Bettendorf welcomes intern from sister city in Germany

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By David Heitz | Friday, August 29, 2008 |

Janina Faerber of Germany always wanted to come to the United States, but to be here during the climax of the American political process has been the icing on the cake.

Faerber, 24, is interning with the city of Bettendorf. She hails from Kronach, Bettendorf’s sister city. Kronach is located on the northern tip of Bavaria in central Germany.

“I think this is a very interesting time to be here, and it especially will be in November,” Faerber said. “This is going to be very exciting.”

The German people are very interested in Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, she said. “They support him. Germany is watching, too.”

Faerber will stay in Bettendorf through the middle of December. She will perform various duties in all departments of the city, from public works to community development to the police department.

Serving time at the library, however, is what she’s most excited about. “I’ve heard about Bettendorf’s library,” Faerber said, smiling. “I can’t wait to see it. I’m very interested in literature. I love books.”

Adapting to life in the United States has not been easy for Faerber, who arrived Wednesday. She’s still weary from jet lag and is getting used to the way Americans do things.

“I had my first experience driving an automatic, which was strange,” said Faerber, adding that most people in Germany drive cars with manual transmission. “And the traffic lights here are different — in Germany they are on your side of the intersection. But I do know where to stop and where to look.”

Faerber said her brother, who was an exchange student at Western Illinois University in Macomb, convinced her to come to the United States. “He always told me, ‘I am having the time of my life! Come see the land.’ ”

Everything seems bigger in the U.S., she said, from massive cities to wider roads. “Flying in on the airplane into Chicago was amazing, and that airport — oh, my gosh!”

She has been struck by the friendliness of Iowans. “Everybody is just so nice. It is different from Germany in that, here, people talk to total strangers on the street. They say, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’”

She enjoyed her first American, home-cooked meal Thursday night when city Public Works Director Wally Mook invited her to his home.

“We had corn on the cob, grilled chicken and fresh tomatoes,” Faerber said. “The evening was delightful.”

City Council members will meet Faerber at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall.

“We’re been anticipating this for quite a while,” said Mook, who set up Faerber with an office in the City Hall annex on Devils Glen Road. “We’re very, very pleased to have Janina here.”

David Heitz can be contacted at (563) 383-2202 or dheitz@qctimes.com.