Visit to Berlin
Traveling to the capital of Germany was a beautiful lesson in history for me. Especially with places like the Holocaust memorial and the Berlin Wall memorial, it helped me get a better grasp of what really happened during World War 2 and the years following during the Cold War. It put a lot of things into perspective for me by standing where everything happened. Other historical sites, like the Brandenburg Gate, were also a great learning experience for me. It also was important to immerse myself in the culture of Berlin, which is very different from the culture in America. There is a lot more respect for pedestrians for such a large city, partly because there is a much larger number of them in the streets. The public transport system also ran fluidly, emphasizing the value citizens places on those sorts of services. I think that America can learn a lot from those German values.
Touring France and Spain
During my ten day tour of Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris, I was not able to get immersed into the culture of the cities as much as during my longer stay in Berlin, but I was still able to gain a lot of the history in the cities. In Barcelona, for example, we were able to go see the Sagrada Familia, the famous cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. Our tour guide took us on a walking tour of each of the cities, giving a good background of the general history and famous landmarks of the city. It gave me a good overview of what can be found in the various cities and made me wonder what more can be discovered. I may visit the cities for a longer stay in the future.
Journey in Amsterdam
Over the previous summer, I went to visit Amsterdam for a week with my sister and brother. We were able to get a better feel of the culture, and what hit me most was how progressive Amsterdam is compared to America. There were the famous 'marijuana shops' at every corner, and many of the tourist shops had questionable objects for sale, at least by American standards. It amazed me how open a lot of the people were about it too. If the kinds of shops I saw in Amsterdam opened in America, there would be protests to get them shut down immediately. It was such a different cultural experience compared to the less progressive cities of America, or even of Germany. Of course, we visited historical sites, like the Anne Frank House, to gain some historical knowledge in experience, but the major takeaway from this trip for me was the awareness of the different cultures present in the world today.
Worldly Experience
Traveling in Europe
Due to the fact that my mother is originally from Germany, I get many opportunities to visit the country during summer vacation. As can be seen in my resumé, I have even participated in some service opportunities in Germany. Often, I travel with my family to various areas in Germany, such as Berlin, Hamburg, Freiburg, and Dortmund in addition to my mother's hometown of Bielefeld. Yearly travels to Germany as well as constantly speaking it at home gave me a lot of practice with German to the point where I am fluent in it and am able to easily communicate with my German relatives. Having a base in Germany facilitates journeys to other areas in Europe, which I utilized to visit Amsterdam for a week over the summer. I have also participated in a France and Spain trip in connection with my high school, spending ten days traveling in Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris.