The penultimate day to the grand finale, Monday served as a beginning to the end for this wonderful exchange trip. Throughout this trip, my classmates and I have added an incredible amount of firsts to our arsenal. Specifically for myself, I can say that I have experienced my first time in Germany, my first extended trip away from my family, and my first time being incredibly hot and sweaty for fifteen days without relent. However, this Monday served as the inception of the countless lasts we were bound to encounter.
Our day began with an activity that has frequented our schedules not only during the time constraints of this trip, but also the entirety of this past school year, class. Throughout this trip, I have been awakened to the culture surrounding German schools and classes. Many classes have been dismissed an hour early, contained no teacher, or were merely talking instead of truly working and learning. [Frau Burgbacher and Frau Greene tell us this is because it’s the end of the school year and the Germans have just finished exams, making last week similar to the week after AP exams for 11th and 12th graders at our school.] Today’s classes were a nice refreshment though, as in biology, interesting topics were discussed as tired students began to take an interest in subject material that quickly transitioned into educational discussions between faculty and students. The period seemed quite productive and beneficial for everyone in the room, even if I understood few of the complicated German biology terms. Another interesting part of the day occurred when engaging in a politics class built specifically for us exchange students. We were taught the inner workings of Frankfurt and the regions surrounding it and also learned about their unique stance on the environment relative to other regions in Germany.
Then came the first of many lasts, as we set off on our last field trip of the entire exchange. On this excursion we traveled to the West-End campus of the Goethe University in Frankfurt. This campus has an interesting history, in that the main building was originally the headquarters for a giant chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate (IG-Farben) that later became tied up in Nazi politics and produced among other things the infamous Zyklon-B gas used in concentration camps. [After the war, the building was re-purposed as the headquarters for U.S. occupation forces and the principal location for implementing the Marshall Plan. The U.S. Army returned the building to Germany in 1995, and in 2001 it became the new site for the Goethe University.] Although the site has some negative historical connotations, its modern day use of educating young minds has redeemed it.
Another last that was encountered was the last dinner with my group of exchange friends. We indulged on huge hamburgers, ultimately resorting back to “American” cuisine even while in Germany. The dinner was a satisfying parting event, as we all realized this meal together would be one of the last times we spent together as a group. Taking that into account, we cherished the moments we had together, and enjoyed a great meal as close friends.
Ultimately, as this trip concludes, we are bound to experience lasts. It has happened, and will continue to transpire tomorrow and Wednesday. But as this trip winds down, all I can find myself dwelling upon are the firsts. Looking back upon this trip, the experiences I have cherished have been the ones that have been unique and remarkable to me, something I wouldn’t experience back in the bustling hub known as Cary. Our exchange could be described in many ways: it could be described as incredible, once in a lifetime, intriguing, and eye-opening. But truly, I believe this trip has served as one main thing, and that is proof. Proof not only that our German capabilities are at a level that allow us to function in an immersion environment, but proof that we have fully undergone the transition from mere kids to young adults as we finally grasp our abilities to adapt to new environments and truly make bonds with new, interesting people. In summation, on this journey we not only learned an incredible amount about Germany, but we also gained depths of knowledge about ourselves in the process. ~Finn K.