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

Zachary Nanji is currently a Senior Honours International Development and Management Student at McGill University in Canada. Originally from the UK, he started learning German at Eaton College and visited Munich and Bonn via a school exchange that planted the seed for a 6-month stay at the Ludwig Maximilan University of Munich during the 2019 academic year. As a DAAD Young Ambassador, he shares his passion for international travel and offers insightful best practices to get the most out of an international university exchange. In 2021 he was nominated by DAAD to participate at the Diversity Abroad Global Student Leadership Summit where he got to reflect further on his experience and further develop skills related to global diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

You can find Zachary at https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharynanji/

E28 - Reflections on exchanges and best practices from a DAAD Young Ambassador

Today’s Coffee Connection is a musical episode. I chatted with Felicitas Schiffner, a current DAAD scholarship recipient, and a German violinist. 
Felicitas is originally from Luebeck and is now a Master’s student at the New England Conservatory in Boston. She shared her path from playing a tiny violin as a four-year-old to being accepted at Julliard to studying in Boston.
Felicitas talks about her love of classical music, and she shares two of her beautiful performances.

E29 - DAAD Scholarship Recipient Felicitas Schiffner | Violinist

To commemorate Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, I had the honor of speaking with Evelyn Lueker, a 3rd generation Holocaust survivor, about her family’s history and the important role her grandparents played in the Nuremberg trials.

Now, Evelyn works as an international educator in the US where her personal story and professional career intersect. 

A disclaimer: We recorded this episode in 2020, so you will hear some references that are not as recent. The overall conversation though is as relevant today as it was then.

E30 - To Honor Holocaust Remembrance Day: A Conversation with a 3rd Generation Holocaust Survivor

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with Alexander Liebermann, a current DAAD scholarship recipient, and a German-French composer. 
Alexander is originally from Berlin and is now at the Manhattan School of Music where he pursues a doctoral degree. He shares three of his recent pieces that show his talent as a composer. 

You can find Alexander on Soundcloud, Youtube and Instagram.

E31 - DAAD Scholarship Recipient Alexander Liebermann  | Composer

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with Martina Barta, a current DAAD scholarship recipient, and Jazz Singer. 
Martina is originally from the Czech Republic and is now at the Manhattan School of Music where she pursues a master’s degree. We talked about her career path, her impressions of New York and her goals as an artist.

Facebook:
Artist profile:
https://www.facebook.com/martinabarta.official
Personal profile:
https://www.facebook.com/martinabarta

Instagram: 
martinabartamusic

YouTube:
Martina Barta
https://youtube.com/user/MrsBartas

E32 - DAAD Scholarship Recipient Martina Barta | Jazz Singer

Today’s Coffee Connection is a new format, 3 short interviews in one episode. Every year, DAAD selects students from the US and Canada to share their Germany experience with their peers on their respective campuses. In August, DAAD invites the new Young Ambassadors for a training in New York. I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 Young Ambassadors, Anna Holle, Cameron Morgan, and Avalon Pernell.
The answers each Young Ambassador gave were quite different, but they all had one thing in common: Their enthusiasm and love for Germany.

E33 - DAAD Young Ambassadors and their Germany experience | part 1

Today’s Coffee Connection is the second episode of a new format, 3 short interviews in one episode. Every year, DAAD selects students from the US and Canada to share their Germany experiences with their peers on their respective campuses. In August, DAAD invited the new Young Ambassadors for training in New York. I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 Young Ambassadors, Emily Hawkins, Ian Albreski, and Madison Schimizu.
The answers each Young Ambassador gave were quite different, but they all had one thing in common: Their enthusiasm and love for Germany.

E34 - DAAD Young Ambassadors and their Germany experience | part 2

Today’s Coffee Connection is another musical episode. I chatted with oboist Ann Lemke, a DAAD Alumna and current Research Ambassador, who recently released her CD Oboe Salon. 

You can find Ann on her website www.lemkestudio.com/ann-lemke, on Facebook and Instagram @lemkestudio.

E35 - DAAD Research Ambassador Ann Lemke | Oboist

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

A few weeks ago, I went to the Society for Women Engineers conference in Los Angeles to represent Research in Germany. One day RISE alumna and Industrial Engineer, Alaina Washington came to the booth and shared a bit about her experience at the Hamburg University of Technology.
In this short episode Alaina’ describes the application process, and her work as an intern. She also shares more about her time outside the lab. Have a listen to hear her excitement about the time in Germany and her experience with DAAD Research Internship in Science and Engineering.

