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Hello from TIE Germany 2024-25
Hello from TIE Germany 2024-25
As you may know, this is a special one. We are celebrating 50 years of international exchange with our sister school, Schiller-Gymnasium in Hameln Germany! The chaperones for this trip are Polly Vanderputten and Martina Lemm, and the SBHS student participants are: Lumia Beeli, Grady Bergeron, Jean-Paul “JP” Choueiri, Lexi Coté, Finn Dinklage, Samuel Hayward, Nick Herrera, Henry Lawrence, and Leah Thrall. We’re excited to visit the cities of Munich, Berlin and Hannover, and to spend time with our partners from the Schiller-Gymnasium in Hameln!!
Day 1 19: Bus from SBHS to Logan Airport (Boston)
Departure on Lufthansa to Munich
(Grady, Frau V and Frau Lemm)
We had a long, but blissfully uneventful travel experience, starting with a coach bus to Boston Logan Airport. We killed time with walks around the terminal in search of food (some were more successful than others), and had a smooth, uncrowded, punctual flight from Boston to Munich, where we quickly claimed our luggage and moved into the day. I am always grateful for little travel miracles. -by Frau V. / Polly
Day 2 February 20: Arrival in Munich; walking tour of Munich
We met our travel escort, Luis, as we exited the baggage claim, and soon, we were on a mini-bus, heading into the city of Munich. We dropped our luggage at the AWA Hotel, right in the middle of the city, and set out on a mild, sunny Thursday afternoon for a walking tour with Luis.
Our first stop was the Marienplatz, where we saw City Hall with its famous glockenspiel. We learned about the royal wedding represented by the carved figurines of the glockenspiel, and about how Munich’s beer supply–600,000 barrels worth–saved the city from being destroyed by an army of Swedes in the Thirty Year War, which was a battle between Protestant Christians and Catholics. A golden Maria presides over her namesake square to this day, where figurines representing the war wrestle below her.
We moved from the Marienplatz to St. Peter’s Church, with its teeny little 12th century door (only part of the church survived the bombs of World War 2), and to the statue of a good luck Juliet donated to Munich by its sister city in Italy, Verona. We hit the Viktualienmarkt for lunch (the general theme was “variations on a bratwurst”--mine was “weisse Bratwurst in der Semmel mit Senf und Sauerkraut”), visited the elegant Frauenkirche, and watched some surfers at the edge of the English Garden brave the icy waves of the Isar river. As we walked around Munich, students took note of some great shopping opportunities, the multitude of bikes and scooters, and enjoyed reading various signs. (There are lots up for a federal election here this coming Sunday.)
We ate at the Gasthaus zur Festwiese tonight, a restaurant near our hotel which serves traditional German / Bavarian food. We started with a peppery pumpkin ginger soup, followed by some Schnitzel (served with lemon wedges) and Frikadelle (German meatballs), with a German potato salad side. Nothing says “Course # 3” like some more Schnitzel–this time, even bigger pieces with even bigger lemon wedges–and Käsespätzle (German mac n cheese), and Schweinebraten (roast pork), all of which had accompaniment of Bratkartoffeln (fried potato slices) and Knӧdeln (German dumplings). AND gravy! It was sumptuous.
And then, to cap off an already pretty awesome day, we got a generous piece of Apfelstrudel with a side of creamy Vanilleeis for dessert. We had some dessert devotees at the table, and they declared it one of the best they had ever tasted. (I agree.)
Bravo to our students for a great first day of travel! Everyone in our group was patient, curious, flexible and attentive throughout; I enjoyed their humor and observations all day long.
-by Frau V. / Polly
Day 3 - February 21: Trip to Neuschwanstein Castle
We started the day waking up at 8 and then going downstairs in our hotel to get breakfast where I got a croissant and some apple juice but there was all kinds of different meats and breads to choose from and there were also different choices of juice and also choices of coffee.
After breakfast we all met in the lobby at 8:45 and walked to the bus at 9:00. Once we got on the bus it took about 1h and 20m to get to the destination then we had to walk another 15 minutes and then we got to the castle.
