The CSB/SJU Salzburg Group is Thriving!

CSB/SJU is among the very top German Studies Departments nationwide to send so many students abroad for entire semester. Some students stay on to complete an entire year in Salzburg. Many go on to become Teaching Assistants in Austria and Germany for a year or two after graduation as part of two different Fulbright programs. Thank you Professor Lisa Ohm and Stuart Golschen for your guidance of this remarkable group.

Hallo from Salzburg! Students on the Salzburg Program are absorbing German and culture at a fast pace. We just returned from a field trip to Vienna, where we absorbed the art, architecture, music, and cosmopolitan air of the nation’s capital. The impressive imperial buildings of Vienna remind visitors of the vibrant history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s capital situated in today’s (rather small) Austria. It’s great to have friends in Vienna: Robert Mewissen gave us a delightful tour, and Andreas Raab attended the concert with us. We visited the imperial rooms (20 of the 180!) in Schoenbrunn Palace and attended a concert in the Kursalon. Nearly everyone adventured up the lift + stairs to the top of the cupola in Karlskirche. The restoration of the paintings on the ceiling gives visitors (without a fear of heights) this opportunity to feel like Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel—or a bird! In Salzburg we attended a Mozart opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, which had not been produced often until recently because it deals with a harem in the Islamic world. It was presented by students from the Mozarteum, the name of the University of Salzburg’s world-famous music and theater department. At Kehlsteinkopf (Eagle’s Nest) in Bavaria we had the Baroque sensation of being pulled between the thrilling beauty of the surrounding Alps and the morbid underground bunkers in the Hitler complex. At Salzburg’s Open-Air Museum we saw typical rural homes from two of the five “counties” in Salzburg Land: Flachgau, & Tennengau, the oldest home dating from 1640. Houses from Pinzgau, Pongau, and Lungau were also represented. During a longer break at the end of the month students will be testing their new socio-cultural skills in trips further afield in Europe. Gute Reisen!

Oktoberfest at Brother Willis -- Songs, Dancing, Brats and Bretz'n

On October 16th, Maren Gotchnik and Phil Roye graced the festival with their authentic costumes.

Over 200 CSB/SJU students attended and learned new dances and sang German songs.

Unsre Schuplatterbuabn.

Our Fulbrighter Ralph Neumayer from Austria did the DJ honors.

Dear German Club students. You can be very proud of all the work you put into making this first Oktoberfest at CSB/SJU such a success.  Herzlichen Dank!

Internship in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Exchange

Dear Students:  This is what Jessica Raboin write of her experience in this program:

This is the program I did. It is an EXCELLENT program that is FREE minus spending cash ($300/month I needed). If you ever want me to talk to a class about this opportunity, or a specific student, please let me know. I would love too. I had a life-curving experience that continues to shape what I am and who I want to be today--it was truly a transformative year. I not only began learning the German language and culture from the moment I stepped on the plane to my orientation in D.C., but along the way I learned about dozens of other cultures, languages and customs, which has improved my communication and critical thinking skills. Plus, I had the best host family ever! I have nothing bad to say about the program. Anyway, just letting you know.     Jessica Raboin (current student at CSB/SJU

  The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX), a yearlong fellowship to study and intern in Germany, is currently accepting applications from your students. CBYX is open to applicants in all career fields without any prior German language knowledge, and is funded by the US and German governments through a grant provided by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. More information can be found at www.cbyx.info .

The CBYX program covers the costs of and annually provides 75 participants with:

   • 2 months intensive German language training in Cologne, Bremen, or Radolfzell

   • Semester of study at a German University or University of Applied Sciences

   • 5-month internship with a German company in the participant’s career field

   • Homestays with German host families, in shared apartments, and student dorms

   • Transatlantic airfare, health insurance, and monthly living expense stipends

   • Various seminars in the US and Germany

   • Local in-country support throughout the program

CBYX for Young Professionals is open to students in all fields of study, though preference is given to students in vocational, technical, engineering, agricultural, business, and scientific fields. Applicants should have clear career goals and some relevant work experience in their career field, which may include summer, part-time, or internship work. Prior German language knowledge is not required, though it is strongly preferred. Participants must be between the ages of 18-24, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and be US citizens or permanent residents.

Interested applicants can apply online at www.cbyx.info . The application deadline for the program is at the end of November .

  Sincerely,

Will Maier
Program Officer, CBYX for Young Professionals
CDS International
440 Park Avenue South, 2nd Fl
New York, NY 10016
wmaier@cdsintl.org

CSB/SJU Students Thriving in Salzburg

Dear Salzburgers!  The joy on your faces means you are taking good advantage of all  the opportunities Austria has to offer.  It will be wonderful to see you when you return to hear about all your adventures! We are proud of your taking advantage of this wonderful program.  Alles Gute!

