In June of 2015, I took part in an exchange program with my school and a high school in Gottingen, Germany. This program was under the Fulbright Auspice and was founded by a teacher who attended a Fulbright program and met a teacher of the school in Gottingen. This trip was an incredible experience and I learned so much about the culture of the German people and about the similarities and minor differences between American and German family life. Below is a short reflection I wrote for the trip that I'd like to share.
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Going to another country is always a novel and memorable experience, but this cultural exchange was just something else. It was the most noteworthy and exhilarating trip I have taken to date. From the places we went to the people we met, every minute we were there, we learned something new. Doing calculus problems on the board in front of students we barely knew opened my mind to the fact that numbers truly are a universal language. Asking university students for food recommendations showed me that the easiest way to find food is to do the hardest thing and ask a stranger a question. But of all these incredible experiences, there is one that I wish to share with you. A morning expedition through Berlin. The day started as any other, and I went to breakfast with a teacher and a fellow student a bit earlier in the morning, as we had planned to roam the area near our hostel before leaving for our next destination with the rest of the group. After a breakfast with bread, eggs, and hazelnut spread, we exited the hostel and just began to walk. A few minutes in, I pulled out an app called CityMaps2Go, an offline map download of major cities, which my partner’s dad recommended to me. This app was a lifesaver and was our “North Star” as it did indeed lead us back home. But more on that later. We saw an official looking building from one of the streets, and walked towards it, hoping to find something interesting. While the building itself was simply a hotel, the street we were on was one of the prominent streets of what used to be East Germany. Once we reached that street however, we saw the large TV tower in downtown and set our destination. After approximately 2 miles, we ended up in downtown Berlin with very little time to get back to the hostel. Our first thought was to head to the U.S. Embassy, where we figured we could find a way to get back to the hostel on time, but to our luck’s credit, the entire area around the Brandenburg Gate was closed due to a major event with world leaders, and we were not allowed into the embassy. Not to mention the Reichstag and Bundestag were closed for a few hours the night before due to a protest. All in all, we met lots of heavily armed police officers during our time in Berlin, though in the end we did get to go to every place we had planned to. But our journey was not yet finished. We still had to get home! So we consulted some police officers in the area, ran to the nearest train station, and hopped on the metro to the hostel. We arrived about 10 minutes late, but we met up with the rest of the group, and kept the memory of a lifetime with us.
This here was just a snapshot of the adventures we had on the trip, but I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the impact of the trip itself. By being a part of this program, we connected two countries so far apart, in the closest way possible. Through family. By connecting with the family life of German citizens, we could see, feel, and understand the depth of an entire culture through something more than just text in a book. We were able to share emotions, share passions, and most of all, spread love. And that is definitely a step forward in the path to a connected world.
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Look forward to more excerpts and reflections on the trip!
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Going to another country is always a novel and memorable experience, but this cultural exchange was just something else. It was the most noteworthy and exhilarating trip I have taken to date. From the places we went to the people we met, every minute we were there, we learned something new. Doing calculus problems on the board in front of students we barely knew opened my mind to the fact that numbers truly are a universal language. Asking university students for food recommendations showed me that the easiest way to find food is to do the hardest thing and ask a stranger a question. But of all these incredible experiences, there is one that I wish to share with you. A morning expedition through Berlin. The day started as any other, and I went to breakfast with a teacher and a fellow student a bit earlier in the morning, as we had planned to roam the area near our hostel before leaving for our next destination with the rest of the group. After a breakfast with bread, eggs, and hazelnut spread, we exited the hostel and just began to walk. A few minutes in, I pulled out an app called CityMaps2Go, an offline map download of major cities, which my partner’s dad recommended to me. This app was a lifesaver and was our “North Star” as it did indeed lead us back home. But more on that later. We saw an official looking building from one of the streets, and walked towards it, hoping to find something interesting. While the building itself was simply a hotel, the street we were on was one of the prominent streets of what used to be East Germany. Once we reached that street however, we saw the large TV tower in downtown and set our destination. After approximately 2 miles, we ended up in downtown Berlin with very little time to get back to the hostel. Our first thought was to head to the U.S. Embassy, where we figured we could find a way to get back to the hostel on time, but to our luck’s credit, the entire area around the Brandenburg Gate was closed due to a major event with world leaders, and we were not allowed into the embassy. Not to mention the Reichstag and Bundestag were closed for a few hours the night before due to a protest. All in all, we met lots of heavily armed police officers during our time in Berlin, though in the end we did get to go to every place we had planned to. But our journey was not yet finished. We still had to get home! So we consulted some police officers in the area, ran to the nearest train station, and hopped on the metro to the hostel. We arrived about 10 minutes late, but we met up with the rest of the group, and kept the memory of a lifetime with us.
This here was just a snapshot of the adventures we had on the trip, but I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the impact of the trip itself. By being a part of this program, we connected two countries so far apart, in the closest way possible. Through family. By connecting with the family life of German citizens, we could see, feel, and understand the depth of an entire culture through something more than just text in a book. We were able to share emotions, share passions, and most of all, spread love. And that is definitely a step forward in the path to a connected world.
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Look forward to more excerpts and reflections on the trip!