We recently arrived in Marburg, Germany. It is a beautiful city, home to a castle where the Grimm brothers based many of their fairy tales on. The university town has 80,000 people of which about 20,000 are university students. The atmosphere at Marburg is very friendly and we were greeted by our host families with open arms.

On our second day in Marburg, we visited Stadtallendorf, the home of a small Turkish community just a short train ride away. There we learned about the integration of Turkish families into the German community. We were invited into the homes of three different Turkish families where we were able to witness how the program works. We also visited the Suni-Mosque where we learned more about the Muslim Religion and the place where they worship. 

Overall we admired the program and how it helps the Turkish people integrate into the German culture without losing their own traditions. Hearing about the Muslim faith was interesting because we were able to see things from their perspective but at the same time, it intensified our own beliefs. 

– Heather Wilkins and Katherine Taylor