On June 2, 2014, Ms. Maggie Powell and Ms. Adrienne Hawkins led seven JHS students and me on an overseas adventure. After a full 24 hours of bus and plane rides, we finally arrived in Uelzen, Germany where we would stay for the next three weeks. Each traveler stayed with one, or in some cases two, host families.
Some days included observing classes at the HEG (Herzog- Ernst Gymnasim), the local high school, and some involved day trips to nearby cities. Cities visited include Luneburg, Hamburg and Lubeck. Another important trip was to the site of the former concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Even though the camp was destroyed long ago, touring it was still a very moving experience. One weekend was a two-night trip to Berlin where the Americans were accompanied by their personal tour guides, German students and teachers from the HEG. In Berlin, they visited many sites such as the Berlin Wall, the Bundestag (the German government building), and the Brandenburg Gate. This trip seemed to be the favorite part for Victoria Covell who said, “I really enjoyed getting to know the German kids that came with us on the trip and eating really good ice cream!” To me, this was also a highlight of the trip. It was interesting to see how teenagers your own age go about their day-to-day lives in a different culture.
Observing classes at the HEG was also an eye opener for the Americans. First of all, the building was very modern and clean and was shaped like a square with a garden courtyard in the middle. The building was shared by many more grade levels than our four-year high school. The Germans are ahead of us academically as well. I visited an English class of students my own age and they were reading The Crucible, which I have yet to read…and they are reading it in a foreign language!
I would definitely recommend taking this trip to Germany, and I know that the rest of my group would as well. It is rare to get the opportunity to live with teenagers your own age in a foreign country. We really learned about how similar and yet different the two cultures are. You could never have the same experience staying in a hotel. Look into the GAPP trip for 2015!