Our time has come to an end. I think the students’ blogs speak for themselves. A true document of the ups and downs, the pleasures and pains, the monotonies and the thrills, and the life-changing nature of the study abroad experience.
So, Germany and readers of this blog…..Thank you and Peace out.
Andrew
Emily
Jennifer
Amber
Dawn
Kyle
Kel
Herr C
Auf Wiedersehen, Ciao, Tschuess……Good bye.
So, it's officially my last full day (for this trip) in Magdeburg, Germany and Europe. It's been one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had in my life. I've seen and done so much here, and I've learned so much about so many things I wouldn't know where to begin explaining it (I'll try though).
(Kyle at Buchenwald)
First, I've learned lots about the nature of human kind and people. We're capable of absorbing in the environment around us and adapting to it. A baby can learn any of the thousands of languages the world has to offer. As one ages, they become a product of their experiences and the environment surrounding them. The biggest conclusion I can draw from this trip is how very similar people around the world are. I know I may have only had a glimpse into the big picture, but I think that it is evident that humans really are all very alike. Here, I've met people not only from Germany but people from around the world, from Finland, Indonesia, Columbia, and many more. Despite our many cultural, religious and lifestyle differences, we really are all in the same boat. We have the same basic needs and desires but our exact path through life is shaped by our vastly different upbringings, surroundings, governments, etc. etc.
(Kyle with our tour guide Rainer and our tutor Klaus in Dresden)
Another thing this trip has left me with is how lucky I have been to have lived the life I have so far. I've been awarded a fantastic family, friends, education, and so many other things. I've always appreciated those things but I now have a new perspective on them and for that I will be eternally grateful for having the opportunity to go on this trip.
I think if more people around the world were able to experience how much we have in common, perhaps we wouldn't have so much turmoil between us. I can only hope that some day our world leaders will be able to come to the same realizations.
Wishing for world peace,
Kyle
(At the Marx/Engels statue in the former East Berlin)
We were asked that our last blog be our last thoughts on the trip. What our overall opinion was on the country. Things we liked, things we didn't like and so on. Your basic recap blog. I figured the best way to do this was to wait until the last minute to write the blog because then I've experienced as much of Germany as I can before writing what I think about it.
Right now, as I write this, it is 6:36PM in Magdeburg, Germany. Our train for Berlin leaves somewhere around 5AM tomorrow morning, so we're in the final countdown till take off on the trip back. I've been thinking a lot about this trip, and the things that I've accomplished and the things I didn't accomplish and the things that I wish I had more time for.
I realized, first and foremost, that I'm done with my undergraduate degree. I took my last exam yesterday of my undergraduate life, so I'm now officially a graduate of the University of South Carolina Upstate, and honestly, I think that's what my mind has been dwelling on the most. It's this sick, kind of unsettled feeling that most graduates experience when they realize that they're actually an adult now.
But really, I think this trip has helped me some with the "oh my god, I might pee myself" fear of the "real world." Imagine that you get dropped in this random country where you supposedly know the language they speak, but when you hear it, it feels like your first day of class on the subject. Imagine being able to think clearly, but the second you open your mouth to speak, the words get all jumbled up on your tongue, and then, when they don't, the person responds so quickly that you don't have time to process what was said before you have to invent an answer.
(Kel undoubtedly writing a blog post)
It's a little scary. I've taken class after class of German for 8 years. I've learned about the differences in German culture and American culture. I knew how to order food and answer a phone and count to ten. I knew how to be polite and what not to say to a teacher. I knew how to follow directions and conjugate verbs and what adjective endings to put on which words. I knew all of those things, but living it, breathing it, eating it... Nothing on this planet could have prepared me for that experience.
But now we're in the final stretch to getting back on the plane, and I'm thinking, "Has it been a month? Has it been that long already?" And the answer is always the same, "Why, yes, Kel, it has." And I made it. I know the train system like the back of my hand. I can tell you the humidity and wind speed with my finger or how long it'll take us to get from point A to point B down to the seconds.
