American Association of Teachers of German

Report from Lindsay Bayham
Student of Deborah Lund, Ladue Horton High School, St. Louis, MO

As my plane took off from the Philadelphia airport on June 24, I was excited: excited to make new friends, to learn about a different culture, and to finally try out my five years of German! Three weeks later, I'm still excited, but now I'm excited about a return trip! My three weeks in the town of Alzey, Germany were among the most pleasurable I've ever spent, and I thank you for making such a wonderful trip possible.

It was certainly a trip of firsts: not only my first time in Germany, but also the first time I played handball, the first time I rode a moped to school, and the first time I tried a tasty cheese-draped pretzel! The German Kursleiterin, Frau Keil, went out of her way to ensure that all our groups' first experiences were positive, especially our tours of the Rheinhessen area. While Mainz and Cologne were my favorite cities, I enjoyed all the day trips we took to surrounding cities - in Frankfurt, Mainz, Bonn, Cologne, and Worms there were many beautiful buildings to see and many stories to hear! Our tour group bonded as we walked through historic streets, searching for postcards and Milka bars. 

Though the day trips were lovely, my favorite times were the moments I spent with my host family, the Baumgartners. Ever helpful and welcoming, the Baumgartners quickly made me a part of their family. I looked forward to our dinners together, where we'd swap stories and discuss cultural differences, from the cost of a driver's license to the school systems. My host sister, Sara, went out of her way to make me feel at home. She always included me in handball practices, visits to friends, and even dog walks. Her patience was astounding - especially when, on the trip over, my suitcase was briefly lost and she had to share her clothes as well as her house!

My three weeks in Alzey were an experience I'll never forget. My memories from this trip will stay with me next year in my college German classes and (hopefully!) on future trips to Germany. Thank you again for making my fabulous trip possible!

Stepping off that plane, I knew I was in for an adventure. Caught up in the new sights, sounds, and smells of a different country, I was whisked through passport-control. I picked up my luggage and suddenly became overwhelmingly nervous at the prospects of meeting my host-family, the Dähns. "Who will be on the other side of those doors? Will it be a group of apathetic city-dwellers or a tight-knit family that will accept me and try to help integrate me into their culture?" Thankfully, this question was immediately answered: the electronic doors shot open and revealed a tall, grinning youth (my host-brother Jannik) and a jolly, bearded man (my host-father Herr Dähn). I will never forget the first words spoken to me by my host-brother: "Hallo Jay! Also, ich muss rauchen! Willst du mit?" It turned out that Jannik was a chain-smoker and it was perfectly legal to smoke in the Frankfurt airport at designated terminals. Thus I discovered I was not in Kansas (or Virginia in my case) anymore.

The twists and turns of the busy three-week trip revealed much about the German culture. The language barrier was broken by my five-years of study and stereotypes were quashed as I observed the everyday workings of an authentic German family. Despite many differences, I found that the Dähns resembled my own family - they were a loving and very active group, and productive members of their community. As everyday revealed another form of Brötchen and/or Wurst, my nose and taste buds began their own personal integration.

My fellow Americans and I were at a local high school named Römerkastell. There, our Kursleiterin, Frau Keil, and an Austrian teacher taught us about the German political system and dialects from all around the country. At least once a week we would take a bus or a train from Alzey, where Römerkastell is located, to local cities and villages with historical significance. Bonn, Köln, Worms, Frankfurt, Mainz - the list goes on. Each city/town gave me a new cultural experience and a unique opportunity to speak the language I have grown to love with Germans of all ages. I have many memories of walking down the street and simply striking up a conversation with a group of children; despite their initial discomfort, the second I explained that I was an "Austauschschüler", they became very friendly. That is the impression I left Germany with: a land filled with friendly and laid-back people.

Having been back in the United States now, I find myself a changed person; no longer do I take simple creature comforts like air conditioning (*cue heavenly bells*) and my bed for granted. On the other hand, there are certain aspects of my other home in Heimersheim (where the Dähns live) that I miss dearly: walking through vineyards everyday, cooking for Jannik after coming home from school, chocolates everywhere…

All in all, this trip was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I must wholeheartedly thank that AATG for their constant support of German programs at high schools across the United States, especially at Langley High School. As my high school German teacher, Frau Stella Mancusi, always told me, "Ende gut, alles gut".

Report from Sam Hanish
Student of Patricia Syring, Fort Dodge Senior High, Fort Dodge, IA

This summer, I packed up my bags, jumped in the car, and took off for O'Hare Airport in Chicago. After six hours in the car, I finally arrived with my parents, and waited for my flight to Germany. In the airport I met our American trip leader, Frau Haney. I also met the other thirteen students who would be traveling with me to Bad Arolsen, Germany. I said goodbye to my parents, and flew off towards a distant land where I would have to speak a different language for three weeks.

I was a little nervous about going to Germany, being as I had never flown overseas before, and never been outside the U.S., especially with a group of people that I didn't know. I also have to admit, that after almost thirty straight hours without sleep, and traveling by car, bus, and plane, on the first day I was a little overwhelmed, and a bit unsure of what I had gotten myself into. However, after the initial shock wore off, I began to realize what a wonderful opportunity I had been given, and started to have a lot of fun.

I wasn't sure what to expect there; the only preconceived notions that I had of Germany had mostly to do with lots of old men in Lederhosen sitting around with huge mugs of beer. As I fortunately found out, such was not the case. In fact, at first glance, it seemed to me that Germany was by and large America, except people spoke German, although most of them could speak English too. For example, everyone there pretty much dresses like us, have similar pastimes, and even eat pretty much the same foods as us, but as time passed, I realized that there were many subtle differences that one must experience first hand to see. One of the first differences I noticed was that there is a lot less room in Germany. Every few kilometers was a little town, and almost none of the roads were even close to being straight, which is a huge difference from Iowa. While in Germany I also discovered that there is no such thing as a line. For the bus, for lunch, or for anything, nobody ever lined up for anything. It was all push and shove, and whoever was bigger, stronger, faster, or more clever got whatever he wanted first.

I got along great with my host family, and they did a great job of showing me the German culture. There were a few times when it was a bit awkward, as I was staying with a girl who was three years younger. School was interesting. It was neat to get an insight on how the German school system works. Going to classes was fun, and sometimes the German teachers would come to us (the American students) and give us certain lessons. The excursions we went on were extremely interesting and very well organized. It seemed like every couple of days we went somewhere. I especially enjoyed the ship ride we took on the river Rhine. In addition to this, my German speaking skills were improving every day, and I feel like I have improved leaps and bounds from where I was before the trip.

All in all, I learned a lot and had a great time, and made a bunch of good friends along the way. I am very thankful to AATG for providing me with this wonderful opportunity. Next year in college I have added German as a major in addition to engineering, and I hope to return sometime in the near future.