Familie Friedrich

As wonderful as it was to be a student on the Experiment in International Living, hosting students from other countries has proven even more rewarding. Living in the Washington DC area gave us plenty of opportunities to make our home available, just as the Schmid Family in Vöcklabruck Austria did for me in 1965. The first experimenter to stay with us for a whole month was Beatrice Shenouda of Dinslaken, Germany in 1979. She was terrific–she played with our three young children, taught us more about Germany, and inspired us to keep hosting experimenters and other students. I have lost count of how many students we have had, but at least a dozen.

After we got together with Beatrice in Southern France in 1986, she became a lawyer, got a job with the German State Education Agency, and married Jürgen Friedrich, a trade and investment expert. Not long after their daughter Florentine was born in 1997,  Jürgen was assigned to the German Embassy in DC. Remembering our Arlington ,neighborhood fondly, Beatrice found a house not far away. Thoroughly proficient in English, she became a member of my book group. When their son Jasper was born July 20, 2000, I had the honor of becoming his godmother. What a pleasure it has been to visit them in Dubai, Chiemsee, and Berlin and see Florentine and Jasper become outstanding young adults.

This summer we have had the pleasure of visiting all the Friedrichs. Florentine, who is finishing her economics studies, met us twice for dinner in Paris. She will soon move to Zurich for a “pre-doc” to see if she really wants to continue for her PhD. With her curiosity, her geniality and her articulate English, she would be an asset to any faculty in the world. Her undergraduate work was at the University of Maastrich; she had some very helpful information about the Netherlands and what to do in Amsterdam, our next stop.

When we arrived in Berlin a week later, Beatrice and Jürgen met us at the train station, escorted us to the centrally-located hotel they had recommended, and took us out to dinner. Then on Sunday, Jasper came up from Dresden for a long, leisurely luncheon at the Cafe Einstein, the very place where, on November 9, 1989, Beatrice heard the news that the Berlin Wall was falling. What a great pleasure to see Jasper again for the first time in eight years. He turned 22 on Jully 20 and I still haven’t decided what to get him for his birthday. Jasper will soon relocate from the University of Dresden to Venice for an internship in informatics. I know he’ll do well wherever he goes.

On our last day in Berlin, after we’d seen the Reichstag and many museums, Jürgen escorted us by train and car to their home in Kleinmachnow. They had planned to take us to a Biergarten for a picnic, but the weather turned hot and we enjoyed having the picnic in their cool home. A special treat was Beatrice showing me the farewell book we had given her in 1979.

After a lovely evening of reminiscing, Jürgen drove us all the way back to our hotel, pointing out fascinating sights. Tempelhof Airport, which was completed shortly before Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympics, stands empty, awaiting a new mission. The former Embassy of North Korea had been turned into a hostel for traveling students, but is now closed because of the sanctions Germany and the EU have levied against that county.

Beatrice and Jürgen were in Washington from 1997 – 2000 and then in Dubai from 2000-2008. They missed the trauma of moving the national capital from Bonn to Berlin during that period, but their international perspective surely helped them advance in their careers. They didn’t brag about what they do, but both are obviously leaders in their respective fields of education and international investment. The lovely home they built fifteen years ago speaks for their success and their care for our environment. The experiences they shared gave us greater insight into how Germany works, what it has achieved, and what remains to be done.

Click here for an album of photos of this wonderful family:  There’s much more to write about what we saw and did in Berlin, but for now I want to extend a hearty Vielen Dank to Familie Friedrich for welcoming us so warmly and for nurturing a friendship we have treasured for 43 years. I pray that it will continue through succeeding generations.