Fulbright Scholar Blogs about Life in Germany

The Converse community was delighted at the news that Stephanie Jennings, ’11, had been awarded a Fulbright scholarship, the second Converse student in three years to be given the honor. Now, as an English teaching assistant in the small town of Hessen, Germany, Stephanie is recording her adventures and reflections in a travel blog, Peregrination.

“Travel is of great importance to me,” she writes. “But not merely in the sense of sightseeing, touring, and so on. What is of greatest value to me are the opportunities to share experiences with people throughout the world, to appreciate and understand other cultures, to see and learn and do as much as I can in our vast world and in the short time that our limited lifespans grant.” Through beautiful photography and insightful prose, Stephanie invites readers to join her as she experiences German culture and the joys and uncertainties of life in a foreign country. Excerpt from the blog:

Today, the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, I am far away from my countrymen, the memorials, the commemorations, and the incessant political rhetoric that will most certainly surround the event. I spent the day instead observing a different sort of occasion: Kartoffelsonntag. My little town in Hessen is celebrating the humble, yet all-important potato. Booths dotted the Old Town, selling currywurst, meat, bread and every sort of potato creation that falls under the category of “typisch Deutsch” (typically German): potato soup, potato dumplings, potato pancakes, potato waffles. For a Euro, you could get a plate with some sort of tasty potato treat on it, as you walked along greeting fellow townsmen and enjoying the festivities—such as trying to count how many potatoes were in the fountain of the main square. When dark clouds hovered overhead, we sought refuge from the storms back at the house and spent the afternoon planning vacation destinations for the year, playing board games, and reading in front of the fireplace.

(Photos © Stephanie Jennings)