This project grew from an idea in the autumn of 1965 and became a reality on June 30, 1966. In the past two years it has resulted in a fascinating journey of the mind and spirit for fifty-eight young Americans. The first group arrived in Aachen, the city of Charlemagne, on Friday, July 1st, 1966 where they were immediately taken in hand by their German foster families. Early Monday morning, July 4th, they began specially arranged classes in the Kaiser Karls Gymnasium, a venerable institution some three hundred and fifty years old. The process of total immersion had begun. They were suddenly drawn into the mainstream of German life. In a friendly but alien atmosphere where they were deprived of familiar surroundings, customs, and-most staggering--their own language, there followed naturally a short period of cultural shock. All of the participants had studied German for two or three years and were carefully selected for linguistic achievement and social maturity. The foster families had been carefully instructed not to resort to English regardless of the frustration of the first several days. There was that moment of truth then when theory and practice met head on, when the artificial protectiveness of the classroom had to give way to the reality of life. German was no longer a pastime to be turned on and off in school. It swallowed them whole. Words, names, signs--everything was German! The money was different, cars were different, the food was different. Subtle differences in mannerism added to the confusion. Emotional survival demanded that they quickly draw from their learning and adapt. And they did-with amazing rapidity. By the end of two weeks, Aachen was their city, the Kaiser Karls was their school, and the foster families were their families. They were more and more in the company of German youth. They went places in groups and individually; to the opera, the theatre, movies; sat in sidewalk cafds, espresso houses, and walked-and talked. They were befriended and included in the community. They began to give as well as take. They played in German chamber music groups, formed a band and played alternately with German groups at a dance at the Kaiser Karls; they went to parties, visited and were visited. There were public and private discussions with the German youth ranging from music to politics. The tempo of living mounted, yet life became easier. The language barrier was falling. As the language became a working thing, they found that they overheard as well as heard. They began to discover a world quite unknown to the tourist or to the expert who does a newspaper series on Germany. Suddenly they began to comprehend the real meaning resulting from
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Sep 2, 1995
H L Karcher 