Outside of the castle we got to take some photos but unfortunately we could not take pictures inside but the inside was more beautiful then out when we were inside of the castle a tour guide was telling us about everything. After we were done hearing about the history of the castle we learned about Ludwig the second and then we got lunch (I had pizza) and Quarkbällchen which are dough balls with sugar. Then we walked back to go on the bus back to the hotel.
And we rested for about an hour after we started walking to the place for dinner. At the dinner place, I ordered deer ragout it was a 8.5 out of 10 because it was a bit rough but good overall then we got dessert called Zwetschgenknödel mit Zimtbrösel und Vanillesoße (plum dumplings with cinnamon breadcrumbs and vanilla sauce) this was great 9.5 out of 10 and then got the last part bubble tea 7 out of ten afterwards we went back to the hotel to go to sleep.
By Jean-Paul Choueiri
Day 4 - February 22: Train from Munich to Hameln; meet up with TIE partners and host families
We all got up bright and early to catch breakfast in the hotel before we had to be on the ICE (express train) for a 9:17 departure. The hotel buffet served several kinds of Brötchen (bread rolls) which can be used to make mini sandwiches with spreads, meats, cheeses and vegetables. There was also a plethora of sweets such as jelly filled croissants and tiny donuts. I really enjoyed experimenting over our two days in the hotel with all the different choices for breakfast.
After breakfast we made it to the train station (a miscommunication lead to us waiting in the wrong spot for Fraud V and Frau Lemm but we all made it safely on time). We said goodbye to our Munich tour guide, Luis, and loaded onto the train.
I found it especially interesting that while looking at travel time estimates, it was an hour quicker to take the train that we were going to take, than it would have been to drive. This was the first time I would be taking an express train, so I was very interested to see how it compared to another long distance transportation method like flying or a long drive. The seats were leagues more comfortable compared to a car or plane seat, with plenty of legroom. It was much quieter than a noisy plane engine, which was wonderful as Frau V, Grady, Lexi, and I were able to spend almost the whole train ride chatting. The one downside was that the windows were a bit dirty so I was unable to take many good photos. It was perfectly fine looking through however, and I got many great views of the German countryside as we transitioned from south to more northern parts of Germany.
After a slightly chaotic and quick turnover we were on the S-Bahn (local train from main station to Hameln). This was certainly not as cozy as the ICE and more geared to commuters than travelers. The ~40 minute train ride flew by as we were all full of anticipation to finally meet our exchange students at the Station in Hameln.
We received a warm welcome and each made our ways back to the homes of our students. I spent my afternoon settling in and playing card games with the family. They also baked a delicious cake with tasty plum filling to celebrate the occasion. In the evening they brought me to a local concert where I met many Germans who asked me about Vermont. It was an excellent slice of German culture and I enjoyed hearing a few of my favorite German songs performed by the band. (The members included a drummer, bassist, guitarist, singer, and trumpeter!). The concert ended quite late so we were all very tired once we got home.
-Ratings
Hotel Breakfast: 8/10
ICE:10/10
S-Bahn: 6/10
Card games and Cake: 9/10
Concert: 7/10 (my ears were ringing for a while afterwards, next time I'll bring earplugs!)
By Nick
February 23: Family day (Federal elections in Germany today!!)
Due to the fact it was a Sunday there was very few places open. I slept in till past ten and ate breakfast at 11 to 12. When I went downstairs I was greeted by my exchange student Mia’s sister’s boyfriend named Johan.
In the afternoon me and Mia went to a place to go bouldering and we climbed for a few hours. Then when we went home and had a good dinner with a kind of meat balls of potato and cabbage.
(by Samuel)
February 24: Hameln: Schiller-Gymnasium (SGH) assembly, tour of school, Pied Piper tour of Hameln
Today we all woke up early in the morning for our first day of school at about 6:30 am. We then drove to the school but we had to walk because unlike at SB there are no parking spaces for students.
When we arrived at school, some of the German students guided us on a tour through the school. It is very organized and also very big, bigger than SB. The cafeteria is a separate building and looks like it has better food than ours. Another thing I noticed was that there is a strict policy against phones here. After the tour I had some food my host mom made for us and it was very good and filling. After we all met up in a classroom and headed down to the auditorium for a little celebration event. There were some special speakers like our teachers, what I believe to be the mayor of Hamlin, and some of the people who were once chaperones for the trip. After that we all had to walk on stage so we could be introduced to the school. I don’t know about the others but it was very nerve racking.
