Kategorie: Training

On 25 August 2019, the MGG-Academy participants from seven countries around the world got a taste of Roman history and the rare and delicious red wine of the Ahr Valley. They were welcomed by Livia Octavia, otherwise known as Rita Klüwer at the Römervilla for a walk through Roman times. Her lively narratives elaborated not only about the architecture, economic and political heritage of the Romans, but also shed light on their everyday lives and culture.

After the enriching dip into the local history, the group hiked along the gorgeous manicured vineyards that are home to the rarely grown red-wine in Germany, Pinot Noir. They learnt about the rich history of the local farmers, family-owned farms and the struggles of the local community to preserve the ancient history of the region. Over a picnic style lunch, the MGG- group bonded over wine, cheese, pretzels and of course rich and intense discussions about political economies of their home countries.

Then they visited a local winery that used to be a monastery in the older times. The stories of the ancient nuns using the wine cellar, steeped in a history was as rich as the red wine brewed in the wooden barrels in the cellars. They topped off the day with ice-cream and some fond memories of the trail. The trip was a perfect opportunity to make stronger bonds with their fellow MGG participants – after all, nothing allows you to make better friends than bonding over beautiful sights and catching your breath over the mesmerising view of the valley below.

This year’s course will run until December 12, 2019. In a video, we have put together some impressions of participants.

On 2^th September we, the 55^th year of the postgraduate programme, started at DIE and we would like to thank all employees for their friendly welcome. During the next nine months we hope to learn a lot about development in terms of the SDGs and to get an insight into research practice during our projects in Ethiopia, Botswana and Namibia, as well as Jordan. Of course, there should not be a shortage of fun which is why we took a day trip to the Ahrtal together with our programme coordinator Regine Mehl and the coordinators of our research teams.

Rita Klüwer welcomed us at the Römervilla where she gave us an informative and authentic tour through the ruins and the surrounding vineyards. Among other things, we learned that the local winegrowers successfully refuse to grow white wine and that 80 percent of the wine grown in the region is Spätburgunder. Subsequently, we got a chance to taste some of the latter and, during a hike and a lunch, we had the opportunity to get to know each other better and to exchange some ideas concerning the following nine months at the institute.

Moreover, the day served to make plans for the upcoming time and to talk to the team and course coordinators in an informal atmosphere outside the institute. We are all looking forward to getting to know as many of the employees as possible and to engage in conversations at one of the future events, gladly over a glass of Spätburgunder.