes. Additionally he always carries exact change for bus fare. 

“They took a big step recently by enabling riders to track buses in real time, which was something I had been waiting for so I don't wait around at the bus stop,” Nesselhauf said. “I'd welcome it if they'd expand the network and offer more routes, especially on Olympic boulevard.” 

Nesselhauf came to the U.S. on vacation before moving there. Though he wants to go back to Germany at some point, Nesselhauf has no plans on leaving L.A. 

“What made me want to stay were the job opportunities and the fact that America is a great place to start your career,” Nesselhauf said. “Plus it's a beautiful country with a lot of diversity especially here in California.”  

(Neha Wadekar / Annenberg Media)

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