For the first time since June of 2023, some of the German students will visit Germany. Trip coordinator and German teacher Tim Seeger works with a travel company that helps with booking airline tickets, educational travel, and reservations. This educational trip can show students monuments and new ways of living.
The cities visited on the trip will be Berlin and Dortmund. While in Berlin the students will visit the Reichstag building, a government building that is considered the capital building of Berlin. It is home to the official German Parliament, making it one of the most visited sites in Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate will also be on the list of sights to see. It is not just one of the most visited sites, it is one of the most important sites. It is a 18th century neoclassical monument that symbolizes German Division during the cold war. Now it symbolizes peace and unity. The last thing on the list of things to be visited in the Berlin area is a Volkswagen factory. The Volkswagen car manufacturer is something people think of first when it comes to Germany, so it is no surprise Seeger would want to bring his students to one of the factories.
Volkswagen’s history is also very interesting as it was inevitably Hitler’s car company. Hitler really wanted to start a car company because he was interested in technology and cars, he also believed they would symbolize the National Socialist community. After WWII it was redone and turned into the global brand we know today by British Army officer Ivan Hirst. While near Dortmund, the Cologne Cathedral will be their place to stop. It was opened in 1880 and is a part of the Catholic church. While it opened in 1880 it’s construction started in 1248, most likely due to its impressive size.
Here at Millard South we have an exchange program with a partner school in Germany. Every other year some students from our partner school come and stay with an American family, which is what our students will be doing in Germany. A major aspect of the trip is that students should understand German culture and language, and that’s also why they stay at family homes on their trip. While credit cards are being normalized in America, Germany still widely uses cash. Houses are also different when it comes to things like windows, closed vs open doors, and even closets.
The students will leave June 11 and arrive back home on the 26th, and they’re certain they will have stories to tell their friends and family about Germany whether it be about the Reichstag building, Brandenburg Gate, the Volkswagen factory, the Cologne Cathedral, or even the homes they will stay at.
