Luke Morad Wiesbaden Exchange

Luke Morad Wiesbaden Exchange

First Impressions:

On my first day, we visited a fort on the Rhine

I did not know what to expect going to Germany for four weeks with a host family. Since my exchange partner went to MLK, I did not to what to expect of my family either. Once I arrived, I bonded very well with my family from the start. Just the drive into the Wiesbaden from Frankfurt was an informative and cultural lesson. They described Wiesbaden as a whole and asked me more questions than I was prepared for considering the long flight. The family was very welcoming and engaging with me when it came to comparisons between the USA and Germany. In the first few days, we often sat around a table after dinner and talked extensively about the two cultures. On day two of being in Germany, I told my host family I needed to run every day for the cross country season. Florentin, my exchange partner, decided to join me on my first day of running. After a bit, he decided to get his bike. From that day on, Florentin kindly led me around his city atop his bike while I ran my cross country miles.

Wiesbaden as a City:

Weilburg Schloss Garten

To say that Wiesbaden is different than Nashville is an understatement. Although smaller than Nashville, it is just as vibrant and even more close knit. One time, I went to the park with Mickey Kelley and his exchange partner Linus. On the way, Linus stopped multiple times in the span of ten blocks in order to talk to everyone he knew. I asked Linus how he knew so many people to which he replied, "I have no idea.".  City squares and parks are something that I will miss. Having expansive parks in the middle of the city was something I found interesting because the city seemed to open up into a social environment. On my runs, I saw a majority of the city especially near the Rhine. One day, I tried to run from Wiesbaden to Mainz which was roughly eight miles round trip. I remember running through the factory district and seeing so much of an industrial setting. The grandparents also lived in the house with us. They both grew up in Wiesbaden and provided interesting insight into Germany during the Cold War. The grandmother was constantly worrying about me in a good way. She deemed me to be too skinny and always told me to eat more. She consistently asked how long I ran each day. After converting it to kilometers, she would always repeat it a couple of times and become worried that I would overheat and that I needed more to eat. 

Cultural Differences:

My new favorite fruit- Ground Cherries

What I gained from this trip was not only stronger language skills but also a world perspective. I often found myself discussing culture with my friends and host family.  I remember going to a school function with Florentin and seeing how casual they are with their teachers.  They even have cookouts together. Relationships and interactions between genders are also different in Germany. In Germany, all of the guys give handshakes and girls hug everyone no matter how well they know each other. Overall, I observed that more people date in Germany and there are more co-ed friend groups. 

My new found favorite fruit is ground cherries. They look like cherry tomatoes, have the paper-like shell of a tomatillo, and taste like sweet oranges. I found then for the first time when I ordered a coffee. With the coffee came this strange fruit. After trying it, I bought half a kilogram of them at a street market. Since then, I have scavenged farmers markets and supermarkets searching for this fruit. Simply the difference in fruits and juices amazes me. One of the things I will miss most is having coffee after every meal. Although, I continue to make coffee at my home, after lunch on weekends when it works out.  It is a nice memory.

The School:

Seeing the Humboldt school's classes interested me a lot. What stood out to me the most was their Latin class. Contrary to MBA's teaching style for Latin, it was entirely immersion and used a completely different form. It was interesting to see the difference. At the school, every class had taken their exams before the school year had finished. This meant that a lot of our class time was spent in discussion and films. The high school culminates with the Abiball which is their graduation. This experience was especially intriguing because of how much it differed from graduations in America. For starters, it is a catered banquet for only the graduating seniors and their family. As each student walks on, they are allowed to play music to walk on to. After some seemingly inappropriate songs, I asked Florentin if there were any rules on what songs could be played to which he responded, "no, none."  Fascinating.

Munich:

Hofbrauhaus Pretzel

After three weeks with the host family, we met the other exchange students at the train station and departed. Seeing the Neuschwanstein Castle has been one of my goals in life since I was little. Before I even knew its name or was able pronounce it, I had already made a complex model of it out of miniature Legos named Nanoblocks. Munich had very lively atmosphere. During our nightly free-times, I really enjoyed just walking around the city and talking to my friends. One night, I really wanted a pretzel. Since we had no plans for the nightly free-time, I went with the others to the Hofbrauhaus and bought the largest pretzel. I also ran my cross country miles through the English Gardens every morning where I saw people surfing in the river just after sunrise on some days. Seeing the BMW museum was also of great interest to me. I like cars a lot and enjoyed learning about the various models and the history of BMW. One of my favorite museums is the Deutsches Museum. It was a huge six or seven floor building that contained every section of science from smelting to astronomy. The sheer breadth of material amazed me and I think it would have taken me days to explore the whole museum. The food was so good, I took a picture of one of the restaurants in case I ever return. I ate German specialties every day because it is too difficult to find schnitzel and bratwurst in Nashville.

