HEADLINE
Nicolas Seidler
On March 27 at about 3:30 we boarded our flight to Frankfurt and then to Berlin. The first flight lasted around nine hours and on the plane we played with our Game Boys, read or annoyed the girls which, to be honest, after a while became very boring. The next flight was short, and we didn’t do much.
When we arrived I found my correspondents holding an amazing sign which said “Welcome to Berlin, Nicolas.” We went to the school, had some lunch and played on the playground. I was picked up by my correspondent’s father and, when I got to his house, I met his mother.
The next morning began our endless span of field trips. The first day we went to the Olympic Stadium, followed the next day by The Story of Berlin Museum. On Friday we went to Castle Son Souci. On the weekend we were allowed to do whatever we would like with our families, but most of the boys went to a soccer game that was held in the Olympic Stadium. On Sunday, my correspondents and I went to the Berlin Zoo and afterwards to the German Technical Museum in Berlin. On Monday with the class, we went to the Theatre Atze and watched Ben liebt Anna. On Tuesday we visited the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. Wednesday was a shopping day and on Thursday we had to leave.
Looking back on Berlin I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait until the German students come here to Atlanta.
Thalia Hall
On March 27, 2006 the Berlin Exchange group left. Everyone had to arrive at the airport at 12:30 p.m. to check-in. We said our goodbyes to parents and headed off to the airplane. I had high hopes for the trip. I was somewhat intimidated by the thought of staying with another family which I had never met before. If they live in an apartment there had better be an elevator, because I don’t want to climb too many stairs! I think you can tell I had small worries!
Melissa and I sat together since we are the only two German girls. I doubt we could stand sitting next to a boy for nine whole hours! The first few hours went by pretty fast. Melissa and I spent the time chatting about girl stuff and the best celebrity shows on MTV. We talked about the best bands like Fallout Boy and All American Rejects (and of course celebrity gossip). We got bored with this and started to get involved with the boys. (This only kept us marginally entertained. Boys are so tiresome at times!)
We finally arrived in Frankfurt! All that was left was a 45 minute flight to Berlin. I hadn’t closed my eyes on the other flight, so I slept like a baby. Once we arrived in Berlin and went through the security system, it was time to meet my family. I spotted my exchange students (I got two students who are girls) who where holding up a welcome sign. We introduced ourselves in person for the first time. We were given a choice of going straight to their home or we could go to the school and have lunch. I chose to go to the school because we were sure to get a tour of the place.
After we went to Cara’s house we had a quick game of Hide and Seek. To make things more challenging we could only play upstairs. Luckily, Cara’s house wasn’t old and they didn’t have a long-forgotten basement! My other exchange student Lea’s mom came to pick her up. What I found the coolest part of the day is that you can go to school by yourself using the train. On the first day we went to the Olympic Stadium. The Olympics are held there whenever they are in Germany. Our tour guide told us a lot of things about the stadium. After the tour we went to buy souvenirs. I didn’t buy anything; I wanted to save the money!
Another one of my favorite days was going to the Fehrnseher Turm with my host family. It is the tallest tower in Berlin. There is a huge soccer ball on it. In the ball are two floors and the top floors slowly spin around. We got to go up and I realized it was really cool. We also went to the Check Point Charlie Museum and the Anne Frank Museum, which was my favorite one. It focused on Anne Frank but was also full of information on how many Germans resisted Hitler, for example the White Rose, a group that included Sophie and Hans Scholl. They tried to overthrow Hitler by circulating leaflets calling for change in Germany.
Looking back on it I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. I certainly can’t wait until my new friends get to visit us here in Atlanta. I hope my new friends like Atlanta as much as I liked Berlin.