Keon Cleary: Germany

Berlin and Orientation

The first day was exhausting as we traveled on four different airplanes over a span of almost twenty four hours, but I had a blast nonetheless. After reaching Berlin, we took a bus to the area in which we are staying, and then walked a few blocks to reach our hostel. Instead of being right in the middle of the city, our hostel was more on the outskirts of Berlin, so I learned how to use the U-Bahn (subway system) very well.

Map of the Berlin Subway System

It was this night that I had one of my first traditional German dishes, Currywurst, which is comparable to a hot dog dipped in a spicy ketchup. It was delicious, and it really sparked my interest in trying all kinds of German foods.The next significant event that I did with my group was a landmark scavenger hunt, which took me to all of the most famous landmarks in Berlin. One of the first landmarks we visited, along with Checkpoint Charlie, and the "Unter dem Linden" street, was the Brandenburg Gate. This gate is a huge landmark, and probably represent Germany the best out of all the landmarks. My time in Berlin was absolutely amazing, and I would love to visit it again some day.

The Front of the Brandenburg Gate

The Homestay

After my stay in Berlin, I took a train to Balingen, a little town about an hour away from Stuttgart. It was there that I met my host family, the Knauses, for the first time. I had three host siblings: Johannes (18), Stefan (24), and Julia (27). I did not see much of Julia and Stefan because of their university work and jobs, so most of my homestay was spent with Johannes. My host parents, Cecilia and Oscar, were very nice and hospitable. This portion of the program was an excellent time to practice my German, as my host parents did not speak English, and Johannes’ English was very limited. I had an amazing time with my host family and did many cool activities and field trips with them such as a hike in the Black Forest.

My host brother Johannes (left), My host mother Cecilia, and my host father Oscar

Johannes and I hiking in the Black Forest

One time during the homestay, I felt fully at one with the German culture. I went on a field trip with my host brother to Stuttgart along with all the other Americans and their host siblings. There we visited the Mercedes-Benz Museum, which was incredible. Afterwards we went on a tour of the Stuttgart Parliament building, and many other key sites in the city. We also had some free time in the city where my host brother showed me some clothes that would make me look more German. Needless to say I bought them as a souvenir, so I could bring a little German culture back to America. After the trip to Stuttgart, I went to soccer practice with my host brother and his league team. In a scrimmage, I scored the winning goal for my team, which was an amazing feat as an American soccer player. I received cheers from all of my teammates and really felt as if I was accepted by the Germans and their culture.

Front of the Mercedes-Benz Museum

Service and Perspective in Hildburghausen

             After the homestay, our group traveled to tiny, rural village in East Germany named Hildburghausen. It was the final leg of my trip to Germany, and it was completely different from all the other places I've visited so far because of its location. It was a great reminder of how short ago the Berlin Wall was built, and divided the country of Germany in two. The village still seemed influenced by the East German culture because the wall fell so short ago. Here in Hildburghausen we restored an old World War II memorial for those killed in labor camps nearby, and it was one of the most fufilling service projects I've ever completed. When we first arrived, the memorials were covered in grass and weeds. By the end of my stay, the memorials looked right. They were clean and looked very respectable. Although the worksite was not a camera-friendly place, it was a very memorable experience.

Special Thanks

            I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to the Wilson family, who made my trip possible. If not for the generosity of this family, my trip to Germany would have not been possible. I learned so much about the German culture, and my language proficiency in German has increased drastically because of my time on this trip. I would also like to thank Mr. Gaither, Mr. Paolicchi, and Herr Dougherty for arranging my trip, and making the pre-trip plans efficient and easy.