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Dear
Rotarians,
You invited me to speak about what the year on the Georgia Rotary Student
Program has meant to me. This is a great honour and I am grateful to be
here and to have an opportunity to explain how deep an impact this Georgia
year has had on my life.
And yet: How can I explain? The year on the GA Rotary Student Program has
become “my Georgia experience” which comprises a host of experiences I had
25 years ago. Looking back over all those years my first, spontaneous
answer is that the year in Georgia has been the most formative year of my
life. I feel it, I know it without having to think long.
However, being the person I am, I did not want to leave it at that. I
wanted to find a more accurate answer, why this year plays such a
prominent role in my life. Therefore, I spent weeks searching my memory,
looking through my Georgia diary and photos and talking to other former
Rotary students I am still friends with. In a way working on this speech
became – very much like the year itself – a challenge which turned out to
be a rewarding experience.
In order to appreciate what the Georgia year did for me, how I went into
this experience and how I came out of it, let me give you a little
impression of who I was before I came to Georgia.
I grew up in a family with its own American experience dating back to the
1930s. My grandfather, who was an English teacher, left Germany in 1934 to
take a teaching position at the State Teachers’ College in Montclair, New
Jersey. My father and his sisters attended American schools, became fluent
in English, and enjoyed extracurricular activities unheard of in Germany
at that time. In 1936 my grandfather took his family back to Germany
because he was nervous about his status as a civil servant in Germany. I
remember my father telling me again and again how shocked he as an
18-year-old was to realize that his home country had turned into a
dictatorship in the years of the family’s absence. I grew up with stories
about the freedom of life in America, the atmosphere of encouragement, the
great nature and vastness of the land, the easy-going social interaction,
jazz music, skyscrapers and other achievements.
And yet, despite my family’s positive attitude towards the
United States I did not remain untouched by other influences. In the year
1979, I had just finished German high school with honours, I considered
myself well-read in European literature, interested in the arts, worried
about nuclear fallout, the arms race between the Soviet Union and the
NATO, and the problems of the so-called Third World. In a way I liked to
consider myself an intellectual which at that time meant being sceptical
about the U.S., an easy position to take because the media were full of
articles about the US crime rate and drug problems, its people’s
rootlessness and grotesque consumerism and so on.
Thus having divergent pictures of the United States in my
mind, pictures that either way made this country seem a special place, I
was curious and wanted to find out for myself what America was really
like. This was one reason for applying for the scholarship.
Another one was that I was a young woman trying to find out what I should
do with my life, trying to become more independent of my parents, trying
to get away from a framework of traditions, rules and expectations that
had so far conditioned my upbringing. I simply wanted to take a year off.
In August 1979 I arrived in Georgia and had my first important experiences
of the American way of life. Georgia was a very nice surprise because it
was so different from stereotypes about the South that I had been
confronted with in Europe. I had an immediate impression of visible
history, of a strong regional pride similar to the one of a Rhinelander or
a Bavarian in Germany and of people’s sense of belonging. The delicious
Southern cooking told its own story of heritage and refinement.
I met many Georgians who hosted me generously. I noticed how important
family ties were to everybody, how well friendships were cultivated, how
traditions were kept up in religion and in volunteer work to the
community. I had not expected such virtues and it helped me warm to the
country quickly.
I enrolled at Wesleyan College, for the first time without the direct
guidance from my parents, young and open to all kinds of impressions. My
diary is full of the sense of freedom associated with this student life.
Of course, any freshman in Germany feels this freedom, but this was
different. Apart from the obligation to Rotary to study seriously and get
good grades, there were no expectations, no duties, no decisions to make.
Staying for a limited period of time, I could take the college year as a
vast experiment, a chance to try out different subjects. This helped me
find out what I really like, what I am really good at, and what I should
do with my life.
This was wonderfully supported by two notable features of the American
university system. Firstly, that American educational institutions with
their focus on living together on campus allow the whole person to grow
and, secondly, their overall spirit of encouragement. European
universities tend to be big and anonymous buildings where you attend
classes and that’s about all. At Wesleyan College, in contrast, I could
choose between creative writing, a photography competition, a drama group,
lots of sports, a debating team and so on. Whatever I did, I always felt
there was this stress on talent, this positive attitude that there is
something special in each individual. Because I was encouraged to try
things out, I developed a better sense of identity and strength, and I
became more optimistic and more open to new ideas.