After that all the American students went on a pied piper tour around the city. The man playing the piper was a very energetic person who played his instrument with great enthusiasm and passion. It was a fun tour where we learned a lot about the tale of the pied piper and how it all came to be.
When we returned to the school we met up with our exchange students and went out for lunch. Finn, Lumia, Jean Paul and I went out for Döner. It was very tasty and I definitely want to go again before we leave.
When we were finished, my exchange partner and I left for the gym. She is very nice because she got me a 10 day membership because she knows that I like to pump iron. The gym was very fun and I met some of her friends.
After the gym we met up with Finn, Lumia, and Jean Paul to get some authentic German cuisine. McDonald’s.
All in all it was a very fun day with a ton of new things, new food, and new experiences.
(by Henry)
Before the welcome assembly the local radio station (radio aktiv) interviewed LarsFranke, students from the Schiller-Gymnasium (Mia) and SBHS (Nick) and Frau Lemm. The link to the interview is below. It is mostly in German but Nick’s part is in English.
(by Martina / Frau Lemm)
https://www.radio-aktiv.de/2025/02/25/hameln-50-jahre-usa-austausch-am-schiller-gymnasium/
February 25: Shadow day at SGH and presentations
We went to Mensa cafe at the school during biology class and they did some work and we just sat around and talked.
Two classes got canceled today which is cool because we don’t have that in America. Math and PE! It was fun to have a little extra time to chill at home and have fun during the day.
We shadowed German class and the teacher didn’t talk more than three words. Everyone got to work on something, while Jean-Paul and I just sat there.
When I had my presentation with the 8th graders, we went outside and played softball. It took them a while to understand the concept but eventually they had an “ah-ha” moment and it was just organized chaos.
In geography we had a very chill teacher and we just talked for a while. They have to finish up a summary of all the work they have done in the last two years to end their school career. We talked with the teacher about America and our presentations, which was fun.
In the evenings we have been getting together to eat food and play Mario sports. We have gone and hung out at the long river twice now and it is very nice to go during the sunset. Ana and I got to ride on the back of a motorcycle when the sun was setting and rode to the top of a hill overlooking Hameln.
Overall, it was a good day and felt very laid back which was nice. Everyone had a good day but we are all pretty tired.
February 26: Train from Hameln to Berlin; walking tour of Berlin
I woke up early and had toast for breakfast. Then we got in the car and headed to the SHG. From there we walked to Hameln’s main train station, and stopped by the bakery for a quick treat! The first train ride to Hanover was smooth, as well as the high speed train to Berlin’s central train station. From there we were met by our tour guide, Gerrit.
After checking into the hotel and locking our luggage away we went to lunch. After lunch, we were given a walking tour of Berlin. Starting at some remains of the Berlin Wall, we learned about the “Death Strip” which was the gap between the two walls. We learned the history of building and planning the wall, then made our way to the Alexanderplatz which is where some of Germany’s “Stolpersteine” are located. These are brass squares commemorating people killed by the Nazis, in this case, homeless people. We then made our way to Germany’s oldest university where a memorial to the burned books is located. We rode all forms of public transportation today, then took a bus back to the hostel which is where we got ready to venture out on our own for dinner. Personally, I walked to the central train station, the HBF. This is where I decided to get McDonald’s with Finn and Lumia, they eventually went to get Chinese food. This was our first day in Berlin, and it was a 10/10!
(by Leah)
February 27: Berlin: Reichstag visit, WW2 memorials and monuments, Berlin Philharmonic concert
After waking up at the youth hostel Jugendgästehaus Hauptbahnhof in Berlin, we all went down to eat breakfast which was okay, just the usual bread, yogurt, etc.
Then around 9, our tour guide Gerrit picked us up to take us through our second day of our tour of Berlin. We all needed to take our passports with us because Berlin's Reichstag, the federal parliament building, requires it for ID.
The Reichstag had pretty standard looking architecture for the 1800s except for the large totally glass dome at the top, added in the 1990s after damage in WW2, which we got to walk up to and look out of over a view of Berlin (thankfully, unlike the rest of our stay in Berlin, Thursday was beautifully clear and sunny). Nick, Frau. V and I talked to Gerrit on the way up the dome about different landmarks and some parliamentary politics (seats in the German parliament before and after the recent election, notably). He seemed to know a bunch about everything Berlin.
