Last night, we went on a boat tour on the Gaby Stuhff around Lubeck.

The Fellows met with some local people for dinner and conversation.  I talked mostly with a couple from Eutin, Kerstin Stein and Martin Schmidt.  They are parents of a young son - so we had that in common.  We discussed child care.  In Germany, it is expected that the mother stay at home with the children until they reach the age of three.  There are no day care centers.  If you have the money, you can hire a nanny, or if you are lucky, you can arrange for childcare through family.  Otherwise, women who work are in a difficult situation.  Kerstin and Martin felt like this is one of the reasons that Germany's growth rate is so low.  When I described the child care available in the states, they thought that it was wonderful and hope it will happen in Germany.  This couple has a friend in Germany who grew up on Tennessee (they didn't know what city).  They said that because of his southern accent, his German is very hard to understand - even after many years in Germany.  

I asked Kerstin and Martin when it starts snowing here.  They said that sometimes in November, but they did not get any snow last year.  They went on to say that it's definitely getting warmer in that part of Germany and climate change is a big issue.

I also spoke with Oliver Fraederich, a city councilman.  He has been to the states, and lived in South Dakota for one year.  He was very interested in the Marshall Program.  He might be meeting us tomorrow at City Hall when we meet with the Mayor.

All for now.