It is also time for Stefan Krause, 26, and. Mathias Schüler, 24, both of Ribnitz-Damgarten, Germany in north Germany on the coast, population 25,000, to return home to their family and friends.

They have spent the last ten weeks here in Manning working on the 340-year-old Haus/Barn roof with many local volunteers. They are both expert thatchers who were taught their tedious trade by their elder thatchers in Germany. When home they will return to their jobs of thatching roofs for homes over there.

"Houses here in town look very different with the different kinds of roofs on them. In Germany we have mostly stone roofs or reed roofs," Stefan said.

Though neither are fluent in the English language they both had no problems communicating with the many different volunteers that have donated their time and energy to the Haus/Barn project.

Jim Waterbury was at the sight of the Haus/Barn and said, "It was a little hard the first few days they were here, but we have all learned how to understand each other very well." Stefan said people in America talk faster than Germans do so they have had to adjust to that.

Stefan who speaks a little more English than Mathias said they both have become better at speaking the English language since being in Iowa. When asked what they will tell their friends and family about Manning, they laughed and said "Go to Cliff's and eat steak!" They were at the time in the company of Jon and Jim Waterbury who have both spent much of their spare time at the Haus/Bam working with Stefan and Mathias on the roof.

For both, it was their first time in America and in their spare time they have enjoyed visiting a few "discos" (clubs) where Mathias stated with a smile on his face, "The beer tastes like water here." I guess water in Germany must be thicker? Though they like German techno music they do like some of our music. They both said they liked to listen to Metallica and both had to agree - anything but country music. They said laughing, Americans dress similar to people in Germany but everybody here dresses in Tommy Hilfiger and Nike.

They have also been to Omaha and to Des Moines to Shop and to visit fellow thatcher Uwe Winter who was injured on September 16 in an accident that happened on Highway 71. Uwe is doing better. He is up walking around and has returned home to Germany October 17 to a hospital where he is going through rehabilitation.

They would like to return to Manning to see the completed Haus/Barn in a couple of years but they also would like to visit more of the United States. They would like to see a large city like New York or visit California where everything is a little faster-paced.

They came to Manning to work and in the process have made many new friends and memories to take back to Germany with them. They have also brought us one of the 340-year-old Haus/Barn. Auf Wiedersehen.