Columbia recently hosted a group of visitors from its sister city of Gedern, Germany, marking another year of cultural exchange as well as the 20th anniversary of one of many international relationships forged through the sister cities bond.

The group arrived with much fanfare on July 25, escorted through Columbia by the city’s police and fire departments.

Spending just over a week with their local host families, the Germans departed Aug. 3.

Sister Cities of Columbia President Ingrid Soraghan spoke about the visit, noting folks from Columbia are set to be the ones traveling when they set off for Germany in two years.

This year was rather special for the two sister cities, Soraghan explained. 

At the end of the previous visit, discussions for the next exchange led to the decision to have the Germans visit in the summer, a more ideal time for them to be able to bring their kids – while exchanges also take place among students from Columbia and Gedern, these sister cities exchanges have largely focused on adults from the two communities.

With these adult exchanges, visitors spend a great deal of time with their host families, though some activities are planned for visitors and Columbia Sister Cities members to enjoy together as a group.

Soraghan said this year’s big tourist highlights included a visit to Grant’s Farm in St. Louis – especially geared toward the younger visitors – and a stop at Onondaga Cave in Missouri – which provided a nice respite from the intense heat the Germans were treated to.

She also noted each exchange features a two-day away trip, with folks going to Indianapolis this year while others who stayed in Columbia with their kids enjoyed a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game and pool party.

Soraghan spoke about the merits of the exchange and the sister cities relationship, saying it provides a unique way for people to experience a new perspective.

“I believe it really just expands a person’s worldview and empathy and compassion for people living in other parts of the world,” Soraghan said. “Especially for new people, they just learn so much about minor differences, but they’re willing to explore different kinds of food, different habits, different ways of doing things.”

She also placed a special focus on the experience of those who serve as host families, commenting on how big of a step it is to invite strangers into their home – though such a step can also lead to new perspectives and strong friendships.

“I think they realize we are all more similar than we are different in our outlook on things in the world at this point,” Soraghan said.

One such friendship is that between Bernd and Karil Kroell of Germany and Carol and Donald Womack of Columbia.

With the bulk of the Gedern party leaving for home, the Kroells decided to stick around for a few more days to enjoy more time with the family they’ve known since they were first welcomed into their home 20 years ago.

With Soraghan serving as a translator, the Kroells spoke with the Republic-Times about their experience with the exchange and the sister cities organization.

They recalled how their involvement was largely by happenstance thanks to the connection Bernd’s brother had to the organization. After studying the connection between Columbia and their region of Germany, their interest was piqued.

“We read about the story of the immigrants from Werning, and we found it very, very interesting, and then we decided to come to the city for the visit in 2005,” Bernd said.

Randomly matched with the Womacks that year, the two families have served as one another’s hosts every visit since, with the Womacks also joining the Kroells on visits elsewhere in Europe.

Carol also offered her and Donald’s perspective on the exchange, having grown interested in participating as they learned about their family roots in the area and how they extend all they way to Germany.

They decided to host a family on their very first year with Columbia Sister Cities, and Carol recalled how worried they were over an interaction that would ultimately lead to a lifelong friendship.

“We were both very nervous because we weren’t sure, y’know, ‘Will we have anything in common with them? Are they gonna like us?’” Carol said. “It’s so funny. Apparently it worked out because we celebrated our 20th friend-iversary this year.”

Both couples spoke about some of their experiences and what they’ve learned over the years thanks to their bond.

The Kroells spoke about their experience seeing some of the sights that this area of the U.S. has to offer, not only exposing themselves to American culture but also aspects of local history like the Cahokia Mounds.

Carol discussed some of the takeaways she and Donald have had in speaking with the Kroells about politics and culture as well as very basic differences in daily life.

“We’ve learned a lot from each other, and we’ve gained a new respect, I think for each other’s ways of life and some of the things that we deal with on a day-to-day basis,” Carol said. “I think we’ve become closer because of that… It’s not just an exchange. It’s a true friendship that has lasted for 20 years.”

Both couples also spoke quite a bit about their relationship that has only grown stronger over the years.

Karin recalled how the Womacks hosted an anniversary celebration for them during a visit a few years back, and she joined Bernd in noting how the two families have stayed in touch through writing and video calls.

Carol also spoke quite fondly of the Kroells and how they’ve been able to stay close. She spoke broadly about the sort of benefits such an international relationship can have for people.

“If you can get people to just cross those cultures, I think that it will build lasting relationships and actually help from a perspective of world peace, so to speak, understanding other cultures and the value of those people and those different opinions or ways of living,” Carol said.

When it comes to building international bridges, both the Kroells and Carol also briefly spoke about the student exchange and how it can serve as a vital way of developing those relationships among young people from Columbia and Gedern as well.

Soraghan also offered her thoughts on the special relationships between the Kroells and Womacks, noting this relationship is almost certainly a major reason for their continued involvement in sister cities and the exchange program.

She also offered her thoughts on the benefits such a relationship can have.

“For both of them, to be able to have personal relationships with their host family…” Soraghan said. “We are just enjoying time over lunch just chatting and, as Bernd said, to learn from each other. We learn from them more about Germany, and they learn from us more about the U.S.”

Prost!

With Columbia Sister Cities welcoming the visitors from Gedern, one unique part of the exchange this year came in the form of a can as a local brewery got the chance to serve some German beer.

Chris Rahn of Stubborn German Brewery in Waterloo spoke about how he was recruited for the task, having been contacted by Tiny’s Pub & Grill owner  Don Voelker in Columbia, an active member of Columbia Sister Cities.

As Rahn explained, the brewmaster of Erbsegasse Brewery in Gedern, Sebastien Stroh, offered to share the recipe of their prized pilsner.

Rahn noted how special the offer was given how specialized German breweries can be.

“A lot of the breweries in Germany will only make one or two styles of beer and that’s it,” Rahn said. “We have 18 beers on tap. They make this one pilsner, and that’s it.”

Stubborn German brewed the beer in advance of the recent exchange, and with the Columbia visitors headed down to stop by Waterloo, Rahn said he received positive responses.

“I thought it was a huge honor that Don hooked us up together to get this going,” Rahn said. “The fact that a brewery from Germany would share their recipe with another brewery, they don’t have to do that. It’s not like it’s a huge secret on how to make German pilsners… but it was really cool of him to explain in full detail exactly how they make that beer, and we were able to get very close to it.”

Rahn further discussed the positive experience of “talking shop” with Stroh, adding he was pleased to get to share in the Columbia exchange.

“All of these groups, they do this to keep that tradition alive,” Rahn said. “No one wants to see it go away. We want to keep that going and pass it down through generations to always remember where you come from. If beer can be a part of that, then I guess let’s go for it.”

This isn’t the first time the grand German tradition of beer has been featured in a sister cities exchange as Millpond Brewing likewise made use of a recipe from Millstadt’s sister city of Gross-Bieberau last year.