There are plenty of reasons to worry about our world, but this weekend I met a few that should give us hope. On Thursday, the ten of us who will be spending the upcoming year as fellows met for a long orientation. We come from all over the country and each of us have a varied agenda for the next year: learn about energy conservation, write about the migration of Russian Jews to Germany during the Cold War, study public art at the Bauhaus, learn about the integration of Turkish immigrants in Berlin, develop an interactive video game to enhance language learning, study EU-China relations, just to name a few.

But what we have in common is an interest in immersing ourself in German culture, speaking the language, and learning whatever Germany has to teach us. Thanks to the generosity of the Humboldt Foundation, we will be spread throughout the country to realize our projects, but will spend a tremendous amount of time together in the intensive language course and at various points for study tours and meetings. The potential for collaboration between us and across our respective fields of expertise is phenomenal. I have no doubt that if we use this time to learn from one another and incorporate new perspectives into our work, the world will be a better place for it.