It's a miracle...

It's a miracle that some of us got to even come on this trip. 

It's a miracle that we made it here without losing any of our luggage or members of the group. 

It's a miracle that we have all made it on the train together, every time without fail. 

It's a miracle that we've only had to use the insurance once. 

It's a miracle that no one has gotten hit by a bus or any other vehicle while crossing the road. 

It's a miracle, even among all the kinds of diversity in this group, that we have made life long friends and are leaving this country feeling the love. 

As we get on the bus to leave Berlin, our hearts are full of love and happiness at the memories we have made on this trip. Happy memories, funny memories, and even a few bad memories that every well rounded trip needs. Many of us had never stepped foot out of Kingsport, TN, much less the country. This trip has been a cultural experience, to say the least. We have learned so much: about ourselves, about others and their cultures, and about life in general. For most of us, regardless of how much fun we've had, we can't wait to get home to our families and our own beds. That being said, we couldn't be more thankful to our hosts, the teachers, and everyone else for their hospitality. 

Thank you to all those involved who helped make this trip possible! We are very grateful. 

We can't wait until the Berliners come to America in October! 

Interviews with refugees

Today some of us met with refugees who have fled their countries in the past year or two in search of safety. Those of us who have completed German 4 were given the opportunity to interview them as a part of the project that the GAPP program is doing on diversity. We weren't sure what to expect from the interviews, but we prepared questions in advance, keeping in mind the gravity of the situations many of these refugees fled from and attempting to focus mainly on how their lives in Germany are now. 

Most of the students began learning German upon their enrollment in ADO little as 10 months ago. Because of the importance that the school has placed on the refugees learning German as well as their immersion in the language, though, they seemed to be as good as or better than those of us who have been studying it for the past two years in America. 

When I asked what means or services are available to them and their families to learn German, many first replied that they had no family with them, and then said that school was their resource for learning the language. I think that the realization that many of these students are alone here was one of the most eye-opening things for me. I can only imagine the bravery it took for them to come so far away from home by themselves, even if it was their option.

 When one of the teachers asked them to explain why there were no girls in the class (there is one, but she was sick today), they simply told us that the journeys they endured to get to Germany were very dangerous- too dangerous for women and children.

Many of the boys I spoke with said that they spoke Arabic, a little bit of English, and some German. I asked what their plans for the next 5 years were, and they all replied that they would either find work or go to Berufsschule, which is like technical school. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how open the students were to answering our questions and how quickly we were able to fall into friendly conversation. 

More than anything else, I was reminded today that the people we hear about on the news day in and day out are not just numbers. They are not just points on a map. It's so easy to forget this -easy to remove ourselves- but the fact is that each and every one of them are real people with loved ones, dreams and aspirations, and lives as fully complex as our own. 

While on the S-Bahn

Today, a small group of Americans went to visit a technical college. Well it wasn't a "technical college" like we have in the US,but it was close enough and I can't remember it's actual title. While there we got into small groups with the college students and chatted about the diffrences in America and Germany, with topics ranging from the economy to school. In all it was interesting to hear what real german students thought about their school syaytem and economy.
But the interesting part wa on the S-Bahn.

So here we were, a group of American High schoolers and one teacher, just going back to school like normal people. Then an old lady boarded the train. After about one minute of S-Bahn -ing, she gets the attention of one of the students,  looks him square in the eye, and asked him "what do they teach you in America about World War II??"
Well we were all speachless. Obviously, being in Germany WW11 is a bit of a touchy subject. We all just looked at her with out answering, but she was persistence! She asked us if we felt safe here, if we were welcomed, and if "we carried the sorrows if the war". We were all so confused that Frau Whitt had to answer all of the crazy questions she asked.
We still had 3 or 4 stops to go, but in a moment of panic, one kid asked the teacher "hey, isn't this our stop?" And we all rushed off the train. We took about 4 minutes to debrief everyone on what happened, then boarded the next train to Neukölln. All I can say is that lady freaked us all out!

Dresden

Today the family I am staying with allowed for me to experience part of my German heritage by taking me to Dresden. Dresden means a lot to me because it's the city my grandmother grew up in  There I saw all the famous historical sights like the Frauen Kirche and the palace. I was able to see a wall that had all the Saxon kings with their names painted on the side. After Dresden we visited Meissen, a city that is famous for its pottery. We visited the palace there and saw the Dom zu Meißen. All in all it was a wonderful day of fun experiencing the culture Germany has to offer.

-Brianna Roark

Happy Saturday

Today, Leon and I went to the Berlin zoo, and it was a blast! This zoo is one of the better zoos I have seen, the diversity of species was amazing! They had an Aye-aye! I've never seen one in real life! After the zoo, we stopped in a pub to watch the big soccer championship! Go Barcelona!

-Andrew Ervin

Code 3? Nein Danke

Today, a few of us Americans went with our Germans to Wandsee, a lake with free public access. We were all very excited to go swimming and beat the heat, and we experienced that and more. While we walked down the beach, we saw a variety of people and animals. From young children to horses, there were all kinds. Yes, I said horses. They were in the lake, up to their necks. 

