Billy Deutsch: Germany

My journey to Germany was an amazing, life-changing experience that I will never forget. The food, the people, the sights, and the memories are things I will always remember. After having the experiences that I had, I know have enough knowledge of both the American and German culture to make accurate comparisons.

This great knowledge of culture was thanks mostly to my wonderful host family: the Frost Family. They met me at the airport on the day I arrived with a welcoming American flag and huge smiles. In the airport, they bought me sparkling water. It was the first time I had ever tried it, and me being in a foreign country, I had to be open to trying new things. Unfortunately, sparkling water did not become one of my favorite drinks during my time in Germany. However, I did love all of their other drinks, such as Mezzo Mix (a mix of coke and orange soda). Nevertheless, we eventually hopped into his Audi and hopped onto the autobahn to make the trip from the Frankfurt airport to Frauenstein, a small suburb of Wiesbaden. Being in a car for the first time in Germany, my eyes were glued to the window as I was mesmerized by what I saw (and probably a little culture shocked too). When we arrived at their house, we sat down for a traditional meal of bread, cheese, and meat. I felt so scared to do something wrong when I ate, but that feeling quickly subsided after the first week, as I learned the etiquette, such as that you should cut the bread longways. By the end of my stay with the family, I felt very comfortable with them and felt like I was one of their children.

Mezzo Mix

After the first week of observing Nina Frost (host sister) at the Humboldt-Schule in Wiesbaden, I was able to make some cultural comparisons. The time at which we arrived at their school, they had just finished their last tests and were awaiting their grades, so obviously they were very excited. From what I learned, they do not have homework, so their school has to be even more rigorous during the school day. Also, they take up to ten or eleven classes in one year which seems pretty tough to me. The way we arrived to school was also a new experience for me. Never have I used more public transportation in my life than in Germany. Every morning, we had to catch the bus at 7:10 precisely. Then we took a 30 minute ride to the school. Another difference between American and German schools is that they are graded on how much they participate and how they behave. The last difference that I noticed was that the teachers were the ones who changed rooms instead of the students like in America.

Me with my host sister

The second week in Berlin was probably one of the best of my life. Every single day in Berlin, we visited something new. We saw the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburger Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, the Jewish WWII memorial, the German Historical Museum, and the Alte Nationalgalerie. Berlin is probably my favorite German city now. It was very easy for us to get anywhere around the city thanks to the public transportation. We had many adventures in Berlin, wandering around and discovering new areas of the city. At one point we hopped on a random train and ended up in East Berlin, which was an amazingly beautiful part of the city. It was nice getting away from the craziness of the city center and just being able to relax. Berlin was an awesome place and I’d definitely visit again.

Alec Vest and I at the Brandenburger Tor

The third week was really exciting because we were able to visit some of the neighboring cities. First, we visited Frankfurt, where we visited two different art exhibits. The first one had to do with modern art and the second with paparazzi. We weren't in Frankfurt for more than a couple hours so we unfortunately did not get to see much of the city other than the very center, which was beautiful nonetheless. The next neighboring city that we visited was Mainz. In this city, we visited the Gutenberg Museum. This very intriguing museum about the beginning of the printing press. Then afterwards we went inside of two different beautiful churches. Lastly, in Mainz, we found a doener stand a had a Döner box( my new favorite food). 

The fourth week was our last week in Germany and it was as incredible as the other weeks. This week was spent exclusively in Bavaria. Bavaria is a culture rich area of Germany with many eccentricities, such as greeting someone saying “Grüß Gott” instead of the normal “Guten Tag”. While in Bavaria we visited two major cities: Munich and Nuremberg. But we also visited smaller cities like Rothenberg. In Rothenberg, we toured a museum about medieval ways of shaming and punishing criminals. Some funny ways they would punish someone were if you were a bad musician you would be publicly shamed by having to wear a nonfunctioning wooden flute around your neck. After we visited Rothenberg, we moved on to Munich. Munich was a massive city and we were able to see many parts of it. Some sites that we visited in Munich or near Munich include, Marienplatz, Neuschwanstein Castle, Dachau, the BMW Museum, the Olympic Stadium, Allianz Arena, and Schloss Nymphenburg. In Nuremberg, we visited even more things, such as Kaiserburg, the Nazi Museum, St. Lorenz Church, Albrecht Duerer’s house,and  the Germanic National Museum. Nuremberg was an awesome city. The city center was so full of life with many shops and people.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Castle in Nuremberg

Lastly, I want to thank the WIlson Family for the wonderful opportunity they provided me with. The cultural and life experiences I had have helped to widen my view of the world and allowed me to become a more rounded and informed person. My trip to Germany was a one in a lifetime experience that I will never forget and I thank the Wilson Family for their generosity they have shown towards me.