We wholeheartedly thank Mrs. Verla Jean (Dobbrunz) Anderson, M.A. 1966, who sent us these beautiful pictures with congratulations for the 60th anniversary – she hopes they may bring back memories to other former ‘Mainzer’ and ‘Mainzerinnen’ who shared her experience or went to Mainz in another year: 

Die (alte) Mensa in Betrieb!

Herr Stief, der Bibliothekar

Das Deutsche Institut

Das Volkskundezimmer

When I got into American Studies at JGu Mainz in 1991, I had decided to leave my biological laboratory, but certainly didn’t think I’d go abroad. I have to thank Petra Wacker M.A., Dr. Küster, and Prof. Herget for their inspirational teaching and for making me understand that I could and should apply and go to Middlebury – I did.

And therefore, I appeared amongst Middlebury’s ‘New Faculty Faces’ in the directory of 1994:

Spending the year of 1994/1995 at Middlebury was a life-changing – Prof. Brett Millier, Prof. John McWilliams, and Prof. Graf were the major influences propelling me forward academically and personally. If I hadn’t become the TA in 1994, I’m certain that I wouldn’t have become the Director of the Middlebury School in Germany in 2000. I wanted that job because I wanted ‘my’ students to get what I had at Middlebury: the best year abroad you could wish for. Obviously, I do have to thank both institutions for helping me get where I am right now. That’s why the Mainz-Middlebury relationship is special for me in more than one way.

I had the experience of a lifetime studying abroad in Germany during my junior year at Midd. Because of the excellent instruction I received as part of my German major, I was                  able to enroll in courses alongside native German university students for the Wintersemester in 2011. I took a challenging botany course, a history course called “Intellectuals in West Germany,” and a cultural immersion course taught by Dr. Fahrenberg that helped to lessen some of the Kulturschock I experienced living in a new country.

I enjoyed my time in Mainz so much, I decided to take a semester off so I could pursue internships in Germany in the spring. I did a nursing internship in Berlin at the Charité and medical research internship in Heidelberg through DAAD. These internships helped to cement my desire to apply to medical school and become a physician. As I look back at my experience studying abroad in Germany eight years later, I can wholeheartedly recommend the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad to all Middlebury students!

I spent a wonderful and life-changing semester at Johannes-Gutenberg University in Mainz with the Middlebury in Mainz program in Fall 1998. When I now send my own students off for an abroad-study program, I can only hope their experience is half as positive as mine was. Though I didn’t know it then, my time in Mainz turned out to be the essential jumping-off point for my current career as a German professor. I still remember most of the courses I took at the Philosophicum (in theater studies, German literature, dance, and cultural studies) as if they were yesterday. So many vivid experiences, lovely friendships, great teachers, and enchanting excursions! I still consider the Mainzer Neustadt and Valencia-Haus my home in Germany.

I attended Middlebury in 2008-2009 to earn my MA in German to return to the United States Military Academy at West Point to be an Instructor of German.  As a part of the program, I spent two semesters at the Johannes Gutenberg University with the Middlebury School in Mainz, Germany, where I studied history, literature and German language pedagogy alongside my German peers.  My time in Germany was absolutely unforgettable!  It reminded me that in order to learn a language, you must also learn the culture, and that is all the more important if you plan on teaching a second language as a non-native speaker.  The Middlebury School in Mainz reignited my love for Germany, the culture, and of course the people.  My experience also gave me the confidence to teach, something I had wanted to do since high school.  Now, with my Middlebury degree as part of my portfolio, I am preparing to return to graduate school to earn a PhD in German to go back to West Point as an academy professor.  Studying at Middlebury, specifically in Mainz, has been invaluable to me and to my Army career!  

Honestly, in 2006 I was looking forward to finishing university and finally being done with studying – for good. Then Middlebury happened. During my year as the German TA at Middlebury, the Bilingual Assistant at the German School and working with the Middlebury School in Germany in Mainz and Berlin, I learned how much fun learning and teaching can be. I loved the energy, curiosity and dedication to learning so present in the Middlebury community. Today, I cannot imagine a life without learning. Thank you Middlebury – it’s great to be part of the community.

