Bridget Grathwohl of New Ulm (left) and Evelyn Zettelmeier of Ulm, Germany (right) attend the Sister Cities welcoming reception at the Kegel Klub. Grathwohl and Zettelmeier are both participates in the Siter Cities Hans Joohs intern exchange program. Grathwohl recently return from visiting Ulm, Germany and Zettelmeier recently started her internship in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — The Sister Cities Commission held a special welcoming reception for the two Han Joohs Exchange Interns Tuesday at the Kegel Klub.

The reception was a chance to welcome incoming exchange intern Evelyn Zettelmeier and welcome home for Bridget Grathwohl, who recently returned to New Ulm after three months in Germany.

The two women shared their experiences with the Sister Cities Exchange program. Grathwohl arrived back in the United States on Monday after spending 12 weeks in Ulm, Germany, where she served as an intern for three different businesses. For the first month she worked in the legal department of a tech company; the second month a media company and the third month she worked for the City of Ulm in the legal department.

Zettelmeier arrived in New Ulm on July 21. She is from Ulm, Germany and has a bachelor’s degree in Public Management. During her stay in New Ulm, she will be working as part of the City’s Hall Economic Development Department and New Ulm Real Estate.

Both women applied to the Sister Cities program for an opportunity to study abroad. Grathwohl said for her it was a second chance. In college, Grathwohl intended to study abroad for a semester, but the COVID pandemic made travel impossible. The Sister Cities exchange program gave her another chance.

Zettelmeier said applied for the exchange program because she liked the idea of interning abroad in the United States.

This is her first visit to the United States. Before her internship began, Zettelmeier and her family visited the west coast on vacation. She has already visited parts of California and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Along with her host family, she has visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

Zettelmeier said that so far, her favorite part of New Ulm is the people.

“Everyone is very friendly and welcoming,” she said.

Spending time in a foreign country can be a culture shock. Both women said they were most surprised by size differences in infrastructure. Grathwohl was surprised at how narrow roadways were in Germany. Zettelmeier was surprised at how wide the roads were in America.

While visiting Germany, Grathwohl served as a representative of New Ulm. She said most of the questions she received were political questions about the United States. As she was a political science major, she was able to answer most questions.

Grathwohl said she received a lot of questions about firearms. Gun ownership is more restricted in Germany.

Zettelmeier in coming to the United States was aware firearms were more prevalent in the United States and saw first-hand many Americans owning and displaying firearms. Zettelmeier said, she is still thinking about whether she will fire a gun as part of her American experience.

Grathwohl said she learned a lot about Ulm, Germany, a community she had heard a lot about from her time in New Ulm.

“The best highlight was seeing the place you only read about in textbooks,” she said. It was one thing to read about the Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate, but it was great to see the places with her own eyes instead of through a screen.

Zettelmeier hopes to explore more of the state during her stay. She is excited to visit Mankato and the Twin Cities area and possibly see Canada.

Zettelmeier’s internship runs through Oct. 21. She will remain in New Ulm through Oktoberfest and said she remember to pack her dirndl. Grathwohl will be returning to school in the fall but promises to return to New Ulm for the Oktoberfest celebration. Both women will participate in the city’s Oktoberfest parade.