As a child I planned to study German in school. However, even then, German was always the language cut from the curriculum due to budget constraints so I never had the opportunity.
What attracted me to the Department
of Foreign Languages and Literatures?
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I grew up in a close-knit family which is very
proud of
its German heritage. My father's paternal grandparents left Klein
Ilsede, Germany in 1883 to settle in an area of northern Delaware
known
as Brandywine Hundred. (His grandmother had lived at the Klein
Ilsede
mill which looked much like the picture to the left.)
As a child I planned to study German in school. However, even then, German was always the language cut from the curriculum due to budget constraints so I never had the opportunity. |
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In 1971 my two children and I accompanied my husband (now ex-) to Naples, Italy. Although I fell in love with the area and we lived there for three and one-half years I never became fluent in the language. However, I could barter with the street merchants and, usually get them to agree to the price I offered. My family and I lived in an area north of Naples where many other military families lived. My neighbors were from Germany, Iceland, Missouri, Connecticut, Great Britain, and, of course, Italy. It was here that I had my first exposure to an international community -- it was great! |
I came to the University of Delaware as a staff member in 1984. In the summer of 1987 I noticed an ad for an office coordinator's position in FLL. I interviewed for the position and, as they say, the rest is history. My arrival in the Department in July of 1987, was two months after it had officially been renamed the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (the word foreign being added), and one year after Dr. Richard Zipser had been named as Department Chairperson. As a frustrated language learner this was my big chance. I sincerely enjoy my interactions with our multicultural faculty and staff, but have done nothing about learning a new language. I still have several years before I plan to retire so I still have time.