Calvin University Summer Program in Germany 2019

When I saw all of the tourists around the Köln cathedral when we first arrived, I at first was very shocked by the amount that was there. However, after walking around the church and being able to worship in the cathedral, I understood why so many people were there. The outside of the cathedral is unique and shows it’s history. I was amazed by its architecture and beautiful interior. Also, being able to walk to the top was exhausting but well worth the view. The winding staircase all the way to the top helped me appreciate the cathedral even more because of its height, it never seemed to end!

During our trips to both the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the Memorial for the Jews, one thing that shocked me was the number of people that visit both places. I understand that many of those people were most likely tourists, but there also seemed to be a lot of native Germans. This helped me realize how important it is for everyone to learn about the Holocaust and the history of its events. When walking out of both places, I felt a mix of emotions. Obviously, it was heartbreaking to read people’s letters to family members, and terrifying to hear about the way that some were killed. I was angry at the people who performed these awful crimes and at the people who didn’t try to stop them. Reflecting on both of our trips, I try to be hopeful for our future. Many people visit concentration camps and holocaust museums every day, which means that new people are getting educated about the event that occurred, hopefully preventing them from ever happening again.

One thing that shocked me during this first week in Germany was the transportation system. It is very efficient and makes travel much easier. I was also shocked by the number of people that rode bikes rather than driving. Comparing Berlin to a big city back home like Chicago, its transportation system is a huge standout. Another thing that shocked me was the number of people that smoked in Berlin, and the amount of cigarette butts on the ground. I’m not missing too much from back home yet because I am still loving the ability to explore Berlin! If I could bring something back from Germany, it would definitely be some of their food, such as döners, currywurst and their ice cream!

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Standing under the gate the soldiers would come through after coming back from the war. There were many people around but it was truly a sight to see!

After a long school day, a couple of us took a break from doing homework and studying to indulge in some amazing ice cream. The ice cream there was incredible, we just couldn’t get enough!

 

At the top of a castle in Bremen looking over the city. It was so beautiful, we stood there maybe an hour just in awe of it.

Being in Bremen was like being in a fairytale. The buildings were beautiful. My favorite thing about Bremen was how there was at least one musician at every corner playing different instruments, so we could hear the music everywhere we walked around in that city. I wish I could somehow save that wonderful atmosphere from there, but really, just imagine being in a musical fairytale. That was Bremen.
We mostly toured around the city in Bremen. One interesting place in Bremen was the place with colorful buildings on both sides of the small road. There were either cafes or pretty shops on the ground floor of the buildings.
The church in Bremen was also really beautiful. The glass windows, the monuments, the architecture. It just left me in awe. I spent a very long time in that church.

Visiting the concentration camp, I realized how unaware I was of the pain that innocent people had to go through in the past. I knew about the history of war but never knew all the details I got to see in the concentration camp. It took around 3 hours to walk around the place. I saw places where people were tortured, suffocated, and killed. I read stories about how they were tortured. Looking at the rooms of torture gave me goosebumps. There was a small room where 400 people were thrown together to suffocate in there. The room was so tiny I could not even fit the image in my head as I had never heard of such torture stories before. I also saw drawings of torture that the victims had made and the letters written in hopes that they would reach to their family members. It was a pretty depressing day for me. I could not stop thinking of those torture places and it still holds my breath when I remember that place.

The next day, we also visited the Holocaust museum and reading the words of the victims just gave me shivers. While I was in the museum, I found time to read a book written by one of the survivors. She (the writer) had lost her mother and her baby brother. She writes about the time they got separated and wonders if she had spoken a little lie and insisted to stick with them, maybe they would have been alive with her. She expresses how even a small decision made at that moment caused a huge difference in her life.

After seeing the museum and reading about all the stories, I wonder how all those stories could be looked at in a completely different way if Hitler had won. Maybe those stories of torture and pain would have been seen as a victory rather than a crime. It made me think how history could be shaped by people in power or people who won and it has so many different sides to it. It is not just one story, it is a compilation of many different experiences.

Since Berlin is the capital city of Germany, I had imagined it to be very crowded with tall buildings and a lot of traffic everywhere. But to my surprise, it was so much better. There were tall buildings, but only in certain places. There was not a lot of traffic and I believe that is because of the amazing public transport system. There are buses and trains everywhere. It was also interesting for me to see so many people using bikes as a means of transportation.

Besides transportation, I also noticed how there are not many posters or billboards with pictures of models in Berlin. In fact, I would hardly see one or two and they would be very plain ones. I wonder if that shapes the people’s mind to not have an ideal body shape. I noticed how people in Berlin no matter their age or their body shape dresses in their own unique fashion and they look very comfortable with their bodies.

I wish it was the same back at home. The convenient transportation system so that I won’t have problems with cars to go anywhere and also, the absence of ideal body shape.