Editor’s Note: Kelsey Bardon is the Hans Joohs Exchange intern from Minnesota to Ulm, Germany. This is the second part of her first report from Ulm.

The Host Family Stays

I am scheduled to live with three different host families who are members of the Ulm Lions Club. Together with the Sister Cities International Organization of New Ulm, Minnesota, the Ulm Lions Club sponsored me to live and work for three months in Germany. It has so far been an amazing experience, and I feel so fortunate and blessed to have been given this opportunity.

My host family during the month of July was the Maslowski family, who lived in a small village called Aufheim, which was about 15 minutes from Ulm. There, I had my own bedroom on the upper level of their home and was even able to use the family’s extra Mercedes to drive back and forth to my internship! I also got to know my host brother and sister, Enes Fynn and Lara. Ennes Fynn is a very adorable small four-year-old boy who loves everything to do with cars. Everywhere we went he would comment on the cool car he saw and how many engines it had. Lara, a 19-year-old college student, was a great help for me, especially during my first week when I was settling in to my new life in Germany. It was very helpful because Lara would speak “Hoch Deutsch” (high German) and even English with me. The German in Ulm is a bit difficult for me to understand because most people speak in the Swabian dialect. They have a different accent for different words than the German that I am used to. which is “Hoch Deutsch.”

During my stay at the Maslowski household, they took me on a few day trips to nearby historical sights. One of those sights was the city of Blaubeuren, which is home to a picturesque tourist hot spot in the Swabian Alps. It is famous due to it being a beautiful bright blue colored spring that is the source of the “Blau River.” Due to its high water pressure, the spring developed a funnel like shape, which has a depth of 69 feet at its deepest point. This river eventually flows into the Danube River in Ulm.

We also took a day trip to a lake in the middle of nowhere where we were able to do some paddle boating and go canoeing. We got in these tiny little green paddleboats on this beautiful, clear lake where you could see the “Kloster Roggenburg” or “Roggenburg Monastery” in the distance. It was nice to just sit in nature and enjoy the beautiful weather with my host family and eat an ice cream cone.

In addition to the traditional German cuisine that exists in Germany, I also got to taste some ethnic Turkish food! My host mother, Enni, has a Turkish background, so upon my arrival, the family held their annual BBQ and picnic. It consisted of typical Dners and Drms, which are a typical Turkish sandwiches and wraps filled with slow cooked meat and vegetables. It is similar to a Greek Gyro.

One of the last family trips that we took was to the western German state/province of Rhineland-Palatinate, or in German, Rheinland-Pfalz. On our way, we stopped in Heidelberg, another famous German city known for its picturesque Romantic qualities, its historic “old town”, and the Heidelberg Castle. In Heidelberg we took a stroll through the old town, walked across the bridge, had a nice view of the castle, and of course, ate some ice cream. Our visit was cut short due to a massive storm passing through the area. We were lucky to make it back to our vehicle when we did because only a few minutes thereafter, it started to downpour and hail. We were only able to drive about 20 mph for a good 45 minutes due to the weather. I will say it was a bit scary because we didn’t know if it would get worse or better. After that ended, we made our way to the wine country of Germany and stayed at a “Gasthaus” near Speyer, one of Germany’s oldest cities. Here, we took a tour of the historic town with its gigantic cathedral, did some shopping, and relaxed in the local park.

(Next: The Internships)