Activity Reviews (from February/March 2005 Currents)

Anniki Karvinen

The Finnish mistress of colors and clothing design, Annikki Karvinen, invited members and friends of the AWC Hamburg to an exclusive fashion and informative get-together on November 29. On a gloomy afternoon we warmed up with Finnish Gloegi and Peffer biscuits and tried on beautiful fashion items made in the 200-year-old Poppana (rag weaving) technique. We also received a special 50% discount in the store at Poststraße 2.

Poppana originally meant something woven from rags with a strip of fabric binding the ends and was a way to recycle old clothing. The development of Poppana and the enthusiasm for the material that it generated was Annikki’s innovation; it made her reputation as a bold and distinctive designer, not only in Finland but throughout the world. She wanted to give Poppana a new image: to make from it a material for clothing – soft and flexible – and she created an international Poppana fashion from hand-woven materials.

New raw material such as viscose, silk and linen have been used and are dyed, cut and finished in the same way as Poppana. It is so durable that it is important to be able to match coats and jackets or skirts, trousers with blouses for years to come; Annikki strives for clothes that can be mixed and matched. In Germany Annikki Karvinen stores are only in Hamburg and on the island of Sylt and in the USA only in New York on Seventh Avenue. (Frauke R-H)

Thanksgiving Dinner

On Friday, November 26, I celebrated Thanksgiving with the American Women’s Club of Hamburg aboard the museum ship Rickmer Rickmers. Having been a member for over six months it was high time I attended a major club event. And I’m glad I did. It gave me a chance to meet many members of AWCH and the American Club, and even Hamburg’s new U.S. Consul General, Duane C. Butcher. Finally, I have faces to go along with some of the names I see on the website and in Currents.

Those of you who were not able to come missed a wonderful evening. Set aboard the Rickmer Rickmers, the atmosphere was charming. AWCH President Irmingard Z welcomed us and filled us in on the history of the ship just before the turkey was carved. And dinner was fantastic. Almost everything I can ever remember seeing at my mother’s Thanksgiving Day dinners was there including turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. The dessert table, full of wonderful cheeses, apple pie, and even carrot cake, was fabulous as well.

Following dinner club member Vicki F-M managed a raffle full of all sorts of prizes. The proceeds were donated to the Hamburg organization Amnesty for Women for their counseling of migrant and trafficked women.

Dinner on board the Rickmer Rickmers was the best Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever had abroad. I absolutely enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner with the AWCH and hope to be able to attend again next year. (Shauna K)

Santa Christmas Party

Santa came to the Children’s Christmas Party on December 12 and nobody, from the oldest lap sitters (André B, aged 37, followed by Johanna H, aged 12) to the youngest, recognized Dietmar M behind the beard. Eighty people including four infants (yes indeed) sang carols, made Christmas crafts, opened presents and watched Rudolph and A Charlie Brown Christmas on video. Santa went home with something to warm his belly too, and it wasn’t hot milk. (Becky T)

  Activity Reviews (from April/May 2005 Currents)

The New Amerika Center

The gorgeous view from the top floor of Drees & Sommer’s offices gave a clue to the awesomeness of the planned HafenCity project. On the evening of January 27, Michael Krog, CEO of Drees & Sommer, explained the plans for the new Amerika Center to 200 guests from local American organizations. The event was top drawer, which was obvious from the many police cars parked outside the office building at Am Sandtorkai 68, as well as the large, black-suited bodyguards positioned inside. They guarded U.S. Ambassador Daniel Coats and U.S. Consul General Duane Butcher, who welcomed the guests and praised the good Hamburg-American cooperation.

Hamburg’s Senator for City Development, Michael Freytag, said the number of U.S. citizens residing in the city has doubled since 1980 (to about 4150) and more than 60% stay longer than eight years. He said the new Amerika Center in the heart of the HafenCity will be only 800 meters from the Rathaus (city hall) and a good half mile to the Hauptbahnhof. The airport is a bit further away: about 10 miles. He led us to believe that, yes, we are getting our Amerika Haus back, even better than it was before.

AWCH president Irmingard Z reminisced about the old Amerika Haus, formerly at Rothenbaumchaussee and our meeting place for more than 40 years before it was purchased by the adjacent Elysee Hotel and torn down. The inventory plus library moved to a new Amerikazentrum at the Curiohaus, also on Rothenbaumchaussee. The new Amerika Center will indeed be our new Hamburg home away from home; we look forward to using it.

