FCGYLP Reports from Germany

Today begins daily blogging by participants in the Fulton County Global Youth Leadership Program, who are on an educational exchange to Germany. Today we start off with Prachi Fulay, rising junior at Northview High School:


I blog for July 5th and July 6th in a single entry, for that is how these two days have been stored, for the most part, in our memories.

Packing? What an understatement. For the past three days I have embarked on a mathematical endeavor of distributing a mass of clothes, shoes, soaps, and items that can only be classified as miscellanea in order to meet airport requirements. Finally, the test of my labors, the baggage weigh-in, was carried out. The result? Utter success – a precise 51 pounds! Soon, my bag was off! But we were not soon to follow. After gleeful and grudging goodbyes (depending, of course, on the speaker), a plethora of photos, three interesting interviews, and a heartfelt prayer, we departed to airport security no less than an hour and a half later. Nevertheless, we were at our gate a good bit early (which is always better than a good bit late) and were able to explore the wonders of the airport food court.

Group reservations? What irony. The plane could only be described as cookie dough, with Global Youth Leadership chocolate chips sprinkled throughout. But, I have no complaints, for one of the only ways to meet new people is to be forced into an undesirable situation. In line for the bathroom, of all things, I met a 21-year-old girl who was stationed in Germany as a part of active military duty. She is to remain there until October. After a few more minutes of conversation, we both returned to our seats. The other people who surrounded me on the plane were also generally pleasant, though no words other than the short few used to explain how to increase the volume on the personal TV were exchanged between my neighbors and I. Speaking of the personal televisions, my brain was practically fried after I got off of the nine-hour flight; I watched three television shows and one and a half movies. This selection included Two and a Half Men, The Bill Engvall Show, and Two Lovers.

Plane food? What a surprise. (No sarcasm intended). The plane food, no matter how harshly my fellow critics/passengers assessed it, was actually decent. At least, the pasta (which was served for dinner) was. Breakfast, which consisted of a fried/scrambled egg sandwiched between two biscuits, wasn’t quite to my liking. However, the supposedly torturous nine hours flew by. (Yes, the pun was intended.) Although, I must admit that towards the end (within the last fifteen minutes or so of the flight), my legs were beginning to feel the strain of facing such an inactivity for such a long time. Finally, we passed through German customs, which was a mere fraction of the time spent in American customs, and were through to the airport transit, which took us to the train station, which we arrived at two hours too early, even having had to navigate through a maze of escalators, turns, and hallways.

Better early than sorry? What a shame. Although this statement is undoubtedly true, one often is at a loss for how to fill up such a large time frame. After buying lunch and/or snacks from vendors located at the train station and hiking meters and meters to a distant Starbucks, there was still an hour left for the train to arrive. In dire desperation, a game was proposed. A game that turned out to leave all who played in a state of stomach pain – from laughing so hard. “Zoom, Skirt, Bing, Psych” can only be described as a game whose rules are made up as one plays. The train finally arrived, and we boarded the “ICE” eagerly, awaiting the comfort of a bed in our hotel rooms. However, there was a slight seating situation. We didn’t have reserved seats, so for a few of the initial stops, some members of GYL were bumped back and forth between seats, as the passengers with reserved seats had the right to claim their positions. However, things finally settled down. After this point, the ride was a great blur, for I was in a state of deep relaxation, catching up on the sleep that I was deprived of on the flight. I do recall, though, that the ride was absolutely peaceful, and the scenery majestic. It was as if the colors of the grass and crops and houses were simply paintings, for they were too crisp, too clear, and too beautiful to be real. After dismounting the train, we were shown to our hotel rooms, given a chance to relax and refresh, and ate a breakfast/dinner. Following this was free time, mine of which was filled with wandering the streets and stores that surround our hotel.