Celebrating Currents
Of course the word processor program wasn ’ t much more than a glorified typewriter , so I was still doing a lot of actual cutting and pasting ( I have skills !). But that was just the behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty . What mattered more , of course , was the content . Besides news about upcoming AWCH luncheons , classes , groups , events , and tours , the main focus of the newsletter was providing howto-live-in-Hamburg information for our Englishspeaking readers , never forgetting that they were trying to navigate life in a foreign city where they usually didn ’ t know the language , let alone the customs . There were many such articles — from how to get a residency permit to using public transportation or getting your kids into school . The German vocabulary to use . How to grocery shop and translate recipes . The list was endless .
Over time , many of these “ how-to ” articles were collected , xeroxed , and put into notebooks to be used at our “ Bloom Where You ’ re Planted ” orientations . That led to me then passing the newsletter job to Kathy MacFarlane , and myself , Joanna Wright , and Christine Bell tackling the researching , writing , proofreading , editing , and publishing of the book Hamburg in Your Pocket , an English-language guide to living in Hamburg . Which , I am so pleased to know , is still being periodically updated and re-published .
And so the tradition continues with Currents . When I look at your list of staff , I am reminded that back in the caterpillar days , we also had an amazing group of women who helped research , write articles , proofread , and manage copying and distribution , one in particular being your present member and my dear old friend Carol Battenfeld .
She was always there to help , including saving me from language errors — like the time I almost published a recipe for “ beef rolladen ” instead of “ beef rouladen !” And my nemeses , küssen and Kissen ! But that ’ s a story for another time …
Congratulations , again , on 30 years of Currents !!
“ Our AWCH newsletter was the glue that kept us connected . Panic was our initial reaction to learning Kathy was returning to the US . You cannot imagine the hours of happy dedication she spent in those ancient days … that typewriter was the most cantankerous item imaginable .”
— Carol Battenfeld
1977 – 78 : Christine Bell 1978 – 85 : Kathy Buster
1985 – 87 : Kathy McFarlane
1979 : The club purchases an electric typewriter for the editor .
1987 – 88 : Vera Alexander 1988 – 90 : Beatrice Schelcher
1990 – 91 : Constanze Joy , Becky Tan , & Holly Holst
Starting in 1979 , the newsletter adopts its new look with the Hamburg coat of arms from the sixteenth century . It contains information about the club , but also current events , where to see and do things around town , recipes , and " survival " information . Over the years , it expands from 12 to 32 pages .
1987
The newsletter is totally revamped In October 1987 with a smaller A5 format and is professionally printed and bound . The title is now Newsletter . The cover features photos and drawings , some by club artists . It is about 40 pages .
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