On Thursday, May 22nd, 2025, the Americans arrived in Wattenscheid, Germany. We took the bus and then walked to the school. Upon arriving at the school, the German exchange students and their family waited for us with posters in front of the school to welcome us. After catching up with our exchange partners, we all went home. When I arrived at the house I walked in with food being made, the windows open, and the siblings excited to see me. I got a tour of the house, and then we played Uno Extreme until dinner was done. After eating food, we went on a walk to the Himmelstreppe. Which was an old railroad they had refurbished to create a walking trail. The trees hovered over the trail, making the walk truly magical. Along the trail, was a hill that had a monument on it to represent Coal Mining. The hill was created as it was an old drop-off place for coal during the coal mining era in Germany. I learned that the coal inside the hill was still burning from the inside out. The view from the top was absolutely gorgeous. You could see everything for miles, and the sun set made it all the more stunning. The view was filled with trees and old buildings, coal mining towers, and museums. You could see all the different cities around Wattenscheid. We headed back home, settled down and went to sleep to prepare for school the next morning.
– Addison
