(published for Ishmael Dotse)

Dear Comrades,

Grace and Peace be unto you.

I was welcomed by a cosy and sunny weather after the aircraft touched the land of Bremen. Apparently, I thought I had just embarked on a trip from the region where I lived to another region in Ghana due to the climate at the time. To my bewilderment, any German I came in contact with was excited by fact that I arrived in Summer and that the “Weather Is Good” a statement most of them made. For an individual who came from the tropics this was no news to me because of the Tropical Climate Zone of West Africa. It was here I realized that, others love and long for the climate we have in West Africa.

After arrival and eventually settling down I went through a short orientation at work and was assigned my roles and responsibilities for the next one year at the Norddeutsche Mission. I have had some experiences working with the Education, Public Relations, Projects And Media Departments and some Partner Churches In Bremen. This has been great thus far, a myriad of experiences and discoveries.

At the beginning of August I was enrolled on a four weeks International German Language Course at the University Of Bremen. Comrades, this program was not only comprised of language studies but science and intercultural learning. We were tasked to do projects on Sustainability. My group chose the topic Biodiversity, specifically Insects and we made a clarion call for the protection of the habitats of butterflies. Butterflies are known as bio-indicators in the biodiversity, their presence in an environment determines how healthy the environment is, hence the need to protect these insects by planting more flowers and choosing sustainable agriculture methods. During the course, we had all races represented. This was an opportunity to develop intercultural competencies and also break barriers that has long existed among races in the world. One of the ways globalization can be achieved is when intercultural learning is sufficiently anchored in schools and public places.

Comrades, this was to present to you my progress thus far in Deutschland. I am going to keep you updated as the days come by. May the peace of God abide with you forever.