At the Weimar Excursion (4th from the left)

These days I live and work in Austin, TX for St. Edward’s University, a small private liberal arts university associated with the Congregation of Holy Cross (we are sister schools with University of Notre Dame). I serve as the Director of International Admission and get to work with students from around the world. I credit my experience at Middlebury (and particularly in Mainz) to the work that I do today. 

After graduating from Middlebury, I lived in Washington DC for a couple years before moving to Israel to learn Hebrew and pursue a Masters degree in History from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. On my return to the US I spent some time living and working in North Carolina at Duke before ultimately coming to Austin. Can’t believe it’s been so long!!

My experience living in Mainz for the year had a profound impact on my life and set me on a path of extended international travel and professional opportunities. Thank you for everything, Heike!

Before beginning as Program Assistant for Special Projects at the Middlebury School in Mainz from 2015-2016, I had no idea how the School would impact my career and personal life. The School is incredibly unique in the level of immersion it offers its students – and employees. I think I had just as much fun as the students in discovering the most fun parts of life in Mainz, including Marktfrühstück, Fassenacht, and more. I also was able to intern with the International Office at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, and gained valuable experience and perspective there. Though I was technically staff and coming into the experience with prior knowledge of intercultural communication, I can say with confidence that my own ability to interact with a culture I considered myself familiar with, and to extend that to future interactions in other cultures later in my life, grew exponentially during my time in Mainz even as I was helping to facilitate this growth in the students. This, in addition to my wildly increased proficiency in German, have been crucial in my career as an international educator and continuing to foster this growth in the students I now work with. The School in Germany is an incredible program and one that forever alters those who experience it – in the best possible way.

Heitere und ernste Erinnerungen an meine Lehrtätigkeit am Middlebury College

Die Pädagogik der German School in Middlebury lehrt die Studierenden von Anfang an, Deutsch zu sprechen. Das führt zu erstaunlichen Resultaten, zu Beginn allerdings gelegentlich auch zu etwas komischen Folgen.- Als ich zum ersten Mal die German School betrat, kam nach den Begrüßungsworten ein Student auf mich zu und sagte: “Ich bin schön”. Ich war etwas irritiert. Sollte ich antworten, das sei mir leider noch nicht aufgefallen? Der Student begann jedoch noch einmal: “Ich bin schön drei Tage hier.” Jetzt wußte ich, was er meinte und ein kurzes Gespräch begann. Nach dem Abendessen kommt eine Studentin in Begleitung von zwei Studenten, die sich aber vornehm zurückhielten, zu mir und sagt: “Djusing, es ist ein Film, gehst Du mit?”  Nachdem wir geklärt hatten, dass mein Name “Düsing” ist und der Vorname nicht “Woffgäng”, sondern Wolfgang, begann unser erstes deutsch-amerikanisches Gespräch, versüßt durch “Root Beer”, das süßeste Getränk, das ich je getrunken habe.

   Am nächsten Tag traf sich alles wieder beim Mittagessen. Es war heiß, ein Gewitter drohte. Der Student neben mir blickte nach draußen, seufzte und sagte: “Ich bin schwül”. Alle nickten zustimmend. Ich versuchte, vorsichtig zu verbessern, ohne Erfolg. Der Student erklärte jetzt: “Ich bin schwul”. Das Gelächter war groß, als er merkte, was er damit gesagt hatte. Alles das ist für mich schon lange her und doch noch so lebendig, als wäre es gestern ge-schehen. Bei aller Nähe zur Literatur und zum Sport wurde das Hauptziel, das Erlernen der deutschen Sprache nicht vergessen, selbst bei einem Fußballspiel nicht. Wir lagen zurück, wollten aber auf keinen Fall verlieren. Eine Studentin erkämpft sich den Ball, läuft auf das gegnerische Tor zu und ruft: “Heißt es: ‘Schieß den Tor oder schieß die Tor’?” Wir riefen im Chor: “Schieß das Tor!”, was ihr dann auch gelang.

