by Kathryn Baker ’23
I studied abroad in Bremen for the full year. In that year I had some of the best times of my life and some challenging times. When I visited Munich back in 2016, I thought it was an amazing city and wanted to go to Germany again. In my first semester at Dickinson I started with German 101. When I found out there was a study abroad program in Germany, I told myself I must go. I had never even heard of the city of Bremen until I learned about the Dickinson in Bremen program. Fast forward 2 years later and I’m flying to Bremen! I struggled at first with all of the cultural differences, and I had a hard time figuring out how to work German household appliances (I may have broken the toaster). But after living in Bremen for a few months, I figured it all out. In my free time I explored every part of Bremen, and I fell in love with the city. I lived with 7 other students in a Wohngemeinschaft (WG), close to the most beautiful park in Bremen, the Bürgerpark. The majority of the students I lived with were German so I practiced my German with them and tried to understand what they were saying when they spoke fast. My flatmates and I became really good friends, and we went out together in Bremen many times. One of my flatmates even came along with my boyfriend and me to take pictures when he proposed! Some of my favorite memories include going to the Bremen Weihnachtsmarkt with my flatmates, visiting Köln with other Dickinson students, getting engaged in the Bürgerpark, going to my first pride parade in Bremerhaven, and staying with one of my German friends in Berlin for Berlin pride! I have so many funny and amazing stories ranging from getting stranded in Belgium, to clubbing in La Viva in Bremen. One of the challenges I struggled with was all of my classes being in German. The first semester of classes were especially difficult for me, but the longer I lived in Germany and the more I spoke German with my flatmates, the easier it got. The second semester of classes at Uni Bremen was much more fun since I could understand better. Despite the difficulties I had during my study abroad, I would say this was the best experience of my life. I loved Bremen so much that I am applying for EU citizenship now so I can move back to Bremen in a few years.
by Vasilisa Pallis ’24
Mr. Schreiner is a member of the “Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands“ (CDU) in Rhineland-Palatinate, which is a successful Christian-democratic, conservative, and economically liberal party in Germany. He is the head of the ‘Klimaschutzpolitik’ for his faction, which means he has input in every form of climate protection-based policy in Rhineland-Palatinate. When I first arrived in Mainz at the end of March, I had no idea what to expect. All that I wanted to get out of this internship was to be able to see how the inner workings of German politics function. It did not take long for me to see Mr. Schreiner meet with numerous Mainz Citizens daily and work with them to better his beautiful city. On the very first night of my internship, Mr. Schreiner said to me “Come to my event tonight, it will give you a true insight into the way politics work here.”
The event was called a podium discussion, which Mr. Schreiner was the moderator of. I was unaware until the beginning of the event that the two men discussing at the podium would be Nino Haase (non-party) and Christian Viering (Die Grünen), the two men running for Mayor and at the time in a run-off race. Although it was apparent that they were competing against each other, their civility and respect for one another were incredible. Even though I might not be German it was evident to me that both candidates had the goal to make Rhineland-Palatinate better for all. The event itself was delightful and truly set the tone for the rest of my time in Mainz. The next day I was able to sit in on the CDU-Fraktion’s group meeting where they discussed what they would say at the next Parliament meeting, and then I was able to witness them in action hours later as the Bundestag met. My everyday life in Mainz was simply enhancing and unimaginable, every day was so different from the last.
One day Mr. Schreiner took me to the city of Sinzig to meet with businessmen and discuss how to avoid another possible flood. After that meeting, Mr. Schreiner drove me around the town so that I could see the impacts of the last flood and he informed me of all the tragedies that occurred in a certain area. The next day we met with two architects from Berlin and Mr. Schreiner gave them a private tour of Dom St. Johannis, the older delicate Cathedral in Mainz. I was very lucky to see the insides of this beautiful historic Cathedral for myself, and I could not believe how spooky the hidden crypt aspect was.
However, my absolute favorite experience of my internship did not even take place in Mainz. On a Friday in late March, Mr. Schreiner, his team, and I drove to a town called Würzburg in Bavaria. There we learned about the new innovative ways that people are becoming more carbon-friendly and what adaptations ‘Wine Mountains’ have made in the past few years. Both topics were insightful to learn about and everyone was extremely nice. It was tricky to understand the Germans from Bavaria because they have a very unique dialect, but I had an amazing time.