I've asked over a million questions, got a thousand dirty looks from various people, ate hundreds of different things, walked tens of miles every day (or at least it felt like it sometimes), and this is just the ONE experience that will stay with me forever: I lived in Germany. For a month. And I survived.
I've experienced a wide range of emotions during this trip. Everything from happiness to anger, hyper to sad, but surviving Germany?
THAT feeling is one that I wouldn't give up for the world.
Today is my last day in Germany. I am sitting here going over in my head all of the experiences I have had.
(Amber at the interactive museum in the Millennium Tower in Magdeburg)
The good:
Of course I have had a blast here in Germany! I can now have a small small conversation in German with another German, I definitely could not do that before I left the states. I spend an entire summer month in Europe! How could I not have had fun? We traveled to a lot of cites in Germany. I got to see so much history with the old buildings and churches. I finally met my German friend after emailing her for 3 or 4 years now. Last night the weather was perfect and Jay, Kyle and I walk along the Elbe river after enjoying some German beer. It was awesome. This trip was filled with experiences like that. I did not have my cell phone to worry about or work or anything!
The bad:
There were some but not much bad times. When we were on one of the trains, there was a drunk crazy German guy who had a crazy explosion right there near us. That scared me so much. What was worse, was I had my back facing him! I could him going off behind me. I did not want to turn around to see and risk making eye contact with this nut ball but I did not know what he was going to do! Luckily Jay, our German teacher at home, had the idea for us to silently get up and move farther down the train. Another time I got lost because the busses decided to go crazy and not go by the schedule. There is now a creepy American staying at the hostel and creeping my friends out. Kyle sort of forced me to talk to creepy dirty German guys. They were nice but I did not want anything to do with them. I am sure there is a couple other bad times I am forgetting but it was nothing major to ruin my time at all. They will just make great stories for later.
The weird:
Kel and I tried to order a beaker of wine and apparently accidently ordered a bottle. So the waiter showed up with two bottles for us, and thought we were the biggest lushes! Kel and I ended up sharing the bottle! Kyle told me on this trip that the biggest way to learn a German word is to embarrass yourself. Well, he was right! I went in one time to buy a decoration plate, and I forgot the German word for plate. I felt like such an idiot! Well, I will never forget that word again! There were some other times I did that and messed up a simple word, and I will never forget it! My roommate is from Indonesia and she is Muslim. That was a very interesting experience! Their culture is so different from the American culture and we had to share a room together.
I will leave this country with a laundry list of cool things, stories, and memories!!
Even though I’m anxious to go home and be by myself for the first time in a month, I also think I’m going to miss hanging out with this whole group. While we’ve been here the whole group has formed kind of a small family. We have tons of inside jokes and we have a lot of fun with each other. Of course, like any family we’ve had our spats but in the end we were stuck with each other for a month and we had to get over it. I think everyone has done a good job of trying not to get on each others nerves and apologizing when they had. If just one person had a bad attitude it probably could’ve ruined the whole trip.
(On top of the Millennium tower in Magdeburg)
Another thing I’m definitely going to miss is the food. I was kind of nervous about eating here because I’ve eaten at Gerhard’s in downtown Spartanburg and everything was served with some form of potato and a lot of meat. First off, I hate potatoes and while the meat was good some of it was too heavy. I thought I’d definitely lose weight while here because of the walking and then again because I might not be able to eat that much. Well, Kel says I have lost weight but I certainly can’t figure out how. The Italian food here is awesome. They have great big pizzas with salami and spaghetti baked with ham and cheese. I’ve eaten like a pig every single night. Not only the dinner but ice cream is another food group here. A meal isn’t complete without walking by one of the ten Italian restaurants and getting a cone of ice cream.
Even though right now I’m tired of them, like Jay, I’ll probably start going crazy without my Brötchen. I’ve had a Brötchen every single morning since we’ve been in Germany. For the people who live under a rock (or just don’t speak German) a Brötchen is like a little roll that goes well with pretty much anything. We’ve put cream cheese, Nutella, jam, salami, cheese, and butter on ours and most days we eat them for lunch too.