I learned a lot at college. And I learnt about America. I mentioned before
that I carried this somehow inconsistent picture of the United States in
my mind. There are so many things everybody admires about America, but at
the same time there are aspects – at least the way they are publicised –
which sometimes irritate people in other countries. Because we Europeans
live in countries closely associated with the United States and share
common values, we tend to believe we know how to interpret America. What I
had to realise, though, was that things looked different from the inside.
That, of course, is true of any country. But in the case of the United
States the discrepancy between reality and the public image of the country
as presented by the media is especially striking. I truly think that one
has to live in America for a while to get a real feeling for this country.
Take, for example, its rural character. You can read about rural America,
but as somebody coming from a densely populated country like Germany you
cannot comprehend how this vastness forms social attitudes unless you have
moved about in this vast land yourself. And by absorbing impressions like
those this country has become part of me.
This inside and every day knowledge of America depends to a large measure
on “talking to the natives”. If I had registered at an American college on
my own I could have talked to my fellow students, but I think the Georgia
Rotary Student Program gave me a far better opportunity: in addition to my
fellow students I had many Rotarian families to turn to with my questions.
They were people of different ages and different professions, which was
wonderful to get different views of the country. I still feel deep
gratitude when I think back to how I buttonholed them all with my
questions, how patiently they discussed comparisons between Germany and
Georgia with me, how much interest everybody took in helping me sort out
my impressions and also discussing critical issues.
Looking back now I think that it has not always been an easy job for the
hosts to take such personal care of young people who might not have
acknowledged the value of this gift until later in life. I am in the
position to appreciate the importance of these personal relationships
because I went abroad a second time, and though I enjoyed that year I did
not develop emotional ties the way I did in Georgia. I am positive that
this applies to all former Rotary students, even if they should not have
managed to stay in contact with their host families.
Now let me enlarge on the aspect I mentioned in the beginning of this
speech when I said my year was a formative experience. I think I was
formed not only by the American way of life, but also by the experience of
being a stranger. Let me explain the latter point. Trying to become
familiar with Georgia meant continually trying to understand differences
between me and my host country. Thus I started to reflect on what it means
to be a stranger. Living in a foreign society and culture is hard work
indeed. You want to adapt but first you have to understand how, and
especially in the beginning, this can be frustrating. It’s like a game you
have to play without knowing the rules. Suddenly you realise that many
things you do supposedly naturally are rooted in one’s cultural heritage.
My Georgia year showed me that our lives are ruled by many tacit patterns
of behaviour which play a role even in everyday situations like eating out
in a restaurant and cannot necessarily be applied to another society. I
started reflecting on my “Germanness”, or to put it precisely, I became
aware of my “Germanness” for the first time.
In the first weeks in Georgia I experienced some remarkable
misunderstandings that taught me that I had to tell people about myself in
order to help them understand my behaviour. This showed me that I could no
longer use my own cultural coordinate system and had to be more careful
when it came to evaluating situations or people. Before I came to Georgia
I tended to be a little opinionated. Now I gradually became more humble.
I learnt that two incompatible perspectives can be plausible each within
its context, so that one should not jump to conclusions before knowing the
context. I learnt that before I criticise certain things I should be aware
of where my own blind spot was. I have also become very cautious about
judging people of a different background. Maybe this does not seem like
much of an insight to you as living in a nation based on immigration, but
for someone coming from a hitherto socially more homogenous country this
was quite a challenge.
At the same time I realized I had to find a way to communicate on the
basis of what people from different cultures have in common. By
understanding the role of cultural codes I was able to learn some of the
rules of the American way of life, and at the same time I learned that
rules are not as important if one can find a bridge in the things that all
people have in common, regardless of the country they come from. Since the
Georgia year I have the deep conviction that we reach this common ground
if we treat each other with respect and tact.
Let me leave it at that. I could go on for hours highlighting remarkable
experiences and valuable insights I gained from my immersion in Georgian
life but I think I have pointed out the most important dynamics of that
year.
