Schnitzeljagd Winner

The German Language Village, Waldsee, offers an annual internet Schnitzeljagd, or “treasure hunt,” that’s open to the public and sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany. Participants comb through the Web site in search of answers to clues provided by the deans. The completed entries are then entered for the top prize: a free two-week session at Waldsee.

This year, over four hundred people from twenty-two states took part in the contest. The 2009 winner of the contest is Molly, a rising high school junior from Wisconsin. What does it take to be a Schnitzeljagd winner like Molly?

The key is an admiration for the German language and culture. Molly has this admiration in abundance, but she also combines it with a keen desire to reconnect with her German heritage. “I am studying German because I have always found it a very interesting and fun language. My heritage is all German, Austrian, and Swiss, so German is the language that all of my ancestors once spoke.”

At first, Molly wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to take part in the contest. “I first heard about Waldsee when my German teacher offered us a chance to go on a four-day trip there in April. Unfortunately, I could not go because I was saving my money to travel to Germany with some of my fellow German students.”

Now, as the winner of the Schnitzeljagd, Molly is lucky enough to be spending two-weeks during the summer at Waldsee as a villager. “I am really excited to try all the new foods and sign up for some of the other activities like Die Grüne Welle, Das Stadttheater, and more… I know that when I am there for two weeks, I will learn a lot and keep those memories with me throughout the rest of my life.”

clv@cord.edu
1 (800) 222-4750