Even though the food is only a small part of what I liked about Germany, I’m probably going to go through food and ice cream withdrawals in South Carolina.
As our time in Germany is waning and the hectic rush of trying to get our suitcases to close once more begins, a lot has been going through my mind. In these three weeks I've learned many things, built upon the things I already knew, and has some experiences which will stay with me forever.
(Shared experiences—dinner on the Elbe—Fridja from Indonesia, Jennifer, Andrew, Amber and Emily)
I'm not the type to be overly sentimental. I don't cry at airports or at the end of a school year, but in these three short weeks I feel like the seven of us have bonded. On my previous study abroad trip there were forty students and while we became semi close I talk to only two of them now and even that is sparse. But, us seven USC Upstate students have shared rooms, bathrooms, food, and more together, melding into one unit. We have had instances where the words to complete a sentence were easily offered by another and we've formulated an abundance of inside jokes that will be sure to follow us as we cross paths between HPAC and SMTH.
(Melding into one unit……..)
I've seen myself get better at German. Oh, the butterflies are still there, the fear that I won't be understood or that I won't understand is still pretty prevalent, but with the constant exposure I've grown. I can order at a restaurant, complete minor transactions when buying souvenirs, and exchange pleasantries with a passerby on the street. I have even managed to hold a few small conversations with various people, such as the elderly man in the elevator. I can read signs and know what they say, and I've learned a bevy of new words, more than I would looking at a dictionary.
And the culture here, the culture in Germany is so different from that at home. Not quite culture shock different, but different nonetheless. Bikes are a way of life and scarves are a must if you want to leave your home. Ice cream (Eis) is available anytime, anywhere, and the concoctions which arrive when you order are amazingly ornate. The cities come alive at night and there is this laid back sort of atmosphere everywhere. Also, the fact that the trains are punctual is beyond me.
I don't feel like I've been here for over three weeks. The days have seemed to fly together, meshing into one enormous adventure. Night being so short here they are barely separated by sleep, and even the monotony of class is spiced up with daily excursions into a city that is still vastly unknown to us.
Germany 2009, whether in photos or shared jokes across the green, will be instilled in my mind for a long time to come.
(Andrew, Jennifer and Dawn at the VW Autostadt)
This trip was amazing. I wouldn't have passed it up for anything. The class was a little less than fun, having to sit through 4 hours of class a day at 8:30 is not exactly my favorite thing to do. However, i did learn a bit. Well, I wouldn't say i learned anything new, but i definitely improved on what i did know. I can now make really long grotesque and annoying sentences in German.
We learned a good bit about the culture just by being here. Just like the fact that 80% of Germany gets dressed in the dark, and they get their haircuts at night by moonlight. and when they get it dies the hair dresser goes colorblind. It is a very interesting style with an anything goes policy. You could wear shoes on your hands and no one would look at you twice.
The drivers here are insane, but we have yet to see a car accident. Just another mystery in the magical Land of Germany. Although the police sirens run constantly we just cant figure out why. Oh and ricer's exist over here too (kids that trick out unnecessary cars) My favorite here is the Racing Trabi with the words NO AIRBAG really big on the back glass.
I would have to say my favorite thing here is the streetcar system (S-Bahn). You can never get lost, you will never be late, and you can get absolutely anywhere. And if you miss the streetcar or take the wrong one you only have to wait a few minutes... unless it’s night time, then you are in trouble. The streetcar at night in Berlin is scary. There are plenty of drunks and beggars. But as long as you get what you need early and just ignore the people everything is fine. Magdeburg streetcars are much nicer than the Berlin ones. Mostly because there are far fewer people on them.
We didn't have the best of luck with the weather. it was mostly cloudy and sometimes rained. but overall it wasn't bad. the past few days have been stupidly hot though. Overall this trip was a blast. I'm glad i took it and it was well worth the money. Everyone on the trip got along good enough, and we didn't have any major trouble the whole time.
