Those of you participating in the Housing Programme - on either end, as hosts or guests - have already been in touch with me: My name is Marleen Schmidt and I have been charged with one of the most beautiful tasks one can have in the Inner Circle (at least in my opinion).
I am this year’s Housing Coordinator, thus responsible for the acquisition of host families who are willing to offer an international student a home for the OLMUN week and the allocation of these international guests to their respective host families.
As you might imagine, finding matches can be a tough task, as can be spontaneous changes regarding Covid for example, and I am hence more than thankful for having Fenja Hübner on my team this year.
What I like most about the Housing Programme is the opportunities it offers to literally everyone involved: While the foreign students get insights into the way families in Germany are living, each year, we receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from the hosts who enjoy the intercultural contact as well. And last but not least, I, too, get to learn more than I could ever learn from any book through the conversations with the internationals, and from the experiences, I could make here, I will always have funny stories to tell.
If you are a local student and on the lookout for great conversations, great learnings, lots of fun and - eventually - finding great friends from abroad, I can only encourage you to sign up for the programme next year!
Finally, I wish to thank all those who are hosting a guest from abroad this year - it is only thanks to you that this conference can take place with the international spirit that has shaped it ever since and that we all love about it!
Warm wishes,
Marleen Schmidt