Today’s Coffee Connection is my DAAD colleague John Paul Kleiner who is responsible for our Canada office in Toronto and who is also a historian with a special interest in the GDR.
John Paul is the creator of the blog GDR Objectified where he presents his collection of objects produced in, or related closely to, the German Democratic Republic (GDR)with the aim of providing a window into East German history in a historical and/or personal way.  John Paul has a unique point of view as a Canadian historian who personally experienced Germany before, during and after the fall of the Wall. 
I was born in East Berlin and was only 7 years old when the Wall came down. In this episode we talk about our experiences with the GDR from our unique viewpoints . 
We talked about his blog, GDR movies, cultural artifacts and East Berlin architecture. Our conversation led to the Palace of the Republic, as an example of the challenges of reunification and how Ostalgie fits into the negotiation of the past and present. 

Links:
DAAD Canada www.daad-canada.ca
GDR Objectified blog https://gdrobjectified.wordpress.com/ 
Kanopy (free streaming through public library) https://www.kanopy.com/

E27 - GDR Objectified  | 2 Perspectives Pre and Post 1989

In today’s Coffee Connection I had the chance to speak with one of our 2023-24 Young Ambassadors, Meg Takezawa, a chemistry major at the University of Washington, who participated in the DAAD RISE program.
Meg shares her experience as a RISE intern, how she found out about the program, what the application was like, and shares some tips and best practices to apply successfully. She describes in detail her day-to-day experience in and outside the lab. One sentence stood out “the RISE internship changed my life!”

You can find her and the other YA’s info on our www.daad.org website. Check out our DAAD USA Instagram account where we regularly have student takeovers from our Young Ambassadors, Gilman-DAAD and RISE alumni, who share their Germany experience.

All content is created and edited by me, Hanni Geist. If you would like to get in touch, send an email to geist@daad.de.

E36 - DAAD RISE Program | What to Expect | How to Apply with Meg Takezawa

I meet many students, researchers and other professionals during my travels representing the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). They come from diverse backgrounds, and their careers and fields of interest span a wide range of subjects, but they all love Germany. Our most memorable conversations happen during coffee breaks when I hear personal stories and learn about their unique experiences. I decided to share these coffee talks via a podcast, so that the work and experiences of our DAAD Ambassadors and other inspiring individuals with a German connection reach you, wherever you are. Happy listening!
 
This podcast is a side project to my daily work as the DAAD representative for the Western region of the United States. This podcast is created, hosted, and edited by me. Opinions voiced in interviews are my own. If you want to know more about the study, research, and funding opportunities in Germany, visit www.daad.org

E27 - GDR Objectified | 2 Perspectives Pre and Post 1989

Coffee Connections

Related tracks