Immediately after the Reichstag, a short-ish walk away, we went by three memorials for groups killed by the Nazis: the Romani/Senti people (formally "Gypsies"), homosexuals, and the Jews.
[ Once we got to the memorials we split into several groups. Each group got a question sheet to answer, with questions like how the monument was set up, with what materials, and why we thought the location of the monument was chosen. After exploring the monuments in our groups, we came back together to discuss our answers. The Sinti and Roma Monument was the first we visited. It included panels with stories of some of the Sinti and Roma people who were murdered during the Nazi regime. The second part of the monument was a small pond that was separated from the rest of the Tiergarten by a walkway. Upon entering the pond area, the noise from the rest of the city subsided inside the small hedged off space. As you walked around the pond, you walked over stones with names of places where the Sinti and Roma people were killed.
The next was the monument to the murdered homosexuals. The monument is a massive cubic block standing in a section of the Tiergarten. It is all flat on all sides, except on the one facing the street. On that side there is a slit with an opening that must be peered through to see a screen. The video shows homosexual couples kissing while in the background, representations of the violence committed against them scroll by. It follows with the theme of the monument, stated on a nearby plaque that even a kiss could be deadly in those times.
Our third monument was the Holocaust Memorial. This is the largest memorial that we visited. From the street you can see a stretch of stone pillars that unevenly spread across a wide section of the city block. They form a cross grid, allowing the visitors to walk between the pillars, which seem to grow taller as the ground sinks down the deeper you go. Soon the pillars are above your head. At the deepest point you feel totally isolated and engulfed from all sides as you walk through the rows. The stone path is uneven, so you must walk slowly to avoid losing footing. Me and some other members of the group even got separated from the group for several minutes because of how disorienting it is to walk through. Once we finished the surface part, we entered the museum, which is below ground. For about 40 minutes we each made our way through the exhibits which told the history and stories of the terror in those days from the Nazi rule. It is a tragic and dark part of German history, but it is crucial that it is remembered, and I think that these three monuments were very effective in that way. ] [by Nick]
After the memorials, Gerrit took us to the Mall of Berlin where there were food courts for us to have lunch. Of my group, Grady and I had ramen that was lowkey overpriced (but good), Sam got a currywurst, and Nick got falafel. Then we tried some random candy from an Asian store. We spent over €10 there, and for that got to spin this wheel (over €10 you get to spin it for a "free" treat). On my/Nick's spin, we unfortunately won ramen which no one wanted, but oh well, so it goes. We also went around shopping at random stores but it seemed like it was mostly for richer individuals with stores like Ralph Lauren, etc., and nothing very “cool”, although I did buy a hoodie.
[ We arrived late for dinner because of a fiasco involving a missing transit card, a Lime e-scooter, and me and Henry sprinting through the streets of Berlin (I'm sure he would love to tell anybody interested all about that and why lime scooters will live in infamy for the rest of this trip). Despite the tense rush to make it to dinner after the scooter shenanigans we still made it to the Philharmonic on time (although we had to skip dessert, most tragically). What is a trip without a little intense time crunch. ] [by Nick]
For dinner, we quickly ate the restaurant we had the reservation for, Lindenbräu Potsdamer Platz, which was in this beautiful building with a structure on the top lit purple at night, made to look like Mt. Fuji (according to Gerrit). I got this dish with potatoes and chicken and a fried egg which was yummy. There was a lot of gossip going on near my end of the table, and seemingly good conversations overall.
We then quickly left for the Berlin Philharmonic to see a show with the Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska. The building was beautiful and the theater exceptionally warm. The performance was really lovely for me, although I'm not a musician and the musicians of the group (Frau. V and Grady namely) seemed to have a deeper admiration of it that I was slightly jealous of. Still really nice though. I was very tired in the later part and started drifting off to sleep, despite how percussion-heavy it was. I saw Gerrit doing the same thing earlier though so...I don't feel too bad about it.
We then returned back to the hotel and I finally fell asleep around probably 0/12am.