Vienna:

Seal at the zoo

The first thing I noticed of Vienna was that all of the buildings look the same. I loved the white facade of every building. After a long climb up 343 steps, we got an amazing view from the Stephansdom church. The city was very flat and uniform. Seeing the Vienna zoo was also interesting. I like to visit zoos in different cities because they are always very different. On the last day in Vienna, we went to the famous amusement park with the Ferris Wheel. They had a ride that gave an amazing overview of the park, and then we got another view from the Ferris Wheel.

Thank You Wilson Family:

Thank you very much for making this experience possible. I feel like my language ability improved exponentially throughout my time in Germany. I gained an immense understanding of the culture in Germany. Being fully immersed in German offered a new prospective and allowed me to grow as a person. Thank you to Florentin and the entire Heinrich family for hosting me. You always helped me develop my ability even when I was incoherent.  My parents also thank you for making sure I was well fed with all my running. Thank you to Herr Dougherty for being such an amazing teacher. When students recommend MBA German class, they always mention how great of teacher Herr Dougherty is, and I have found this to be true. He showed us nearly everything in the giant cities and talked to us extensively about German and culture.  This was an experience that I will never forget.

Marcus Le- Wiesbaden, Germany 2019

First Day

After arriving in Frankfurt Airport, Alex, Luke, Mickey, and I sought our luggage in the baggage claim. Having been awake for more than twenty-four hours, we all were tired and wanted to get to our host families as quickly as possible. After grabbing my luggage, I met my host brother Amadeus and his mother. She drove us home to my family's house which is fifteen minutes away from the city.
There was an easy walk through a park to get to the city, which Amadeus and I walked frequently. When we arrived home, they offered me some food, and I gladly accepted and gave my thanks since I had only eaten a small dinner on the plane four hours previously. After eating, I took a nap because I was really exhausted. After I woke up, we had a light dinner consisting of meat, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and bread. German dinners were typically light while lunch was the heavy meal. Since I have not seen the Harry Potter movies, Amadeus suggested that we watch Harry Potter, in German of course. After the movie, we both said good night and went to sleep.

The School

Because the sophomores were on their last stretch of school and have already taken their exams, we did not have much class at the Humboldt Schule. We went to class but played various games or watched movies in German. One game which we played often was called werewolf. Despite not learning much about varying subjects, we still learned a lot of German words and varying phrases. Class is also different compared to American schools. First, the teacher comes to the classroom and not the students going to each classroom, and second, the grades are different. The students receive a number from one to fifteen, where a five and below is failing. Finally, they have twelve classes a year (some only being semester classes) and only half counting towards the abitur, the application for college. Despite learning much in class, we only went to six days of school, but one of those days was a sport, where I played in a soccer tournament. It was a group stage tournament where each team played each other once, and my team won. I enjoyed learning a different culture about a school in a foreign country and making many new friends.

The excursions

In the three days where we did not go to school, we went on excursions with the Harpeth Hall girls to different cities.

 Heidelberg

Large Wine Casket

After being dropped off at the main train station by Amadeus’ father, Mrs. Vest, Alex, Luke, Mickey, the Harpeth Hall girls, and I went to Heidelberg by train. On the train, I was able to see a lot of the countryside before reaching the beautiful small town. Many of the streets were made from stone. The first place we visited was Heidelberg University and it’s jail cell. In the university, we saw a room where many science related discoveries are discussed upon. Then we toured a little of the university and it’s very fine architecture. Finally, we saw the jail cell where students used to be kept. The purpose of it was to let the drunken students, who fought, sit the night out. The second place we visited was the Heidelberg Schloss. To get to the top of the mountain where the castle was located, we took a tram at a pretty steep angle. Once reaching the top, I took many photos because the view was so beautiful. One could see the entirety of wine fields and houses. Following that, we entered into the castle walls where people hundreds of years ago lived. Within the cellar, there was a massive wine casket which I believe to be the largest in the world. Concluding that excursion, we returned home via train and spent the rest of the day with our host families.

Rüdesheim

View from Germania Statue

Once again, after arriving at the train station, Mrs. Vest, the Harpeth Hall girls, Luke, Mickey, Alex, and I took the train to Rüdesheim. The train went through mountains, wine fields, and very beautiful countryside. However, that was not the most beautiful part of the trip. The view from the hill where the germanic statue was located was the most beautiful view I have ever seen. One could see multiple towns and plenty of green. It took me awhile to take all of it in because it was so beautiful. To get to that view, we took a lift over a winefield, and on that hill, there was the Germania statue which is basically Germany’s version of the Statue of Liberty. On that day, Alex, Luke, Mickey, and I walked through the town of Rudershime and ate some fine ice cream. After an eventful day, we returned home and enjoyed the rest of the day in the city of Wiesbaden.

