(Berlin from the airplane, taken shortly after takeoff)
(The fields in Bietigheim-Bissingen behind my house)
I have learned so much and met so many different people, German, Czech and even new people from DGS. People from different walks of life, all brought together through music. Music truly is the universal language, and I am glad I was able to be a part of this exchange. I would really like to thank my wonderful host family for taking great care of me and making me feel more like a member of the family instead of just another tourist visiting their house.
(My host family)
There is so much about Germany that I will miss.I think that I will miss all of the excitement of the football games in the Euro Cup tournament a whole lot. It was so much fun to be caught up in the noise and excitement of the public viewings. I will definitely miss Bionade (a cross between lemonade and soda that is all natural) and all the bakeries along the streets in Germany (mmmm.... Fresh bread every morning!). I really loved all the historical sites that we visited, I think the one that had the most impact on me was the Teresienstaldt Memorial for some of the Jewish victims of WWII. It was shocking to see all the gravestones in a line and to think that it was all the idea of a single person that set this tragedy in motion.
(Teresienstaldt Memorial)
Well I guess this is probably a final goodbye from me unless I find something else I think is worth sharing. I would like to again thank the directors and chaperones for everything they did from setting up the trip to helping students get from place to place on time (shout out to Mrs. Williams for always being on time) and to all the drivers and tour guides for being excellent and always getting us to where we needed to be. Peace to all and thank you for reading.
Tschüss,
Ben Tullis