   Wenn ich an Middlebury denke, denke ich auch an die damaligen, engen Kontakte zur Musik. Ein Gitarrist spielte abends im kleinen Kreis. Prompt beschwerte sich eine andere Schule. Englische Songs seien gesungen worden und ein Lied in einer fremden Sprache. Prof. J. Richter, unser Direktor,  konnte die Beschwerde entkräften. Die Songs könne man nicht verbieten, sie würden mittlerweile auch in  Deutschland gesungen und die Verse: “Dat Du min Leevsten büst, dat Du wol weist” usw. sind “Plattdütsch”, Niederdeutsch. Diesen altehrwürdigen Dialekt konnte man so nebenbei mit J. Richters Hilfe lernen. Für “Kölsch” war ich zuständig.

   Zu meinen schönsten Erinnerungen zählt es, dass ein angehender Opernsänger bat, eine Arie vortragen zu dürfen. Ich ließ alle Referate, die zu korrigieren waren, liegen und hörte eine opernreife Arie. – Als ich mich später einmal mit einem anderen Sänger über deutsche Literatur unterhielt und der Name “Goethe” fiel, erstarrte der Student plötzlich und fragte: “Was muß ich singen: ‘Ich fühl es, wie dies Götterbild/Mein Herz mit neuer Regung füllt.’ Oder: “Ich fühl es, wie dies Götterbild / Mein Herz mit neuer Regung füllt.”? Ich sagte ihm: “wenn Du von einem ‘Goethebild’ schmachtend singst, wird das Publikum anfangen zu lachen. Tamino entdeckt seine große Liebe. Mozart hat diesen Gefühlssturm in einer leidenschaftlichen Liebesarie gestaltet. Wenn Dir die Arie gelingt, liegt Dir das Publikum, zumindest sein weiblicher Teil, zu Füßen.” Später sagte er mir, es sei alles gut gegangen.

   Bei all dem sollte nicht vergessen werden, dass die “Deutsche Schule” des “Middlebury College” nicht bescheiden im Verborgenen blüht, sondern bereits aufmerksame Reaktionen in der deutschen Gegenwartliteratur gefunden hat.  Herr J. Richter erzählte mir, dass Martin Walser am “Middlebury College” tätig war. Beim Abschlussfest der Deutschen Schule tanzte er mit Temperament und Hingabe, bis ein unglücklicher Sturz alles beendete. Dieser Sturz taucht in Walser Goethe-Roman “Ein liebender Mann” wieder auf. Jetzt ist es jedoch Goethe, nicht Walser der stürzt, wodurch der Middlebury-Sturz zu einem Ereignis von geradezu klassischer Bedeutung wird.

   Dann hat der Schweizer Schriftsteller Peter Bichsel sein Seminar in Middlebury als Einführung in das Romanschreiben gestaltet. Er stellte seinen Studenten folgende Aufgabe: Eine unbekannte, zwielichtige Figur hat sich Zugang zum College verschafft. Der große Unbekannte kann allen schaden, wenn er nicht rechtzeitig entlarvt wird. Die Referate der Studenten sind Teile eines groß angelegten Kriminalromans, den alle gemeinsam schreiben. In einer langen, mehrstündigen Sitzung las P. Bichsel diesen Middlebury-Krimi vor. Studenten kamen und gingen. Ich blieb als Einziger von Anfang bis Ende, weil die Grundidee dieses Krimis genial ist. Als Dank für meine Ausdauer schenkte mir P. Bichsel das Roman-Manuskript. Ich überlasse es gerne dem Middlebury-College, wenn es ein Archiv für Raritäten dieser Art gibt.

   Das dritte und wohl bedeutendste Werk dieser mit Middlebury verbundenen Romane ist der Doppelroman von Klaus Modick: “Die Schatten der Ideen”. Frankfurt a.M. 2008. Die Verbindung zweier Kriminalgeschichten, von denen eine mit dem College zusammenhängt, zieht den Leser unwiderstehlich in ihren Bann. Das Zentrum bildet eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen Autor und Studentin, die einiges Aufsehen erregte.