Mainz

This excursion was a short excursion. It lasted from eight o’clock to two o’clock and not five o’clock like the other excursion. On this day, we took a thirty minute train ride to Mainz, a nearby city. This city is the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate as Wiesbaden is the capital of Hessen. I saw the local market that comes on Tuesdays and Saturdays and a massive church, which burned on the day it was completed and was then rebuilt. I also learned about the history of the revolutionary printing press in the Gutenburg museum. We saw a demonstration of the printing press and saw the printing press in different countries. The Chinese printing press contained so many pieces because of all its characters. That was a short but sweet excursion where I also learned that Mainz was the rival of Wiesbaden. The people of Wiesbaden say that the best part of Mainz is the train to Wiesbaden, and the people of Mainz say that the best thing about Wiesbaden is the train to Mainz.

Weekends

On the first weekend there, my host family took me to a museum of science. It was called the Technik Museum. There I saw old cars and airplanes that were real and not models. One of the cars looked like the car in Back to the Future. Outside of that museum, that weekend was not that eventful because I was still recovering from jetlag. However, the second weekend was very eventful. On Friday and Saturday, Amadeus and I went to the Wilhelm Strasse Fest, the biggest street festival in all of Germany. There, we saw many of Amadeus’ friends. There was loud music, fresh food, and a lot of fun. On the final weekend in Wiesbaden, I went with my host parents and Alex to Cologne. The main thing we did there was the Cologne Cathedral. We climbed five hundred and thirty-three steps. After climbing those stairs, I had a headache. However, it was worth it. Not only did we see the beautiful architecture, we saw a view of the entire city.

Last week

After saying sad good-byes to all of the friends I made in Wiesbaden, it was time to tour Munich and Vienna with Herr Dougherty. 

Munich

Neuschwanstein Schloss

This city was a beautiful city. The people were nice and the architecture was beautiful. However, because it was a long train ride and all of us were tired, the first day in Munich was relaxed. We went sightseeing in the streets, viewed a local church, saw a market, and ate at a massive restaurant with a massive hall. However, on the following days, the days became more intensive. On average, we walked at least fourteen miles a day, sightseeing and touring the city. One day consisted of going to a very cool BMW museum. There were old cars and idea for new cars, while also showing advance of technology. On another day, we went to the famous german science museum with six floors of old and new technology. That museum was the most interesting science museum that I have ever been too. There was so much information, that that museum required more than one day to be at. However, we only went there one day. On the second to last day in Munich, we went to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which was a beautiful castle. It was on a hill overviewing beautiful countryside and a lake. Some other sites we went to were the 1972 Munich Olympic arenas, the Munich soccer stadium, and plenty of good restaurants. On the last day, we woke up early and took a train to Vienna, where we would spend the rest of the trip.

Karlskirche

Vienna

Upon arriving after another long train ride, the entire group was tired, but we fought through the tiredness with excitement for seeing the entirety of Vienna. We arrived at our hostel, put our belongings in our rooms, and used the rest of the day to tour Vienna. This city had very many historical buildings and beautiful architecture. We learned some of this history in the Sisi Museum where we learned about the life of Princess Elizabeth and some other royal members. We also went to Dachau, a labor camp during World War II. That museum left us with sympathy for what those people endured. However, that museum was there to remind us of a mistake which we must not repeat. Following those sites, we visited the Karlskirche where we climbed yet another set of spiral stairs to the top of the church that would leave me with a headache but yet another beautiful view of Vienna. Despite receiving a headache, the view would be worth it, and I would recover in a quick five minutes. Towards the end of the week, we ate at a local market where there were a variety of cuisine around the world. Since we have eaten mostly European food the entire trip, we decided to eat some Asian cuisine, which was delicious. On the last day of touring, we all became sad to go, but acknowledged the fun we had and the memories that we had mad. However, we had the chance to make some last memories. We went to the oldest zoo in the world, where we saw plenty of animals including wolves, and we finished the day at Prater amusement park. Alex and I raced in some go-karts, and the entire grouped enjoyed the ferris-wheel, in which we saw the entirety of Vienna. On the last day in Vienna, we said took a plane ride home without Mickey because he stayed in Europe with his parents to view colleges. However, we missed our plane from Toronto to Nashville, so we waited six hours for the next plane ride. Upon arriving home, my entire family met me at the airport where they waited to hear about my experiences.

Danke Schon

Thank you the Wilson Family for allowing me to go on this wonderful trip. Without your help, I would not have been able to make new friends, see a new culture, and enhance my German abilities. I am very thankful for your help, and very gratefully enjoyed the trip. Thank you! I also want to give thanks to my German teacher Herr Dougherty for touring us the last week and teaching me for the past two years. I also want to give thanks to Sr. Paolicchi for running this program and making things run as smoothly as possible. Thank you!

My German Experience: A Blog by Alex Phillips

Week One

We arrived in Frankfurt at around lunchtime on a cool Saturday. Having been up for nine hours already (after a night with only a few hours of sleep), my cognitive abilities became more and more impaired each hour. Thankfully, as Holger, my host father, and Jonas, my host, picked me up, they took it easy on me. We departed Frankfurt Airport, and I was greeted with my first truly German experience - we were riding on the Autobahn! We discussed various topics, and they asked me about my life and my home. We were off to a great start. When we arrived home, I finally met Henrik, Jonas’ older brother who happened to be closer to my age than Jonas. Meanwhile, Jonas’ mother Susanne was in the Czech Republic on a hiking trip with her friends. We promptly departed for lunch after I had finished bringing my things to my room. Henrik and I drove the Renault Twizy, a small two seater, through the forests of Wiesbaden. We met up with Jonas and his father at a Germam restaurant owned by a family friend. After lunch my struggle to stay awake became a real threat. I am known for being clumsy, but it was fully unleashed during the latter half of the day. Henrik and Jonas proceeded to give me a tour of Wiesbaden. We visited Kurhaus, the theatre, and various churches.

Me at the Kurhaus of Wiesbaden

After we toured the city for a couple of hours, we returned home and had dinner. Not long after I proceeded to go to sleep. The next day we went to Neroburg, a hill overlooking Wiesbaden. Upon it was a Russian Orthodox cathedral. Later that afternoon we briefly met with Mickey and Linus. Thereafter, we went to a horse race/competition. When we returned home, we watched football and ate dinner. After the game ended, we decided to meet with Jonas’ friends and go to a party. Jonas’ mother finally arrived by the third day. That morning and afternoon we went sightseeing in Frankfurt, primarily Altstadt. When Jonas’ mother arrived that night, we were treated to Sushi. The remainder of the week was planned by Harpeth Hall’s Mrs. Vest. The week had three day trips planned. The first day trip was to Heidelberg, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. During the trip we visited some castles.

The next day we travelled along the Rhine in a river boat, and we went to small villages such as Rüdersheim. We were greeted with beautiful views of the countryside, and we got to see the statue of Germania, which once overlooked the border with France.

Germania

That week we also experienced German schooling. The Humboldt Schule welcomed us with a ceremony, and we were given an official tour of Wiesbaden by a few teachers from the Humboldt Schule. That weekend Jonas, Amadeus, Marcus and I went to Wilhelmstraße Festival twice. Wilhelmstraße is the main street in Wiesbaden. The festival consisted of many attractions, and it spanned many city blocks. After the festival we met with Jonas’ friends. That Sunday we went to a former monastery which had since been converted to boutiques and art galleries. We spent our evening at a castle with a scenic view for dinner. The first week came to a close.   

Week Two

Monday was a quiet day. We had our first full day of school, and we met all of our teachers.

Rowing Trip Along the Main River

School was almost over, and everyone had finished exams. Therefore, it was quite uneventful, but I conversed in German and learned about varying topics in German. Later that day Jonas and I went to football practice. On Tuesday we had a day trip to Mainz, Wiesbaden’s twin city. In Mainz we visited the Johannes Gutenberg Museum. We also saw the city center of Mainz and its street markets, which were located beside the Mainz Cathedral. After returning from the Mainz day trip, Amadeus, Jonas, Marcus and I went to the Opel factory and museum. We toured the production process of the cars, and we saw the history of Opel. On Thursday of that week, we met Jonas’ grandparents in the town of Hanau, known for the Brothers Grimm. Later that day we went to Schloss Philippsruhe, a palace on the outskirts of Hanau.

Me and Jonas at a Church in Hanau

The following day we went on a rowing tour along the Main river. We invited Mickey to come along. The task was a punishing one for us Americans. We ended up travelling twice the distance of Susanne and Jonas because we could not travel in a straight line. On Saturday we visited

Cologne.

The Cityscape View from the Top of Cologne Cathedral

I went with Marcus’ host family because Amadeus had an unplanned tennis tournament. On our visit to Cologne we saw the Chocolate Museum, where we indulged in confectionery bliss and saw the history and process of chocolate making. We visited churches of course, such as the Cathedral of Cologne. The 533 steps were a challenge, and we began wheezing as we reached the top. We enjoyed our final few days as we sat in a park beside the Rhine. That Sunday was full of events. In the morning Mickey, his host mother, and I went to the Art Museum and the Natural History Museum of Wiesbaden. In the afternoon, Marcus, Amadeus, Jonas and I played a German version of The Escape Game. That night Henrik, Marcus, Amadeus, Jonas and I shot pellet guns in the backyard. I used this as preparation for the Rifle Championship… That concludes the second week. 

Me, Jonas, Amadeus and Marcus at the Escape Game

Week Three

The third week gave me an underlying sense of melancholy. I knew it was soon time to leave. Monday was class trip day. Our class advisor organized a biking tour that began in Mainz and ended in Wiesbaden. We biked roughly twenty miles that day, through parks, industrial parks, and on the roads of the twin cities. We took a break at a pier, and we enjoyed cold glasses of herbal lemonade. The following day we took another class trip to an archaeological site. When we returned, Marcus, a few Harpeth Hall girls, our hosts and I took one last time to enjoy Wiesbaden. We sat in the park as the sun set below the horizon. We talked about our time in Germany. The last day was very emotional. We went to a community pool atop a hill which overlooked Wiesbaden. Hours passed, and all which went through my mind were memories of the great times I had. That night we had a get-together at Amadeus’ house. Some Harpeth Hall girls came as well. It was all surreal. In the morning we went to the train station, and we said our last goodbyes. I was leaving behind family.

