ALLENE P .
Member since 1977
How did you originally come to Hamburg ? I first came to Germany ( by ship !) knowing no German as a high school exchange student in Celle . I had such a good time that I majored in German in college and returned for a year in Göttingen . After a one-year teaching certificate and master ’ s program at Stanford in 1969-70 , I brought a high school group over and ended up getting a job with the American Field Service ( AFS ) in Hamburg . I continued to work from home after marrying a German and quickly having two daughters .
Allene P ., ca . 1995-6
How did you find out about AWCH ? I knew of AWCH through AFS but imagined it to be a kind of ghetto of old ladies who couldn ’ t speak German with mink coats and diamonds who lunched together wearing gloves and hats . Then Becky T . stopped by the AFS office . She was lively and interesting and funny . I thought maybe I should give the club a try .
What was AWCH like back then ? It was indeed a lunch club , tough for mothers of small kids . Luckily , I met Thelma F ., who lived out in my direction , and we started a playgroup . At that time , members found out about members living nearby through the newsletter . Becky lived fairly close by , too . I dropped my one-year-old off with her while I took birthing classes .
Did you have a favorite event ? I remember fun Valentine ’ s Day and Halloween parties . These tended to be organized by Americans married to Americans .
How else have you been involved in the club ? I moved away for 10 years , went through a divorce , remarried , and worked teaching English to adults at the Volkshochschule and at big Hamburg companies , which didn ’ t leave much time for the club . From the later ’ 90s until the internet caught on , I offered cancer support to members as a cancer survivor . My number was listed in Currents as a kind of hotline for many years .
How has the club changed over the years ? So many more members are working , and women do not only come to or stay in Hamburg as wives .
What has meant the most to you about the club ? I have been really happy for the connection to Americans with German or other non-American partners like Becky , Thelma , Carol B ., and Tracy M .
THELMA F .
Member since 1978
How and when did you come to Hamburg ? Having had inspiring French teachers in high school , I trained as a bilingual secretary and worked for two years at the Belgian Consulate in New York . Then I went to college , majoring in French , and spent my last semester in Normandy . The Peace Corps sent me to the Côte d ‘ Ivoire in West Africa as a ... secretary . A German I had met in Normandy visited me . We were engaged , and I came to Germany 50 years ago this April of 1971 . After stints in other cities , his work brought us to Hamburg in 1978 . I ’ ve been divorced now for over 20 years , but Hamburg was a wonderful place to get stuck . I grew up near the Hudson River and love living between the Alster and the Elbe .
Thelma F . ( R ) at WIR , Hamburg Internation Festival
26 AWCH News & Events