Wittenberg

(Created 08/15/17)

On Sunday we went to Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived and preach. It was the city where the reformation began, kind of crazy we got to go there. Anyways we got to worship in the church where Luther infamously nailed his 95 questions and complaints to the church door. Though the original door burned in WWII (like most things in Germany), a bronze door has replaced it with his thesis written in raised letters on the front. The cool part was we got to walk out of those doors when we exited the service. I was surprised at the size of the city, it was pretty small. You could walk across the town in less then a half hour. Also Luther’s house is huge. After becoming the most famous man in Germany he became very rich. A lot of people offered his family and him donations. A lot of animals and barley for beer.

Wrapping Up an Amazing Trip

The weeks that I spent in Germany were such a wonderful experience. I not only learned about engineering, but I also learned about the German culture. On weekdays we spent a majority of our time in class and doing homework, but on weekends, we were able to travel to many different cities and learn more about Berlin. Throughout my time in Germany, I had so much fun becoming better friends with my peers and exploring new areas of the world. Continue reading “Wrapping Up an Amazing Trip”

Köln

(Created 07/31/17)

I have only been in a catholic funeral a long time ago which was similar but of course slightly different. It was very interesting to watch coming from a non-denominational church. Our first Sunday we worshipped in a Lutheran church which was a nice step towards high mass. I just wish that we had a translator for high mass, like we did for the Lutheran service. Now going through three Germany services I have found that they all have a very different order to service. While my church(and most American churches) have a distinct worship time and sermon time, the German services don’t. There is some singing, some talking, then some more singing , then more talking. Also the services are much shorter. This is no exception to high mass. Also the church building is a wee bigger then my church’s.
I would not be surprised by the estimate of 20,000 tourists a day on the weekend.

Reflections on Germany Trip

All in all, it was a very rewarding experience. Germany is such an awesome place. Berlin itself is such an impressive city. There are so many historical sites that are just so interesting to see and visit. Then there’s also the diversity of cultures in Berlin, which means there are numerous options of cuisines that we can choose (there are several very good Indonesian restaurants too). The public transport system throughout Germany is also very astonishing. The level of efficiency of the public transport puts to shame many systems around the world. Every weekend we also had the opportunity to visit other places in Germany and it is such an awesome experience. I can honestly say that I’ve lost count on how many historic churches, cathedrals, and castles we have visited because we visited so many of them. In conclusion, our Germany trip is definitely something that all Calvin engineering student should consider because it is just that great.

Vielen Dank! Tschüss!

SPIG 2017 is easily the coolest thing that I will have done in my time at Calvin. The program lasted only six weeks but we. did. so. much. So many new experiences and memories made, and yet, much of what was foreign and strange to us at the beginning of the trip is now so dear and familiar that part of me feels as if I am leaving behind a kind of “home away from home” at St. Michael’s Heim and TU Berlin. Continue reading “Vielen Dank! Tschüss!”