Saturday, July 23, 2016

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!

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