15 June 2022Access AmericaBaltic Sea, Cultural Exchange, Erasmus, Erasmus Exchange, Europe, International Student, International Studies, Klaipėda, LCC, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lithuania, Lithuanian Christian College, New Horizons, North American Studies Profile, Religion, Semester Abroad, Studying AbroadHenrike Kattoll

Accidental New Horizons at the North American University in the Heart of Europe

By Hannah Quinque

Photo Credit: Hannah Quinque, Winter on the beach

Last fall, I had the privilege of spending a semester abroad. What better place to go for a North American Studies Profile graduate than across the pond?

Even if said pond happens to be the Baltic Sea rather than the Atlantic Ocean, my journey did take me to the “North American University in the Heart of Europe”, i.e., the Republic of Lithuania. And if you’re asking yourself: “What is it doing there?” or perhaps even: “What were you doing there?” let me introduce you to this one-of-a-kind place called LCC International University.

8 June 2022Creativity CornerComing-Of-Age, Graphic Story, Graphics, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, New Zealand, Ocean, Self-DiscoveryHenrike Kattoll

Calm as the Ocean

By Lena Hegemann

Dear Reader,

Ready to dive into unchartered waters? Then read Lena Hegemann’s graphic coming-of-age story, “Calm as the Ocean.” Her beautifully designed narrative takes us on a trip to New Zealand – on a trip that turns out to be one of self-discovery.

1 June 2022Access AmericaCold War, Eastern Europe, Economic Impact, Economy, Europe, European Recovery Program, Foreign Politics, Fritz Stern, George Marshall, Germany, Henry Morgenthau, History, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Ludwig Erhard, Marshall Plan, Moscow, Nobel Peace Prize, Politics, Soviet Union, U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Treasury, U.S. Treasury Secretary, Ukraine, United States, Washington D.C., West Germany, Western Europe, Winston Churchill, World War I, World War II, World WarsHenrike Kattoll

Getting Germany Back on Track

By Markus Ziener

The Marshall Plan has become synonymous for massive help, for bringing about a herculaneum task and having a country rise again from the ashes. Originally designed to help Europe get back on track after the devastations of World War II, it has a much broader meaning today. In discussions about how to rebuild Ukraine at some point in the future, there’s again talk of the need for a Marshall Plan. However, it’s worthwhile to take a step back and look at what the original Marshall Plan was all about.

25 May 2022Creativity CornerBerlin, Berlin Cathedral, Berlin Wall, City Tours, East Berlin, Family History, Family. Grandmother, Grandchild, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Life-Writing, Melting Pot, Moabit Hospital, West BerlinHenrike Kattoll

An Ode to Berlin – and to my Grandma

By Lisann Rothe

“East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall.” Photo Credit: National Archives

“It’s August 13, 1961 – the day East Berlin starts building the wall,” my grandma remembers.

“On Sunday night, August 13, Walter Ulbricht, East German head of state, issues an order to close the Berlin border. Police forces put up barbed wire fences. Within one day, West Berlin became an island in the sea of communism. Trains do not run anymore, and West and East Berliners stand shocked on opposite sides of the border.

I hear about it at Moabit hospital, where I just gave birth to my first child on August 9. I remember being afraid of a new war and feeling helpless in the hospital, alone with my child, barely 20 years old. Also, we’re separated from our family. My grandparents lived in the Russian sector after the war, just ten minutes from where we lived in the American sector. My husband had fled to West Berlin from Rostock in the East to marry me. His parents, grandparents, sister, and other relatives still live there. I feel so helpless and yearn for my family. The future seems so unsure.”

18 May 2022Creativity CornerAncestry, Birth Names, Creative Writing, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Names, Poems, Poetry, VignettesHenrike Kattoll

50 Minutes That Make a Name

By Johanna Gabriela Hernández Schäfer

I’m named after my grandfathers: Johann and Juan. My name is Johanna. Throughout my life, I’ve met many Johannas. At my university alone, I know nearly a dozen. It’s led to funny and to confusing situations, but it’s always been something to connect over. On their own, my names are nothing to brag about: Johanna. Gabriela. Hernández. Schäfer. Johanna and Schäfer are common names in Germany, Gabriela and Hernández are typical Peruvian names. Only together are they special. Only together are they me. But – had I been born 50 minutes earlier, my name might have been Paula (find out why at the end of the poem).

11 May 2022Teaching ToolsBerlin, Brown Girl Dreaming, Coming-Of-Age Narrative, Family Relations, Identity, Jacqueline Woodson, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Life-Writing, My Childhood In A Box, Narratives, New Zealand, Online Class, Pandemic, Personal Growth, Seminar, Stories, StorytellingHenrike Kattoll

All the Stories That We (Were) Told

By Nora Benitt

Pixar’s Rules of Storytelling by Profound Whatever

Life writing – which includes a wide spectrum of sub-genres such as (auto)biography, memoir, letter, diary, (digital) life stories, and oral histories – has a long tradition in the U.S. and is becoming more and more popular all over the world. An abundance of artifacts compiled by famous, semi-famous, and not-at-all-famous people fill public libraries, private bookshelves, research centers, social media, hard drives, and websites. And that’s actually not even surprising since writing and/or talking about ourselves is a deeply rooted cultural practice and comes very naturally to most human beings. We do it all the time: We tell a significant someone how our day was, we put together our résumé when applying for a new job, we talk about childhood memories with siblings or a close friend. However, talking and writing about ourselves in an academic context and, to boot, in a foreign language is a completely different story.