Germany 2024 – Final Reflections

The German exchange was an incredible experience for us all. Over the 2 weeks we spent in France, Germany and the Netherlands, we had the
opportunityto visit so many different cities and to learn about their cultures. First stop was Paris. This city was incredible, with so many things to see!
We definitely did not have enough time to see everything, we’ll have to come back because the little taste that we had of this city left us all hanging for
more. Between the pastries and the cute little shops, everything was beautiful. Seeing the Eiffel tour with our own eyes was also incredible.

Then, next stop was Gelnhausen, where we got to see our Germans buddies again and to go finally live with them! Some of us had some difficulties with
that part of the trip, but overall, we were all happy to see our friends again and get to spend some more time with them. I personally really loved to go on
car rides on the autobahn with my buddy and to go get ice cream with her after school sometimes. About the food in Germany, we all discovered that
people like to eat bread and to drink sparkling water a lot ! That was a big change for most of us! We also tasted the famous Currywurst and the Döner
Kebab which was very popular amongst the Germans. While in Gelnhausen, we learned about their school system, and that some of them get to “practice”
their future jobs while in school (cooks, mechanics, etc.). Additionally, in Germany, we got to visit Berlin, Frankfurt, Fulda, Heidelberg and Hanau. My
personal favourites were Fulda and Heidelberg. Fulda had some beautiful cathedrals and we felt like we were in an old movie while in that town.
Heidelberg was also very pretty and had some very interesting architecture, I know for a fact that this city was a group favorite and a lot of Canadians said
they would see themselves living there. Before ending our stay at Gelnhausen, we had a little final BBQ with our German families where we got to taste
some more German food. This was a sad night for most of us because we knew the end was coming.

Finally, our last stop was Amsterdam, but before that, we got to stop unexpectedly at Cologne because of a problem with our train. I think that was a really
nice, unexpected stop because even though we got to Amsterdam later, we had the chance to see the cathedral at Cologne and it was one of the most
beautiful architectures I had ever seen. Then, we got to Amsterdam, and we spend our final supper together. I think that was a really nice moment, we
were all very sad to go back home at that moment because we knew we would have to leave each other, but we still had a lot of fun that night.
In Amsterdam, we discovered that people probably ride their bikes more than they drive their car and that they go really fast! You have to get out of the
way! Also, I really liked the fact that we had to take a boat to get to the city from our hostel, it was a fun experience. I think the group will mostly miss
Berlin and Heidelberg. Those cities were the most talked about at the end of the trip. In Berlin, we got to learn so much more about the World War ll and
we had a lot of meaningful conversation together about this experience. Heidelberg was a favorite for the group as well. In the end, in Amsterdam, we all
knew each other much more than at the beginning of the trip and that made us feel closer, and we made a lot of memories there. I would definitely go
back and I know most of my friends think the same way !

Emy Houle