I hate to leave! This trip has been so much fun and we have so many inside jokes by this point that its crazy. I have definitely improved my German which was the entire point of the trip so I am satisfied. I have been to Germany before and the last time that I was here my German really wasn't that good, I could hardly understand anything that they would say to me and it was the same for them, if I tried to speak in German to them they would just shake there heads at me. So I figured that it would pretty much be the same way this time but I was pleasantly surprised when I could actually understand almost every word that they said to me and I could actually hold a conversation with them this time around.
Its been a blast here, and even though I have missed my family and friends a lot , I've still managed somehow to have fun! We have done so many fun things and experienced so many new things that I will always remember. Especially Seat * its actually a type of car pronounced Shiii iiiaaattt*!! Yea that was an inside joke.
I will definitely miss the food here, mmmm it was so yummy! We have all decided though that Germans must get tired of German food too because there is an Italian restaurant on every corner in Magdeburg! But I am definitely not complaining, because every one of them was delicious! And yes we tried them all.... ohhhh and the Eis, it’s ice cream by the way..... it’s soooo incredibly good.
(Eis ist lecker!!!!)
I think my favorite flavor is a tie between nutella and After 8 which is actually mint chocolate chip mmmm yum yum! And get this it only costs you a whopping 80 cents. Well unless of course you get a huge Eisbecher and that runs you about 4 Euros. Today we took our test and we are all hoping for good grades... well at least passing grades!
I will be glad to go home but I will be sad at the same time, I feel torn at the moment seeing as tomorrow is our last full day in Germany! Magdeburg has been a great city to stay in, it’s cute and pretty and quiet, and very easy to get around in, with lots of tasty food everywhere! The day trips that we have taken were great because all you really needed was a few hours at each place to kind of get a feel for it... and also by that time your feet where screaming that they were going to kill you while you slept!
Oh and also as a side note Germany is magical, because as everyone on this trip knows if you run very fast and then dive and slide under my bed you can get to the Hogwarts express ... me and Emily go there all the time at night! And Kel... well she has Narnia under her bed but who cares.... Hogwarts is soo much better!
So the point of all of my rambling is... if you ever get a chance to come to Germany take it! It will open your eyes up to new things, make you see how different cultures are vastly different and yet still the same, and no matter whether your young or old.... Germany is a magical place!
Our time in Magdeburg is coming to an end. In less than 24 hours we’ll board our Continental flight back to Newark and then fly into GSP. I hope you have all enjoyed the honesty and enthusiasm with which these 7 very special and unique USC Upstate students have documented their experience and in the process I hope they and you have learned something from it.
In the end, however, there were some experiences and sites that slipped through the documentation cracks and I’d like to share some of them with you:
The 1000 year old Magdeburg cathedral
The Gruene Zitadelle (green citadel) built in Magdeburg and designed by Austrian architect Hundertwasser.
The beautiful Elbe river that flows through Magdeburg.
The Magdeburg farmer’s market and white asparagus season.
Magdeburg is the home of Otto von Guericke whose experiments with two half spheres and a team of horses established the physics of the vacuum.
The beautiful Mueckenwirt beer garden on the Elbe river
The Bauhaus school in Dessau.
Wittenberg and the door of the church to which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses.
Martin Luther’s church in Wittenberg.
And of course I could post these for days. Even though I had seen most of this before, this being the 5th group of USC Upstate students I have taken to Magdeburg since 2000, the real pleasure comes in seeing the students experience it for the very first time. Not only does such a trip provide a completely new perspective on everything from environmental issues, food, money, politics, history, travel, cultural differences, historic preservation, etc…..it is something that changes each and every student that experiences it, even if just a little bit. Each students comes back changed in some way. They might not know it yet…..but they will.
Hope you’ve enjoyed. Now I’ll let the students speak for themselves.
Herr C.
I am really enjoying all of the wonderful food here in Germany, but frankly there are 2 things wrong with it. One it’s Italian, and 2 it’s somewhat expensive. Breakfast is not that bad. Well not if you like bread.