E37 - Mini Episode live from SWE23 | DAAD RISE Student Experience

In today’s Coffee Connection, I had the chance to speak with 3 of our 2023-24 Young Ambassadors. Every year, DAAD selects students from the US and Canada to share their Germany experience with their peers on their respective campuses. In August, DAAD invited the new Young Ambassadors for training in New York. I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 Young Ambassadors: Vicky, Hannah, and Grace.
You can find their 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, and Gilman-DAAD and RISE alumni, who share their Germany experience.

E38 - DAAD Young Ambassadors and their Germany experience | part 3

In today’s Coffee Connection I had the chance to speak with one of our dedicated Young Ambassadors, Paige Lyles, a Civil Engineer at UC Berkeley.
Paige spent last summer as a research intern at the Hochschule München with DAAD RISE (Research Internship in Science and Engineering) focusing her research on 3D printing of concrete. 
Paige shares her experience as a RISE intern, how she found out about the program, what the application was like, and she shares some tips and best practices to successfully apply. 
Paige summarizes her experience: “whatever your experience is, you won’t regret it.” She says it will help you grow as a human for your next opportunities and the next chapter of your life.

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.

E39 - DAAD RISE Internship | What to Expect | How to Apply with Paige Lyles

Welcome to Coffee Connections, a podcast about studying, researching and traveling in Germany and the unique experiences told by students and researchers. 
This podcast is created, hosted and edited by me, Hanni Geist.
Have you studied or researched in Germany and want to share your story? Get in touch with me – podcast@daad.org.

Welcome to Coffee Connections!

Today’s episode highlights include 
•	a deep dive into Weimar beyond Goethe, Schiller and the Republic 
•	a discussion about Germany’s debate culture
•	advise on how to navigate German bureaucracy 
•	why you should visit the Baltic Sea and
•	what surprising food, beyond Currywurst and Döner, you should eat   
        in Berlin. 

Hanni's Coffee Connection today is Elizabeth Harrington Lambert, Director of Fellowships at the Meijer Office of Fellowships at Grand Valley State University and DAAD Research Ambassador since 2012.
You can get in touch with Elizabeth at elambert(at)daad-alumni.de.

E1 - Weimar I German Debate Culture I Bureaucracy I Vietnamese Food

Today’s episode highlights include: 
•	Aravind’s journey from undergraduate in India, to graduate student in Germany to postdoc in the US
•	Living and studying in Germany not knowing any German
•	What NASA and RWTH Aachen have in common
•	Why Aravind believes Germany is the most student friendly country
and 
•	Why Aachen should be on your list of places to visit

You can get in touch with Aravind at aravind.mb@gmail.com.

E 3 – No German? No Problem! From RWTH Aachen to NASA I Student Life in Germany

Today’s episode highlights include:
 
•	German health care system
•	Germany: small country with lots of different culture and language variation
•	Renu’s tips on how best to connect with a researcher in Germany
•	Renu’s interdisciplinary research at the Helmholtz Center and Max Planck Institute in Munich
•	Travel highlights North, South, East and West

And today’s bonus: Renu talks about her TedX Berlin talk “Strike a Pose”.

You can get in touch with Renu Singh at renu.singh.87@gmail.com.

E4 - German health care I (Science) curious Germany I Diversity I Travel Germany!

Today’s episode highlights include 
•	Advice on applying successfully to a research grant
•	Information for young families
•	German directness in academia – and the benefits after the initial shock
•	American/German lost in translation
AND
•	And we have a travel recommendation: visit the Harz mountains for its local beer and witchcraft – and hear what’s to see in the town of Halbestadt.

You can get in touch with Jonathan Fine at Jonathan_Fine@brown.edu.

E5 - Funding Research I Escaping the Archive Bubble I Family I Lost in Translation

Today’s episode highlights include:  
•	Why the German language isn’t so awful and what you can do with a German degree
•	What German – American exchange programs are behind the acronyms GAPP and CBYX
•	Germans: welcoming, well informed, and eco-friendly 
•	And the travel recommendations for today are: Goslar, Regensburg, Rügen
•	Plus we hear about Vienna – not in Germany, but rich in Germanic history, culture and language

CBYX website: cbyx.info and get in touch with Daniel via dvillanueva@culturalvistas.org

E6 - US-German exchange I The not so awful German language I post 1989 Germany opportunities

Today’s episode highlights include 
•	How study abroad sets you apart to advance your career and career opportunities with German
•	Funding opportunities for study and research through the German government
•	Green Germany I public transportation I Individual responsibility and work life balance
•	This week’s travel suggestion is Freiburg and the cities and countries nearby.

You can get in touch with Haley via harmstrong@icac.com.

E7 - Green Germany I Individual responsibility I Work life balance I Career paths with German

Today’s episode highlights include: 
•	How to obtain a PhD in Germany via the individual track
•	The German perspective on US and Canadian research
•	Germany in the 21st century - reunification, immigration and national identity
•	This week’s travel suggestion is the German-Polish city Görlitz/Zgorzelec – you may already know it from movies.

