Voices of GIST: Iris Schweiger, Preacher at the Martin Luther Church

“I'm not sure I ever managed to grow up”

When I was a child, I wanted very much to be a teacher! However, my wish had nothing to do with actually wanting to teach. Rather, it arose from the needlework subject I had in elementary school. There we were given a gray-white, dingy wool to learn how to knit. My teacher, on the other hand, had a beautiful red wool, and so I also wished I could use this beautiful red wool. This gave rise to my desire to become a teacher. This was nothing extraordinary, like winning an Olympiad or something similar - but it taught me that I could “remain a child and still be an adult” in the future. However, it was much more important for me to become completely independent and not be dependent on anyone.

My independence was proven forty years ago when I moved to Canada, taking that big step and leaving some of my fears behind. Little did I know that GIST and its wonderfully receptive, outgoing and kind community would become such a big part of my life.

by Liv Hahne