By Lexi, with Nick
February 28: Berlin: choice time in morning, train back to Hameln in the afternoon
We were all up in time for breakfast (shout out to the citrusy Quark–so yummy!) and for the “Zimmerkontrolle” (room check), and then we were off to explore Berlin for a few hours before our return to Hameln.
I went with Grady, Lexi, Nick, Sam and Martina to the Dussmann Kaufhaus, a big store near Unter den Linden that specializes in “Kultur:” literature, music, stationery, games, etc. I had a marvelous time in the classical music section, where you can ask to listen to any CD, and they unwrap it and bring it to you at a comfie little listening station.
When I was at Dussmann a couple of years ago, the clerk who specializes in classical music made some fabulous recommendations, and I was so happy to see him again this time. I asked him about a piece by Bach that I had heard on the radio in Vermont (8 o’clock Bach with Helen Lyons on VPR is the best!); it is a playful, joyful and dancing piece, with two singers who trade the melody back and forth, but I never caught the name of it. I sang it for my Dussmann guy, and he made a thoughtful face and said he wasn’t sure what it was, as Bach was such a prolific composer. Not 10 minutes later, as I was listening to some other prospective purchases, he came over to me and said, “This might be what you’re looking for; try track 2.” Sure enough, there it was, exactly what I was hoping to find. This is why the Dussmann Kaufhaus is always worth the trip.
Thankfully, my fellow Dussmann travelers had as much fun there as I did; we spent over an hour there, and we all bought something special: Grady bought some jazz records (on vinyl!); Sam bought a 500-piece puzzle of a “Gangsterkatze; “ Lexi and Nick bought some books and movies; Martina bought a fabulous Berlin bag; I bought LOTS of new CDs…it was so much fun to share this excursion with them.
We ate lunch at the Hackescher Markt–more Schnitzel!-- then zipped back to the hostel to meet the others for our train ride back to Hameln. The trip was mercifully uneventful, and we arrived on time to meet our host families. I had dinner with Anna at an Indian restaurant, then went home for a quiet Friday night.
(by Frau V / Polly)
The Weekend - various contributions
The Weekend - various contributions
March 1: Hameln: Family weekend
Nick:
I went with Lilly and Lexi to Hamburg since my host family were all busy and we wouldn't have been able to do anything fun together. I have been wanting to visit Hamburg for ages to go to a record store called Hanseplatte, which is run by one of my favorite artists. If only we had been able to come one day sooner, I would have been able to see the band live! I got a couple of albums and some singles which I have been dying to have on vinyl. It was so incredible to see so much German music I had heard about before but never seen sold in a store.
Polly / Frau V:
I slept until 8:30 a.m. (phew!), had breakfast with Anna, then set out to do some shopping in Hameln while she graded some tests. My favorite stop was the market, where I bought some fresh cheese, two different kinds of local honey, Saftkornbrot, and a few little pots of flowers. In the afternoon, my former host mother, Uschi, and host sister, Meike, drove in from Minden for a visit. (I lived with them for a year when I was in the 11th grade.) We took a brisk walk along the Weser, then had Kaffeekuchen at the Museumscafé. It was wonderful to catch up with them; I have so many rich and fond memories from my time in Minden.
March 2: Hameln: Family weekend
Nick:
After coming back from Hamburg in the late afternoon, I got to meet my host student's grandparents who were around for lunch. Later in the evening I borrowed a bike and rode around 3km, part of the way up the nearby mountain close to Flegessen where I am staying. It was right around sunset and I could see far across the hills and fields surrounding. One of the things I love about Germany is how you can see the little villages that dot the landscape when viewing from up high. After riding up and staying awhile, I zoomed down the trail and back home for a family Abendbrot dinner.
