March: The Month of Conferences

After saying goodbye to my Gettysburg friends, I only had a few days to prepare for my own personal March Madness--a conference in Belgium followed quickly by a conference in Berlin. A busy, but exciting month!

The first of the two conferences was held in Belgium and Luxembourg and was focused on the EU and NATO. American Fulbrighters from various European countries were selected to attend. Lucky for me, my Fulbright twin Halley and our Marburg friend Katie were also selected for the conference so it was also a mini-reunion for us.

(reunited with Halley and Katie at last!)

The conference started in Luxembourg with a reception at the U.S. embassy in Luxembourg. If I ever get really rich, remind me to donate a lot of money to a presidential campaign so I can become ambassador--it seems like a pretty decent job! The house in Luxembourg was gorgeous and we mingled with Luxembourgians over wine and finger food. I met several Luxembourgers who had lived in Wisconsin and I was tricked with the question, "How far is New London from Luxembourg." The next day we visited the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and met with several legal secretaries, listened to a court case, and met with Jude K. Lenaerts. While the court case we listened to was in German, I was also able to listen to interpretors who translated the entire case into English (plus many other languages). Every document the Court of Justice writes has to be translated into the 25 (or so) languages of the European Union. The largest portion of the budget for the Court goes to translating...crazy!

After the Court visit we had lunch with several American foreign service officers from the Luxembourg embassy (an interesting conversation, to say the least) and then had a presentation at the Court of Auditors. Then we left the lovely country of Luxembourg to had to Belgium for the remainder of the conferences. The next couple of days included a briefing at the European Commission, a visit to the College of Europe in Brugge (along with a fascinating lecture on European monetary policy), and a guided tour of Brugge. On Sunday, we had a free day to explore the city of Brussels on our own. Although known predominantly for beer, chocolate, waffles, and people in suits, Brussels was also an incredibly gorgeous city. Were blessed with perfect weather, and Halley, Katie, and I thoroughly enjoyed our day off wandering the city (which, of course, involved sampling of the aforementioned beer, chocolate, and waffles).

(in the Grand Place/Grote Markt)

(in front of the Mannekin Pis, a famous satue in Brussels)

After our much needed day of rest, we continued on a fast paced 'tour' of the European Union with a visit to the Council of Ministers and a briefing by the Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Mission to the EU.

(Matt-Norway, Katie-Germany, and Nicky-Spain deliberate something terribly important at the Council of Ministers)

The remaining few days were dedicated to NATO with a visit to SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers) and to the NATO headquarters. These were probably my two favorites visit as the role NATO has played and will continue to play is of specific interest to me. However, I was sad to learn that unless appointed to a high position, I will never be able to work at NATO since the working languages are English and French. Bummer.

(Halley and I enjoying a night out in Brussels)

The entire trip was pretty much amazing. The people we met and the conversations we had them were enlightening and entertaining. I finished the conference with fresh ideas for my own research. Furthermore, I had the privilege to meet fellow American Fulbrighters who are studying across Europe and learn about their experiences and their projects. Plus, the beer and chocolate really are THAT good :)

After the EU/NATO conference, I headed back to Erfurt for approximately two days to frantically do laundry and repack for the German Fulbright Commission's conference in Berlin. Again, this conference served as another reunion--this time for the entire group of German Fulbrighters who took the Marburg language course. Along with the group from Marburg, the conference also included all of the other German Fulbrighters (students, teaching assistants, and professors) as well as Fulbrighters from other European countries AND about 250 Germans who will be studying in the United States next year on a Fulbright Grant (including about 8 who will be going to the University of Michigan who I have planned on having a monthly German Stammtisch with!). All in all, the total count of the conference was around 500 people. With a group that large, we needed a fabulous hotel and the Fulbright Commission did not fail with the Park Inn Hotel in Alexanderplatz, a Berlin focal point since it is incredibly tall and overlooks the famous Fernsehturm (TV tower).

(The TV Tower--my room looked directly at it)

After settling into my room (with good friend from Marburg, Ashlan) I embarked on a tour of the city titled "Berling Today-Center of Political Power" with my Fulbright Twin and fellow political junkie, Halley. Included on the tour was parts of the Berlin Wall, the Chancellor building, the Parliament, the Victory Tower where Obama gave his speech last year, and, of course, the Brandenburg Gate.

The theme of the conference "1989-2009: New Hopes-New Challenges" focused on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Many of the discussions focused on these topics and it was incredibly interesting to hear the various thoughts, perspectives, and memories of these past twenty formative years in Germany. A highlight of the conference was the Fulbright Music Gala with performances by the Fulbrighters who are doing music performance in their respective countries. Three of my Marburg friends, took part in the gala--Sarah and Keith with vocal performances and David killing it on the piano.

(some of the Music Gala performers)

In our spare time, we were able to tour the city a little bit. For me, the highlight was visiting the famous Berlin department store KaDeWe. We also visited the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church which was bombed out in World War II and still remains damaged as a memorial to the war. We also saw a motorcade leaving the Chancellory, and I am pretty sure I saw Chancellor Merkel through one of the very tinted windows--her red suit is a dead giveaway :)

(motorcade driving through the streets of Berlin)

(Kaiser Wilhelm Church with the damaged spire)

The conference ended with a fabulous Fulbright dance party at the Kulturbrauerei. Drinks + dancing + music + 200 some Fulbright ners = tons of fun. It was especially fun for the group from Marburg since this is probably the last time we would all be together in one setting--bitter sweet.

(Halley, Marty, and me at the Fulbright Dance Party)

Both of the conferences I attended in March were an incredibly experiences. I learned A LOT about the EU and NATO from extremely knowledgeable people, I toured some truly beautiful cities, I experienced the culinary treats of the different cities, and I had a lot of fun. For me, however, the most important and meaningful part has been the people I have met, especially my fellow Fulbrighters. These experiences have shown me that I am in the company of some brilliant people who will no doubt be making a serious impact on this world as the continue on in their fields. I am continously reminded how blessed I am to be a part of this program and I know that it has and will continue to be a formative part of my life.