Germany Trip Post #1

I would like to start off by saying that I almost chose the Italy and Greece trip over the Germany trip.. A number of my friends went on that trip last d-term and talked about how much of a life changing experience it was. After much consideration, I realized that I should at least give the effort to look into the other d-term programs that were offered. After looking at the options, the only other trip that sparked my interest was Germany. After missing the initial meeting for the Germany trip (sorry about that…), Professor Wolf allowed me to have an individual meeting with him regarding the trip details. Needless to say, Professor Wolf sold me right off the bat. I instantly knew that I was going to choose this trip over going to Italy and Greece.

I previously mentioned in our class meeting that I haven’t been out of the country. Taking everything in that Professor Wolf showed me during our individual meeting, I knew that this needed to be my first trip out of the country. Besides the rich history that Germany holds in regards to WWII, as well as the ability of their current International soccer team, I don’t hold much knowledge about the current German culture, or how it has evolved over time. It may be very vague, but a major reason why I chose to go on this trip was to see the culture change between the U.S. and Germany. Even taking the little things into account, such as the use of mobile devices. Everywhere you go today in the U.S., and I mean everywhere, people will be on their phones. Whether that’s sitting down at dinner with multiple people, or at their work setting. Way to often do I see individuals on their phones when they should not be. While in Germany, I would like to know when it is or isn't appropriate to be on your cell phone. It may sound silly, but personal communication is such an enormous part of our everyday lives. This is the first thing that I am going to observe when we land in Germany and get settled in.

While visiting, there are a few things in particular that I would like to learn. One of which is the reason why Germans take such pride in their history. As professor Wolf mentioned, there are numerous statues throughout Germany that represent acts that Germans are not necessarily proud of. In no way, shape, or form do they feel the need to hide their mistakes. Why exactly is that? Has this always been the type of recognition that the Germans give, or has this changed over time? After coming in contact with these statues at various touch points in Germany, I hope to grab a better overall understanding of their true value.

Another concept that I hope to learn about stems from a business standpoint. As noted, Germany is the number one country in exports. I am curious as to how they are so successful in tackling multiple types of foreign trade. At what point did Germany start to be seen as a worldwide leader in this category? Is there any significant event or action that took place that assisted Germany in their distinguished exporting capabilities? I hope while we are in Germany, we visit at least one venue that touches on the business side of the German culture.

Erfurt Christmas Market

Away from the academic aspects, one of the reasons I want to visit Germany is because of the stereotype that it holds when it comes to drinking beer. I’m not trying to sit here and sound like a typical college kid, but I guess there is no other way to say it. When Professor Wolf described the Christmas market, called Erfurt (pictured above), I knew that this was definitely one of the destinations that I want to spend a fair amount of time at. I found it very interesting when we were told that Germans love to drink outside, no matter how cold it is. Seeing that it will most likely be cold when we are at this market, I am curious as to how I will hold up drinking in this type of environment, as well as the rest of the class.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

The most significant reason as to why I am interested in this trip to Germany is because of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (pictured above) that we will be attending. When Professor Wolf went into brief detail about the camp, I knew that this was something that I had to experience. The reason I feel so strong about visiting this concentration camp is because both of my grandparents on my father’s side were put into Japanese-American Internment camps. Though their conditions might have not been as severe or inhumane as some of the camps in Germany, they still had to go through an experience that no one should have to go through. After hearing about some of the details that my grandparents had to go through while attending these camps, it has become a very humbling concept for me.

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