One of Our Last Meals

Munich

The Alps

The first few days outside of Wiesbaden were somewhat tough for us. We reminisced over the fun times we had with our hosts, however, we knew Herr Dougherty would provide us with many great experiences - we were not wrong. Our first day, the twenty eighth of June, was spent touring the city of Munich. Our first destination was Marienplatz, which would act as a rendezvous point. We went to other locations such as the street markets of Munich. No European city tour would be complete without visiting churches, which we did plenty of. Climbing the countless stairs in the cathedrals was excruciating, especially during the heatwave. We also saw other landmarks that day such as the Imperial Palace, and Holocaust memorials. That night we dined at Hofbräuhaus, a restaurant which dated back to the 1500s. Upon entering we saw a dining area with no end in sight. There were no doubt thousands of people within the restaurant. After dinner we were given free time to explore the city - we did so. I was excited for the following day, for that day we had planned to go to the BMW Museum and BMW World. Unfortunately, BMW World was closed for maintenance, however, this was no big deal since the BMW Museum entertained us for hours. It was breathtaking seeing all the achievements of BMW under a single roof. After visiting the museum, we went to the Olympic Village, which was built for the 1972 Winter Olympics. We had an amazing view of the city and the Alps from atop the hill adjacent to the Olympic Village. Later that day we visited the Deutsches Museum, the largest science museum in the world. We spent hours exploring the museum, and we still managed not to finish seeing all the exhibits due to its vast size. The third day was dedicated to Neuschwanstein Castle. After a couple hour train ride, we arrived to the small village of Hohenschwangau, which was overlooked by Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle

The hike up to the castle took roughly an hour, but under heatwave conditions the task was grueling. It was worth it. The view we had was absolutely gorgeous - it highlighted the beauty of the Alps. Our next day was somewhat somber due to our visit to Dachau Concentration Camp. We reflected on the horrors of fascism and the Second World War. The rest of the day was spent at Allianz Stadium, home of FC Bayern. Thereafter, our first leg of the journey with Herr Dougherty came to a close. 

Vienna

We were finally approaching the last stretch of our trip. After traveling by train for hours, I was happy to make it to the hostel. Thankfully, the hostel provided our room with a fan. We rested for some time, and we proceeded to tour the city with Herr Dougherty. We saw many historical buildings which were the remnants of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The heat was beginning to reach intolerable levels, however, it was worth it to experience the city and its architecture. On our first day we visited the Sisi Museum which gave insight on the life of Empress Elizabeth and other royal members. Later we saw Karlskirche which provided us with a good view of the city. After sightseeing, our first day came to a close. The next day we met one of Herr Dougherty’s old colleagues. We went to explore more of the city, and we eventually went to a museum which displayed cutlery and fine china used by the Imperial family. Our group enjoyed dinner at a restaurant located within the street markets of Vienna. 

The remainder of the day was used as free-time. We decided to enjoy one of Vienna’s many parks. Our final day was filled with bittersweet feelings. We wanted to stay longer, however, we knew that we were satisfied with the experiences we had. Our first destination that day was the Schönbrunn Zoo.

The Gardens of Schönbrunn

The zoo was impressively large and it contained many different attractions. During the latter half of the day, we went to Prater Amusement Park. Being designated as an amusement park in 1766, Prater is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. After an amazing view from the top of the ferris wheel, we visited many other attractions and we had a night of fun.

A group photo from atop the ferris wheel

That night Mickey departed with his parents. Luke, Marcus and I discussed the fun we had during our trip as we packed. As expected, we left the next day, but our plane to Toronto arrived thirty minutes late. Therefore, we missed our plane to Nashville, and we had to wait six hours for another plane. As we arrived home, I was picked up by my parents, and I told them about each experiences I had and how the trip changed my life. 

Special Thanks

There are many people that I want to thank for making this trip possible. First and foremost, I thank the Wilson family for providing the opportunity to travel abroad and to improve my understanding of the German language and culture. I want to thank Herr Dougherty and Mr. Paolicchi for coordinating the trip and itinerary. My deepest gratitude also goes to the Poth family, my host family. I am grateful for the extent they went to provide me with great memories and experiences.

Germany and Austria 2019

Germany and Austria, 2019

The adventure began at BNA. It hardly seemed like a year had passed since the last time the four of us were about to board a plane to leave home for a month, but at the same time, we all felt that a lot had changed in our lives during the previous school year. After a quick and uneventful plane ride to the Chicago Airport, we were quickly faced with the task of selecting a dinner destination. Chile’s turned out to be the most agreeable, and we tried as hard as we could to wolf down the deceptively large quantity of food we ordered there. Unfortunately, there was a minor mishap regarding my seating, which I discovered after our time at Chile’s. Instead of being booked for seat 11C, I was booked for seat 49A - nine times. A few phone calls later, everything was sorted out, but I was left in even greater anticipation of the stereotypical German efficiency I would surely experience in a few hours.

Wiesbaden

The plane ride was peaceful. I watched Into the Spiderverse, with which I was pleasantly surprised. We deboarded and were greeted by a quick trip through customs and baggage claim, followed by our host families. I met my host brother, Linus Strube, before coming here, which eased in my entry to Germany. Sadly, for the first whole day, I was very sick to my stomach, so it had to wait another day before I could properly enjoy German cuisine. I did, however, have the privilege of meeting what felt like half of the population of Wiesbaden, Germany, on the first day. Realistically, it was closer to twenty people, but the number of people Linus introduced me to was nevertheless stunning. As I write this, I can feel the nostalgia creeping through my mind as I remember the sights, the sounds, tastes, smells - everything. We toured around the downtown area and finished the night by a little pastry stand in the park. As the first few days played out, I was increasingly thankful for the Strube’s hospitality. Linus is truly a very warm, welcoming person, who I think did a fantastic job getting me as involved with the German youth as possible. His parents were both fun and relaxed people and took us out on fun excursions to Frankfurt, Mainz, a jazz festival, and more. Their house was lovely, I felt right at home at all times and we were only a short walk from a bus station. Speaking of buses - I was surprised at how much better my life was in the presence of an effective public transport system. I feel almost trapped back here in Nashville, in comparison. Similar to how the buses made mobility around the city a breeze, the kindness and warmth of the Wiesbadener youth made getting around socially perfectly easy. Whereas back here in America, I only have a few real friends, most of whom are pretty similarly-minded, but Linus and some of his acquaintances went out of their way to introduce me to people from all walks of life, people I probably never would have met otherwise. I am very thankful to Linus for that. To put it in perspective - I think most of the other American students looked forward to the days when we would go on an Americans-only excursion for an opportunity to see their American friends and be in a more English-friendly environment, and while I am not going to lie and say I don’t like my American friends or was more comfortable speaking German than English, but my host brother did such a fantastic job immersing me in the culture of the German youth that I wanted to savor every minute of it. But while I am on the subject of the day-trips we took, our visit to the vineyard-town of Rüdesheim offered the most amazing views of rolling hills, lazily sweeping wind-turbines, and of course the Rhine that I could imagine. Additionally, the food there was excellent, even by German standards.

Munich

On the day we left to Munich from Wiesbaden, I truly came to appreciate how saddening a drawn-out goodbye can be. The levee holding back my tears must have been on par with the Hoover Dam that day. Once we tore ourselves away from the wonderful city of Wiesbaden, we were quickly filled with anticipation. We arrived in Munich after a four-hour train ride. Seeing the München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Train Station) as we stepped let me know I was in a place unlike anywhere I had been before. I loved it at once. I just had to bear through the heat for a bit until we got to our hostel room and put on new clothes because I was thoughtless enough to think it wouldn’t be absolutely blazingly hot in the middle of summer. But I digress. After a short bit of downtime, we took the subway to Marienplatz, the plaza next to the town hall.

Mr. Dougherty was kind enough to treat us each to a Leberkäse sandwich, a sandwich basically made of a thick piece of bologna-like sausage with sharp mustard. As in Wiesbaden, I was stunned by how affordable all of the food and how high-quality in Münich was. After our snack, Mr. Dougherty told us we would have fun climbing a two-hundred-and-fifty-stair spire of a beautiful cathedral near the city center. I think I burned every last calorie in the Leberkäse during the ascent, but the view was definitely worth it. For dinner that evening, we went to the famous Hofbräuhaus, which was livelier than I could have imagined. I had the Schweinshaxe that Mr. Dougherty had been recommending since my sophomore year, and while it did surpass my expectations, it probably could have served two people.

Over the next few days, we saw the stunningly artistic BMW Museum, toured the saddening remains of Dachau, bought exotic fruits at a huge open-air market, strolled through the English Gardens and Olympia Park, saw the world-famous Allianz Arena, and more. Out of all of the things we did, I was most impressed with the Deutsche Museum, an enormous and complex science museum that tops the Science Museum in London easily. Although, Schloss Neuschwanstein, the beautiful and exorbitant castle built by the Mad King Ludwig, situated in the Bavarian Alps, might actually be my favorite thing we saw, depending on when you ask me. Both were amazing.

In terms of what we ate, it is hard to say what I enjoyed the most. Hofbräuhaus certainly was an experience, but I think the plethora of Turkish street-food restaurants provided the most unique experience. I was expecting Turkish food to be similar to either Greek or Indian food, but it was something completely unlike any food I had eaten before. Hopefully, a store that makes fresh, high-quality dürüm’s and döner’s opens sometime new in Nashville. All in all, Munich proved to be one of the coolest cities I have been in.

Vienna

When I stepped out of the train into Vienna, I immediately felt that I was somewhere different. I asked my friends, and they could feel it too. Something that was hard to put my finger on felt different about the entire setting - the people were ever so slightly different-looking, the buildings were styled differently, the accents were just barely noticeably different, but it all added up. Perhaps the most noticeable difference was the abundance of pastries. It was madness. I think I cast my eyes upon more chocolate, bread, and frosting during my three days in Vienna than I have during the rest of 2019. Not that I am complaining, of course - I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Speaking of food, I had not one but two delicious, real-life Wiener Schnitzels in the home of the Wiener Schnitzel, as well as some cheese-filled sausage that I, unfortunately, forgot the name of. But we didn’t get to enjoy any of that until we accomplished the most important task at hand - climbing over three hundred more stairs. This view was nice, but I can’t help but wonder what sadist designed the spiral staircase. It was so steep and tight that I was climbing on all fours for the final third of the way up, and there were no windows to see how much progress we were making as we climbed. As we reached the top, we got to see Vienna from a nice little gift shop, where I realized with horror that the gift-shop employees cursed to climb those wretched stairs every day. As for what we did day to day in Vienna, we visited the world’s first zoo (which definitely is on my top-three zoos list), a couple of royal palaces filled with relics from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Prater Amusement park, where two of my comrades were yelled at by a friendly Russian park-worker because they didn’t know how to turn a Go-Kart. Sadly, my phone ran out of storage space so I was unable to take any pictures while in Vienna. I did have enough room to take a video of an enormously rotund seal at the zoo, but as I cannot attach videos to this blog, you will just have to imagine an obese seal making a thunderous coughing noise. In conclusion, I still like Munich a little more than Vienna, but my experience of the German-speaking world would have been horribly incomplete without such a charming and singular city.

The Experience..... and Danke Sehr!

The time I spent in Germany and Austria this summer was, in my opinion, the most formative four weeks of my life. Before I left for Germany, I was expecting to spend most of my time inside and to make maybe three friends at most. Linus worked really hard and brought me out of my comfort zone, and I think the experience of meeting and hanging out with so many new people who I would never have known otherwise was an education like no other. The bonds I made in Germany are some of the strongest in my life. And of course, my German friends' patience with my initially broken German smoothed out the language-learning process considerably. As I mentioned previously, The time I spent in Europe this summer proved to be more life-changing than I could have imagined. I cannot say enough how thankful I am. Programs such as these are the ones that set MBA apart from other institutions and make it the life-changing place it is. Danke Sehr, Wilson Familie!

Nick Nola Germany 2018

Germany/Austria Trip

Overview

My time in Germany was one of exploration, of friendship making, of enhancing my skills in the German language, and of differentiating cultures and traditions from one side of the globe to the other. An experience unlike any other, I often reflect on my endeavors I had in Germany by telling stories to those genuinely interested in learning all about Germany.

Arrival and Plane Ride to Germany:

We initially met Herr Dougherty at the Nashville airport, as he bid us farewell. We took took two plane rides, one to Toronto, and the other to Frankfurt. As I exited the plane after the strenuous 8 hour ride to Frankfurt, the feeling in my stomach was indescribable. I realized that I was on the other side of the world in a place which I had only learned about at school. The Frankfurt airport was so outstanding it had the ability to make me feel small. The multitude of people hurriedly walking and running through gates and terminals reminded me of America, yet it had a completely different feeling, knowing they spoke a language seldom spoken in America. Walking down the plethora of escalators to meet my host family, hearing German was surreal, because I accomplished to understand a simple conversation among business men, although I wasn’t apart of it. I finally saw Julien, who is my host brother, and his parents shortly after retrieving my baggage, and all the fear and the butterflies in my stomach diminished. We started with simple greetings, saying the usual, “Wie geht’s? (How are you?)” and “Wie war das Flugzeug? (How was the plane?)” but then transcended into much more complex conversations as we separated from the other host families and made our way to the car. Before we got into the car, there was a last set of escalators in which we had to climb. I was on the left side of the escalator, but my host parents and Julien were on the right side. Julien told me midway up the escalators to get to the right side, because it was a customary and useful way to let people who are in a time crunch get to the left side and run up the escalator. Exiting the airport heading to the car, I immediately saw the unique architecture and stylistic designs belonging to German culture.

Frankfurt airport after arrival

Wiesbaden

After getting situated at their home, we went to a local restaurant and ate a schnitzel, one of the finest cuisines of the German culture. When I asked for water, they handed me water that was carbonated, and it turns out that people have to ask to have water without carbonation. After dinner, I immediately fell asleep because of the jet lag. The next day, we had school, and there I met many of Juliens' friends and classmates. We had many of the same classes in America, except instead of 5 classes like at MBA, they took a total of 15, spread out throughout the week. Their grading system was also unlike anything else. They graded homework, tests, and quizzes out of 15 points. and one needs simply a 5 to pass. On the contrary, there are many similarities between American and German schools, such as class size, time for each period, number of classes each day, and subjects for classes. After school on Mondays, Julien trained others and helped kids swim. During the days he didn't have training, we walked around the city, and Julien showed me the important artifacts and statues the people of Wiesbaden recommend sightseeing. We saw the largest grandfather clock of all time, located in the heart of Wiesbaden; the town hall, where all important business meetings take place; and the castle, where local residents now throw parties and festivals. Another important distinction is the emphasis on renewable energy. Within a 2 mile radius of Julien's house, there were around 30 windmills that generated energy. Julien and I walked up to the closest one to his house, and I was astonished because of the stature and commonality of these windmills.

