American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine January 2014 | Page 21

MEMBERSHIP
Speech by Karen M.
Dear Members,
I am this year’s secretary, 27 years old, and have been a member of the AWCH for exactly a year now.
Though I am German (that is, a dual citizen, but in this club I guess I can refer to myself as German
among true blooded Americans) I am not home in Hamburg. I do live far away from my family, which
is spread all over the world, and my mom lives about five hours away in Bavaria. As I am from the very
south of Germany, please do not underestimate the cultural shock I experienced here up north with the
Fischköpp, rather distanced and reserved, so different to the hot blooded Franconian fellows and gals I
know from home.
Unlike most of you, I am not married, I don’t have family here and friends are difficult to find if you
work full time and are trying to make your best at your career. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hamburg,
and everything I am experiencing here.
Every now and then though, I need the comforting words of my sisters, a friend or my mother, in which
moments of talking on the phone just won’t do.
I feel blessed to have found the AWCH which welcomed me with open arms, so far away from home
with so many great, interesting and inspiring women who so often just give me the advice and supporting
and comforting words, only a sister, a friend or a mother can give.
Speech by Ann G.
The odd thing about my standing up here is this: I am not really a club person. Understatement of the
year: no, I have NO knack for organising, inviting, coordinating, soothing , or smoothing. I am the
epitome of the anti-clubber.
Yet here I am a member of this club for over 20 years. Why on earth?
Because…it’s comforting and supporting to me. Well, let me do a food analogy.
It’s November today, and when it gets dark and wet outside a lot of us think back to summer days.
So say it’s the end of a stifling hot July day. In my mind’s eye I’m tasting those New York State white hots
straight off the lakeside grill, served with everything on them. Or maybe a creamy white round bowl of
New England clam chowder eaten all hunched up on a park bench. A home-brewed root beer with real
sassafras or maybe a root beer float are pretty good too. It’s nice to be in a club where so many members
understand how these thoughts pop up now and again, maybe even define us culturally. To me, the
AWC is allspice cookies and blueberry pie.
And the events---the meetings in other groups I am in, are like wholesome oatmeal cookies. The events
of the AWC are like angel cake with glitter. Everyone needs a little glitter.
The AWC is comforting, and it’s stimulating.
It is great to meet so many different people, and with no ulterior motives, just curiosity and empathy.
And generosity.
Because…it’s varied.
… every time the world changes our membership changes too.
In this club I have met people who, like me, remember when Hamburg had no enclosed Einkaufszentren,
just markets and shabby ugly open malls, and remember the old Mensa with the Spartakus leaflets on
the table.
I have met musicians who performed in the first musicals, and classical musicians who came over when
the going was good over here.
Currents January 2014

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