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#16 The Grand Finale

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  Hard to believe, but this will be our last blog entry from Leipzig. Without further ado, let’s hear how the kids spent their final day here: Sanjay writes: Today I finished out Prague by eating some Rindsgulasch , and it was so delicious. I also ate a kebab (not the Döner kind) and a popular Czech pastry called Tredlník . On our way back, we also found an old monastery that has been used for many centuries. It was really cool. On Friday, we had passed by a fortress on our drive, so we decided to stop there on our way back to Leipzig. Turns out, this fortress from the 19th century was repurposed as a prison during Nazi Germany. It was used to house prisoners and nearby is the Theresienstadt Ghetto . