Words from the 1st Generation to the 2nd

Annette Schroer
A couple weeks ago, our group got back together for a little reunion pool party/BBQ at our leader Dan Doty's home.  It was so great to see everyone we had spent three weeks traveling with in Germany.  As a leader, I really did miss everyone when we returned to our real lives.  This trip - this experience isn't just about three weeks in Germany or meeting new people, it's about the bonds that form and the life long friends you will make.  We asked all of our 1st Generation Young Ambassadors to tell you why this program is worth the commitment and why you need to be part of the 2nd Generation...

Olivia Young
The YAO Germany trip was a great experience for me because it was really fun to meet all of the Germans and learn how they live their lives. We got to see many German cities and explore them. The German that I stayed with was a great host and she showed me the city that she lived in and answered all of the questions I had, no matter how stupid they were. I encourage anyone that would have the chance to go on a trip like this to do so because I know that I will never experience anything like this again in my life. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I have made so many new friends, both American and German.

Hannah Gardner
Traveling isn't about taking some pictures of somewhere new. It's about people. It's about feelings and it's about growing. This trip is about the conversations you have with people that you would've never met if you hadn't taken that leap. I will always remember the times that I let go of my fears and my expectations. This trip reminded me that life is out there and all you have to do is grab it by the reins. I will always be thankful to young ambassadors for helping me see a new world and making friendships that will last a lifetime. I can't tell you to take this trip. You will have already made a decision by the time you have read this. You just have to look inside. If you don't want to, I wish you luck. But if you do, welcome aboard. I am so happy with my decision to have gone to Germany and I hope that you will be too.

Sydney Rexroad
This trip was an amazing experience. There were so many things that I learned and a lot of new things I got to do.  Being apart of this trip meant a lot to me.  I made many new friends that I made many memories with. I loved getting to see the differences in our ways of life and learning about some of their history. Being with host families was fun because they got to show me some of their favorite places to eat and go. I got to go to a school with one of my hosts and meet some of her friends. Some of the things I got to do with my host families included visiting a market, touring their village, seeing a cathedral, going to their local stores and playing cards. The actives that we did with our group (touring places, visiting museums, water skiing, zip lining, going to a camp. etc.) was fun and gave us time to get to know each other.  I am so grateful for this wonderful experience.

Matthew Edwards

My advice to the next generation would be to not pass up on the opportunity. What I mean by this is I had my doubts about going because I thought I was going to waste three weeks of my summer. Once I got there I knew I was happy about actually going and not wasting an opportunity to visit another country. Another thing is to enjoy the moment and to take a lot of pictures so you can have the memory's for life. The final thing is to buy souvenirs because one thing looking back at is I didn't buy as much as I wanted to.

Luke Zimmerman
My advice to the next generation is to let loose and have fun. Do as much as you can and even if you're host and you don't mesh, you always have the Americans. Cherish the experience because you may never get another opportunity like this.

Isaac Dean
If I have one word of advice for anyone thinking about doing this trip like I did it'd be Nike's slogan. Just do it. Believe me, I was in that spot once. I was worried. 3 weeks away from home in a place I've never been to that's far away, with a group of people I'm not totally familiar with. I realize now that it was one of the greatest decisions of my life to join YAO. I met people I would never have had a chance to meet, I experienced things that I never would have gotten to experience, and I got to go to a place I'll probably never go to again. It was an amazing thing to be part of this group and go to this country that welcomed everyone with arms wide open. So once again I say: if you have any hesitations.... Just do it. You won't regret it. I know I don't.

Katie Doty
Being a Young Ambassador is an unforgettable experience and is so much fun! You create so many new friends and learn lots along the way. The friendships that you make will last a lifetime and you get to meet lots of different people. In YAO your eyes are opened to new a new culture and way of life. A way of life where you bike/walk more, don't work as much, and are more environmentally conscious. You get to learn about history from a different perspective and get to challenge yourself to try new things. New things like deli meat for breakfast, paying for public restrooms, or using lots of public transportation instead of a car. All around the experience of being in another country is something you will carry with you forever. I've been so fortunate to be in this group and hope that you will consider joining YAO!

Nina Zimmerman
My advice to the next generation of the YAO is to be involved before leaving. Even if this means learning basic words or knowing how to read signs. Reach out to your host and definitely get to know them before you go. It will seem awkward at first, especially getting to know one another over email or whatsapp, but it pays off when you get to meet them in person. Have fun, and don't die.

Will Zimmerman

To whom this may concern: 

Think like you truly are an ambassador. Embrace that identity as not just being a tourist, or host, but be a welcoming host or tourist, be a generous and respectful host or tourist, and to top it off, be a great friend. Create that friendship with your partner, or else you won't get out what you should've gotten from that experience. Best of luck and God bless.

Noah Folk

What this trip means to me, hmmm... Well, I've gotta say, at first it was just kind of, "I should get out of the house" and "ooo Germany, that sounds cool" but we started to get closer to the trip, and we did the fundraisers and mini trips and got to know each other and once we got there it went from, "I'm going to a new place I don't really know with a bunch of people I sort of know" to "Wow! I'm exploring a new place with a bunch of new friends." And that is the reason that I recommend for someone to go on this trip, not just because of going to a new place and seeing/doing new things, but because of the friendships that you will make and even experiencing everything with those friends. That is why you should go.

Dan Doty

Well there you have it! What more can I say? These Young Ambassadors were amazing and have paved a trail for you to follow as you seek to broaden your horizons and "Just Do It"! Annette asked me to write a conclusion to this blog. Shortly after that I found this quote on Facebook,

I urge you to travel.

As far and as much as possible.

Work ridiculous shifts and save your money.

Go without the latest iPhone.

Throw yourself out of your comfort zone.

Find out how other people live and realize that the world is a much bigger place

than the town you live in.

And when you come home,

Home may still be the same, and yes, you may still go back to the same old job or school, but something in your mind will have shifted.

And trust me, that changes everything.

Annette thought this might be a good piece to put in the conclusion and I agree - but I am really more inclined to believe and want to state to you that hopefully there is no conclusion. I hope as you have read our blogs from the first generation of Young Ambassadors that you have decided to be a part of Generation 2 so that the experience goes on!  Trust us, it will be something the changes you forever!

The end has come...here are some final thoughts from everyone...

Dan Doty

Today as we end our time in Germany I have asked all the American youth and leaders to blog. They were told to share one thing that stood out to them. Perhaps it's a place, a food, a person or something else all together. 

I think that I can speak for Annette and say, that as leaders, one of our favorite things is sharing this country we both consider our second home! 

As many of you know this is my fifth trip to Germany. While I've seen some new sites and experienced many new things on this trip, my favorite part has been this blog! 

It has been a whirlwind of activity and it's been hard to see how much the youth are picking up on things and if they've enjoyed this experience. In getting to read the blog each day I have been extremely impressed by the maturity their writings have shown. They have indeed learned a lot and for the most part have "had the trip of a lifetime!" It is extremely gratifying to me as a leader to "see" their joy through these daily blog posts!

That's enough from me! Enjoy some final thoughts from us as we begin our journey home!

Isaac Dean

Getting to know everyone has been my favorite part of this trip. Don't get me wrong the history, the culture, and the cathedrals were rad and all but the people made the trip. Both the the Americans and Germans were really awesome people and I'm proud to be part of this group. I want to thank Dan, Annette, Lene, Anne, and Steven for being wonderful leaders and I want to thank everyone for being such cool and chill people.

Katie Doty

My favorite part of our trip was our day in Strasbourg! The tour we took through the city was wonderful. It was informative and fun! In the tour we saw the Cathedral,the astronomical clock, and various other sites. After that we rode the two story carousel that was in the city center. Then we had dinner and went shopping! I really enjoyed learning about the history of the town and being in France! I also really liked the atmosphere of the city! Our entire trip was so amazing and I'm very sad it had to end but the memories we have created will last a lifetime!

Matthew Edwards

My favorite part of this trip to Germany was the water skiing. The reason I liked the water skiing so much was because. I've never done it before and had fun doing it even though it hurt my knee. I liked the entire trip in general but missing out on the climbing and the injury made it more interesting then I expected. I'm going to miss these guys and girls and I hope to see them all again once we get home.

Noah Folk

Getting to know everyone has been my favorite part of this trip. Don't get me wrong the history, the culture, and the cathedrals were rad and all but the people made the trip. Both the the Americans and Germans were really awesome people and I'm proud to be part of this group. I want to thank Dan, Annette, Lene, Ann, and Steven for being wonderful leaders and I want to thank everyone for being such cool and chill people.

Hannah Gardner

One of my favorite things in Germany is the train system, because the trains are the cardiovascular system of the country. It got me everywhere I needed to go and every place that I fell in love with. The trains were a place I could meet new people, like Chene: a French citizen and her awesome bird, talk to friends, or escape it all with a good book. The trains goes through some gorgeous landscape, whether that be rolling farmland or stunning graffiti. The trains may not be the most glamorous or sanitary thing out there, but it was definitely one of the things I will remember about Germany.

Sydney Rexroad

My favorite things we did in Germany were water skiing and zip lining. Skiing was fun because even if we fell a few times most of us kept trying and made it around the lake. It was very different because it wasn't off a boat, you were pulled by a line hooked to machines that went around the lake. I went around a total of 20 times and it was tiring. It was also enter watching people fall. I liked zip lining because we got in groups, mine was Olivia and Kevin, and went through a huge rope course in the air. Some of them were really scary but we made it through. Even though we went slow and held up the line a lot it was fun.

Olivia Young

My favorite part of the trip was water skiing. Before we got there we thought that it was going to be one pulled by a boat, but it was actually a machine that went in this giant loop around the lake and we were pulled by a line that we attached to the top of the wire. We had to hold on the a handle and squat down and then the line would come and start to pull us out into the water. At first I couldn't go more than 10 feet without falling but then I started to get the hang of it. By the end, I went around 3 times in a row while standing. It was also really fun to watch people fail, especially Kevin.

Luke Zimmerman

Are Dan and Annette joking with us?... Trying to pick a favorite part of the trip?... Cmon! Well the whole experience was unbelievable. But what stood out was the currywurst. I've never heard of it before this trip, but it's cut-up sausage with spicy tomato sauce on it. I think at one point on the trip, I had it everyday for five days it felt like. Plus I never had to pay for it, Simon did. Just being able to be apart of the trip also was my favorite part too.

Nina Zimmerman

My favorite part of this trip was the first 4 days when we stayed in Frankfurt. I liked touring the city, and I felt like that's when I learned the most about our group. Our day in Strasbourg was fun, and I can technically say I've been in France, even if it's the German part of France. Mainz was cool; the Cathedral was beautiful. We took a Rhine River tour cruise, where we saw like 5 castles. Overall I loved exploring Germany, and I can't wait to hopefully come back one day.

Will Zimmerman

Cologne was my favorite. The cathedral was so big, and on another level compared to the other cathedrals in Germany. The curry wurst for lunch was saucy. It's also where I bought my football gear. I really liked the big city and the sport museum was very interesting.

Annette Schroer

The best part of the trip...everything.  For the past few years we (Dan Doty, Joyce Schroer, Hannah Long-Higgins, Jenna Brown, Sandy Lindahl, Lene Dzieran, Steven Edwards, and Ann-Sophie Antemann) have worked hard and tirelessly to make the first generation of Young Ambassadors Ohio work.  There were times when we didn't think that we would have the money to make it happen, but somehow God provided and our needs were met.  Then we didn't think we would have the youth committed to go, but again our group grew to the point where we had a waiting list.

For me, just being able to be a part of this first group was the best part.  Our group was eclectic.  We had sporty, nerdy, quiet, talkative, etc. members of our group.  But it was how each member slowly changed throughout the time we were together that amazed me.  With Luke and Will (our twins), it was easy to tell them apart after a few days...sometimes it was the way they dressed or the facial expressions they had.  Isaac was my surprise gaming nerd and always ready to entertain us (and that included stuffing 16 marshmallows in his mouth to win a game).  Noah...Isaac's better half (haha), was usually right by his side and partaking in the fun.  Hannah was our "not a stranger to anyone" and always willing to go first when a volunteer was needed.  Sydney, I never knew what she would say next, but it was interesting.  Olivia was our champ...she was surprisingly strong and always up for a challenge.  Nina was a sweetheart and it was fun to see her come out of her shell.  Matthew gave me the experience of a German ER and I was so thankful that his knee was better enough to allow him to waterski, he really hated having to sit out of climbing and being pushed in a wheelchair through Köln.  Katie...our youngest, but sometimes our most mature...and my bag buddy (we have the same Jack Wolfskin bag in different colors).  Then there was our college bound oldest...Carly.  I loved getting to know Carly and I know she will be successful this fall in Cali.  Her blog on our day at the Wewelsburg Castle was the most moving and thought provoking.  We were all sad to see her leave us early, but then she did get to leave for her graduation Caribbean cruise.

As always, I was excited for the trip to begin, had a blast while we were there, sad to come home, and ready for our upcoming pool party to see everyone again.  After three weeks with people that were practically strangers when we left and became family by the time we returned.  I will miss seeing them and hearing their craziness everyday.  I hope that we will be able to do another generation of Young Ambassadors and I can be apart of that group too.  Like Dan, I love Germany and love sharing it with others!

Berlin Day 3 - July 19 - Katie Doty/Hannah Gardner

   Greetings to all our friends and families back home! Today Hannah and I, Katie Doty, were chosen to write the blog! We decided to write the blog in our own perspectives. So I will go first then Hannah. I hope you enjoy our blog of our last full day! 

   We started our day with breakfast at the hostel then hopped on the train to the inner city. Then we met Wolfgang and Suzanna and took a look at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

 The inside was beautifully decorated with ornate mosaics and tributes to the Kaiser.

 After that we walked to a mall but on the way we got Dunkin Donuts! When we got to the mall we split into groups and were given about 40 minutes to shop. I went with Annette and my dad and we went to various souvenir shops! 

    The group then boarded the train to Checkpoint Charlie! When we got there we had to walk a little farther to get to the old checkpoint. Once we got there you were able to take pictures at the guard post, which was in the middle of the street. So we got a huge group picture!

 Then we took a short walk over to the Jewish Museum Berlin. Once we were inside we were split into two groups for a workshop. The workshop started with an ice breaker where we had to line up according to how far away from Berlin you where born. Seeing as how I was born in Indiana I was the farthest away. Next we sat in a circle and talked about what we knew about the Jewish people in Germany during the time period between 1933 and 1945. After that we looked at comics depicting immigration. In small groups we had to decide what they were saying because there were no words. Then we explained to the whole group what we thought the picture meant and as we went around the group the pictures turned into a story. After that we had a short break to have a snack! Once that was over we walked to the exhibit and looked around a bit.

 We then walked out into their Garden of Exile. In my mind the garden represented exile because there were very tall stone blocks with plants at the top and the plants were overgrown so you couldn't quite see the sun. I thought this was significant because when you are sent into exile I can be hard to see a way out. [ pic of garden] we then went back inside a wrote letters as if we were people in the time between 1933-1945. After that we passed back the letters to different people and we had to pick out a certain phrase or word we really liked. Then we had to act out that phrase. Once everybody went we acted them out all at one time. Then our workshop was over. I really enjoyed our time at the museum and would like to go back to see the whole exhibition. 

   After we left the museum we split into groups and did more shopping! Although the some of us went to a trampoline arena, I decided to go explore the city of Berlin! All in all Berlin has been amazing and so has our entire trip. Our trip has been an awesome experience and I can't wait to be back! PS- Love you Mom, Sean and Kristian! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

  Heya! Hannah here. Today started with a bang, it more like the aftermath of one. We went to the remaining portion of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church. It was only a fraction of what it used to be, but the part that was left was artistically stunning and opulent. It makes you wonder what it truly looked like before the war. 

After that we got Dunkin Donuts! Sugar is a welcome addition to any group of teenagers. We went shopping again after this. After our shopping spree, we headed off to the Jewish Museum. 

We were all split into two groups. The focus of our workshop was emigration and what the Jewish community went through leading up to and during WWII. After examining a comic describing a man’s journey, we examined the building’s layout and as our guide encouraged, it's visitors. The people we saw were very subdued and thoughtful, at a lot of the memorials you see in Berlin, you always hear children laughing and playing. I always found that comfort in see the ability to bring life to something so sad, while I am sure others would find it insensitive. This wasn't the case in the garden of exile (see photo above of the garden) the garden of exile was an unsettling place because the entire garden was built on a steep decline but it was made in a way that you couldn't see the changes until you were stumbling through the maze of concrete pillars. 

After going through the garden, we started on some more creative outlets in the workshop. We were given twenty minutes to write a letter from the viewpoint of a Jewish person from 1933-1945.

After the writing we exchanged letters and tried to physically express one of the sentences or ideas of the letter. 

After the workshop, we all met up again and the group decided to take two different paths, go to a trampoline park or go explore Berlin some more. I chose to go to the trampoline park because I sometimes has the soul of a 5 year old and I have the pigtails to prove it. 

I was the only American in the group. The group was comprised of myself, Lene, Ann, Eli, Eli ( both pronounced differently), Isabel, and Leander. 

The park was fantastic for one hour we were able to jump in foam pits, play dodgeball with strangers (I promise it was more fun than it sounds) and jump to our heart's content. We also found out that one of the staff members was from New York, which was pretty cool. 

After an hour of joy, we got food and came back to the hostel. Berlin is an awesome city and this has been an amazing trip! Thanks for the memories that will last a lifetime.

Berlin Day 2 - July 18 - Nina and Noah

Noah and Nina- 

    The date was Monday, June 18th. And this was to be our second excursion into the heart of the city, Berlin.

    We woke up this morning, had breakfast, and jumped on the train to be led by Wolfgang, Lene's father, on a tour of the city. We stopped by some cool buildings, like a memorial for victims of war and violence, the Brandenburg Gate. The gate is a symbol of the Berlin and German division during the Cold War, it's now a symbol of peace and unity in Germany. 

     We went to two Holocaust Memorials today, one was for the murdered European Sinti and Roma, groups of gypsies. The other was 2711 big, stone blocks. They represented the graves of the Jews that did not receive a proper grave. Each block had a different height, length, and position. 

     In between the memorials, we went to the Reichstag building. It is the meeting place of the German parliament. We had an audio guide of the glass dome. It gave an amazing view of the city. 

     After we got kicked out because we were loitering, we went to the Mall of Berlin. We spent 2 hours shopping and doing whatever we wanted in the mall. When it was time to meet up, a sort of a flash mob began. Of course some people in our group wanted to join in. At first they had the Cupid Shuffle playing, which many of us danced to, then the group who had started the flash mob did a dramatic interpretation of a story of life with and without Jesus. It was a very interesting dance.

     We took an underground train from the mall to our stop for a river tour on the River Spree. Once our boat finally came, we were given dinner and amazing views of the city. 

     After the tour, everyone went back to the hostel. We all said goodbye to Carly, since she was leaving early. Then we went to our rooms to hang out and write blogs (like this one!) until we went to bed for the night.

    Over all, we would say that it was a pretty good day and we look forward to what time we have left here before we fly back home.

                     -Nina and Noah

Berlin: Day 1 A.K.A The Wall - July 17 - Isaac Dean & Olivia Young

The first half of the day was a car ride with a stop at Marienborn (the east/west German checkpoint).

Olivia: In the van I sat next to Sydney and Jakob and we slept the entire way. It was pretty cool because we could walk into the buildings that they used to check the cars. There was one room where the cars would drive over a grate and the would be people below checking to make sure they weren't smuggling anything. 

Isaac: the car ride was lit, cause we were jammin' to High School Musical, but that's beside the point. While everyone was looking at the stuff Olivia mentioned; Jacob, Noah, and I walked across the lot to a watchtower-thing that was on the ground and we explored that for a while. I thought it was super cool. The whole things was a neat experience. It represents a time of darkness in history but it's nice to know we can learn about it so something like it never happens.

We arrived in Berlin to our hostel and had an hour to rest and unpack.

After that we went to the wall. The Berlin Wall. The wall that separated East Berlin from West Berlin.

Olivia: On the wall there were many different paintings. They wee suppose to have different interpretations but I didn't understand most of them. But the art was really cool to look at. There were some that were really colorful and others that were dark and weird. We were supposed to take a picture of one that we though was cool. I choose one that was a car breaking though the wall. I don't really know why I choose it, I just liked it. 

Isaac: Same, Olivia. Most of those artistic metaphors went right over my head. They still looked rad though. I chose one that looked like a demented Dr. Suess thing.

We then ate schnitzel at a schnitzel place

Olivia and I both agree: it was dope.

We ended the day with apple strudel back at the hostel. It was okay. Real sub-par.

Now we're blogging.

Now we're blogging about blogging. 

Woah.

Meta.

In all seriousness: today was a very educational day, and we learned a lot about the separation of Germany and the dark times it entailed.

- Isaac "SnaPoint" Dean

 &

- Olivia "Forever Young" Young

Waterskiing / German BBQ - July 16 - Matthew Edwards

As most people know Wednesday and Thursday I was in a wheelchair for most of the day against what I wanted. I never like being helped especially when I'm injured but after those two days I've found out that when you are in need their will always be people out their to help you. This was the first time I've been in a wheelchair and the main thing I didn't like about it was having to have people push me around I didn't really have much control over where I was going and when I did I wasn't moving that fast. Being confined to a wheelchair gave me a new look too people who need them, I never think about when having to go into buildings the stairs that lead to them I just think of it as oh there are stairs that's fine but when you're in a wheelchair it's always a challenge when coming up on stairs and how almost no set of stairs have anything to help you get up them. 

Today we went to a waterskiing area and it was very different then I expected. I expected it to be a big lake and have boats for us to get on and have the ski's attached to a rope connected to the boat. It was more of just a pond with ropes and towers circling the pond. To get started you were on a green platform and you would crouch down into a squatting position and hold onto the rope once it would run into the first tower it would accelerate you forward and you would have to stay in that position for the first turn then you could stand up. If you wanted to you could do jumps but none of us did any of them.(insert a 2 pictures of the pond and someone going on the course). 

After we did that we had a barbecue which had a lot of different German foods that we could choose from.

Hamburg - July 15 - Will Zimmerman

Even though Dan and Annette said today should be a rest day, Simon, Hanna, Luke and I decided we wanted to go to Düsseldorf. Last minute change: Hamburg instead. 

Long drive there, nevertheless, we strolled around the shopping centers and streets. Ate lunch at a fancy pants Italian joint called Vapiano. Muy delicioso. The afternoon was mainly shopping, walking around the harbor, and going to the Apple Store because Simon's phone was whack. Hamburg was very crowded. Full of shoppers and traffic. We ate dinner at a rest stop at the way back at a döner place. They messed up Simon's order but still good food. Had fun in the car and on the autobahn. Hamburg is a neat place. Had a lot of fun today!