Von den Studenten wird viel verlangt, aber sie schaffen es, jeder auf seine Weise. Ich schließe mit dem Kommentar eines Studenten, der alle Mühen auf sich nahm, weil er in der klassischen Philologie promovieren wollte und dazu die zahlreiche deutsche wissenschaftliche Literatur bewältigen mußte.  Als ich teilnahmsvoll meinte, Altgriechisch sei wirklich sehr schwer, ich dachte an meine Schulzeit, da lachte er und meinte: “Das sagen Sie, Sie können doch Deutsch!” 

We’d like to thank Angelina Kölzer, who was the German TA in Middlebury in 2009. She shared pictures of the small replica of the Berlin wall built by the German Department as part of the German Embassy’s Campaign for ‘Freedom without Walls’ …..

. . . and a beautiful image of the preparations for ‘Kaffeestunde’ im Deutschen Haus . . .

. . . and a likewise beautiful picture of Ostern im Deutschen Haus (don’t miss the Easter Eggs!):

Thank you so much, Angelina!

Regretfully I will be unable to attend the celebratory dinner in Mainz in May.  I wanted to share a story and some photos representative of the Graduate program I attended in Mainz from 1978-1979.  At the end of our year of studying, we decided to go out with a celebration to remember.  Two of the West Point graduates came up with the idea of holding a party at a castle ruin along the Rhein.  We scouted the various options and obtained permission from the owner to be able to use the facility and camp out there overnight. 

Attached are the invitation,

a response from four of us,

and a photo of the castle ruin. 

The event was attended by 15-20 folks, a mixture of Middlebury graduate (and some undergraduate) students, our German friends, and Professor Ortheil from the University.  We played volleyball, had an egg toss and a beer chugging contest, among other things.  We then had a scrumptious dinner together amongst friends.  A fitting end to a wonderful year of study and friendship. 

The last photo is a personal favorite of the group I hung out with the most taken around Thanksgiving. 

Have a wonderful celebration!

Kris Connors Pond

We want to thank Debbie Hubbard, who sends us this picture and a wonderful story of how her decision to go for a Middlebury MA in German via Summer School and a year in Mainz have affected her life — view the excerpt here but make sure to click on the link to the full story below!

My Middlebury Experience

A Cautionary Tale

Deborah Marble Hubbard

. . .  The two semesters went by in a flash, and I succeeded with tests and term papers; nothing stood in the way of my MA degree. Meanwhile, there was a German boyfriend and an opportunity to teach English as a foreign language at an evening school downtown. If I were to stay. What would be the harm in letting things take their course?
Forty-seven years later, I live with my English husband, one dog and three cats, in a small
village in the Taunus Hills, about forty kilometers north of Mainz. It’s the place I have now called home for twenty-seven years. Our three grown children and two grandchildren live nearby.

My Middlebury experience is, no doubt, too out of date to be of any practical relevance to
students in 2019. But it may serve as a cautionary tale of the dangers that abound. As the
maps in days of yore warned, in those unchartered waters, “There be dragons”. When you
venture forth into new horizons, the unexpected might accost you, enchant you, and you just might never return home. But even if you do, you will not be the same person as the one who boarded that plane.   . . .

In 2012 I published The Peace Bridge, by D C Hubbard, in which I used my experiences
studying with Middlebury in Mainz as a setting for a novel about an American Jewish girl in search of the truth about her German family’s past. In the last few years I have published several short stories in German in a variety of anthologies. www.dchubbard-writes.com

Click here for the full Story

Here are some memories from my year in Mainz- Laurel Johnson Hillier, 1970 MA. 

Fifty years ago in the fall of 1969 my fellow classmates and I arrived in Mainz. Our program director was the the very able and witty Thomas Huber and our professors were the grand old men of Germanistik.  Paul Requadt lectured on Goethe and Friedrich Wilhelm Wentzlaff-Eggebert taught the course on Baroque literature. In the summer at Middlebury we had studied under Gerard Scheilin and Heinz Hillmann with Marcel Reich-Ranicki as a visiting scholar!

