Written by Jane Helmchen, Experiment in International Living Germany, 1960.
Experimenters in Ulm, Germany, during the summer of 1960
The summer of 1960: Ten American college girls, all of us 20 years old and going to Europe for the first time, meet each other and our leader, Nancy Wintsch, shortly before we board the Experiment ship “Irpinia” in Quebec. On board we become friends and learn a great deal about each other and about Europe, Germany, and living in a foreign culture. Nancy encourages us “to keep an open mind and to try everything.” After ten days on board, continual talking, and a stop at the Rock of Gibraltar, we debark in Genua. Due to missed trains, we all stay overnight with Nancy’s Swiss relatives – our first experience with overwhelming European hospitality!
We arrive in Ulm with butterflies in our stomachs. Our adventures for the summer begin by meeting our host families and traveling home with them. We climb the cathedral tower- the highest in Europe- visit schools, a displaced persons’ camp, adult education projects, various theater events, attend a reception at the City Hall, row on the Danube River and drink coffee and eat cake with neighbors and friends. We search for German words in pocket dictionaries while trying to understand the Swabian dialect at the outdoor famers’ market, and, always, “Grüss’ Gott” and “Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer”.
After two weeks “on the road” with our host brothers and sisters, via Munich to Berchtesgaden and the magnificent Königssee, the Rhine Falls, Lake Constance, our first mountain, lots of rain and mud along with the sun, and much good communication among friends. Then back to Ulm for a tearful farewell to our families. Eventually, we all returned home but, before we left Ulm, we agreed to start a “round robin letter” to keep in touch.
This round robin letter has now made its rounds for half a century. We give this letter the credit for helping us to keep in touch. But more important, we all credit our Experiment summer for helping us to comprehend the increasing globalization of our world, to remain tolerant toward other points of views and ways of life, and to keep our eyes and ears open to the world around us. In other words, as we learned during our summer in Ulm, we gain the most if we “remain open-minded and try everything.”
Each of us has experienced this in various ways: one of us married a Norwegian, another married a Lebanese; and two married Germans. All of us have traveled extensively since our summer abroad, and almost all have returned to Europe. After that summer, one woman spent a college year abroad. Another joined the Peace Corps and later lived in Africa and Germany. Another spent time in Japan and had a Fulbright teaching fellowship in Istanbul for a year. Another has relatives-in-law in France and visits often. And another woman has lived in Germany for decades and has traveled all over Europe. Over the years several of us have also kept in touch with our host families.
Experiment Reunion, 2010
We had a reunion of the entire group after 20 and after 40 years. In between we had various mini-reunions when only a few of us could be present. But with our 50th anniversary approaching, we all decided that we should celebrate this milestone together – and everyone came! Not only were all 11 of the original group members there, but also eight husbands and two of the original host brothers! One of the members now lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and she rented two neighboring houses for the week where we were all able to stay. We had a wonderful week together, mostly with a lot of talking! It very quickly became apparent that we were still just as compatible as we had been during that long-ago summer. And it was also quite obvious that we still believe in the appropriateness of “keeping an open mind and trying everything.”
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