A Travel Journal from Celle
This post is shared in Tina Peña’s own words and reflects her personal experience traveling to Celle, Germany for the 25th anniversary of the Tulsa-Celle Sister City Partnership.
My trip to Germany was both meaningful and very affirming of the values that guide Tulsa Global Alliance and our sister-city relationships.
I began my visit in Celle, where I had the opportunity to attend the signing of the Sister Cities Book by Mayor Jörg Nigge and Tulsa City Councilor Chris Bengel. It was a special moment that reflected the history, memory, and shared commitment behind these long-standing partnerships. At that time, I delivered gifts on behalf of the Celle Sister City Committee (Sandy Dizdar) to the Mayor of Celle and to Jannis Timm, our contact in Celle, as a way to thank them for their leadership and continued support of the sister-city relationship.
While in Celle, I spoke about how meaningful the Tulsa–Celle relationship has been over the years and how important it is to keep building those connections, especially through education and young people. One of the highlights of the visit was meeting three students who had been attending school in Tulsa this year, one of whom is the Mayor’s daughter. They spoke very fondly about their experience and, in particular, about their math teacher, whom they described as the best they have ever had. That conversation led to the idea of connecting the students, their teacher in Celle, and three partner students in the United States via Zoom in January. The Mayor was genuinely excited about this possibility and the opportunity it offers to strengthen our educational ties. I have a meeting planned with Celle Sister City Chair Sandy Dizdar to review the idea since she is the Chair.
I was accompanied throughout the visit by Councilor Chris Bengel, who was truly impressed by the warmth and hospitality we experienced in Celle. He was especially struck by how seriously the city takes its sister-city relationships, not just as symbolic connections, but as long-term commitments built on trust and mutual respect.
We also talked about Celle’s broad and historic sister-city network, which includes partnerships with cities in France, Finland, England, Denmark, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Israel. These relationships, many of which go back decades, reflect Celle’s strong commitment to international dialogue and cooperation. Tulsa’s partnership, established in 2000, is spoken of with pride, even as one of the younger relationships at 25 years, especially when compared with long-standing partnerships such as Finland, which spans more than 53 years. We also learned that Celle plans to add a new sister city in Brazil next year, continuing to expand its global outlook.
After Celle, I traveled to Berlin and visited the Bundestag, the German Parliament. There, I was welcomed warmly by Victor and Laura, both of whom had visited Tulsa in August. Their kindness and familiarity made the visit feel very personal and underscored the value of ongoing exchanges.
During my visit to the Bundestag, I left literature from Tulsa’s Gathering Place, which will now become part of the Parliamentary Library. For me, this was a meaningful way to share something that represents Tulsa’s values of community, inclusion, and innovation on an international stage.
Throughout the visit, Susanne Reineke served as our interpreter, and she did an exceptional job of making sure we were included in every conversation. Her professionalism and attention to detail made a real difference in the quality of our interactions.
Overall, this trip reaffirmed how important sister-city relationships are when they are built on genuine relationships, shared purpose, and mutual respect. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent these connections and return with renewed confidence in the strength and future of Tulsa’s international partnerships.
