Last summer some lucky students, part of the German Program at Chamblee, embarked on a 2 week trip to Germany. They used this as an opportunity to take what they have been learning in the classroom and use it in real-world situations. All the students are/

were in advanced classes, the limitations being that they had to be enrolled in AP or higher classes at Chamblee. A majority of the students taking part in this trip had been taking German since 4th grade.
“I decided to stick with German because it is something that I have always been interested in. I always thought it was so cool that I had the opportunity to learn German. It has definitely been challenging, but overall it has been something that has come naturally to me,” said Zoe Wiseman (‘23).
Wiseman has been taking German for 8 years and plans to become fluent.
“ When my required learning time was up, I decided to stick with German because it is a very strong subject of mine, and I love learning about other cultures, and learning a language, in general, has definitely broadened my perspective on many things,” said Wiseman.

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Photo Courtesy Ryan Lovejoy

In Germany, the students started their days off with classes, taking place on weekdays from 9-12. These 3 hour classes were used as an opportunity for the students to keep track of their German over the summer, but also to teach them more advanced language skills in a no-English environment. The students had to really listen and interpret the teacher in order to progress in their learning of the language.
“My favorite part of the classes [was] the teachers. They had very good, real German teachers instructing us,” said Brian Zhao (‘23).
After classes, the students would get together and go sightseeing in the afternoons. The whole trip was based on learning about the holocaust, so they learned about that in and out of the classroom, specifically in museums. They also went around and did many other exciting activities in the afternoons.
“One of my favorite things we saw was the Berlin Wall. I also enjoyed traveling to south Germany to walk around Neuschwanstein Castle, and going to Lake Constance was also super fun,” said Ryan Lovejoy (‘23).
The students also had lots of time on the weekends. They didn’t have any classes, so they used this as an opportunity to just walk around and experience life around Radolfzell(the city they were staying in).
“One thing over the weekend that I really enjoyed was rock climbing. It was indoor, similar to Stone Summit in Atlanta, but it was a little bigger,” said Zhao.
“I really enjoyed the day we went in a paddle boat. It was really fun and I got to really bond with my classmates,” said Lovejoy.
Throughout their time on the trip, the students developed the sense that Germany was very different from the United States. A big difference was transportation. Atlanta contains few train stations and bus stations, but in Germany they are everywhere, making it easier to travel around the city. Another difference includes the food.
“There’s not really any chain restaurants in Germany,” said Lovejoy, “There’s no McDonalds or anything like that. We did go to a fair one day though and tried dinner kabobs and currywurst. It was really good!!”
In the end, the students reminisced about their trip. Not only did they learn a lot about the culture and language, but they also got to build connections with each other and Germany as a whole.
“If I could, I would rate the trip an 11/10. It was such a fun and unique experience,” said Wiseman.

“The trip 100% improved my language skills. I think just being around the language all day for 2 weeks really helped me improve,” said Lovejoy, “I would rate my time in Germany a 10/10! It was such a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I would definitely go again.”