Via a PowerPoint presentation, Michael Krog explained the detailed plans for the whole HafenCity in general and for the Amerika Center specifically. New York architect Richard Meier will tear down an old coffee warehouse, also at Am Sandtorkai, to make room for the eight-story building with pent-house and underground garage. The first two floors will house an American coffee shop and restaurant, a library, conference rooms, auditorium and the American Business Club. Office space on the top floors will be offered to businesses having to do with the U.S. The present Amerikazentrum estimates that there are 1150 such Hamburg companies, e.g., Beiersdorf, Norddeutsche Affinerie, Phoenix, and Hapag-Lloyd. Probably 100 American companies have offices in the city. The penthouse will be perfect for formal events.

Historically, Hamburg has had close ties to the U.S. The Consulate was established in 1793. Chicago has been our sister city for the last ten years. Hamburg has organized the online Link to Your Roots project which lists more than five million German immigrants who departed for the U.S. from here. There will be a new Immigrant Museum at Veddel. Hamburgers gave generous donations and expressions of sympathy after 9/11.

If all goes well, we could hope for invitations to the grand opening of this 20-million-euro private venture at the end of 2006. (Becky T)

Oscar Madness

Yes, it was that time of the year again, and the AWCH celebrated this significant event with the third annual Oscar Morning-After Brunch hosted by Kirsten G in her lovely home in Winterhude. Most of the Film Reviewers’ Group, as well as one other interested party, gathered on a snowy Monday morning to watch a videotaped version of the Oscars. (The Oscars are broadcast live on German television from 2:00 to 6:00 in the morning.) As the coffee flowed, all heads turned to the individual ballots and who would be the winner of this year’s AWCH Oscar voting (party-goers were encouraged to fill out a ballot predicting who would win all 24 Oscar categories). Would Martin Scorsese finally win his long-awaited Oscar? Would Jamie Foxx’s performance of Ray Charles bring him gold?

After many hours of watching the “hottest” in Hollywood applaud new and old talent as the film people accepted their little gold men and praises for the best of film work for the 2004 film season, the real story became about who would leave with the top two prizes of this group’s Oscar balloting (prizes generously supplied and awarded by Becky T). By early afternoon all questions, Oscars and prizes were answered and awarded. Hostess Kirsten G took top honors this year with sixteen out of the possible twenty-four categories guessed correctly; there was a tie for second place between Nancy T and Trish F, each with fifteen correct. This made Oscar Monday for AWCH participants a golden one! For so many of us, movies really are “one of our favorite things….” (Trish F)

Webteam Brunch

The Webteam invited everyone to the Norge Hotel on February 9, and 12 people showed up for the fun. Adele R and Kirsten G luckily arrived early to set up the computer and browser, because connecting to the internet took longer (three hours) than they thought. Compatibility is still a computer issue even today. However, after a filling brunch, the show got on the road and Kirsten demonstrated the use of the AWCH website and calendar.

In order to post information, i.e., “write” announcements in the Member Forum on the club website, one must be registered. Kirsten registered Thelma F, walking her through the process step by step “which was a good thing, because at least four people there really needed the instruction,” said Thelma. Anyone who missed the demonstration can find instructions in the club Interim Membership Directory to register alone, but this hands-on demonstration made it look easy.

Kirsten mentioned the password for the Members’ Section and use of the activity calendar; she distributed valuable printed information. Thelma said, “After the website meeting, people realized how important it is to be registered and to be able to use the website. It’s not daunting any more. If Kirsten were looking for a paid job, she could give private computer lessons which anyone would understand. She is a good speaker.”

Heidi K said, “Actually, I am quite amazed at my stupidity because, although I am a member of the Webteam, I didn’t realize until this meeting that clicking on the table of contents on the left side of the website homepage opened a whole new range of interesting articles and information. I didn’t realize how much the website has progressed. Anyone who missed this event should be truly sorry, because it was excellent.”

So, if you didn’t know that you could type in “ice cream” under “search” at www.awchamburg.org and nine entries would pop up, then hope that the team will take pity on you and offer another website brunch. Many thanks also to Webteam head Jennifer M for her help in organizing the event. (Becky T)

  Activity Reviews (from June/July 2005 Currents)
 

Muttis Unite by Trish F

I am delighted to report the success of the first two Mutti meetings that took place in the month of April. On April 1 (no, this was not a “witz”), six AWCH club mothers and their children walked the entire Alster. We were blessed with one of the first beautiful spring days, and two hours flew by full of conversation, cookies, and of course a bit of quengeln. Thank you to participants Julia B and her son Benjamin, Andrea H and her son David, Tina B and her daughter Marie, Jessica W-C and her son Sasha, Helen L and her son Paul, and Patricia F and her twins Lilith and Oliver.

Yet another beautiful day found three different club families at the the Familien-tag at Planten un Blumen. On Saturday April 16 one could see Shelly S and son Adrian trying out their new rollerblades. They looked like lightning as they flew by! Trish F's twins Lilith and Oliver were happy playing in the sand at the Spielplatz, but still happier to join Shannon and Rainer L and daughter Ella for an ice cream.

