First Impressions – Cheryl Lochner-Wright – Germany 1986
When I moved into the apartment my host school had arranged for me, my flatmate, a German university student, was still on summer vacation. Upon opening the refrigerator, I found a bottle of Heinz ketchup and couple of cans of Budweiser. I winced, thinking to myself that here I was, wanting to immerse myself in […]
Trekking the Globe with Fulbright – William Allen Brant – Germany 2004 & Bulgaria 2007
Luckily, my Fulbright journey began a couple months before the University of Mainz started its classes and before I began teaching at the Schloss Gymnasium in Mainz, Germany. I arrived in Vienna, Austria after a temporary break-up with my girlfriend in Texas. I began studying German once again because I had not studied any German […]
Heat: An Excerpt from OY PIONEER!: A NOVEL – Marleen S. Barr – Germany 1983, 1989, 2008
Heat: An Excerpt from Oy Pioneer!: A Novel by Marleen S. Barr (University of Wisconsin Press, 2003) Although I knew that Germany has many elaborate pools replete with squirting fountains and bubbling hot and cold water, I was not prepared for the particular organic contraptions I would encounter at this pool. I could easily accept […]
International Bonds – Nancy Kuechelmann – Germany 1989
My husband and I enjoyed attending local festivals while we were in Germany (1988-89). Among our favorite events were axe throwing competitions and chain saw demonstrations. Of course, we enjoyed the food and local beer, too! As we were sitting across from a German couple at a long table, we started talking. Hearing that we […]
East Meets West: Reflections on Teaching an American Past in the Former East Germany – Stephen Engle – Germany 1995
“The future is certain,” goes the old Soviet joke, “it is only the past that is unpredictable.” For many former East Germans the unpredictability of the past six years has left them searching for a way to blend their culture with that of the West without abandoning their past, Though there are obvious differences, today’s […]
Being in the Middle of the Opening of the Berlin Wall – John Austin Murphy – Germany 1989
While on a Fulbright research assignment at the Free University of Berlin in 1989-90, I connected with East German demonstrators and officials as well as with researchers from both Germanies and Hungary. I learned to dance in East Berlin discos, as well as later on the streets of West Berlin when the Berlin Wall opened […]
From the start – Brad Deacon – Germany 1993
From my arrival in Bonn for orientation, I found myself surrounded by some of the most interesting people I’d ever met. Fulbrighters from across the U.S., in Germany to study economics, physics, medieval literature, engineering, music, and so many more areas. All with vastly different lives and experiences, but brought together for a few days […]
Learning and Teaching in Germany – Larry Chasteen – Germany 2006
There were many great memories from my Fulbright experience to Munich, Germany in 2006. I had worked in Germany before but I learned much more by being part of a university faculty. I had great discussion with German professors about the German university system during our office hours. My wife and I were also “adopted” […]