Germany was one of the highlights of my life so far It was so much fun to be in a different country and explore their culture, lifestyle, and cool locations. Continue reading “A Quick Overview”
Month: August 2017
Epilogue
Six weeks went by fast–too fast, in my opinion. This summer was an absolute once in a lifetime experience. I’m so thankful for the relationships I built; the Engineering class I was able to take; and the deep, rich history that Germany offers. From the ongoing day-to-day silly games that we played while traveling and the quiet group reflections while visiting Holocaust Memorials; I don’t believe we could’ve had a better, more supportive group. Continue reading “Epilogue”
Die Ende
The summer program in Germany was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I got to experience a new culture, visit beautiful sites all over the country, and learned some valuable lessons along the way. Continue reading “Die Ende”
The End (but not really)
I’ve said it a couple times already, but this trip felt simultaneously as long as a year and as short as a week. We saw so much history and culture, tried so many new things, and met so many interesting people. But, as all things must, our time in Berlin has drawn to a close. As I write this, I’m sitting in a chair flying over the Atlantic on our way home. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity, and I would wish for everyone to be able to do something like this. To not just visit a different culture, but live in it for a little while. To not just read about history in books or watch it in films, but visit it in person. To do something new and unknown to you, until you become comfortable with it.
Great Trip
This Germany trip was a once in a lifetime experience. As I sit in the airport and prepare to go home, I think about what I will say to those who ask what it was like. If I had to sum it up in one word, the word would be beautiful. The classes themselves create a feeling of purpose for being there while the ability to still spend a good amount of time exploring is ideal.
Berlin, which I begin to believe I know much better than I though, is a very interesting city. While not having the gravity of a huge monument like Paris or New York, Berlin had a realness. It is a hard-working town with good people. For the most part, the people of Berlin and Germany were very kind. A few bumps occurred where I felt like people were being rude and I’m not sure if thats because I’m just not used to the culture. However, Berlin is awesome. Holocaust Museum was life-changing and the ability to visit smaller towns and see a little bit more of Germany was a wonderful opportunity.
Heidelberg was my favorite as the view from the castle was amazing. Great town with a cool set-up and would never ever dream of complaining about how long a train ride was to get there. Bremen was also awesome. The Köln Cathedral was definitely a highlight. After the class was over, my group visited Nice, Milan, and Prague.
Germany is awesome, but I am Italian. Visiting Italy was definitely a cool experience for me. Nice, France was still my favorite as the beach was amazing. Even though it wasn’t sand, the ability to chill out and relax in the Mediterranean was awesome.
Milan’s highlight was definitely the Duomo. Another of Europe’s largest cathedrals. Milan was also warm and had an awesome castle to visit with lots of history. My favorite section was the one on old weapons. I enjoyed chilling in front of the castle with my feet in the fountain which everyone was doing and listening to street artists.
Prague was awesome as well. Very crowded. Reminded me a little bit of Disney World. The castle was interesting, but my favorite part was their dessert made of a cinnamon cone and ice cream on top. I do not remember the name, but I’m sure you can look it up and find fit. Outside of purely tourist things I created lasting friendships. Some new while other deepened. I appreciate everyone on the trip and what they contributed.
How was Germany?
Well obviously Germany was a pretty great experience. I got to learn a lot about a different culture, and study engineering at the same time, which was pretty fun. Continue reading “How was Germany?”
It
It’s hard to put into words. There really isn’t any proper way of putting it that can sufficiently describe, accurately portray, completely give the depth and entirety of what you see, hear, and feel walking through a concentration camp.
Some time ago, I was doing research on the end of World War II, particularly the Nuremberg Trials. In my research, I came across a file, a digitized version of one of the evidence films used in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. This particular two-hour film was focused on the concentration camps. The film left nothing out. After a while, the horrors honestly became numbing, but what I never really got used to was watching the live people in the film. Their faces, expressions, body language, was so real. I’d seen pictures of the concentration camps, both during and after their use, but for some reason those pictures feel like from a book, like it belongs in history class and nowhere else. Watching these people come to life in film though- watching them move, talk, and feel -made them so much more real to me.The joy and relief of some women who didn’t have the strength to stand up, but enough strength to smile at their rescuers. The numb shell-shock of some survivors. The slow and horrifying realization of locals who knew something was happening at the “camp” down the road, but didn’t know the extent of the disgusting evils.
Sins of the Past
Going to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was very interesting, but incredibly sobering. It makes one wonder how people are capable of doing such terrible things to each other. Most concerning of all is how it was a gradual process. It wasn’t so bad at first, just strongly encouraging people to leave. Then people were forced out of the country and eventually arresting and sent to their deaths. All the while, the German people were fed propaganda and indoctrinated in the Nazi regime’s ideology.
The results of those terrible events can still be seen today. The German people are very averse to strong nationalism. It may very well be why the new right wing nationalist movements in Europe don’t seem to be gaining and hold in Germany.
It affects things more subtly as well. There are gold colored plaques throughout Berlin that mark the locations of Jewish families that were forced from their homes and businesses. Just as the plaques are present, but not advertised, the Holocaust museum in is under the radar as well. There is a field of rectangular stone slabs. In the monument park lies the entrance to the museum under the field. There are no signs or advertisements, but it is there.
I don’t think the German people will ever forget about what their country did in the past, but maybe one day they won’t be burdened by the guilt.
That’s all folks
Well, that’s it. Six weeks of classes, tourism, and good food in the bag. Continue reading “That’s all folks”
Taste of Italy
This last week many of us parted and took our separate ways. We embarked on a week of travel to wherever we desired. I went with Robert to Naples, Italy to spend a few days with our friend’s family.
Now, no trip to Italy is complete without eating some delicious food. To help describe some of the things we ate, I’ve included some pictures.
The first picture is a dish of mussels, clams, and octopus over a bed of crisp bread in a delicious sauce.
The pasta below is a potato pasta covered in cheese. It was incredibly filling and tasty.
The last two pictures are our trip to the “bar.” Bars in Italy exclusively serve coffee, while their pubs serve alcohol. The pastries were filled with delicious ricotta cheese.
We ate a lot more, but this gives a small taste of it.