We hope that these activities will be the kick-off to a year of child-friendly gatherings. Please check the Activities Calendar for a Mutti Coffee in May and a family Sunday Swimtag on June 12th. If anyone has questions or most of all suggestions, please contact Patricia F to discuss future events.

Tea Time by Kirsten G

Several members of the AWCH Film Group gathered at Mary W’s home on a lovely afternoon in April for her annual Film Tea. In addition to feasting on gourmet delicacies prepared by Mary and other attendees, the group chatted about films (of course) and discussed business relevant to the group. Among other things, Osanna V shared her experiences producing a radio talk show featuring film talk in English and German, Mary showed photos from her trip to the Cannes Film Festival last year, and the group discussed next steps for KinoCritics (www.kinocritics.com), our new website featuring film reviews and other film articles. Lastly, Shelly S gave a little speech and gift to Becky T as a thank you for all she has done for the Film Group.

Special thanks go to Mary for hosting the tea once again: we all had a wonderful time!

  Activity Reviews (from August/September 2005 Currents)
 

June Family Schwimmtag by Trish F

The Family Schwimmtag on Sunday, June 12 was a treat for two families. All eight attendees (five children from ages seven years to 15 months) swam, splashed, slid, kicked and got very happily wet at the family-friendly Bondenwald Swimming Pool in Niendorf. Hope to see more of you at our next event in August!

  Activity Reviews (from December 2005/January 2006 Currents)
 

September Luncheon with Consul General Duane Butcher by Rita P-S

U.S. Consul General Duane Butcher and his wife joined us for lunch on September 16, 2005, at the Marriott Hotel. Duane graduated with a B.A. in History from Carlton College and contemplated a career in law, but after spending his childhood abroad, he felt that a career in the State Department would be a logical alternative. C.G. Butcher’s first postings were in Oman and Azerbaijan, where he met his talented and lovely wife, Nazilla. Together they were posted to Belgrade and now Hamburg. During the informal part of the lunch, we learned that the less refined experiences of being an expatriate are not alien to the diplomatic corps. CG Butcher kicked off his official remarks by distributing an oft-noted Die Zeit article highlighting fifty behaviors that distinguish Germans and Americans. After the knowing laughs died down, we segued into the question and answer period. Questions included: the role, if any, available for U.S. expatriates to improve the reputation of the U.S. while living abroad; the impact on U.S.– German relations; of Angela Merkel’s appointment as German Chancellor; alternatives to local legal, tax and other barriers which make Germany second choice when seeking to establish a business abroad; and the State Department’s role, if any, in supporting partisan political ideology abroad. With respect to the final question, C.G. Butcher indicated that the Consul General promotes a variety of speakers and ideas and is particularly diligent about trying to present both sides. A speaker from the political right will be followed by someone from the left. The U.S. is a free country and believes in free speech; therefore the Consul General is interested in having foreigners – in this case, Germans – hear both sides, and then they can make up their own minds.

Oktoberfest by Kirstan B

Up the elevator, to the stairs, through the offices and onto the parkdeck roof... to OKTOBERFEST! If you made your way there, you would have found a little oasis of good old German-Bavarian fun. The AWCH reserved a table and had the whole afternoon to soak up the atmosphere under that blue and white striped tent. Of course, what is Oktoberfest without Paulaners and pretzels? The kitchen offered a variety of traditional Bavarian foods for all budgets. The beer selection was in order, and the service was great, with servers dressed in Dirndl and Lederhosen. Many Krüge clinked and arms were locked, swaying to the international repertoire of the Oompah-band.

Not bad for a rainy Saturday afternoon. In attendance were mothers with kids, couples, a few singles and a tent packed with revelers dancing on tables. Although this energy level is not for everyone, there were folks of all ages, some just simply taking a break with the shopping.

Hamburg tends to be more reserved that other German cities when it comes to costumes and full-capacity partying (not like Karneval in Cologne or real Oktoberfest in Munich), but we were excited to be part of a pleasantly surprising, boisterous and swinging celebration. The band happily added an “American” round of music when they discovered the table next to the stage was from USA. Sweet Home Alabama, Country Roads and a feisty rendition of an Irish jig got us up on the tabletops as well.

Pumpkin Carving by Trish F

The October 29th Mutti-Kind Pumpkin Carving Activity was a great hit!!! Hosted by President Susan L-H in her beautiful backyard on a perfect fall day, one found Susan and daughter Caroline, Trish F and family, the Vicki F-M and family, Sus EB and daughter Jessica, Michelle P and daughter Emily, Tina B and daughter Marie, Cynthia H and daughter Emmylou and prospective members having a wonderful time carving amazing pumpkin creations. The homemade treats were delicious, and we decided that this event should become an annual event for our club. Hope you all will be able to join us next year!