Arrival

 I'm pretty sure the photo below was taken AS we arrived in Frankfurt. Perhaps someone will correct me on that. Don't think everyone would have been smiling so much if we were headed back home. 

Since it was 1982, it wasn't unusual to be a sixteen year old on his first commercial flight. A couple of years prior, I had flown on one of those lake planes that used to fly from resort area to resort area looking for those who wanted to fly above the lakes and trees for a few minutes. This time we got on a 747 bound for Amsterdam, operated by KLM. Perhaps it was the tail end of the 'golden age' of air travel, but I remember being somewhat miserable. I couldn't sleep on the plane and I still have a lot of trouble doing so. I don't recall the details, but I remember referring to the transport as a "slave ship" in my journal. That was certainly NOT woke and it was a terrible comparison. Are teens prone to exaggeration?

After a short stop in Amsterdam, we flew to Frankfurt. I really don't recall much from the arrival, although I know we took a train from Frankfurt to Mainz. It was then that Peter and I tried desperately to cancel our tickets in an ashtray. Goofy Americans, indeed!

Seated (left to right): Kathy Lewis, Diana Fleming Mackesey, Barb Washa

Standing (left to right): Mike Niemann, Ann Buller, Brian H., Chris Bradle

Pretty sure that was also my first journey on a proper train. Trains in Germany blew my mind. It's such a superior way to travel vs. cars. More comfortable, faster, and far less stressful. They were my first indication that life could be much different and potentially better in the U.S. I had no idea at the time the discoveries I would make about German bread. 

Thanks for the memories?

 Ah, the memories! Wait, what? Photographs, of course, help us preserve some of what's happened. After nearly 40 years, however, things fade. Most of my memories of this time or any other, of course, are bound up with whatever photographs I have to revisit where I was, who I was with and what I was doing. The one shown here tells me that, at some point when the Germans visited, we had a dress up gathering. I dressed as a baby. Seeing this, I do recall that I dressed up as a baby. Where the party was, what happened there, and anything else from that night is long gone. Nor do I know who took the photo below.

One of the reasons it's fun to gather is that with 20 plus of us who experienced much of the same two month period is that we all recall different things. Plus, if we're lucky, we will have preserved different photographs. At some gathering, I think it was when we met for the 25th, someone handed me a photo that showed me at a pool party in Germany. It was of me leaping, arms and legs extended, into the pool. I didn't recall that party and I don't remember that anyone had a pool. I would think that would be a pretty good memory, since back then I was young, skinny and enjoyed being in pools with people I knew.

Mathias and I (perhaps at Pete Reinhardt's - that looks like his guitar)

I was one of those who took a lot of photos on our trip. Hell, I was just coming off my year as the assistant photo editor of the school newspaper. I also focused (what the hell, pun intended) on my photography at the time. I used my dad's all manual Pentax K1000. Those things were built like tanks and they were simple to use. Mr. Hanson, our journalism teacher, taught me well. Well, he taught me good enough to get started, and I have sustained that hobby, switching from film and slides to digital, for more than forty years and through several cameras.

I remember gathering after our trip to compare photos. A few of us brought photos along when we celebrated twenty-five years. I do hope I get another chance in the coming few years to see some photos that others have preserved. That's one possible way to open up a memory that has long been tucked away.

Goodbye the First Time

 After a month of merry-making and an evening potluck in the IMC, the time came for the Germans to depart and for us to say goodbye, for now. That was my first experience of having a guest for a long period of time. No matter how enjoyable it is, it's almost always a relief to have your own space to yourself again. As the last kid left at home, I could go back to being the only one at home. 

First, of course, we had to get them to the airport. Everyone met up on Broadway at the site of the former Ground Round, near the corner of Broadway and Bridge Road. Here is what that looked like:

Pia, Claudia and Andrea in front of traffic on Broadway and a Chevy Vega.

I remember there were a lot tears that day. It was hard to see what the appeal of visiting Madison in April was for 16 year old Germans. I certainly thought we had the better end of the travel deal. Of course, it was and is hard to put yourself in the shoes of another teenager. Probably it was a relief to be away from the pressures of being an older teen in 80s Germany. What was expected of them after they graduated in June? More school? Work? A trade? 

One thing of incidental interest is that behind our German friends, you can see Broadway and the traffic that was common then, even on a Saturday morning. That's because the Southtown to I90/94 section of the Beltline would not happen until 1989, seven years after this photo.

Anyway, after our German friends left, since there was no internet or email, some of us began writing letters and sending them via airmail. I remember being very pleased when I would receive a letter back from Funda. 

We also began to look more forward to our trip to Mainz, Berlin and to the day trips to come. Here's another photo from German departure day.

Michael and Rudiger (foreground). Behind them, from left to right: Dennis Bergren, Sabina, Mike Niemann, Mike Grzenia.

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.

Potluck

 After we sold stuff and figured out how we were putting up our German students, April rolled around and the German students arrived. The first evening, LaFollette High's cafeteria hosted a welcome potluck. I can't recall very much about it. I'm not a fan of potlucks, generally. I know from photos that both my parents attended. I don't think we performed skits or anything of that nature. I remember the German students receiving American Family hats and t-shirts. Here are a few photos from that evening:

 

The top photo shows all Germans, including (from far left): Susanna, Kerstin, Funda, Birgit, Nicole, Claus and Andrea

The bottom photo shows mostly Americans, except Michael (far left), Peter, Clint and Chris. Over Peter's shoulder you can see Nicole looking at her Am Fam winter hat.