The German students at the university were friendly and many commuted from surrounding towns. We all hung out at the Schwemme between classes. Luckily for us most of the students from Rheinland-Pfalz had studied French and knew very little English.  

Marie Hitzelberger and I rented two small rooms in Bretzenheim with no hot water, refrigerator or shower and the toilet in the courtyard. But we loved that little space and even hosted a pre-Faschingsball cocktail party.  We became friends with the young couple who ran our neighborhood butcher shop and went to the Polterabend when our landlady’s daughter got married. 

Mainz was the perfect university town, friendly and easy to navigate. Every Saturday morning there was an outdoor market next to the Dom. The Altstadt had cozy shops and Konditorei and Weinstuben like Hottum.  

Thank you to the Middlebury School in Mainz for many happy memories. 

I (on the left) was abroad as a teaching assistant for German at Middlebury during the academic year 2015/16. For me, Middlebury was a dynamic, challenging, exciting inspiring, motivating and unique opportunity and meant being part of a vibrant academic community of a residential American liberal arts college, an energetic environment which goes beyond German WG-culture.  

A vital part of my experience in this environment was, of course, the diverse student body from all over the world. Humorously writing about his frustrations with German, Mark Twain famously argues in “The Awful German language” that it would take a gifted person thirty years to master the language. The students I met at Middlebury, however, seemed eager to prove Mark Twain wrong. Thanks to the German Department’s passionate commitment to teaching, I met students who, after only one or two semesters, could easily hold a conversation in German: during class or throughout the various activities the Department offered such as Kaffeestunde, the German movie night and language tables or as residents of the German house.

The other crucial part of this academic environment was the extensive curriculum Middlebury offered. I will, for example, never forget a class called “In the American Grain” class with Prof. Millier, who first introduced me to the delights of reading Faulkner or Morrison, an advanced writing course with Prof. Shapiro, who provided detailed feedback on my papers and helped to sharpen my critical thinking capacities, the aikido dances we performed in Prof. Miller-Lane’s class to embody the metaphoric perspective on “argument as a dance,” or the unique opportunity of listening to a talk by Martha Nussbaum given on campus, a philosopher I very much admire and about whose I had previously written an essay in Mainz.  

When I first came to Middlebury (where I was to become the 1986/87 TA), I didn’t even know where the college was – pre-Google Maps, I had booked a flight to Burlington, Vermont, and, due to a minor miscommunication, there was no one from the German department to pick me up. A friendly Vermont lady must have realized how lost I was and immediately volunteered to give me a lift – some 50 kilometers, as I only understood later. That was my introduction to the place and to a wonderful year that changed my life. I found several life-time friends there and still visit Vermont fairly regularly. I eventually moved to Berlin, finished my studies of North American literature there and subsequently became an acquisitions editor for a publisher of architectural books. Today I still live with my husband and four children in Berlin. 

Out of the many life-changing experiences I had and memories made during my year at Middlebury College it is hard to pick the most important, so I decided to write what came to my mind first when thinking about Midd.

Apart from my academic studies and the excellent opportunities to advance them, staying in a surrounding of similar but still very different cultural expression made me realize soon, how I felt about my home country Germany, its limitations as well as its opportunities.

What set out as a kind of escape from Germany, for me soon became the beginning of a love affair with the German language and, even more importantly, with teaching – a love that was increased by having Prof. Graf as a mentor. An amazing 25 years later, I still am in love with teaching and have understood it to be one of my core talents in life. 

I don’t visit Vermont all that often these days, but I still feel a strong connection to Middlebury College and have many friends from that time I remain in close touch with. Middlebury, my time there, and the people I met took me many steps closer to becoming my authentic self – professionally as well as personally.  And for that I will always be incredibly grateful.  

After my year at Middlebury I returned to Mainz and nowadays live in Mainz-Kastel, just across the Rhine from the venue for the 60^th anniversary dinner.