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Exchange to Herne and Cottbus, Germany
We eventually reached Herne and met our host families. One of our first time Ambassadors, Eve, and another Ambassador, Kaye, were invited to their hostess's brother's birthday party the first evening. Eve's father used to sing songs in German. Eve remembered some of these songs and was able to sing with the other party goers. She asked them to sing several songs she remembered as a young lady. She had been initiated into the wonderful experiences Friendship Force Ambassadors often encounter. Uli, who was the hosting exchange director and his committee put together a wonderful week for us. On Friday we were treated to a cruise on the Rhine. It was so interesting to cruise up river and see the castles and small villages that lined the river. We could also see the results of the spring flood. With the vineyards on the slopes near the river, we felt we had arrived in Germany. Following the cruise we went to the Cathedral in Koin. We had thirty-five minutes before our English speaking guide was scheduled to give us an informative tour. Several used the time to climb to the top - 509 steps. We made it up and back down in time for the tour. Our second day included a tour to Munster, which is the bicycle capital of Germany. We boarded the train and rode to Munster. There were bicycles everywhere. We learned some of the history of Munster. The Thirty Years War was fought in this area. We saw the cages where one of the town leaders and his wives were imprisoned and raised to near the top of the church and left to die. In the evening we were invited to the Backer home for a delicious meal of wild boar and white asparagus. I had heard so much about this food and was pleased to be able to have the opportunity to enjoy the meal Mrs. Backer had prepared for us. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with the Backer family that evening. Monday's activity included a trip into Bochum where we toured the Opel car plant. We saw the pieces of the body being joined together and moved down the assembly line. Robot carts whizzed by us with inventory pieces to be added to the cars. Most of our Ambassadors had never toured a car manufacturing plant or a plant which used robots so this was very interesting. Our guide gave us a tour and answered so many questions regarding the plant. We presented him with a Lincoln pin from our city. We felt it was only appropriate that an Opel car guide should have a pin saying Lincoln. I wonder how many questions and kidding he received from his coworkers about wearing the pin with a competitor's name. Our first week ended all to fast. On June 14 we bid our hosts aufwiedersehen with the hope that we will be able to see them again on an exchange or visit to the USA; we boarded a bus and headed for Cottbus. The check point area between what was East and West Germany was very interesting to see. It was so deserted that it reminded me of a scene from a suspense movie. We traveled onward to Cottbus. The landscape of the portion of the former East Germany was very different from what some of us expected. It was very flat. There seemed to be a lot of construction and remodeling work being done. Most building looked either very old or very new. We could see the changes that had occurred since the reunification of Germany. We arrived at Cottbus around 5 p.m. and were met by our host families. On June 15 we attended the National Garden Show of Germany. The flowers were lovely; we toured the outdoor areas first and enjoyed many different kinds of flowers. There was also an old petrified tree stump which we found very interesting. Another exhibit was to show how graves could be decorated with various stones, foliage and flowers. We then went into an indoor area where various florist had arrangements. They were very well done. We even had the opportunity to sample some fresh tomatoes and peppers while we strolled through the hall enjoying the flowers. The next morning we met with one of the mayor's assistants and presented a key to the City of Lincoln to him. We walked through the market area of Cottbus and then proceeded to a museum featuring the Sorb culture. The Sorbs moved to this area many centuries ago from what is now Romania They have maintained their culture and traditions through the centuries. Several days later one hostess helped one of the Ambassadors dress in a beautiful Sorb dress for a neighborhood party. They dresses are fastened with about 100 stick pins, and the Sorb ladies said it takes two hours to get ready. Our hostess told of the Sorb culture and parties where people dress up in these lovely gowns. On our way to the museum and then to Spreewald after the museum, we saw many storks nesting on poles or chimneys. At Spreewald we enjoyed the wonderful picnic lunches our hosts had provided and then went for a gondola-type ride complete with a man who navigated through the waterways with his long pole. We passed through several locks during the afternoon leisurely boat ride. It was so restful at Spreewald-trees and river, with a few cattle grazing nearby, and a beautiful wedding reception at one of the lodges near the river. On Saturday June 17 we started out by going to visit the church at Neuzella. The church on the outside looked in need of repair. However, when we entered we found a beautiful church with marble pillars and statues, and lovely paintings. How suprised we were at the beauty of this church. Neuzelia was a small place and we had not expected to find such a large and beautiful church. There was a bakery and a brewery on the church grounds. The bread was very heavy but delicious. We came without knives, but pinched off bits and pieces until we consumed several loaves. Several also tried the famous dark beer that was brewed there. Sunday started with a bike ride to a beautiful lake several miles from Grabko. After the ride we were treated to a wonderful dinner of stag, red kraut and dumplings. We went to the next village of Barenklau to watch the demonstration of a new fire pumping truck. The mayor of Grabko, Erwin (another host), and Frank all serve as volunteer firemen in this area. They had every right to be proud of their equipment. Barenklau was celebrating its 700 anniversary. We then drove to the farewell party for our exchange. More food, drinks, singing and dancing made for a lively afternoon. Three of our Ambassadors Bob, Joann and Janice sang / led us in singing some of our American songs. The Germans loved them and sang some of their favorite songs. They wanted to learn to square dance so we even tried to teach them. Our final day in the Cottbus area was designed to spend with our host families. The Ambassadors did a number of different things from going to Dresden to see china being hand painted to enjoying a quiet picnic spot along a canal. On June 21 our exchange was over. We all felt it had been wonderful. We had seen some many different things and learned so much about the German people and their culture. We want to thank the Herne and Cottbus Friendship Force Clubs for all the work put into the exchange and the host families for being so warm and treating us so well. I personally want to thank the 25 Ambassadors who accompanied me on the exchange. Everyone made friends, absorbed the German culture, and was very punctual and interested in the sights we were shown. Special thanks to Ambassador Hedy, who translated so many times for us. |
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n June 7, 1995 twenty Ambassadors left Lincoln, Nebraska and flew to Chicago. We met six additional Ambassadors in Chicago and preceded to our departure gate. When we arrived at the departure gate, we found we were blocked from the area. A brand new United 777 plane set on the other side of the boarding area and United was showing off this new plane to their VIP'S. We were thrilled to be among the first to fly to Frankfurt on the new 777. Eventually the gate area was opened and we were all treated to cake, soft drinks and music to commemorate this plane. We danced with each other, the airline people and had a wonderful bon voyage party. As the departure time drew near we boarded the 777. About the time we were ready to take off, a bad rainstorm hit the Chicago area and our departure was delayed. We did have the opportunity during the delay to see the cockpit of the new plane. 
