One of the best experiences I’ve been able to have while on this amazing trip is getting to meet up with my High School German teacher. Herr Smith was one of the reasons that I kept learning German for as long as I did and also one of the factors that helped me get a minor in German. He was my teacher for Junior and Senior year in high school and also the advisor for the German club. It just so happens that every June my high school does an exchange program with a school in Hannover, Germany, and every year, Herr Smith comes with them. This past Sunday I was able to take a train to Hannover, which is only about 30 minutes away, to catch up with him. He even gave me a drizzly, overcast tour of Hannover since he visits so frequently and knows a lot about its history. I was very happy to be able to connect with him again, and it all felt like it was coming full circle for me. If I hadn’t had Herr Smith as my teacher, I probably wouldn’t have been as interested in German as I am, and I probably never would have had this experience in Germany. It maybe felt this way for him, too, because Herr Smith just retired, so this is his last exchange trip ever. I never went on the trip in High School, but now I felt like I had that experience with him. The timing was really perfect. I rode back on the train to Braunschweig feeling at peace with a belly full of raspberry cake and tea that I got to enjoy with an old friend.
