Julia Weber Joined CIP Team in September

The CIP team was delighted to receive our very own exchange visitor in our office in Pepper Pike for the month of September.  Julia Weber serves as a Project Assistant in the International Youth Policy Cooperation of IJAB, our partner in Germany. 

During her exchange, Julia oversaw this year's German Social Work exchange program that we host every year in our network offices in Chicago, Illinois, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Morgantown, West Virginia.  IJAB works with German government entities, secures funding, and recruits the German applicants every year for this program, and together we select participants and find appropriate placements for them in the United States.  Our network offices secure the host organizations and home hosts for the German participants assigned to their office for their two-month programs. 

This year, the German participants had the benefit of a visit from Julia in their host communities, which gave her first-hand exposure to how our program operates. "Taking part in this exchange has helped me to get a better understanding of our participants' perspective; I am very happy to be able to apply what I learned during my stay to my work."   

The benefit of this exchange is a two-way street, as we at CIP have gained a better understanding of the needs of our German partner and participants. "Besides being a wonderful person and colleague, Julia was also able to share with us insights from her perspective working in a German international exchange program that have helped us think about processes that can better improve our program," shares Lisa Purdy, CIP's President & CEO. 

Julia stayed with CIP Board Member Natalie Elwell, who introduced her to all Cleveland has to offer beyond the typical tourist attractions. In the interview below, Julia shares how impactful living with Natalie was to her immersion in American culture, as well as her reflections on working alongside CIP staff and her advice for future exchange participants.


How has your experience working in the CIP office differed from your experience working in your office back in Germany?  What have been the most surprising aspects of our work culture versus what you are used to back home?

For the most part it has not been that different at all – the everyday office life is quite similar to the one at the IJAB office in Bonn. The cordial welcome and the warm atmosphere at the CIP office in Cleveland has made it incredibly easy for me to settle in and start working. What actually impressed me was the amount of programs and projects that CIP organizes and the constant motivation to make international exchange possible for as many people worldwide as they can.

How has being here changed your understanding of our program and how it relates to our partnership?

Up until now I did not give too much thought about the meaning of the long history of the program, but here I became much more aware of how valuable and rare a program with such a long running time is. In 2026 it will be 70 years since CIP started and the first group of German Social Workers came to the US to learn about their field of work on the other side of the Atlantic. I am happy that we are able to continue to fill the program with life as I think it is as important as it has always been to get to know new cultures, new concepts, new people.

What was it like seeing your German participants in their American communities?  What are your impressions of our network offices and their support for your participants?  What are your impressions of the cities in which the network offices host your participants?

As I am normally only able to see the administrative side of the TraX-program and the seminars before and after the participant’s stay in the US, it’s been a unique opportunity to see the actual focus of our work, which is the participant’s experience in the US. To meet them and their supervisors at their training sites was a great insight into that. The people who run the network offices are absolutely passionate about international exchange and about making it possible in their communities and their cities. The towns I was able to visit are very different from each other, very unique in their own rights and from my point of view interesting places to get a glimpse not only into aspects of US-culture but also different areas of work.

How was living with an American home host?  What are some differences you observed between home life here versus your home life back in Germany?

It has been amazing to live with my host mum – and I am so grateful that she allowed me to stay with her for the time I was in Cleveland. It was great to cook together, talk and plan the things we were going to do at the weekends. I got to have unique experiences that I couldn't have had if I had stayed on my own. The biggest difference I noticed in the life of a lot of people in the US is the commitment to their community – oftentimes in form of volunteering and investing not only effort and money but free time and energy.

What were some of your most memorable cultural experiences?

Seeing a painting of an American artist in the Cleveland Museum of Art on one evening, and driving through the landscape that it depicted on the next day (if you would like to take a look at it, follow this link or better: just visit the Cleveland Museum of Art); seeing and hearing all kinds of political ads on TV and in the radio; walking along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Michigan; visiting farmer’s markets and Fall festivals; and of course everything Halloween and Pumpkin Spice.

What were some of the most surprising culture shock moments you had?  What did you miss the most about home?

I always had little pangs of culture shock when I experienced midwestern friendliness –just people being nice and chatty, even giving little compliments while interacting with each other. While driving in the US, I definitely missed the roundabouts we have at home as I still find 4-way-intersections hard to get used to (but I guess they work when most people are midwestern nice).

What advice do you have for future exchange visitors coming to Cleveland?

Although there are amazing things to see and do in Cleveland and they are all worth seeing and doing – don’t be afraid to simply immerse yourself in everyday life. Don’t rush from bullet point to bullet point on some bucket list. Take in the view of the city and the lake, watch out for the wildlife that might just appear right in front of you and most importantly get to know the lovely people around you.