Daytrips

Since it was only April, we were still mostly in school while the Germans were here. We did accompany them on trips over the weekends. I don't recall going with them on trips, say, to the state capitol building. However, I do have photos from visits to the House on the Rock and I remember a chilly trip to Devil's Lake. I believe they visited Chicago before they arrived in Madison, so they were able to see a little more than just Wisconsin. 

Nicole, Funda and Kerstin during lunch at the House on the Rock, near Spring Green, WI. 

I couldn't help but think that we had the better half of the exchange, since we visited a far more interesting place. Who knows, though? Perhaps a small Midwestern university town was fascinating for sixteen year olds who grew up in Germany. 

I do remember being gone from home a lot that month. We gathered at one-another's homes most evenings. Almost invariably, we had pizza. The reason I think that was so is because I recall one of the German students, Claus, announcing one evening while debating where to eat: "No more pizza! Let's go to Mac's!" meaning McDonald's. I remember some of my high school classmates commenting on our 'German gatherings" in my yearbook, so it wasn't just the exchange students who were socializing together. It was mostly just us, however. 

A mix of Germans and Americans in my bedroom at home. From left: Brian Hischke, Sabine, Mathias, Rudiger (below in stripes), Barb, Diana (with cube), Simona, and Andreas

I no longer have a copy of our April exchange itinerary. I do know that we had potluck gatherings at each end of the month, some daytrips, like I said and Easter was in there somewhere. Beyond that, it's just too far in the past to recall much detail.

I have a good recollection of most of the Americans who were involved with the exchange. I have had the pleasure of seeing most of them over the years since 1982. There are a few exceptions. Besides a long correspondence with Funda, I became pen pals with Birgit Schneider for a time. Some of the Germans, however, have really faded from memory. Their faces and names are familiar, but not much more. Some of them, of course, were quiet to begin with, so it's likely I didn't spend much time with them either here or in Germany. I've also seen a handful of them since. 

Kerstin and Lindy Anderson stayed in close contact and I've seen her in recent years. Kathy and Claudia, too, remain friends and I had dinner with them about two years ago at Kathy's house. I'm also Facebook friends with both of them, as I am with Thorsten, who it seems played handball professionally. I have also come across Nurten on Facebook and exchanged a few messages with her. From what I understand, she is/was a flight attendant. Andreas, who is in the bedroom photo above, and I shared a similar taste in music, notably the Rolling Stones. I remember during his visit he wanted to buy a Nikon camera for his father. I recall going along on a trip to the Square's former location of the Camera Company. I can't recall if he purchased anything. Maybe Chris, his exchange partner, remembers. 

Like I said, their visit ended with another potluck and this time it featured the German students singing and dancing. Also, here's a photo of all of them I took for the school newspaper, the Lance. My mother always nagged me to write people's names on my photos, and fortunately, years ago, I did so on this one. She was certainly correct about that.