After the potluck, a few of us went first to Bridgeman's Ice Cream. 

From left: Ann, Funda and Rudiger, my exchange partner.

In addition to the above, Peter and his exchange partner Michael came along. I know that because after Bridgeman's we went to Peter's house to hang out in his finished basement and listen to Pink Floyd, which is what is happening here:

From left: Funda looking at the album cover for Pink Floyd's Ummagumma, Rudiger and Michael.

Most of the time with the Germans in the States is a blur of pizza-based gatherings (always Little Caesar pizza, because it was relatively cheap), a few day trips and a lot of time spent away from home. 

I remember Rudiger unpacked and set up an entire dresser drawer filled with candy. From what I recall, he took one shower in four weeks. He also devoured everything in sight, which was a thrill for my mother. She was not the best cook, so seeing someone so enthusiastic for her food was relief, I think. 

There were a few communication problems. For one, it was unclear the extent to which my exchange partner was interested in religion. He noted Catholic on his information sheet. I was not at all interested in going to mass, but I brought it up to him to be respectful. Since it was April, we attended Palm Sunday service together. Before Easter arrived, however, we figured out that neither of us were very passionate about attending mass.

Early on during their stay there was a spring dance at school. All the Germans attended and, I'm pretty sure, all or most of the American students. I remember at one point one of the basketball players, Steve Amundson, trying to talk to Funda. I offered to help. Steve said he wanted to dance with her. Funda explained that she only wanted to dance with me. That began months of rushing teenage emotions, longing, letter-writing and a few overseas phone calls. 

 

Introductions

 After a parents' meeting at school with our teacher, Herr Bergren, we began by selling Haribo gummi bears. Those were still somewhat obscure back in 1981-82. They sold pretty well to students who arrived at class and dreaded the prospect of 50 minutes without candy. We also sold German chocolate advent calendars in November. I can't imagine we raised a whole lot of money, although I do recall the dollar was much stronger against the German Mark back then. 

One afternoon in German class that year, we got letters from our soon-to-be exchange partners. We opened them and read about the students to whom we had been matched by our teacher. My exchange partner, Rudiger Besch, is in the striped sweatshirt above. Not exactly a smiley family, judging from the photo.

Although it was a pleasant surprise to see I had some things in common with Rudiger, I wouldn't be telling the truth if I claimed that his letter was the I one I was most interested in. The profile that intrigued me most was that of Ann Buller's exchange match, Funda Ince. 

Between the early 60s and early 70s, Germany welcomed a lot of Turkish guest workers. Ten years after the official end of the program, Germany's population of Turkish residents and citizens had made a substantial impact across the country. Funda's father, who I understood was some type of bureaucrat connected to cultural diplomacy raised their family in Mainz. There was a space for religion on our exchange student form and she listed "Mohammadan." I had never heard of that. Altogether, there were two Turkish students among the class of fifteen and sixteen year-olds. 

Anyway, the students from Germany were to arrive at the beginning of April, while we sold candy and calendars. At home, we figured out where students would stay and, eventually, we were given a calendar of events for the month outlining potlucks, day trips and dances. To prepare all of this, nobody worked harder than our teacher, Dennis Bergren. Here's a photo to end the post:

And one of the first potluck in April of 1982:

Left to Right: Michael (German student), Peter Reinhardt, Clint Miller and Chris Bradle in the foreground.

Anfang (Beginning)

In preparation for the 40th anniversary of our German/American exchange with students at a high school in Mainz, Germany, I thought it would a good opportunity to reflect on what I can recall, what I can't, and what I hope to see and do when I visit again in 2022. 

In the spring of 1982, our junior year of German class at LaFollette High in Madison, Wisconsin, the people above (mostly) hosted a class (mostly) of German sixteen year-olds for about a month. By far, it was the most fun many of us had during high school. Once school was out in June, we flew to Germany and became their guests for a month. 

About 13 years ago, I organized a gathering to commemorate the 25th anniversary of our exchange. We had a good turnout. At that time, our teacher, Dennis Bergren, was still with us, and he attended along with the other teacher who chaperoned our trip, who taught at East High. Since then, I have been keeping my eye on the calendar in hopes of returning to both Mainz and Berlin for the 40th. It might even be fun to rendezvous with both American friends and German students, too. It's with that hope that I intend to share what I write with those who were also there. I also hope that their memories for events and sights are better than mine. 

I do recall taking the photo above. That's from a photo taken with my camera, my dad's Pentax K-1000, of the American students, plus an older student from LaFollette who tagged along on our Berlin excursion. She's at the far right. I notice that it was cool that day as we visited a section of the Berlin Wall, judging from the jackets. The Wall wasn't just a tourist curiosity back then. To either side of the frame, there were stairs you could climb on the West side of the wall (West Berlin side) and view the East German guard towers, soldiers and no-man's land. Between the West Berlin wall and the wall that bordered the East Berlin side, that area also known as the 'death strip', was many meters wide. I recall when I showed younger people the photo above, they would say, "That's not high! I could jump over that." They didn't know what existed between the two edges of the wall, as shown below:

You can also see it in a photo I took back then:

Anyway, if you are reading this, feel free to share any memories you have as I go along. That's true if you went in '82 or another year. I'll talk more Berlin later on, so worry not!

Welcome, nearly 40 years later.