First Impressions

Berlin was great, but I couldn't wait to get to our final destination: Hamm.  The train ride there was rather uneventful but enjoyable and only served to increase my anticipation for meeting Lars' family.  When the train finally arrived it was extremely exciting and going home with Lars was great!  They have a very small dog who loves to nip at people and is very playful, but what I loved most about the house was the family!  They were great!  I had an amazing dinner (Crepes) and the best part about the whole thing was they made me speak German! 
-Preston

The food is great! It's very different, but extremely delicious. Berlin was beautiful, except it was hard to find the restrooms, and which ones were the guys and the girls. I didn't like paying for the restrooms, and one time I accidentally walked into the guys restroom instead of the girls. It was embarrassing, but funny. The people are very nice, and unique. My host family is extravagant in a sense, and thrilled to have me stay there. They treat me as part of the family which I find wonderful. My room is so colorful, and my bed sinks every time I lay down. I have my own bathroom, toiletten and shower. The house is pretty and has a trampoline in the back yard. The cool thing is that it is in the ground.The most interesting thing is that when go to the bathroom the toilet paper is on the outside of the stalls. It took us a while to figure that out. That's all for now folks. Till next time.

-Camryn

 

I loved the houses. Every house was different. They had different styles and architecture. Especially in Berlin. My host family was very welcoming which was wonderful. They made me feel like I was at home. My favorite part of the trip so far has been the scenery and the foods. The most interesting part of the trip has been the hostel. A lot of interesting things happened in the hostile. Germany's great. It has been a great experience so far.

-Sarah G.

One thing about Germany that is really weird and annoying is that we have to pay €1,00 for going to the bathroom. It is awful making people pay for going to the bathroom and I don’t understand why it is such a big deal. They even put guards outside the doors to make sure that people pay and at one bathroom there was a gate and you had to pay a euro to open the door. It is just so strange and frustrating.

-Katelynn

 

I think it is so cool how the German people get around.They use buses, trains, subways, and bikes all the time. I find it so interesting because in America people don't use those as often (especially bikes). This has been a super cool experince for me because I’ve never been on a train or double-decker bus. I loved the train too, it was super fun and I have had a great time so far.

-Georgia

Odd things in Germany

     In Germany, there was several different things that I have never seen in America. In restaurants, they had blankets at every table so you can eat outside. Also, you could smoke almost anywhere. Typically, it always smelled like cigarettes on the streets and in restaurants. Around every corner, there was a vending machine for cigarettes. I even saw police officers that would vape on duty. One thing that I really dislike is that you have to pay to use the restroom. In school, they play music during the breaks and can go outside and play soccer in the middle of the day. Also, you do not need a pass to go anywhere like at our school. They do not care if you do not come to school late if you have a free period. They trust their students very much.

-Maddy