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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. 3 October 1998
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Hello, 4-H friends and family! I hope everything is going well in West Virginia. It's hard to believe it is already September. August was a busy month for me and my host family. This is one of the main months for harvesting wheat and barley. During that busy time, I hardly saw my host-father and brothers. While I was with my third family, Mr. Hermann, the coordinator for the Sachsen Landjugend, had something for us IFYEs to do every day. For three weeks, Mr. Hermann would pick us up and take us to our destination. Every morning a blue Peugeot would pull into the driveway and off we would go. During our time in the car, we would have German lessons with Mr. Hermann and our English/German dictionaries. Thanks to our daily adventures, our German vocabulary really improved. One Saturday, we went to the Sachsish Schweiz, a mountain range in the east of Sachsen on the German/Czech Republic border. This range of mountains makes the Appalachians look like anthills! We also visited the city of Dresden, the capital of Sachsen. During World War II, Dresden was bombed severely. Most of the buildings have been rebuilt, but the city will never be exactly the same. We were able to see most of Sachsen and meet many people who work in agriculture. Sachsen has a wide variety of agricultural practices. The Bundesland has many dairies, orchards, vineyards, and field crops. One day we toured a large organic dairy farm of approximately 1,250 acres with 500 head of cattle. It sold milk both directly to the public and to a dairy. When we visited an orchard, a newspaper journalist interviewed us. The next day, we were in the local newspaper. It was fun to translate the article from German to English. We were local celebrities for our families! Since my last newsletter, I have moved to my fourth family in the Bundesland of Thürimgen in the center of Germany on the former border of East and West Germany. To the south is Bavaria and to the west is the Bundesland of Hessen. My host-family lives in the small village of Pahnstagen, which is approximately an hour east of Enfurt. Pahnstagen has nearly 100 residents. The family has a 40-acre farm, which is small for eastern Germany. They also have a "vacation on the farm." This is where people who live in the city can come and spend their vacations in the country. Since I arrived, I have been helping my host-mother and brother harvest potatoes. It's hard work, but I've enjoyed helping. School has started in Germany. My host-brothers and sister have been in school since the 1st of September. Next week, I'm going to talk to my host-brother and sister's English classes about the United States and our school system. I always enjoy visiting the schools, especially when I can speak in English! Last week, we four IFYEs were able to visit Büchenwald and the City of Weimar. Büchenwald was a sobering experience. Very few of the camp's buildings are still standing. It is very hard for me to imagine what life must have been like during that time in that place. | Büchenwald was liberated by the American Army in 1945. We were able to visit a museum there. We saw many artifacts from the camp. The city of Weimar has been named the Cultural Capital of Europe for 1999. That honor was due to Weimar's long history of musical and literary excellence. Two of Germany's best known authors, Goethe and Schiller, lived and worked in Weimar in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This weekend, I visited two volksfest (folkfest), or village festivals. There are many volksfest in September. On Friday night, we visited the neighboring village to watch fireworks. It was just like the Fourth of July in the States, but much cooler. On Sunday, we visited another village festival. There was a band playing German folk music. The musicians were dressed in lederhosen, the traditional German dress. It was fun to go to both festivals. I also was able to travel and see much of southern Europe. After my three-week stay in Sachsen, I had 12 days of free time when I traveled with the other U.S. IFYEs. We left Leipzig, which is a large city in Sachsen, not far from our host families. Our first stop was Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague is a beautiful old city. We had fun getting around because we spoke only English and a little German. We were thankful that most of the people we came in contact with spoke one of our languages. After two days in Prague, we took a train to Vienna, Austria. Vienna is the home of the Lippizaner horses, Mozart, and many other composers. From Vienna, we caught a train to Innsbruck. Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1972 Winter Olympics. The city is at the foothills of the Alps. We took a night train from Innsbruck to Rome. We spent two days in Rome. We saw the Colosseum (much bigger than the one in Morgantown!), Pantheon, and the Vatican City. From Rome we took a night train to Chamonix, France. Chamonix is located in the Alps near a glacier. The glacier moves 1cm/hour, or 90 meters/year. From Chamonix, we went to Geneva, Switzerland and then to Lucerene. After visiting Lucerene, we went back to Leipzig to retrieve the rest of our luggage. It was a fun and exciting 12 days. I've been able to follow some of the happenings in the United States. My host-family has a small satellite dish and I can watch European CNN, CNBC, and the Cartoon Network. It's been interesting and fun to watch TV and not have to translate! I've also been able to find a couple of newspapers in English. When I do find them, I read every single word! I hope this newsletter finds everyone in good health. I know how busy this time of year can be, especially with school beginning and football season. I look forward to hearing news from West Virginia, especially news from the 4-H world. Until my next newsletter, Auf Wiedersehen. Love and How-How, Gretchen Gretchen E. Riley, IFYE |
Last modified October 29, 1998
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