First Posting

Room where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German

There were a few places I could have gone to over D-term, but I chose to go to Germany.  The decision to go to Germany was easy, my parents have been there, my Aunt and Uncle speak German and go there every year, and I am very interested in the German culture and the history of the country.  I expect to learn and experience a wide variety of things.  One of the most important things I expect to learn from this trip is the history of Germany throughout the formation of the country to its present day standing as one of the most economically prosperous countries in the world.  Something that I would like to mention is that I have a huge interest in history.  I think the fact that we will be traveling around learning about multiple points in German history is a thrill because most of the historical settings have been preserved in the way they looked during that particular point in time.  Another important thing I would like to learn about is how a religious idea was spread through one man and transformed a country and many areas of the world.  To me, this is a fascinating part of history.  While I am not a Lutheran, I do appreciate the efforts that Martin Luther must have gone through in order to make a new branch of Christianity accessible to many people in Germany.  Something that I would like to experience while in Germany is to get a visit the Berlin wall, a concentration camp, and the memorial to the 20 July 1944 plotters at the Bendlerblock.

Bendlerblock with memorial in the background

 The one place I would like most to visit is the court at the Bendlerblock.  I believe, very strongly, that if the world got a chance to learn about Operation Valkyrie and the plotters, the world would understand that not all of Germany, especially the Officers in the Wehrmacht, were Nazis and supported Hitler.  The trip to Germany is a very important part of my academic career, not because I'm majoring or minoring in the language or the history, but because it is a chance to experience the history of the country first hand and to walk in the footsteps of those who became part of the German history.