Excited to Cross the Pond...once again

Growing up in a town called New Bremen, with a name like Annette Schroer, there is no doubt that my heritage is German.  When I was 9, I finally watched all of The Sound of Music and LOVED it and it made me want to go to Germany even more (even though the movie takes place in Austria).  By the time I was old enough to know that you had to take a foreign language in high school I knew I would be taking German, to learn the language my grandparents first learn (yes, my grandparents, American born, spoke German as their first language).  I wanted to see where my ancestors came from.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

By the time I was in my third year of in college, I had yet to get my opportunity to go to Germany.  My chance was coming soon.  One spring day, my phone rang.  It was my mom.  Our conversation went something like this:
   Mom: There is a delegation from Ohio going to Germany this fall.
   Me:    I'm in.
   Mom: Would you be interested in going?
   Me:    Yes.
   Mom: It's $1500 for 2 weeks.
   Me:    Ok, I'm in.
   Mom: Think about it and if you can afford it.
   Me:    I don't need to think about it, I'm in.  I want to go.
And that is how I got signed up for my first trip.

There is a lot I could say about that first trip.  I could talk for days about spending 2 nights in the airport, that first EKvW/UCC forum I attended, my hosts, visiting Berlin, the magic of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and finally spending a week with a friend in Köln.  I ended up spending 3 weeks in Germany my first time.  On my way back to the airport the morning of my flight, I remember staring out the window as the Rhine River passed.  Tears came to my eyes.  The vineyards, Castles, and churches were so full of history and I was leaving them to go back to the US.  I have since returned two more times to attend the same Forum and visit with friends I have made along with way.

Myself, Dan, and Lene

Getting on the airplane to go to Germany is easy.  Getting on the airplane to come back to the US is about the hardest thing for me to do.  In a little over two weeks, I will be doing the easy thing...stepping on a plane bound for Germany.  This time, along with my veteran travel friend Dan Doty (this will be our 3rd trip to Germany together), we will be leading a group of 11 youth from Ohio on an exchange program with youth from Germany.

Along with our friends Lene, Steven, and 12 of their youth, we will broaden our world view and learn about past and current racial tensions that exist in Germany today.

We are all excited and ready to go.  We know that many will want to know how we are doing and what exciting things we are seeing, so our hope is that we will be able to update everyone on a near daily basis. You can follow  along with us here on this blog and our posts on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/youngambassadorsohio/).  We hope you enjoy our adventure as much as we will!