Today’s Coffee Connection is Swen Steinberg, Post-Doctoral Fellow at Queens University in Canada and one of our dedicated DAAD Research Ambassadors.

E8 - Individual PhD I German identity post 1989 I German-Polish town Görlitz

Today’s episode highlights include 
•	How to obtain a PhD choosing the individual path
•	Strategies to find a mentor and lab
•	Cancer research
•	Carneval in Cologne - Kölle Alaaf!
•	And this week’s travel suggestions: Germany’s national parks and Düsseldorf.

You can get in touch with Lin via Lin.Song@ucsf.edu.

E11 - Individual PhD I Cancer Research I Finding a Mentor and Lab I Kölle Alaaf!

Today’s episode highlights include: 
•	Career Development opportunities through the Robert Bosch Fellowship
•	Insights into the DAAD Bonn headquarter
•	Higher education internationalization in Germany
•	German office culture quirks
•	This weeks travel suggestions include the Zeche Zollverein in Essen, the Bauhaus museum in Dessau and several cities in the former East.

E12 – DAAD office insights I Career Development I Germany highlights

Today’s episode highlights include: 
•	International education: the importance of it, trends, and career opportunities
•	Diversity, access and equity in US education
•	Strategies to prepare for living abroad 
•	German and American work culture 
•	This week’s travel suggestion is Sylt and you’ll find out more about Frankfurt and Stuttgart

E14 - International Education I Diversity I Tips for Living Abroad I Work Culture

Today’s episode highlights include 
•	The CBYX program – tips for a meaningful, successful year and how to leverage the experience after
•	German friendships 101
•	Language learning during and after the abroad experience 
•	Engagement with refugees in Munich 
•	In this week’s travel suggestion, you hear why Munich is a must visit beyond Oktoberfest and the usual sights.

E15 - CBYX Experience & Career Opportunities I Advancing German I German Friendship 101

Today’s episode highlights include
•	How to strategically plan for an international career
•	German and US Work culture 
•	Why Cologne is a great city,  especially for students and during Carneval
•	Not to miss: Germany during a soccer championship

E19 - International career I Work culture I   Cologne & Carneval I Soccer & the German spirit

Today’s episode highlights the perspective of a student with disabilities studying abroad in Germany. 
Transcript for this episode available at http://bit.ly/daad-podcast.

My Coffee Connection is Michelle She, CBYX High School Program Alumna, Teacher of students with visual impairments, and disabilities advocate.

For more information for students with disabilities wishing to go abroad, visit www.miusa.org.

E20 - CBYX | Accessibility in Germany | Navigating Germany with a Disability (transcript available)

Today’s Coffee Connection is Sandra Navidi, University of Cologne Alumna, international attorney, bestselling author, consultant, media contributor and public speaker. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BeyondGlobal, an international strategic consultancy.

Hanni chats with Sandra about her best-selling book $uperhubs, networks and networking – so important, but dreaded by so many, including Hanni. 
Sandra also provided some insight on working in an international environment, how to navigate uncomfortable situations and she shared her experience as a women in a male dominated environment.
You can find more about Sandra and her work at www.beyond-global.com.

E21 - Bestselling-Author Sandra Navidi | $uperhubs | Beyond Global | Networking

Today’s Coffee Connection is Carol Anne Costabile-Heming who is one of our most dedicated long-term Research Ambassadors. She is a Professor of German at the University of North Texas, Denton.

I had the opportunity to chat with Carol Anne about her path from focusing her studies on Chemistry to graduating with a PhD in German. Carol Anne spent time in Germany and specifically Berlin in 1990 and she shares her unique experience during these tumultuous times. Some of her experiences are reminiscent of the movie Good Bye, Lenin! (7:40 - 22:00)
As a Research Ambassador she has a lot of experience advising researchers and students on funding applications – during our conversation she shares valuable tips for success. (25:30 - 34:30)
This week’s travel suggestions are Leipzig and Marbach.

E23 – First-hand Germany Experience in 1990 | Funding Application Tips for Success

Today’s Coffee Connection is Amy Lebanoff, DAAD RISE Germany and DAAD Young Ambassador Alumna.

Amy participated in the DAAD RISE Germany program – a paid 10-12 week summer research internship program for undergraduate STEM students. In our conversation, she talks about her experience as a research intern at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and her activities outside of the lab. For interested applicants, Amy shares detailed information about the application procedure and what applicants can do to stand out in the selection process.

You can connect with Amy via Amylebanoff@gmail.com.

E26 – DAAD RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) | What to Expect | How to Apply

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, Hanni Geist. Opinions voiced in interviews are my own. If you want to know more about the study, research, and funding opportunities visit the websites below.

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