A Walk in Their Shoes

     I find myself sitting on a 48 seat bus listening to the wind as it whooshes by the window, the hum of the engine as our bus pushes toward Berlin, and the lull from the lack of the usual noise that springs from our 38 global entrepreneurship program participants. We find ourselves in a rare quiet moment as we make our way back from our weekend trip to Görlitz. At the moment, a few are watching sugar plums dance in their heads. Others are taking a moment to reflect on the experiences they have had. While some are quietly whispering with their new friends about the new adventures they will encounter during the week ahead. I, as one of four group leaders, am taking a moment to both reminisce on what my time as a study abroad participant was like and to see the country that has become a second home to me through the eyes of the students on this program.

     I remember when I tried Schwarzwälder Schinken (Black Forest Ham) with Brötchen (Rolls)for the first time. I fell in love with the taste of the warm bread that was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and the ham as it was reminiscent of bacon, but in a lunch meat sized portion. In Görlitz, students also tried something new as they dug into Schnitzel with Rahmsauce, Schlessige Bratwurst with Sauerkraut (sausage with pickled cabbage), Pierogies (sautéed noodles stuffed with potatoes) , and schweinebraten with rotkohl and knödeln(pork roast with gravy and red cabbage in a cinnamon flavored sauce with dumplings) for the first time. One student named George exclaimed, “ I love schnitzel because it tastes like fried chicken but better.” Another participant, Natalia shared her excitement “ I am glad we got to try these new things because I feel so international now”.

     I remember when I entered into Marienplatz for the first time. I was amazed by the technology that went into all of the moving pieces of the Glockenspiel in Munich. In Görlitz, students visited the “clock”. One clock was placed in the town during the time of the Julian calendar, so it features every month of the year having 30 days and the 24 hour clock. A second clock was placed under the original clock after Pope Gregory’s invention of the Gregorian calendar. So, the clock now features 12 hours and a face that blinks once every minute. The legend goes that the face is representative of a guard that fell asleep on the job. So, now he blinks with the start of every minute to prove that he is awake. The students immediately were intrigued and began taking videos of the face that blinked.Another part of town that sparked their intrigue was a whispering wall. One of the houses in town had an arch that has a concavity that allowed someone to whisper something from one side and the student from the opposite side of the arch to hear them too. All members of the group took their turn whispering into the arch and listening to what was said from the other side.

    I remember when I tried to read street signs in German for the first time, so I could try to find my way around the town. I struggled with the German r which requires you to clamp your tongue to the bottom of your mouth as you say the letter to correctly pronounce it. Now, I hear students try to read street signs too and I smile as they first try it themselves  before they ask me for verification. At first attempt, one student Katie reads the word Wiederbelebung and it comes out as weirder billy-bong. A question arises from Makayla as she asks me what Jackobsweg was, and I took the time to translate the sign and explain to her that Jakobsweg was similar to the Silk Road. It is similar in that it was used as a trade route to connect countries but instead of connecting Asia with the rest of the world, Jakobsweg connects Germany and Poland.

     All of these memories have come flooding back, and it has made this experience better. I have truly enjoyed seeing their smiles, hearing their laughter, and the watching their intrigue as they learn new things. I look forward to the new adventures and to the new experiences that await.

Bis später (See you later) Danielle