I arrived in Germany on 22 of May 2025, and today, 4 of June 2025, is the last full day of the main part of my trip. Tomorrow we will be going to Berlin, then unfortunately going back to America on 9 of June. Here’s a few things I noticed to be different in Germany to America during my reflection. The most immediate difference was that everything was much cleaner than in America. As I would find later, there wasn’t the overwhelming smell of gasoline around all roads; but I noticed in the airport the air smelled much cleaner and there wasn’t nearly as much trash everywhere. When I got home, my family encouraged me to refill my water bottle from the sink, which would never be a thing in America because of poor water quality. Another difference was the schools. There aren’t cameras everywhere here, the gates stay open and unlocked all day, and students don’t have to wear IDs. Students only have three block periods every day, with 15 minute breaks in between; and while there’s no lunch, students are allowed to go to the cafeteria and buy food from the bakery. In America, we have seven classes everyday (except for block days, when we have four classes), a single roughly 25 minute break for lunch, locked gates, cameras all over the school, and the requirement to wear IDs. I enjoy the differences I’ve noticed (except for the smoking), and expect to see more smaller ones in Berlin.
Cat Eley