JP:(Sunday) it was a chill day I woke up at 10:00 then went back to sleep and woke up at 5:30 ish and went on a walk with Nico,Anna,Lewis, and lumia and then after that I ate with my host family and it was so good then we went on another hill to look over all of Hamlin and it looked so cool at night and then we drove back and I went to sleep.😴
Polly / Frau V:
Anna and I woke up early to catch a train to Hamburg. (Unfortunately, the bike I have been using during my stay here was not working, so we had to “borrow” a bike from the upstairs neighbor.) We grabbed Brӧtchen at the Bӓckerei, hopped on one train, then another, and arrived in Hamburg at around 11:00 a.m. I was immediately struck by how imposing the architecture is there; it’s big, and high, and made of stone or brick or glass, and it tells you right away that you are in an important, powerful city. We walked around inside the Rathaus; climbed the tower and visited the inside of the Hauptkirche St. Michaelis (St. Michael’s Church), which clearly had nautical themes; strolled along the Elbe river, snapping lots of pictures of its massive port, full of cranes, and all sizes and types of ships; ate lunch at a Portuguese restaurant; then went to the Elbphilharmonie for a chamber music concert. It was thrilling to be in yet another world-class concert hall on this trip. At the train station, we grabbed some Franzbrӧtchen, a buttery, sticky, cinnamon pastry that is a specialty of Hamburg, and rode two trains back to Hameln. We arrived just in time to hear the church bells ringing, reminding us it was time to get home and go to bed.
Lumia:
For family weekend, we went to a soccer scrimmage with a group of our friends, and we got to get Döner afterwards. The day before that, on Saturday, we all went to a jump house in Hanover and spent a couple hours there. We did a little bit of costume shopping for the carnival and then we went back to Hameln. Overall, it was a pretty fun weekend hanging out with friends and grilling with the family.
Grady:
On Saturday we woke up early for a long car ride for a tour of her dad’s engineering company. We were able to see all sides of the company, from calculations and sales, to the machines that bind the parts together with 5000 tons of force!!! Afterwards we went to to Twilight Express which is a musical on rollerscates, which I appreciated because it had a level of German and a simple enough plot that with some help I could actually follow along and understand. Afterwards we went to L’Osteria and got “personal pizzas” that were 45 cm (1.5 feet) across! On Sunday we walked down to a bakery in the morning and got some amazing chocolate croissants. Afterwards with went with her baby niece to a science museum where I got to both enjoy the interactive elements and read in English about the science behind them. Afterwards we went back to the same restaurant and got some amazing pasta
March 3: Hameln: presentations and shadowing at the SGH
(Grady)
Today was a pretty uneventful shadow day. We started off the day with everyone presenting in different classes but were able to relax later in the school day with a lot of people leaving school for an early lunch. Many people also got to shadow classes. I attended a 13th grade advanced physics that while being completely over my head (both because of the material and language gap) was also fascinating. I then went home and helped make and then ate a homemade curry with rice with my host family. Everyone is trying to squeeze out as much time together before we leave, and planning for the busy week ahead.
March 4: Visit to Hämelschenburg Castle, shadowing SGH partner students, 50th anniversary celebration dinner
Today we went to the Hämelschenburg Palace. This was such an amazing place in our eyes. We found it very cool that the man giving us the tour was actually a part of the family! It made the tour and information much more interesting. He also talked a lot about how the inside of the house was set according to the needs of the family living there at the time. In one room, the entrance door was very thick so that no one could ease drop into conversations he may be having in that room. Another example was when he talked about how the kitchen, butler’s pantry, and dinning room are all located in a way that keeps the servants out of the way but close, so they are able to serve the family.
He then took us down into the dungeon which was very cool because there was still original hardware and rusty medal chains. We went back upstairs and took a look at the original weapons that were found as remains after wars. Lots of hand held guns, and sharp weapons.
Overall, the day turned out to be very fun and the weather was beautiful! We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the sunny weather. On the walk to the bus, there was a pond and about two dozen fish came swimming out from under the bridge begging for food. We really enjoyed visiting and taking a tour at the Hämelschenburg Palace!
Later, was our TIE 50th year (!!) celebration. There were a lot of people there that were a part of the exchange many years ago. The former and current principal was there. And lots of course all the American and Germany exchange students and families. There was lots of good food and conversation. Very fun evening :)
March 5: Visit to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp Memorial Site
(Finn)
In the morning we got to the school to meet up and then got on a very nice coach bus that had reclining seats which was absolutely lovely to get a quick nap and look out the window at the beautiful north German countryside.
Once we got to the site of the camp we went inside and learned a little about the National Socialist Party and how they came to power and their ideologies and how those lead to the creation of such camps. Then we walked around the perimeter of the camp where there’s a clear path through the trees and saw some of the foundations of the buildings that were previously there but all had been burned by the British to try and eliminate the disease so only the foundations stand. Then we walked to the Jewish memorial past the mass graves that were made by the British when they liberated the camp to put the body’s the SS had left when they abandoned the camp. The mass graves built by the British alone contain around 20 thousand souls which were left when the guards fled. Then we ate lunch and went to the main indoor museum and saw accounts from people who had been in the camp and pictures taken by German guards, people in the camp and the liberators which were crazy to see because it puts all that we had been told about into perspective especially the shear volume of the dead and the mass graves which there were pictures of hundreds of dead body’s piled up being pushed into these graves.
March 6: Visit to Hannover (capital of Lower-Saxony)
(Nick)
I had a special opportunity to bike to the Train station and meet up with the rest of the group on the way to Hannover. The ride was beautiful, as we rode from the tiny village I am staying in through fields.
In Hannover we took a guided tour from one of the teachers at the Schiller Gymnasium. First we saw the Opera house. One interesting fact about it is that it was built originally on the edge of the city. It was built with the foresight that the city would one day expand and that it would be in a
more central location.
Next we saw the Ägidienkirche. This is remarkable
March 7: Hameln: shadowing and presentations at SGH, final visit to Hameln, Farewell Dinner
(Lexi, and possibly others)
For our final day, I only had one presentation to do thanks to a cancellation, and so I decided to spend most of the early day in town shopping. Today was the first day of the medieval faire going on in Hameln, which is about 5x bigger than Vermont's main renaissance faire that happens in the Summer (for reference for anyone who's gone), and I was super excited to check it out. I'm, to be honest, a big nerd at heart and I love the whole fantasy-historical scene that comes with this sort of thing. I walked around for about two hours in the early day looking at shops, contemplating buying things.
One shop, which is very typical for medieval/renaissance fairs, sold animal fur and products made with it (coats, hats, rugs, etc.). I found there a sort of shawl made out of sheep fur that I fell in love with, foolishly! The consequence being a loss of about one paycheck. They didn't take cards and I only had €40, so I had to run around looking for a bank that would allow me to cash out the amount of money I needed. It was a struggle. But I got it in the end >:)
I then met up with my exchange partner Lilly and friends (Grady, Nick, Claudia, Frieda, and Claudia and Lilly’s boyfriends) to get döner in town for lunch. I shared a standard one with Lilly, and thought it was...pretty good. Didn't blow my mind, so I guess I can say it didn't live up to the hype, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We then wandered sort of aimlessly and made our way down to the riverside where we relaxed under the sunshine, afterward leaving to go relax at home before the goodbye dinner.
The dinner at Schiller's cafeteria was enjoyable and the food was good, although sort of overshadowed by plans to hang out again at the medieval fair later that night. It was much the same as our's at SB, with presents and a 50 year anniversary cake. It also felt bittersweet with the feeling that I wouldn't be in Schiller again, and that this was a closing of sorts, the first of many to come that night. But overall, nice.
Around 8 we could finally leave. Lilly and I were both dressed up, me with the fur and her with a full medieval dress and coat (we both looked very funny). Once in the city center, we met up with Lilly's boyfriend and her friends — amazing people; lots of love; miss all of them already :,) — and watched the fire show.
After the fire show (mixed reviews on it), we walked around more and had a bunch of fun that's hard to describe in hindsight- basically, acting like a bunch of childish idiots. We did a little bubonic plague roleplaying, I guess you could call it, and I chased one of Lilly's friends down because he had the plague (duh) and accidentally ran into her, for example. We bought a game that I was very convinced I could do, where you climb on this imbalanced rope ladder and ideally ring a bell at the top. Failed horribly, despite being extremely convinced I could do it. So I fell for the selling gimmick. I also allegedly called Frau. V a wench while being very "in character" when we crossed paths. As I said, childish behavior.
Nearing the end of the faire, I said the final goodbye to Lilly's boyfriend who had to go home </3! "Just keep her [Lilly] and we'll definitely see each other again" is essentially what I said to him. Some of us then decided to leave to go hang out at Lilly's, where we listened to some wonderfully chosen music and talked about of course the music, some philosophy, politics, monkeys...all the things in life worth talking about.
Eventually, quite late in the evening, I said goodbye to both of Lilly's friends with good hugs and many promises to come back and see everyone again.
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