Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Returning Han Joohs interns Emily Bergemann (left) and Peter Braegelman (right) were able to attend Ulm intern Annika Hanrieder’s farewell reception hosted by the Sister Cities Commission, Monday. This is Hanrieder’s final week in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — “This is not a good-bye, this is seen you later,” Annika Hanrieder said during her farewell reception, Monday, hosted by the New Ulm Sister Cities Commission.

Hanrieder is the latest intern in the Hans Joohs program to visit New Ulm from Ulm, Germany. She came to New Ulm Oct. 4 and will be leaving next week.

This was Hanrieder’s second visit to Minnesota. In 2014, she was part of a high school exchange program in Paynesville.

Hanrieder admitted she did not know where New Ulm was before applying to the Han Joohs program. After being accepted she Googled New Ulm and realized she would be returning to Minnesota.

As this was her second time in Minnesota, Hanrieder had fair idea of what to expect. She was prepared to see the large houses and wide roads, but said she was surprised by New Ulm cuisine.

“You eat more sauerkraut than in Germany,” she said. “I’ve eaten more sauerkraut here than I have in the last five years in Germany.”

Since Hanrieder is studying medicine, she has interned in the last three months at Oak Hills Living Center. During her internship, she had the chance to shadow the nurses, the doctors, worked with the activity coordination and resident therapy.

“It is an amazing facility,” she said. “I will have a hard time leaving.”

Her last day at Oak Hills is Dec. 20.

When not at Oak Hills, Hanrieder was with her host families, first with Jane Mayday-Hulke and later Lori and Greg Howard.

“I enjoyed every minute and was never homesick,” she said.

Hanrieder will be leaving New Ulm next week but will remain in Minnesota over the holidays to see friends After the holidays, Hanrieder will head to Philadelphia for an internship at a children’s hospital. She plans to specialize in pediatric medicine.

Asked what she liked best about her time New Ulm, Hanrieder said she will remember the people best.

“I am going to miss them like crazy,” she said.

Hanrieder said she will likely cry when she does leave but is confident she will be back someday.

The farewell reception was also a welcome home reception for New Ulm’s local interns, Emily Bergemann and Peter Braegelman, who both returned from Germany earlier this month.

Bergemann began work at a European Union office in her first month in Germany. Her task was to make Christmas ornaments representing different countries in Europe. These ornaments were distributed throughout the continent.

In the second month, Bergemann worked at the Venet-Haus Art Gallery. She interned as an assistant and with gallery advertisement. Bergemann said she was able to travel as part of the internship. She helps sell artwork in Hamburg and had the chance to meet famous regional artists.

Bergemann’s final month was working for The 58 Bar. This was a combination bar, cafe, skating, surfing, and snowboard business.

These eclectic internships reflected Bergemann’s areas of study. She majored as an art and business student and currently manages a bar and restaurant in Wisconsin.

Bergemann said she will miss the people of Ulm the most. Many of the people she met had become good friends.

Braegelman’s first internship was with a water protection office in Ulm. He learns about water treatment issues. His second internship was with an adhesive manufacturer. His last internship was with a medical device company.

“The greatest challenge was learning to understand people,” Braegelman said. He did speak some German before going into the country but admitted the dialect was a challenge, but his skills did improve after three months.

“You can’t replace the immersion experience for learning a language,” he said. “I think the program does offer people the chance to become transplants in Germany.

Bob Webb said the Sister Cities Commission is currently accepting applications for next year’s intern program. The application can be found on the city website. Applicants need to be at least 18 years old and have some German language skills. The application deadline is Jan. 15.