To Germany and Back Again

I can't believe the last time I blogged I had just gotten back from Paris! It seems like forever since last weekend, but so much has happened since then, including a weekend trip to Munich Germany. The week leading up to Germany was a little boring prior to the week before. It consisted of class until around 3 every day, trying to recover from being sick, and then Thursday we were back in the schools observing one last time before we start teaching. Thursday, after returning from the schools, I did some last minute packing (all in one backpack might I add) and then grabbed the bus with the rest of my traveling group to catch the train for London.

The traveling to Munich was a very interesting experience and one I will never forget; I don't think I have ever used so many modes of transportation in 24 hours. Our first goal was to make it to our Hostel, close to Stansted airport, before they gave up our room. To do this we first needed to take a train from Liverpool to  Euston Station in London, then transfer to the Victoria Line, which took us to another station where we transfered to another train, which took us to the Stansted Airport. This was our ending point for the night and from there we called a cab to come drive us to our hostel. The night consisted of a lot of running but we finally made it.

Once at our hostel we paid the cab driver and then walked to the front desk. The place was way out in the country and kind of had an creepy feel to it and night continued to get creepier as it went on. Although our room was really nice there was just something about the place that none of us where quite comfortable with. We even went as far to stack a pile of chairs in front of our door so if we heard someone trying to get in while we where asleep we would hear it. Miraculously we made it through the night and the cab was waiting to take us to the airport in the morning just like the owner of the place said he would. We were very excited to finally get out of there but friday would have more interesting mishaps in store for us as well.

When we arrived at the airport we checked in and then went through security. My bag happened to get checked in which a very thorough search was done; they even went as far to look through my journal, which I wasn't very happy about. By the end I was just annoyed by the guy searching my bag but I managed a smile and a "Thank You" before he gave me back my bag and I went on my way. I thought security was bad back in the States but I think it is almost worse here.

Once on the plane we had a successful flight to Germany. We landed in Memmingen, which we realized was quite a distance from Munich. Online the airline has it listed as Memmingen (Munich West) which is true, Memmingen is west of Munich but then again so is the United States so that's not saying much. There was a bus that offered a service to Munich but we chose to take the train instead which was a bad idea. The train took twice as long as the bus would have and by the time we arrived in Munich our day was already half way over. We were determined to make the best out of it however, so we quickly found our hostel and then hit the city to do some sight seeing and shopping.

The city center was about a 15 minute walk from our hostel, which was bustling with activity. It was in the high 80's on Friday with blue skies so it was a great day to be outside. The first thing we did was hit up some stores in which I found a good deal on some dresses and bought a couple. Once we were all shopped out we continued to explore the city. Some of the main attractions of Munich includes the  Glockenschpiel (huge coco clock in the middle of town) the Jewish museum, and St. Peter's Church. We walked around until about 7 and then we went back to our hostel to get cleaned up for dinner. We all decided we wanted to eat a traditional German meal that night so we all walked back to the center of town and found a very nice German restaurant. I had pork sausage and sauerkraut, which I was very excited about because I love pork and sauerkraut! We concluded dinner with a great conversation about God that sprang from few of us that had gone through difficult relationships over the last few months. I love it when things like that happen! I didn't really know the girls I was traveling with that well before Germany but I'm so glad that I got to spend it with them now. Because of that convo I am now closer to them and have grown a little more from just from interacting with them. After dinner we all got dessert at a gelato stand and then walked back to our hostel and crashed for the night.

On saturday we all got up early and walked back into the city to go on a day trip to the Dachau concentration camp. Words can't even begin to express how awesome this experience was! While walking through the camp and listening to our tour guide I kept visualizing the people who inhabited the camp during World War II. I stood in the rooms where they slept, the grounds where they toiled for hours a day, and the gas chambers where many lost their lives. Seeing all these thing in person had such a greater impact then simply reading about it in class. I was filled with grief and heartache for all of those people years ago, that had endured so much pain. Standing there before we left, looking out over the whole camp, a deep part of me wanted so much to apologize for all of human kind and my German background. It is so sad that hatred can consume people so much that they will go as far as attempting to exterminate an entire group of people and for which I am truly embarrassed! At one point we passed a guard tower and one of the other girls made a comment of how she didn't understand how people, such as the guards at the camp, could be so merciless. It was a question that no one could answer. It's hard to understand how someone could take the life of another without a second thought or hesitancy, just because they don't agree with the person's belief. I don't understand how a person's heart can be that cold and hard. I don't believe I will ever understand why the things at Dachau and other concentration camps took place but the experience definitely left a lasting impression on me that I'll never forget.

After Dachau we went back to Munich and before going back to our hostel we bought some German chocolate and children books in hopes to cheer ourselves up from the somewhat depressing morning. When we returned to our hostel we got cleaned up and then went out again to find food and partake in the festivities going on in the city. It was Munich's independence celebration so there was a bunch of fun things going on and also a lot of great food! We ate at another German restaurant for dinner while we watched the U.S.A. vs. England soccer game and then had chocolate covered fruit on a stick for desert. After dinner we stayed downtown until about midnight. There was a concert and dancing going on so we participated until it started raining. When we finally got back to our hostel we all crashed and then got up at 5 to catch the bus back to Memmingen airport. The travel time to get back to Liverpool took about 8 hours total.

Overall the weekend in Germany was great! Everyone there was very friendly and helpful. Although German is spoken there, almost everyone we met spoke English as well which was was very nice. The only thing I wish I could have seen that I didn't really see was the mountains. Since we only had one full day there taking a day trip to see them was impassible. I guess I'll just have to do that on my next trip to Germany, hopefully! I am determined to see the mountains at some point on this trip however! Maybe in Italy.

We are now back in Liverpool and I'm already busy preparing for next week. I will be teaching my first lesson tomorrow on rivers so I'm hoping that all goes well because I only had tonight to prepare for it! I will be teaching a few other lessons this week as well, one including baseball. I'm really not a huge baseball fan so I'm going to have to do a little research in order to teach my kids how to play. My teacher asked me on Thursday if we would be alright with teaching the kids the game since they are learning about American culture. I just shook my head and said "Sure! No problem!" but back in my mind I was thinking what the crap am I doing! I'm sure it will all turn our alright though. I just hope it doesn't rain because that could turn out to be a little messy.

Well, now I'm off to bed so I can be at the schools early tomorrow. I'll be keeping you updated on how this week of teaching goes! I continue to thank you for all your thoughts and prayers :)

Cheerio