Dr. Daniela Ribitsch shared traditional Oktoberfest foods, including fresh warm pretzels, with the LHU campus community.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -
Lock Haven University’s Institute for International Studies and Dr. Daniela Ribitsch hosted an Oktoberfest celebration on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Oktoberfest is a festival that began in Munich, Germany in 1810 and is celebrated both in Germany and in the USA.

Dr. Ribitsch welcomed about 40 campus guests to the event, which was held in the IIS suite in Akeley Hall. She taught the group the proper way to each sausage, which is not in a sandwich. The sausage is dipped in mustard and horseradish and eaten first, followed by a bite of roll.

Dr. Ribitsch is from Austria and shared traditional foods, music and culture with LHU faculty, staff, and students. She said,, “It was nice how many people were curious about Oktoberfest. Although it was a much smaller version of the original, concerning the food and the information from Germany and Austria, it gave a good impression of the authentic Oktoberfest celebrated in Munich, Germany.”

Students and faculty learned about the different areas of Austria and Germany and about LHU’s partner schools, the University of Paderborn, in Paderborn, Germany and the University of Applied Sciences in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Jaleesa Hall, an LHU student who studied abroad in Beijing, China during the Spring 2009 semester stated, “I really got a feel for Oktoberfest’s food and music.”

Dr. Ribitsch first came to LHU as a Fulbright Scholar as a German language assistant during the academic year 2006-2007. Dr. Ribitsch received her Ph.D. in German Philology and moved to Lock Haven last year and teaches German at Lock Haven University.

The Oktoberfest celebration coincided with the departure of Dr. Jennifer Creamer, Dean of the Institute for International Studies. Creamer stated, “The Oktoberfest celebration was a fun and an informative opportunity to share cross-culturally.”
For more information on LHU’s international programs: http://www.lhup.edu/international-studies/