Windmill outside Julien's house

Castles

Throughout the three weeks I stayed with Julien, we traveled to lots of castles, many of which resided in the countryside. For example, there was a castle residing on top of a hill near the small village of Bad Ems, and at the bottom of the castle looking up, the top couldn’t be seen, as the walls of the castle seemed endless. We toured another castle in Nassau which was important because of the brilliant defensive structure and flawless design. The scenery on top of the castle looking out onto the wine valleys below was breathtaking, and instilled a sense of peace within me. Touring through the castles, we saw ancient artifacts, existing around the same time period of the castle, such as swords, armor, helmets, and tools important for blacksmiths.

Bad Ems Hotel/Museum

View from the top of castle in Nassau

Side View

Trier

On one Saturday, Julien and his host family surprised me in taking me to Trier, the oldest city in Germany. As we arrived, we saw a castle-like structure that was destroyed from WWII. While there, we walked through the streets, and had Italian pizza, which tasted completely different from such in America. While walking through the streets hereafter, we noticed a large crowd huddled around one statue. It turned out that Karl Marx, born in this city, had a statue, which was erected only a year ago and has created international controversy.

Half destroyed ancient Roman structure

Renovated church that was once one of the oldest in the entirety of Germany

Luxembourg

Around two hours away by car, Luxembourg was an afterthought when I first arrived in Frankfurt, however, Julien and his parents wanted me to see this city since the day I arrived. After arriving, I instantly noticed a change in culture and lifestyle. People were speaking French, German, Luxembourgish, and even English. On the specific day I went, there were bands parading the street, with many tourists perplexed at this unusual sight. The architecture, specifically the government buildings, had a very unique style, unlike any German city. There were also guards protecting the capitol building, equipped with large assault rifles. This small country was one of my favorites because of its large significance, although its stature.

Luxembourgisch street dancers

Guard

View from large bridge 

Munich

After spending three weeks with Julien and his parents, we met with Herr Dougherty and immediantly took a train to Munich. We first ate dinner, and Herr recommended that we try Schweinhaxe, which is a roasted ham hock. It was one of the best meals of the trip. During our time in Munich, we toured the BMW Museum, which showcased some of the most luxurious cars BMW has ever produced. We then went to Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. Although I'm not much of a soccer fan, the size of the arena and the stories awed me. On another day, we visited Dachau, oneof the many concentration camps the Nazis used for political prisoners, and it made me reflect on the horrors of WWII. Munich was by far my favorite German city of the whole trip.

Munich Dom

BMW i8 from BMW Museum 

Allianz Arena from the field

Vienna, Austria

The last but best part of the trip was travelling to Vienna, Austria. Upon arrival, we toured St. Stephan Cathedral, which was one of the most unique churches that displayed extroadinary art. Whilewalking along the street, we saw ancient Roman ruins still preserved, in the heart of the city. Statues of infamous figures of European history littered the street, and we took an audio tour of the castle in which Joseph II and Marie Antionette lived and held important meetings on behalf of the Holy Roman Empire. The focal point of the trip, and one of the best meals I've ever eaten, was the schnitzel, and the place we went to was the site of the very first schnitzel. On one of our last days in Vienna, we visited many art museums, like the Belvedere and the Leopold Museum. It displayed some of the most popular artworks from Austrian artists, and there were multitudes of people crowding around some of the most famous paintings. Austria was, in my opinion, my favorite city of the whole trip. 

View from inside the Cathedral

Ancient Roman remains in the middle of a busy Austrian street

Statue of Goethe in Vienna

Authentic Schnitzel

Belvedere from the garden

Wiener Reisenrad (Vienna Ferris Wheel)

Reflections/Special Thanks

Leaving Germany was surreal, because I had made many friends that I likely would never see again. Igot to see firsthand the differences in culture, tradition, manners, and lifestyles between Germany andAustria, and my understanding of the German language facilitated my realization of how natives think and act towards others. The kindness and genuine concern for others by the Germans taught me that Germany was a country of people with open arms. My communication with Julien, his parents, his classmates, and his teachers also significantly improved my German speaking ability. 

For this outstanding opportunity, I first and foremost want to thank Herr Dougherty and Mr. Paolicci. For the hospitality, cornucopia of food, and showing me German culture and traditions firsthand, I want to thank Julien and his family. Lastly, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to the Wilson family forultimately giving me the chance to experience this once in a lifetime trip. Without their help, this wouldn't have been possible. I strongly suggest those interested in travelling to Germany to apply.