Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland!!!

Wow. Some how three weeks have passed and it's already time to say goodbye to nutella with every meal. Before reflecting on the whole trip, I'm sure everyone wants to know what we've been up to since Thursday.

Friday was an unplanned day, but a lot of us embarked on a journey to the Bodensee, the biggest lake in Germay, bordering Switzerland. Though it took three hours to get there, changing trains several times and sleeping throughout, the journey was well worth as we set our eyes upon the bright blue waters of the lake. As we arrived at the beach, more of a grass park as there is no sand, we staked out an area to spread our towels and relax. We enjoyed spending a few hours just hanging out, talking and soaking in the sun (it was about 90 degrees and full sun). After swimming, eating some ice cream, and playing life size chess, we headed back home. Others spent the day by going to an amusement park or even enjoying a baby shower.

Saturday was another unplanned day. I think it's safe to say that just about everyone enjoyed sleeping in before going out. A few of us headed in to Stuttgart for a few hours, shopping for scarves and ducking for cover from the rain. Others enjoyed a day in a town in France, some shopping in another town, and a classical music concert.

Today is also a mostly free day. Tonight we will have a grill party at the school, giving us one more chance to hang out and enjoy Germany.

So. Three weeks. I think I should start by thanking Frau Fraser for organizing an amazing trip, from day one to tomorrow. I don't know who else could have put together such a cool trip. Also, thanks to Mr. Meyer. We have all enjoyed extending junior year to get more time with him, and the time he has put in to making sure we are all okay is very appreciated.

Looking through pictures I couldn't believe everything we've done, from the frauenkirche to the Olympic Stadium, to Tübingen. Not only have we all had an incredible experience, for which we must thank you parents as well, but we have also gotten to know each other much better and grow closer as a class.

While we are happy to come home, we will definitely miss the beautiful country of Deutschland.

Well, it's lunch time, so I have to cut this a little short---One more day!!!!

Austin Bream

Mmm... chocolate

     We spent the second half of our day at the Ritter Sport factory (located just 15 minutes away from Dietrich Boenhoeffer)! Now, Ritter Sport is my favorite chocolate, so this has been something I've been looking forward to the whole trip. We were first directed upstairs to watch a short video about the production of the chocolate, which featured the owner of Ritter Sport in what I can only hope was an outfit purposely modeled after Willy Wonka. (And, my word, the hair.) We were then given a complimentary chocolate bar and reccomended to take a stroll through a small exhibit about the history of the company. After we politely ignored this reccomendation, we made a beeline for the main attraction of visit: the outlet store. Stacks on stacks and literally sack fulls of chocolate for bargain prices. If you are hoping that your child did not go absolutely insane and buy five pounds of candy, then I have good news for most of you, but bad news for a select few (including my parents... sorry. Although I doubt this is a surprise.) Anywho... after buying our cumlative 16 kilograms of chocolate some people headed off to the cafe where I spied a few people purchasing what seemed to be a „frozen chocolate.“ While we waited for the group to rally I made my way over to the bus where I made friends with our very friendly coach bus driver for the day. While I didn't understand a lot of what he said, our friendship became close enough for him to offer me use of the bus's refrigerator, so that my six pounds of chocolate wouldn't melt. (Mom, Dad, I swear it's not all for me.) After this we made the brief return trip to school where we were picked up. As I write this many people are deciding what they are doing for the night. Among other things, I've heard about some attending a movie showing at an open air theater (Shawn, Frau Fraser) and classical music concert (Rohan, Tim). Nevertheless, despite having done a lot already today, in typical German style the evening has not even begun!

On To Munich!

This morning we all said a sad farewell to our wonderful Leipzig host families and boarded a tram, then a train, and were on our way to Munich.  The train ride lasted four and a half hours, but I spent most of the time snacking, writing in my journal, reading, and playing cards. Okay, I basically spent the entire time playing cards. My highlight was definitely beating Brian at Egyptian Rat Screw, which for parents who don't know, can be the longest card game ever. I also learned a new card game, "Lucky," from Shawn, which became rather addicting for our entire table. We also played Speed, BS, and several other card games.

After the train ride, we walked to our Youth Hostel, enjoying the sun and warm weather (warmer than Leipzig, but much cooler than Chicago!). After learning the rules, figuring out how to open the room doors, and getting settled into our rooms, we all went to a Festival for dinner and a little souvenir shopping. At around eight, we walked over to the Olympic Village (home of the 1974 Olympics, the last time Germany hosted the Olympics), which we will be touring tomorrow. We took an elevator up to the top of the Olympic Tower and watched the sunset.

Afterwards we went back to the Hostel, and a few of us went down to the Disco for some dancing.

Hallo! Today was a fun filled day in the city of Leipzig. We started off at around 8:30 at the school in Markkleeberg and then we head off on a nice, roughly two hour, bus tour of Leipzig.  The tour was very interesting and it took us to all sorts of places in Leipzig such as the zoo, some historic churches, and the city hall, to name a few.  We stepped off the bus at a monument to take some pictures.  The monument was in memory of the battle that took place against Napoleon and Leipzig was one of the first cities to defeat Napoleon.  After the bus tour we went to the Stazi museum where we had a museum employee give us a tour of the back parts.  She showed us many of the files that the Stazi had of the people in Leipzig and it was very interesting to see thousands of file of people who used to live in Leipzig.  After the Stazi museum we went our separate ways, but a big group went to get lunch at Vapiano which is a nice Italian restaurant that served pizza, salad, and pasta.  It was a cafeteria-esk style where we were given a card upon entrance and then we we ordered our food our card was swiped and when we left the restaurant we gave the card to the cashier.  After our fulfilling lunch we split up with our research partners and walked around Leipzig handing out surveys and talking to random German people which was very entertaining.  We did this quite a while, walking through streets, going into malls, and even talking to people eating at little cafes.  After this we met back up with our German partners and walked around for a little and then went home and had some delicious dinner.  Others may have had dinner in Leipzig.  Then after dinner we went back out to Leipzig and walked around during the night life which was equally interesting and entertaining as during the day.  Today was an awesome day where we learned about Leipzig and got to hands on see what life really is like.  I can't wait for tomorrow!

-Ryan

11.7.2012

Hallo! Today was a very long, yet fulfilling day for the American participants. After a long day of travel, we all woke up around 6:30 to head off to school with our hosts, whom we shadowed throughout the day. Unlike GBS, the German school ends at 1:00. Some students went to French classes, while others enjoyed Math, German, Chemistry, Music, and Latin. After school, most students returned home for about an hour. At 2:30, we returned to school, this time only meeting there briefly before kayaking for just under two hours. Some chose to make this a competitive activity, while others enjoyed it in a leisurely way. Luckily, only two boats were tipped. Returning to the land, some students participated in a basketball game with the Germans, while others began to enjoy the spoils of the "Grillepartei" or barbecue. The food was great, featuring bratwurst and pork, as well as a variety of salads, along with some fruits and vegetables. Following dinner, many Americans played a game of soccer with the German students, while the less "football" inclined (like myself) just enjoyed each others company. Some Americans followed their hosts to the nearby beach, where they had a lovely evening, while others returned home to spend time with their host families. Overall this was an incredibly enjoyable and educational day, and I look forward to many more to come.

-Declan Garvey