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The International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) program in the United States is conducted by CD International Program Services, L.L.C., in support of 4-H programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture- Extension Service and the U.S. IFYE Alumni Association. |
Vol. 2 No. 2 September 1998
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Liebe 4-H friends and family,
Guten Tag! Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. This time of year is very busy with county fairs and summer vacations. Time is flying here! I can't believe it is already August! Since my last newsletter, I have moved into the former East Germany. I'm living in the Bundesland of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, GDR(German Democratic Republic). Since the reunification eight years ago, there has been much road construction, and many houses and buildings have been renovated. The farms in the east are larger than the farms in the west. During the GDR times, the farms were cooperative farms owned by the government. The farms are now privately owned and operated. Many families have moved from west to east to operate larger farms; many other families have moved from east to west to reclaim family land. The residents of the former East Germany have mixed feelings regarding the "Westies " moving east. Even though the influences from the west are moving east, the people are still the heart of the country. I have found them to be very close-knit and extremely friendly. My host-family lives in the very small village of Oberhof. They are approximately 60 residents in Oberhof. The closest town, Samitz, is 1 Km (˝ mile) west of Oberhof. Oberhof is about a 30-minute drive east of Rostock. The city of Rostock has 200,000 residents, and is located near the Baltic Sea. My host-family, the Chaborskis, live on a 200-hectare (500-acre) dairy farm. My host-father, Gerd, operates the farm, which consists of 60 milk cows, grassland, canola (rapps), and wheat fields. My host-mother, Britta, manages the house and three boys: Norman, 10, Franz, 2, and William, 6 months. There is never a dull moment with three boys. My host-family is an extended family. Gerd's mother, younger sister, and brother live in the adjoining house. My host-grandmother is hosting a Russian student, Veronica, for six weeks. Veronica has been wonderful for my German lessons. She speaks German very well, but no English. In order to communicate, I have to speak in German. This has really taught me a lot! When I arrived in Oberhof, my host-father was busy harvesting winter wheat. Due to the large amount of rain we have received in the last two months, it has been difficult to harvest the rapps and wheat. Every day without rain is a blessing to those who are harvesting. Summer on a German farm is as busy as any U.S. farm. Farming in Germany requires an education and three years of internships. One morning, I went with my host-father to watch a practical exam. The students had begun their morning at 4 a.m. milking the cows. We were at the farm at 9 a.m. to give the plant/grain portion of the exam. My host-father and a former university professor conducted the part for harvesting rapps. The exam consisted of a written part and a practical portion. The written portion of the exam was given earlier at the school. Three out of the four students passed the exam and now can work on a farm. This is different from the farming requirements for the United States. I was quite intrigued by this system of educating farmers.
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The IFYE coordinator for Mecklenburg-Vonpommern has kept us very busy! The first week the four U.S. IFYEs were here, we traveled with a group of ten students from Martinique, a French island in the Caribbean. The group was in Germany both to learn German and do some sightseeing. It was very interesting to talk and travel with this group! They knew less German than we did and could speak a little English. We were all able to communicate and enjoyed getting to know one another.
Since the city of Rostock was close, we visited there often. On two different days I went with the IFYEs, the Martinique group, and Veronica to Rostock. We took a four-hour sailboat ride on the Werner River into the Baltic Sea. On our return to the dock, the captain of our boat was not paying attention and almost ran over a smaller sailboat! Thank goodness, the captain of the smaller boat was aware of all that was going on and steered away. Everyone on board was quite glad we didn't have to swim to shore. Another adventure in Rostock was a visit to the Rostock Brewery. Germany has over 1,000 breweries. It was very interesting to see the inside of a brewery. We were able to see each step in the beer-making process. At the end of the tour, we were able to taste one of the Rostock beers. The host-families of we four IFYEs are relatively close to each other, so we are able to see each other often and travel together. On one occasion we went to the island of Rügen. This island is in the Baltic Sea and is the northern-most point in Germany. The coast has beautiful white cliffs. We spent the day exploring and walking along the coast. That evening we went to an amphitheater approximately one hour south of Kop Ankona. The theater was located on the shore, and a castle overlooked the entire theater. The story was of a Viking pirate in the late 1400s. The play was in German, but the program had the story translated into English. At the end of the play, we were able to get the autograph of the leading character. I was also able to visit Berlin. One of the IFYE's families took us; they have two children living and studying in Berlin. They were our tour guides for the day. We were able to visit the remains of the Wall, Check-point Charlie, and the Brandenburg Gate, and do a lot of sightseeing in both East and West Berlin. The remaining portion of the Wall is now a memorial with many paintings. When we visited the Check-point Charlie Museum, it became a little clearer what it must have been like to live there during the time of two Berlins and two Germanies. This is the gate where all cars, trucks, and buses going into West Berlin were stopped and throughly checked. West Berlin looks like any city. East Berlin is undergoing major restoration and construction. It is quite an exciting time for Berlin. We were able to see the capitol building which is being restored. Within the next two years, all of the government offices will be relocated from Bonn to Berlin. I don't think we can ever really know what it was like to live through the World War II era. I have enjoyed my stay in Mecklenburg-Vonpommern and am looking forward to moving to Sachsen, in southeast Germany, near the Czech border. I hope you all are doing wonderful! Until my next letter, Chuess!!
Love and How-How,
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