Deutschland!

Herrenberg, Germany

I just returned from 10 days in Germany.  It was truly an incredible experience, and scratched my itch for learning new things, adventure, and travel.  My experiences were legion: I touched the Berlin Wall, hiked through the Black Forest, helped teach a class in a German high school, met Sofia Coppola, biked through Munich, visited Dachau, and swam in the Eisbach River (where the freezing temperatures stole my wedding ring...).  And all of these experiences were thrilling.

Checkpoint Charlie, East Berlin

Bicycling through Munich, with my new buds

But most importantly, it was a time of growth for me - as I had never been away  from my family for this long, and yet, I was making new friends and seeing amazing things.  So, it added up to a heavy emotional experience - and I feel that I gained new perspectives on myself, my teaching, Germany, and my priorities.

My main observations are as follows:

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

1. This trip led to my increased passion for teaching, and travel.  Though hard to believe, I now want to see more of the world, and learn more about...everything.  And I love being a teacher even more.  It is a great things, because I fully believe that my students respond best to me when I exude my passion for a particular topic.  If nothing else, my time in Germany ignited a deep passion in me for Europe - and starting this Fall I will increase my coverage of Germany in my day to day classroom discussions.  And not only in the historical sense, but more in a cultural awareness understanding.  I can more honestly answer questions like: How tall is the Berlin wall?  Are the German people friendly? What is the food like? Did you see Hansel and Gretel? etc.
(answers: Not as tall as you think, As long as you are not late, meat and potatoes, No, though I looked).

Me, on top of the Reich stag building, Berlin 2017

2.  I made new friends.  It is hard to make new friends as an adult.  People are insanely busy, and you are not necessarily around folks who directly share your interests.  Schools and colleges essentially cull the pool of people, and guarantee that everyone around you had at least some similar qualities and/or ambitions.  But once into adulthood, outside of your work, it is the Wild West.  So meeting and traveling with 27 other teachers from all across NC, all of whom applied to take this trip, created an amazing opportunity to meet some really interesting and inspirational people - many of whom I now call my friends.