Bartow High School

As an American trying German food for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to get beyond a bratwurst and maybe a pretzel but what I discovered was a hearty, flavorful, and surprisingly diverse culinary experience that went far beyond the stereotypes. I tried schnitzel, perfectly breaded and golden brown, served with fries and a side of tangy sauerkraut. The textures and flavors were simple but incredibly satisfying. I quickly realized that German food isn’t flashy, but it’s deeply rooted in tradition and comfort. What surprised me most was the variety not only with the food items but the types of Red Bull and Monster offered here that isn’t in America and also freshly baked pretzels that were soft on the inside and perfectly salted. Every dish seemed made to warm you up and fill you up, which makes sense given the country’s cold winters. Dessert was good too. I had gelato and ice cream that somehow wasn’t too sweet, just rich and balanced. As someone used to fast food and sugary snacks, I found German food to be slower, more thoughtful, and built around better health. By the end of my first experience, I felt not just full, but the joy of eating well.

Hiking the Himmelsleiter literally meaning the “Ladder to Heaven” was one of the most unique and memorable experiences of my time in Germany. Located near Wattenscheid, the Himmelsleiter is a steep stone staircase that climbs up the Königstuhl hill, offering a physically challenging but incredibly rewarding trek. As an American used to wide, paved hiking trails, I was surprised by how narrow, rugged, and vertical this path was. Each step felt like a mini accomplishment, and though my legs were burning halfway up, the peacefulness of the surrounding forest and the occasional glimpse of the city below kept me going. The moss-covered stones and dense trees made the trail feel ancient and almost mystical, like something out of a fairytale. Reaching the top brought an amazing sense of accomplishment and some breathtaking views of Heidelberg, the Neckar River, and the surrounding countryside. There was something meditative about the climb; it forced me to slow down and be present with each step. It wasn’t just a hike it was a literal and figurative climb that left me both exhausted and inspired.

As we near the end of our time in Wattenscheid, everyone came together including the host families as well as both German and American students. Both the American and German teachers gave short speeches by thanking the host families and the teachers for welcoming us into their exquisite area. Everyone took pictures with their friends and exchanged funny stories within the group. The night left everyone full due to the outstanding meals prepared by the host families. The time we spent here was not enough and we would all love to come back. The teachers and the host families made us feel right at home and all the awkwardness from the start of the trip dissipated over the course of a day. We were able to meet amazing people on this trip and the farewell dinner just made leaving so much more difficult. It was great being able to experience a great place like Bochum with even better friends. This trip helped us created memories that will last a lifetime and the farewell dinner just enumerated that. We all really had an amazing time with our exchange partners and our host families went above and beyond to make us feel right at home. Thank you to everyone on the German side for making this one of the best experiences of our lives.

Food in Germany is also very different from American food. Lots of American foods have gone to Germany but even those have been modified to be more healthy. Which speaking of that is one of the biggest differences between German food and American food. For example the bread ,which is very important to German culture, has a lot more natural grain and is much better than the soft white bread that is so common in America. Germany also has food from other immigrant cultures such as Doner Kebab which comes from the Turkish culture and is a very popular dish in Germany. The meat in Germany is also very big in the German culture. Like sausages that are very important to Germany and German people. They are included in lots of meals and there are lots of different types of sausages either for snacks or for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, same with bread. With breakfast it traditionally is bread with a spread of toppings on the table. These toppings and spreads can be anything but it is normally butter with some form of meat like salami and sausage, and cheese. For a sweeter breakfast there is typically also marmalade and jellies. If there is less time then a cereal is typical but the cereal here is way healthier then that in America. I personally have something called Muesli which is essentially oats mixed with cereal. It is much more healthier food here. Chocolate is also generally considered to be much better in Germany than in America. 

In my host family’s house, one big difference is we don’t watch TV or be on our phones as much but instead hang out with each other and play board games. On June 3rd, we played a board game called Hitster. This game was very different from the ones in America. It consisted of several cards that each had a QR code to scan. The codes led to different songs, which were then played on a phone. The goal was to listen to the song and then determine when the song was released. We needed to create a timeline of the release years of each of the songs. 

The game started off easy, but we quickly realized that as we placed more and more songs on our timeline, it got harder. It was a lot of fun to hear the songs that I like and even some that I had forgotten about. It was funny hearing some songs that I didn’t know and trying to determine when they were released.

We played the game for a long time until someone finally won. They had created a timeline of 10 songs. After this night, Hitster became one of my favorite board games. I will definitely play it again if I can find it in America. Overall, this was an amazing experience that allowed me to spend some time with my host family and have a great time.

Lia V

The tour to Altena’s Castle and the Dechen Cave was a great insight into the history and culture of Bochum from medieval times. The tour the German students had was significantly different from the tour the American students received. The tour for us was mainly about the functions and history of the lands and the castle while the German students were taught information about their culture such as phrases only understood only by Germans due to their idioms. The firearm history, military defenses, and the history of the strategic hold the castle has in the valley were the most interesting to me, most notably the Nock rifles, a variation of the flintlocks with multiple barrels. The cave experience was also interesting in the history of Bochum. Workers on the railroad that is less than thirty meters away from the cave entrance discovered the cave after they lost their tools by dropping them down a hole, leading to the discovery of the cave. The cave was also used for music events and there were parts of the cave that the group didn’t explore. There are deeper parts of the cave that aren’t lit up but it continues downwards, I’m intrigued to see where those lead in the future when I return in a few years.

On Monday we didn’t have school because it was exam day for the school so instead of going to school me and my partner we hung out with her boyfriend, we were all play fighting with each other when i had went to go shut the door on my partner and she flung the door open and I flew to the other side of the room and it caused me to fall and roll on to the air mattress we all started laughing and crying because it was super funny. After that we were all getting ready for our farewell dinner, we had a lot of good desserts, lasagna, salad, and drinks. After dinner we were all hanging out side the cafeteria and talking about hanging out at the hill. A big group of us went up to the hill and watched the sunset on top of the big rock covered in art. It was me, David, Sam, George, Nate, Blake, Abigale, Addison, Jonas, Cooper, Niklas, Marina, Marie, Johann, Julian, Klara, Oskar, and Ronja. We all walked back together and we were all messing around with each other. We were all throwing rocks into the water and Rocking skipping. It was really fun to finally go out with a group of people to and see how they actually are all together.

We took a train to Cologne and it was quite a long way there but when we arrived we went to the cathedral which was very cool to finally see in person and all the artifacts were absolutely amazing. The history behind that place and how long it took to build it is insane. When we finished in the cathedral we went to go shopping but before shopping we got some fries with garlic sauce and it was exquisite. we went shopping for about 5 or 6 hours and I got some new clothes and I had great time. After we were done shopping we went back to the train station, got on the train and made our way home where my host family had prepared schnitzel for me and it was absolutely amazing. The schnitzel reminded me of fried chicken a little bit but overall was fantastic. Seeing the cathedral was a great experience even though we weren’t in there for long I am thankful for the experience that has been brought before me to see it.

-Blake

We took a train to Cologne and it was quite a long way there but when we arrived we went to the cathedral which was very cool to finally see in person and all the artifacts were absolutely amazing. The history behind that place and how long it took to build it is insane. When we finished in the cathedral we went to go shopping but before shopping we got some fries with garlic sauce and it was exquisite. we went shopping for about 5 or 6 hours and I got some new clothes and I had great time. After we were done shopping we went back to the train station, got on the train and made our way home where my host family had prepared schnitzel for me and it was absolutely amazing. The schnitzel reminded me of fried chicken a little bit but overall was fantastic. Seeing the cathedral was a great experience even though we weren’t in there for long I am thankful for the experience that has been brought before me to experience it.

For my family weekend, I went to Toverland, a theme park, in the Netherlands on Friday last week, I went on every ride, from ones with lots of water to roller coasters that go up to 90 kilometers an hour and it was pretty eventful week. The Troy ride was the most fun and unexpected, I’ve only seen the ride on the internet but I never expected to see it in real life. The Troy is one of the only few rollercoasters that is made purely out of wood. The next day, my host family and I went to a Spanish restaurant and the food portion was larger for the same price that you’d pay in the States; again, food in Germany is better than in the United States. I spent the weekend and Monday binge-watching The Rookie and I’m almost finished with all five seasons. My family weekend was fun and productive. Yesterday was the farewell dinner and the food was great but it was gone as soon as it started – especially the lasagna. I was sick at the start of Thursday after walking to the supermarket in 18-degree weather in a t-shirt; being sick allowed me to stay home and watch The Rookie and I’ve been able to get in a season every day. The TV is hot to the touch from being on from sunrise to sundown.