The Dinner took place in the Havana Lounge in Bremen. After welcome speeches by Club President Ulf-Brün Drechsel and special guest Prof. Dr. Wiebke Ahrndt (Director of the Overseas Museum in Bremen), it was time to cut the turkey.
With a very generous donation from a Dickinson Alum, six Dickinson students were able to afford a weekend trip to Tübingen, Germany. While there, we were able explore the city and visit Professor McGaughey, a Dickinson Professor currently on sabbatical.
On Friday afternoon after we finally arrived, Professor McGaughey gave us a quick tour of her favorite places to grab a drink and helped get us oriented with the city. We ended our evening with Professor McGaughey at the Neckarmüller Biergarten, which sits right along the bank of the Neckar River.
from left to right: Ellen, Professor McGaughey, Crosby, Olivia, Isabel, Delaney, Makayla
We started our Saturday by taking the Regional Tram to Bebenhausen, a small village just outside of Tübingen, famous for its rich history and beautiful Klöster (monasteries). Naturally, we toured the Klöster and learned lots about the local history.
from left to right: current Dickinson in Bremen students Olivia, Makayla, Delaney, Isabel, Ellen and Crosby
Afterwards, we met with Professor McGaughey and her Stepmother, to learn about the Tafel in Tübingen, a foodbank where young people often volunteer. Next, we moved onto a city tour. We hiked up a large hill to the University of Tübingen, where we got to look over the city and take in the sights of some of its most important and historically significant locations.
from left to right: Crosby, Delaney, Isabel, Professor McGaughey, Olivia, Makayla, Ellen
Sunday morning, we took one more turn about the city and explored the Hölderlin tower, a building famous for being the place of residence of famous poets, most notably Friedrich Hölderlin. Although the trip was short, with the help of Professor McGaughey we received an exclusive look into life in Tübingen and had a ton of fun in the process.
To complete my volunteer hours, I decided to work with the Klimawerkstatt in Neustadt, allowing me to effect change right in my neighborhood. I learned about the Klimawerkstatt through my class “Kultur- und klimapolitische Stadtteilarbeit” (roughly: “cultural and climate-political city cooperation”). In this class, we came up with creative artistic projects to benefit the local area, as well as the Lucie Garten- the garden across the street that has been built by the community to create more green space in the city. For my volunteer hours, I had the opportunity to do different kinds of volunteer activities. For example, I helped with a zine-making workshop and made my own zine. However, the majority of my hours were spent on Thursday evenings gardening in the Lucie Garden. A couple of my friends usually accompanied me, and it was a great bonding experience.
I would recommend visiting the events of the Klimawerkstatt and the Lucie Garten even if you aren’t volunteering! I loved going to the flea markets and other workshops!
