It’s day 6 of the study tour—so we’re just over halfway! It’s hard to believe. We had a half day of presentations in Weimar and a welcome afternoon of free time. NAFAns at Bauhaus University Weimar Our academic experience was at Bauhaus University Weimar, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dr. Christian Kästner briefly described the history of the university, which was founded in 1919 as The Bauhaus design school and after several transitions became Bauhaus University Weimar in 1995. The university has four faculties: Architecture and Urbanism, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Art and Design, and Media, all of which [...]

After arriving by train to Weimar late Wednesday, today marked our first day beyond the bounds of Berlin and Potsdam. We took an early train to Jena, to visit two more types of research and education institutes. The pace and feel of both Weimar and Jena are very different from the bustle of Berlin, and it exciting to get to see beyond the biggest cities and explore the many educational and research centers in smaller, regional locations in Germany. Group photo on the stairs at Max Planck Institutes, Jena NAFAns in the bug labs(!) donning white coats [...]

Fulbright Friday...written on a Wednesday! Hello, this is April Seehafer from Washington State University, reporting from our 2024 Study Tour. Today was yet another day of adventures and learning in Germany, including a visit with Fulbright officials and recipients. Fulbright Germany digital board welcoming NAFAns The weather in Berlin has been absolutely gorgeous so far and we started another warm day bright and early! After 22,000+ steps yesterday, it was a delight to catch the bus right across the street from our hotel. We headed over to the German American Fulbright Commission, where we met with Ms. Catharina Hänsch, [...]

Lost (and Found) in Transition Potsdam is a place between, where East and West Germany were divided between American and Soviet forces in the year following WWII. This history is reflected in the architecture of its buildings and its people. Neoclassic facades, many reconstructed after the city was bombed by both America and the Soviet Union just months before the war ended, mingle with communist-era brutalist mid-rise hotels. Presentation at the ZZF Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History NAFAns had an opportunity to explore this liminal space at the ZZF Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History. Originally an East German research [...]

Guten Abend! My name is Madison Howard (she/they), and I am the Fellowships Advisor at University of Puget Sound in Washington! I have the pleasure of being the volunteer blogger for our second day in Berlin, and what a day it has been! As I write this, we have just completed our first full day of the NAFA Study Tour! With some folks arriving days ago and some arriving right before yesterday's dinner, it was nice to all have a (hopefully) good night's sleep after all the travel and then get started on a full and busy day! NAFAns at [...]

Hallo, and greetings from Motel One Berlin-Bellevue, where we are staying during our time in Berlin! So, what were today’s highlights? For most of us, the biggest highlight was safely arriving in Germany in time to check in to our hotel and join the group for a welcome dinner at 5:30 pm local time. And I am happy to report, that we made it! My own journey began early on Saturday, May 11th. This is my first visit to Germany (as it is for most of us on the trip), and I will admit I was filled with a mix of [...]