When I came back to Germany I decided I wanted to keep in touch with this
Georgia experience by enrolling for American Studies. Later, I strove to
repeat the experience of a year abroad on the European scale by studying
in Ireland. After completing my PhD, I started a career as a librarian. In
my husband Frank, who holds an M.A. in English literature and History and
also spent a university year abroad, I have found a companion who shares
many of my interests, for which I am very grateful. Since our two boys are
likewise interested in travelling and foreign languages, I hope they will
eventually perpetuate the family tradition of living in a foreign country
for a while.
In the past few years I have put my energy into raising my children and
developing professional know-how as a specialist for library buildings, so
I was not involved in any impressive community work developing
international understanding.
But I attempt to spread the
message in everyday life.
I tend to adopt any
Americans coming my way at home. With the Ford Motor Company in Cologne
there are quite a few Americans stationed in my hometown, and I always try
to be a good host to whoever I meet. In my job I take extra care in
assisting the many foreign students coming to Bonn University. Most
importantly, however, I try to mediate in discussions about the United
States, try to work against prejudices, try to make other people see
America from the inside.
And I strive to
keep up a network of friends from different countries around the world,
most of whom I met on the Georgia Rotary Student Program.
Let me mention some of these Rotary alumni who you might
remember. I talked to them about this conference and my speech:
1. Anne
Hödnebö (sponsored by R.C. Dublin) has become a senior neurologist in her
home country Norway and often travels to medical congresses in the United
States.
2. Gunn
Reinertsen (sponsored by R. C. Griffin) took a degree in American Studies,
started as a copy editor for the Norwegian edition of Reader’s Digest and
now works as editor-in-chief of an important Norwegian publisher.
3. Uwe
Korber (sponsored by R. C. Brookwood and North DeKalb) went to law school,
on account of his Georgia experience got a good position with the German
government, during the reunification process served as one of the
spokesmen of the German ambassador at the U.N. headquarters in New York
City.
4. Dorte
Krogsgaard (sponsored by R. C. Marietta, Brookwood and North DeKalb)
studied journalism and has become a well-known TV journalist in her home
country Denmark.
5. Jun
Kigoshi (sponsored by R. C. Gwinnet County) has worked at the Japanese
ministry of finance and presently holds a position with a Japanese bank in
London.
6. Fabienne
Kissian (sponsored by R. C. Conyers and South DeKalb) went into
translation studies and works as an interpreter at the European Union
headquarters in Brussels.
7. Reidun
Heiene (sponsored by R. C. North Lake and Stone Mountain) has become a
veterinarian and works with the U. N. cattle program in Ethiopia.
8. My
sister Annette (sponsored by R. C. Carrollton, Newnan and Bremen) majored
in American Studies, became a high-school teacher and for several summers
worked as a volunteer ranger in American National Parks.
They all
asked me to express their lasting gratitude on their behalf. They are
proud to be alumni of the Georgia Rotary scholarship and I think you can
be proud of them too.
The Georgia Rotary Student Program was established in 1946, just a year
after the end of World War II. Never before had a war reached such a level
of destruction including genocide triggered by ideologies and ethnic
stereotypes. After this all-time low hope could only be found in an effort
to bridge the gap between different countries, customs and religions, and
I think the Georgia Rotary Student Program has had an impressive share in
the development of international understanding.
Nearly 60 years later, however, we have pervasive media, more tourist
experience, and a global economy. You may feel that the inhabitants of the
“global village” no longer need scholarship programs like this because
they are mobile and have more access to information. However, tourists do
not necessarily learn about the countries they visit and knowledge as such
has rarely done away with prejudices or stopped wars. I believe that
international understanding can only grow from living together, at least
for a while, from friendship across borders. Treaties between states alone
do not generate peace, it is the interaction of the citizens themselves,
which gives life to political alliances. Thus, the Georgia Rotary Students
Program is still as modern as it was more than fifty years ago. Sponsoring
young people remains the only sensible measure to reach international
understanding. I am proud and grateful I was one of the students this
program was created for. Thank you very much.
2005-04-15, Alice Rabeler
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A wonderful
testimonial...