Where are you from and what do you do?
I am Senior Director of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) and University Partnerships at Cultural Vistas. Cultural Vistas is a nonprofit exchange organization promoting global understanding and collaboration among individuals and institutions. I’m originally from Glendora, CA, about 25 miles east of Los Angeles.
Your first GAPP exchange to Germany took place in 1985. Why did you decide to participate?
I took German as a foreign language class in my freshman year of High School. Our German teacher was a perfect recruiter. She said, „Look, if you take my class, we are going to do this great trip to Germany.” I was 14 years old at that time and had never been to a different country before. So I was very excited. Also, in 1984 my own family had hosted a GAPP student from Germany. To this day, my parents are still in contact with her. This positive experience a year before obviously convinced my parents to let me go. After visiting Germany for the first time, I wanted to go back so I returned to Goslar in 1986 for a second exchange with GAPP.
Could you describe your expectations of the program and of Germany before your trip? Were these expectations met?
I already had a bit of an idea because we had hosted a German GAPP student the year before. I knew that my stay would include attending a German school for a couple of weeks and doing some day trips and sightseeing tours. However, all I really knew about Germany was what I had learned from my textbooks. There I could see pictures of half-timbered houses and medieval squares. The central part of the town I stayed in had all of that as well but my host family did not live downtown. We lived in a very modern environment. So I quickly learned that Germany is not all about half-timbered houses and fairy-tales.
Tell us a bit about your time. Where did you stay in Germany?
I visited Goslar, a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The old town of Goslar as well as the surrounding mines are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. My high school partnered with the Christian-von-Dohm-Gymnasium. My host family lived in apartments that were constructed after World War II to accommodate families of factory workers. The living space was very different from what I was used to in the suburbs of LA. Besides attending German High School, we also did a few trips, like a cross-country ski tour close to the East German border and a trip to West and East Berlin in 1985. In 1986, we went to Bavaria for a few days and visited Munich, Dachau and the castle of Neuschwanstein. All those trips hold unforgettable memories for me.
What was it like being a visiting student at a German school? How did it differ from your school in the U.S.?
The school experience in Germany was very different from home. Especially during the final years of German high school, I perceived the classes to be much more sharply focused than in the U.S. There were not as many class topics to choose from but the classes were much more in-depth. And back then, every student in my German school had to learn Latin. That was a very interesting experience for me. I was also surprised about how much the average German student of my age knew about the United States and its history. They were very interested in us, which I’d not expected.
If you had to pick one event or memory during that time what would it be?
It is hard to tell because there are so many. For instance, when we went to East Berlin, the GAPP students and coordinators received a day visa that unfortunately got lost by the end of the day. So the border guards would not let us pass back to West Berlin but put us in a room with no windows and no interior door handles. We were in there for a couple of hours but ultimately they let us out and we were allowed to go. This all happened at the ‘Tränenpalast’, which is a museum nowadays. So today you can just walk in and out. I have been back to that same location a couple of times and for me, this place and this memory really shows how history changes. The Tränenpalast used to be a place to scare people. Now it is a place to teach people about history.
What are the things you liked most about German culture and lifestyle?
The general lifestyle was so interesting to me. Each time I left Germany, I wanted to go back. This is why I studied German after high school as well. History and culture is important to Germans. Even such a small town like Goslar has its own history reaching back centuries. In Germany, you can live in a very historic environment but with all the advances of modern life. Another great aspect of German lifestyle is public transportation. We were able to take a bus to the train station and from there to anywhere in Germany. That was very fascinating to me. Where I grew up, we did everything by car.
Your exchange took place during a very tense historical era (cold war). Did this political climate influence your stay in any way and if so how?
On a personal level the political climate did not influence our stay as we were very well chaperoned. Politics and the cold war were far away from what we did. I do remember that a U.S. Army major was shot in Eastern Germany in 1985, the same time we visited East Berlin. This person, Major Nicholson, is even mentioned on Wikipedia. I did not perceive it as an historical event at that time but certainly I do now.
Looking back now, how did that experience shape your future path, personally and professionally?
I continued to study German after high school when I went to college. And later while I was doing my Ph. D., I was able to go to Germany on a regular basis in the 90’s and even after graduation, I always had a connection to Germany, whether personal or professional. Without GAPP, I would not be where I am, that is pretty obvious. I always wanted to end up in diplomacy or politics but it was GAPP which helped me crystallize this into transatlantic relations, specifically Germany and the U.S. Without the love for Germany and my personal experience with GAPP, Germany would have been maybe an interesting country to know about, but it would not have been my life’s career. On a personal level, my parents would always tell me that I came back as a citizen of the world. There was a lot to like about Germany, such as great public transportation, historical preservation, the medical system or public education. I came back from Germany more humble once I realized that other countries have achievements that they can be proud of as well.
Are you still in contact with your former classmates/host family/chaperons?
I made German friendships that have now lasted for decades. A lot of my American friends from high school also came from my German classes. Our German teacher, who was also our GAPP coordinator, was such a character too. There were a variety of social activities that bonded us, like the annual ‘Apfelstrudelverkauf’ (apple pie sale), a fundraiser, that remain great memories and reasons to reconnect.
What advice would you give to a current high school student who is just about to start a GAPP exchange?
Be aware that you will come back changed in many ways that no one can predict. Be open to as many new experiences as possible, and do not worry about the level of your German language skills. Every German that I met was friendly and helped me along. I cannot think of any person who did NOT have a positive experience with GAPP.
