Kirjahaku

While growing up in World War II-era San Francisco, the author always wanted to learn the German language to be able to speak with her father's family in Germany, even though her father insisted that only English be spoken in their home. Thanks to her professor suggesting she become a German teacher, the author studied the language, and that decision opened an expansive new world to her.Because I Spoke German is a lighthearted account of the adventures and misadventures of a naive young American widow, and how her first trip to Europe in 1964-65, where she lived with and conversed with her paternal extended family, impacted and enriched her entire life.About the authorL. Arlene Hink has traveled extensively overseas. With a Master's degree in Resource Economics from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, she taught at Yakutsk State University, living and working with her husband during the 1990s in Siberia and the Russian Far East. Those experiences are described in her book "Beyond the Trans-Siberian." Today at eighty-two, Hink lives contentedly in Alaska, where her two daughters and their familis also live. She is thankful that she was able to travel when she did and recommends independent travel and knowledge of at least one language besides English to converse with "ordinary" people along the way.

Curious about how ordinary people in the Soviet Union lived, L. Arlene Hink and her husband went on a fifty-two day trip in 1968. Traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railroad across Russia and continuing into European Russia and the Ukraine made them want to learn more about the people. Enjoying the cultural differences and their experiences with the many people encountered along the way, they provide insights into life in Northern Siberia from their experiences of living and working with these people. Through their experiences, they learn that respecting different perspectives is key to understanding human beings, not only between countries, but in one's own family. Hink teaches that each of us has the opportunity to reach out to others, in our families and communities, to build trust rather than fear.Join Hink as she takes you through her travels, her husband's notes, and both their experiences with people in Russia over a span of fifty years.About the AuthorL. Arlene Hink grew up in San Francisco during World War II with a German father who insisted everyone in their family only speak English. Her mother, however, encouraged Hink's curiosity about other cultures. She studied German at UC Berkeley, as well as the university in Marburg, Germany, French at the Centre de Linguistique in France, and Russian at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.Hink is the author of numerous travel and socio-economic articles in local newspapers and magazines. She was married to her husband for fifty-one years. They have two daughters, and six grandchildren.