Before we came to Europe, our teacher warned us about nudity and how it was a regular thing. We can now say with full certainty that our teacher knew exactly what she was talking about. To us Americans, the lack of dressing rooms and privacy was a big deal, but not to the natives. They were changing everywhere and we weren't quite sure what to think about that. As if seeing others do it wasn't enough of an experience, we also had to do it. In addition to the lack of changing, many of the natives chose their birthday suit instead of a swim suit as a more suitable suit. 

As we entered the water, it was very rocky and we had our doubts about even swimming at all. After we walked further and got past the rocks, we encountered sand and actually enjoyed our waist deep water for about two hours. 

To say it was a life changing experience may be pushing it a bit, but seeing approximately 25 people naked and swimming in a lake with horses isn't an everyday occurrence for most Americans. In all, we had a fun day and can say that we have yet again truly experienced German culture. 

Writers: Cece McClellan, Caroline Begley, Valerie Blakely, & Sarah Homoky

The Final Countdown

Today the GAPP students, German and American, made a trip to the outskirts of Berlin. After a long train ride, that we sang on because we were the only ones on the train car, we walked out even further until we hit woods that kind of reminded me of back home. However unlike Tennessee, there was something special about these  trees, they were filled with rope courses anywhere from 5 to 35 feet off the ground. Even though I'm afraid of heights I enjoyed playing up In the high trees and zip lining down. Whenever I got stuck my friends cheered me on from behind and encouraged me to keep going. One of my favorite moments of today was when two of our students took on the hardest course, they must have spent over 30 minutes climbing through some of the toughest obstacles. Valerie beat the course, however Sarah fought as hard as she could and we stood below her cheering her on and coaching her through the course as we blared the final countdown as encouragement. In the end the course beat her but she was still a winner because none of the rest of us even tried it, so kudos to Sarah and Valerie. 

-Keia wright

Finishing Up The First Week In Germany- Marci Heidt

    Flying over Germany felt like a dream. For months I had waited for this trip to come and I was finally here. One of the first things one notices in a new country (besides the language) is the architecture. The buildings are different from place to place. Growing up in a small city lends to smaller buildings than those in big cities. Given the differences in style, the german buildings look different than the ones at home. But for the next couple weeks, this would be my new home and everything needed to be embraced. As the days progressed, I found Berlin to be more of a home to be than I thought before. I knew where the school was and what subway stations I needed to get off on in order to get where I'm going. My host family made me part of their family and I felt like I belonged. 
   From Tennessee to Berlin there is a big culture change. We have fried chicken and they currywurst. But the food is not the only culture shock that one can experience. On Wednesday, both us Americans and our partners went to the theatre. Earlier in the day we had been told the play would be a musical. So I start immediately thinking about Broadway plays in New York like Wicked or Les Miserables. When my host and I arrived I saw that it was not going to be a big play but rather one closer to the size of Barter Theatre near home. Given that the play was in German and the English subtitles weren't working, us Americans settled in for the long ride. All of us kids having at most 3 years of German knew that it would be hard to understand what was going on or why the audience was responding in the way that they did.  Once it started we noticed differences in how props are used in Germany and America. All american props like food or cigarettes are fake unless necessary. Here the actors smoked on stage, had coffee, and even what looked like beer.  It was quite the play put on for us. About a girl on the subway from west to east Berlin in 1986, the play brought plenty of laughs despite the language barrier. The play captured stereotypes  from that given time and put a comical twist to some of the realities in that day. This new cultural experience was the perfect way to end the first week in Berlin and lead way to exciting things in store for later.

Turkish wedding- a post from Grace Carroll

A Turkish wedding was something that I've never been to. To be honest, I never had been to a wedding. This was my first experience with something like this. Even though I hadn't been to a wedding, I had an idea of what it might be like. When I imagined a wedding, I imagined that the wife's eyes would sparkle as her Prince Charming smiled at her. That she would give this look that could radiate out to a crowd of people which she held dear to her heart. I guess my imagination was right; her eyes sparkled. As he showed her to the dance floor, her eyes lit up the room. It was like something I had never seen before. It seemed impossible that one human being can make another one so happy that they can be radiant. She was his precious star and the galaxy was their life for which they could explore together. 
I would also like to point out that everything was on point. The wife's dress, her hair, the reception tables, the music, the first dance, and of course the love they shared for each other.  How could perfection happen? I have no idea, but they seemed to know how to capture the art of perfection and put it into one day. I hope that the couple has many happy years together and that they  can cherish the rest of their lives together.  To a beautiful wedding...

Berlin Life - Ben Osborne

Today I, along with my group went to a very amazing place; It was called the Stasi Museum. This was a very interesting trip filled with inspiration and knowledge. The walls of this prison held so many secrets, it was amazing to experience this beautiful, yet dark place. The best parts of the tour are the amazing stories that you hear from your guide. One of my favorite stories, was about a fourteen year old girl that was sent to this awful place for drawing a mustache made out of lipstick on some Stalinistic propoganda. What amazed me the most was the struggles this girl went through just because of a silly prank. It just made me think about how blessed I am to have such a great opportunity to meet great people and learn about a foreign culture in such a wonderful way.