Here is a note from our colleague Professor Lisa Ohm who is directing the group this year with her husband Stuart Goldschen: 

Dear Colleagues and Students at CSB/SJU!   The city of Salzburg is as beautiful as ever, and friendlier than ever despite the throngs of tourists. The 16 CSB/SJU students are settling in and beginning to feel like they belong here. They like the dorm rooms; only one student's roommate has arrived--from Japan, and speaking some German and no English! We visited the summer palace of Makus Sittikus and enjoyed the water fountains that spray without warning from numerous directions. Typical of Mannerism, said the guide: surprise and contrast. Classes started last Monday. Dr. Spechtler gave a lecture covering some basic background information on religious drama and the Oberammergau Passion Play in particular. When looking at the gospel sources for the play, he stressed that Westerners must read with the pictoral language of the Orient in mind and forget the Western penchant for facts. The weather has been beautiful: a bit of rain, but mostly good days for being outdoors. Students climbed the Gaisberg as a prelude to Untersberg. Sunday we visited the Stift Melk and saw the splendor of the Baroque and were impressed by the "fortress abbey" on the Danube. And this is only the beginning!...Oktoberfest begins this weekend in Muenchen, next weekend is Oberammergau...

Salzburg Gruppe 2010

Megan Boll
Brady Dietman
Jennifer Grier
Aimee Harren
Jeremy Hericks
Nicole Johnson
Kolby Kulas
Sean Lynch
Kevin Murphy
Daniel Parker
Christopher Pignato
Megan Priebe
Matthew Roggenbuck
Jacob Schumacher
Christopher Seiler
Katie Ulrich

German Club Makes Authentic Wienerschnizel!

Robert Mevissen Chosen for a Second Year as Fulbright Scholar and Teacher in Austria

John Jacobs Joins the German Department from a Semester in Freiburg

Dear Fellow Students and German Profs!

     I spent my spring term this past year in Freiburg, where I studied EU politics and traveled to seventeen different countries and visited the EU parliament, World trade organization, the EU Parliament, the United Nations and other political centers. During the term I earned 16 credits through IES (International Education of Students). After the semester was over in May I applied for twelve jobs and ended up working in the Kastaniengarten beer garden! Before attending University of San Diego for my freshman year, I went to school at Saint John's Prep and did my junior year at the Stiftsgymnasium in Melk, Austria. It's great to be back in campus! I look forward to working with the German Club and being part of the German Department!   

Liebe Grüsse,
John jacobs

German Grad Will Rogers Thriving in His Medical Sales Position in Germany

Dear Students and Friends of the CSB/SJU German Department,

I never knew what I was going to do with a German major, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made.  After college I packed up my car and moved to San Diego where I took the first job I could find, but I was continuously looking for a way to get back to Germany or Austria. I became a German major because of my family history and my love of travel. After the Salzburg program, I knew I had to go for the major. While in San Diego I connected with a friend whose company was looking for a German speaker. The interview went well, so I quit my job and shipped over to Germany immediately.

I have been living in Germany for over 4 years now. I work for a medical device manufacturer and supervise all of our business development in Central Europe. I spend a majority of my time working in Gemany and Austria, but have also spent time working in Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, England, Belgium, Poland, Malaysia, and Turkey.  I currently live in Frankfurt, Germany. I'm not throwing out the option of staying here permanently, but regardless I will always want a job that gives me access to travel in Europe.

All of my new friends have been Germans, which has really helped progress my language skills. My German is now better than I ever thought possible. If I would have some advice for students taking German who would like to live in the country after college, the first step is to just get over to Germany. Find an internship or an English teaching position. Once you hit the ground, you can start networking and find a more permanent position. If you want to go for your masters, regardless of your major, a majority of graduate programs in Germany are taught in English and are far less expensive than in the USA. So don't be nervous if your German isn't perfect. You're young, just go for it! Let me know if I can help you further!
 

All the best in your studies,
Will Rogers

Thanks from the heart ... We couldn't do it without you!

Dear Wonderful Colleagues,

Thank you Lonnie Johnson in Vienna for guiding our Fulbright TA Recipients each year; Dave Lyndgaard, Provost Rita Knuesel, and Dean Joe Desjardins for supporting our new German Studies curriculum and paving the way for Fulbright TA positions at CSB/SJU. Thank you John Taylor for your yearly work with foundations on our behalf; Mike Connolly and Jody Terhaar for finding excellent living quarters for our visiting Fulbright TA/Scholars; professors Greg Schroeder and Charles Bobertz for superb management of our Salzburg Program; Ernie Dietrich, Greg Schroeder and Joe Rogers for helping us create a vision for European and German Studies Abroad; Tom Kroll for your giving our students tours -- in German -- through the SJU wetlands; Stuart Goldschen for your superb photography and moral support; and Mary Niedenfuer for your countless daily contributions as coordinator of our department. We couldn't do it without you!

15 Minnesota High Schools Attend Minnesota DeutschFest at CSB/SJU

On May 14th three hundred Minnesota high school students arrived at Saint John's for a morning of upbeat competitions and an early afternoon awards ceremony in the abbey church to honor Minnesota high school teachers and students. It was an amazing joint venture between CSB/SJU and Minnesota high schools.  THANK YOU to everyone who attended and worked so hard for this year's event.  We have set a goal to double the attendance next year!