As I sit in the airport in Frankfurt, waiting to board my flight home from Germany, I reflect on the past three months in Ulm with an appreciation for how special the Hans Joohs Exchange is. Thinking about the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had in Ulm reinforces for me how important it is that New Ulm and Ulm share this friendship. Thank you, Sister Cities Commission, for facilitating this program, which sends young people from New Ulm across the Atlantic to live and work in Ulm, Germany for 12 weeks.

The title of this article In Ulm, um Ulm, und um Ulm herum means “in Ulm, around Ulm and all around Ulm.” Ulmers smile as they use this tongue-twisting phrase, which captures the attractive pride with which Ulmers informally outline the borders of their region. The phrase also describes what this article will highlight: my reflections on the people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had in the vibrant city of Ulm.

People in Ulm welcomed me with open arms and an eagerness to show me their city. Early in my time in Ulm, I met Hannelore Schüngel, who for years led tours of Ulm for guests of New Ulm, including Mayor Ted Fritsche. Weeks later, she invited me to a garden party at her house, an expression of the warmth she feels for the friendship that the cities share.

Members of Ulm’s Rotary Club gave me tours of their businesses, invited me to meals, and hosted me at events around their city. Every one of those experiences was enhanced by their eager and warm hospitality. The time I spent with these kind people made this exchange particularly special.

One Rotary Club member, Norbert Bald, took me to an event in Wilhelmsburg, a fortress built at the top of a hill in Ulm. Ulm uses this former stronghold as a location for outdoor musicals and festivals. With him and his family, I attended the musical Saturday Night Fever, performed by the theater of Ulm. Later in the summer I took a tour through the fortress, learning that after World War 2, the fortress was used to house many Ulmers who had lost their homes to the many bombs that fell on the city. In my last weeks, the Stürmt die Burg (“Storm the fortress!”) festival was held there. Ulmers “storm the fortress” by enjoying music performed by bands from around the country, socializing with friends, and visiting the food and drink stands set up for the event. The warm glow of stringed lights, the chatter of friends, and music from the bands creates an idyllic summer evening.

The Münster, the tallest church in the world, dominates Ulm’s skyline and is at the heart of many events in Ulm. In June, thousands of brass instrumentalists gathered on the square outside the Münster to perform together for the Landesposaunentag (State Brass Festival). In July, I attended a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic on the same site. At the end of July, a Rotarian stone mason who works for the Münster, Dietmar Rudolf, gave me a tour of the Münster, taking me to the rooftop and into the towers of the Münster.

Early in my time in Ulm, the current president of the Rotary Club, Ernst Rapp, invited me to an evening meal at home with his family. Later in the summer I attended the end of the school year party of his grandchildren. Thinking of the time spent with him and his family brings back warm memories of conversations we had. He and his wife also invited me to a nearby festival in Bermaringen, which celebrated the eight centuries of the village’s existence. Here we saw a parade in which the local clubs and bands displayed their local history and talents.

Annika Fischer, who went to New Ulm last year through the Hans Joohs Exchange, invited me to visit Schwenk Cement, where she works. She and her boss gave me a tour of the office building in Ulm, a farm that the company owns, and of the cement plant outside the city. Annika and I put on our hard hats and walked through the production site, even seeing the view of the plant from the top of a silo on the grounds.

These gracious invitations to experience Ulm with locals are just a few examples of hospitality I enjoyed so much during my brief stay in Ulm.

The Rotary Club of Ulm invited me to present on New Ulm. It was an honor to present my hometown to them, explaining its German roots, its interesting history, and thriving businesses and festivals that make New Ulm so vibrant today. I tried to give the Rotary Club of Ulm a sense of in New Ulm, um New Ulm, und um New Ulm herum.

For almost 40 years, the Hans Joohs Exchange has fostered this trans-Atlantic friendship between namesake cities. Thank you, New Ulm, for supporting this program and for the opportunity for young New Ulmers to experience our sister-city, Ulm!