Weimar: an Ami Adventure

Although the halfway point of our exchange lay somewhere in January, it's official now with our return from our half-year-seminar in the culture-rich city of Weimar in the state of Thuringia.
Our group was the ~50 students from the West Coast represented by the exchange program ASSE- one of five organizations through which the 250 CBYX scholarship recipients are sent over- meaning this group has been together from the start.
We first met in D.C. back in late July for orientation, flew over to Germany together, spent all of August together in one of three language camps [Cologne, Hamburg, Aachen] and have really just been there for one another through all of our problems, stress, experiences, and accomplishments as exchange students.
We're a family of Amis, and there was nothing sweeter than seeing these wonderful people again in Weimar.

And so it begins..

Coming from all over Germany, we traveled to the Weimar Hauptbahnhof, from where we walked to the EJBW youth hostel rather than taking the bus. Roughing it up that extra kilometer of cobblestone was worth it [almost] for the moment we arrived at the building-- I've never experienced such a hug fest, with every person there genuinely happy to see the others again.

Seminars, food, friends. Repeat.

After everyone arrived, got situated in our five-star accommodations [aha, hostel life], and were supplied with coffee and cake to cancel out the workout we got lugging our suitcases to the hotel, we got introduced to our coordinators for the trip, and the seminar kicked off.
Fifty Amis in one city with one week to party it up-- and party it up we did.
As exchange students, we try our best to integrate into German culture on a day-to-day basis. However, with such a big group, we finally got the chance to play tourist and exploit our inner stars and stripes with absolutely no shame.
Ah, Americans.
<3

 

 We kicked off the seminar by splitting off into two groups for a scavenger hunt to orient ourselves in the city [Which totally worked, because none of us got lost later. Not even once.] We were assigned different landmarks to find and learn about, such as the Goethe and Schiller memorial, the Musenhof, and other castles and churches in the area. After sharing our results, consequently learning more about Weimar's rich history and culture, we had the evening free to go exploring.

'MERICA!

Let's just say that, intent on making the most of the time we had together, that night was the first of many sleepless ones... 
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Our first official day started with the first planned trip; the Buchenwald Concentration Camp situated just 8 km outside of the city. 
The camp, constructed in 1937, was built to provide slave labor for local industry. It was built with the phrase "Jedem das Seine" on the entrance gate, which literally translates to "to each his own", but figuratively takes on the more morbid meaning of "everyone gets what he deserves.”

Beech Forest Concentration Camp

 Although most of the camp was dismantled, a few buildings remain, or were reconstructed, alongside numerous memorials for the dead prisoners. The remaining buildings included the main gate as well as the crematorium, where dead bodies were once taken care of. Although Buchenwald wasn't an extermination camp, the death toll is estimated at above 56,000. The camp was liberated as the city surrendered to the US 80th Infantry Division on April 12, 1945. (Buchenwald Wiki)

Crematorium.

The seminar for the day consisted of a follow-up video concerning the camp, discussing the history behind it and the role it played. It was the most serious portion of our time in Weimar, but I think we all learned something from it, and came out of those gates a little more humble, a little more grateful, and a little more sympathetic to the victims of such past events.
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The second planned day took us to the houses of the renowned German authors, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller! Both were a part of Europe's cultural and literary movement, leading the Weimar Classicism from 1788–1805.

Goethe's house!

 Goethe's place was pretty darn posh,with 36 rooms and what I decided is now my dream car tucked away in his garage. Basically, the 50-something of us are going to move in here and live together forever in Weimar.
[We wish.]
Schiller's place wouldn't have impressed the German gals as much as his buddy Goethe's, but it proved to be interesting in that we could compare the lifestyles of the two authors, both of whom were friends. They kind of fill the role of a German Shakespeare, as you'll find their works often set into the curriculum of various grades...
... and  with the same enthusiasm from students when assigned to read them.
[Iphigenie auf Tauris? Kabale und Liebe? Neiiin!]  

Not as posh; Schiller's zuhause.

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Dead on our feet from lack of sleep [and various late-night activities], we faced the last day there with as much energy and enthusiasm as our first.
Ha.
The theme of the day was Bauhaus; literally "house of construction", with the name standing for "School of Building". We started off by taking a walk through some Weimar neighborhoods showcasing classic and traditional German house design, which then transitioned to more modern architecture that took on the "form follows function" train of thought, which the Bauhaus both taught and publicized.
Our walk led us to the Bauhaus Museum itself, and experienced firsthand the development of the school, which was founded with "the idea of creating a "total" work of art in which all arts, including architecture, would eventually be brought together"(Bauhaus Wiki).

More culture for the soul.

Outside of the official trips and seminar sections of our trip, we spent almost all of our free time infecting the town with our raw American-ness. However, we noticed right off the bat that we were tainted; although being able to speak exclusive English again was a novelty, it was more often than not that we found ourselves speaking a mix.
"Boaaah eh, alter!", "Bei mir/uns," "Ach soooo," "Na, du?", and other lovely, expressive, untranslatable German phrases peppered our conversations.
Basically, we were a group of fifty speaking perfect Denglisch.
[You can't get cooler than that.]

So ne schoene Stadt:)

 Also in Weimar, and a pleasant flashback from my trip to Berlin back in October, was this Ampelmann shop tucked into one of Weimar's cobblestone paths. An Ampelmann shop! "Weimar was part of the German Democratic Republic (DDR, East Germany) from 1949 to 1990," hence the shop and remaining Ampelmanner on the traffic lights at pedestrian crossings in the city.

Did I stock up once again on memorabilia from these adorable figures?

Oh, you bet.

AMPELMÄNNCHEN!

 Overall though, despite being skeptical at first, Weimar turned out to be such a good experience. With this group, an already gorgeous city was transformed into something much more through the memories we made there. They say home is where the heart is, and I have to say my heart is with these people:) 

West coast CBYX 2012-13!!

Less than four months left in this beautiful country-- here's to making the most of them [I don't want to go hooomme ): ], and I can't wait to see everyone again at the Berlin seminar in June!