(Typical German breakfast)
Every morning i have 2 pieces of bread with some Nutella, and i take 2 sandwiches for lunch. There isn't much of an option for my lunch sandwiches, mostly because I'm not supposed to take them. But i get sandwiches with salami and Swiss cheese. They are good enough to get me by. For lunch we really have a few good options. There is a little Asian restaurant where you can get a whole meal for about 4 bucks. Or you can go into the mall and get a bratwurst for 2. Dinner is the more expensive thing. There are a few options with dinner. There is an American restaurant called The Fan. It is fun and has pretty good food, but it's not as American as they think it is. It is definitely Germanized. Even McDonalds is Germanized.
(I’m lovin’ it)
They area all really nice restaurants, oh and guess what guys... No Free Refills!!! Anyway, back to dinner. The other main option is Italian food. There are 4 Italian restaurants within walking distance. One, which is right next to the Hostel is called La Pizza. It is owned by the Italian/German Mafia. The main waiter there i dubbed "Tony" He has a huge gold ring on every finger, huge gold watch and bracelet, massive gold necklaces, and is built like an Oak tree. they also have strange looking Italian guys in suits walking in and out of there everyday. Oh and they take forever to both wait on you and bring you your check. Jay had to walk out on them one day. The other Italian restaurant has this skinny little Italian guy that works there. he is a trip. we pass the restaurant everyday from school and he yells, "Hey America!" then tells us who we are playing in soccer next. he's a really funny guy. The other Italian restaurant is Leo's Its my favorite. It is really good and really cheap, and the waitress there doesn't look that bad either. the weird thing about Leo's though, is that they have pictures of Paris all over the walls, and no one there is Italian. The fourth and Final Italian restaurant is Palazzo's.
(Palazzo’s Eiscafe and Restaurant)
It is also really good and also pretty cheap. They also have a weird theme for an Italian restaurant... Egyptian. But they have some of the best ice cream in the whole city. The waiters in German restaurants don't rush you, in fact you have to rush them. they wont come back with your tip until you go get them. and since you don't get refills, they don't ever come back to your table. Eating over here is quite interesting and enjoyable. But the fact that we have to eat out every day kind of sucks. You spend about 10-20 bucks on food if you buy lunch and dinner. Overall though the experience is good. The Gertalian food is very tasty. I have only found 2 places in this town that sell bratwurst and of course our 4 competing Italian restaurants
Our trip to Dresden was the earliest we had to wake up. I forget what time it was, but it felt ever earlier than it actually was. As soon as we got to the train station our tour guide started. He was really interesting and had tons of knowledge, but i don't think he took a breath the entire trip.
(Herr Coffman and our tour guide in the Semper Opera workshops)
We were on our first train for a long time before we stopped at Halle. We got a history lesson on that train ride about Halle and the surrounding area. We had an hour to kill before our next train so we took a brief walking tour of the city. It was really nice. It had this kind of old meets new aura to it. All of the buildings had the old facades, but a lot of them had modern lighting and some other modern touches.
(Quick stop in Halle)
We got onto our next train and it took us to Leipzig. Leipzig is an end station, which is pretty self explanatory. The trains only go in and out one way, you cant go through Leipzig, just to it. Anyway, we finally made it to Dresden, after more history of Leipzig and the surrounding area.
From there we saw a church that was completely destroyed, along with the entire city, during the fire bombing. They had used sophisticated computer technology however to use as much of the old church as they could. So the old pieces are dark and the new ones are light. Making it look like a giant chocolate chip cookie church.
(The restored Frauenkirche. Notice the old black stones used in its reconstruction)
They did the same thing with a lot of the city. You can catch glimpses of dark parts all over the place. Then we saw the large Porcelain wall. It was really neat looking, oh and there was an Audi R8 parked next to it :). After that we went by the Opera house expecting to just see the outside. But by some strange coincidence, we were there on their open house day. So we actually got to go inside and see the theater. On top of that the Workshops for the sets were also open. So we walked around and got to see them building the parts for the sets and some old things they had made before. That was really interesting to see.
(The Semper Opera workshops)
After all of the opera house touring, we went to a Bier garden. It was right on the river and one one of the prettiest views I’d ever seen.
(Biergarten and View)
However, the meal was a little less than great. Dawn, Emily, and I ordered the Weisswurst, which is a white sausage... boiled. None of us could get it down. Even though i was extremely hungry. I ended up eating some of Jennifer's food. This caused us to miss one of our trains back. So we had to wait another hour and didn't make it home until midnight. Our tour guide parted with us at our stop in Leipzig. I learned a lot from him on the trip, but I also didn't have enough time for my own thoughts. We finally got some quiet time on the train ride back. I think that was the best night of sleep I’d gotten. Simply because i was so exhausted.
Kel, Klaus, and I went to school for a workshop that apparently Hendrick “told” us about. We were walking to the Strassenbahn so that we could catch the tram. I was walking fast because I thought that the tram was about to come. Without thinking about it I walked in front of an older gentleman. I didn’t bump him or anything, just walked in front of him. The next thing I knew a foot hooked mine and I tripped. Turns out the man didn’t like me walking in front of him and he stuck out his foot, wrapped it around my leg, and then pulled. I couldn’t and wouldn’t retaliate because not only was a surprised but it was a man that looked like he was in his seventies. My hands had already come up to push him back but as soon as I saw how old he was I couldn’t do it. Jokingly I told everyone else if it had been a younger person they definitely would’ve been pushed.
After he tripped me, the older man kept walking like nothing had happened and I was just flabbergasted. He crossed the street without ever looking back and I just stared after him. I heard Klaus make a shocked noise and behind me I heard Kel say, “He just tried to trip you!” She couldn’t believe what had just happened. I started laughing because honestly it was ridiculous of him to even try to trip me. Klaus looked a little embarrassed and said, “That’s not a good example of German hospitality.”
(Kel and Dawn laughing)
That was just an isolated incident (well other than the guy that licked my ear) and for the most part I’ve found the German people I’ve talked with to be very nice and patient with us. Jennifer’s friends welcomed us all and made dinner for us even though they’d only ever met Jennifer and Andrew. Also, Klaus is very friendly and I’ve gotten to talk to him quite a bit in German. Sometimes at home, I’ve heard people be kind of rude to other people who can’t speak English very well so its good to see that the German people were nice about it because if they were rude it might’ve made me not want to talk as much as I have.
So now that I've discussed money, one of the biggest differences, I think its a good time to talk about another big difference, transportation. Gas here is expensive. We complained when gas was 4 dollars a gallon and were in near riot-mode. Gas in Germany is roughly $6 or more a gallon.
It's reflected in the way they live. All the streets have a sidewalk path specifically for bikes, as well as stoplights at the intersections just for bikes. Then there's the Strassenbahn, which is a trolley system that every big city has. It can take you all over the city in a short time for a reasonable price. It makes me wonder why the trolley system in Pittsburgh isn't more expansive, as there is really only one track and very few split offs and possibilities for places to go. It also makes me wonder why more American cities don't have reliable public transportation or any sort of incentives to not drive so much.
In general, it seems that people here are much more aware of how much energy they are using and more caring towards the environment. Everywhere I go there are at least 4 different garbage/recycling cans for different types of waste.
(Makeshift recycling bins for packaging, leftover trash and paper. Glass and organic matter are also recycled)
Even our hostel has a solar water heater. Every time we ride the train through the countryside there is an abundance of wind mills.
It’s hard to go a day here without seeing a solar panel or some form of alternative energy. Really, I think it just isn't as popular in America because we're lazy. It's easier to just throw things away in one place, it's easier to not care about the environment or about the planet. If there’s one thing I'd like to help our country change that would be it. It might sound like I’m a hippie (to some), but we really need to start caring about what we do to the only planet we have to live on.
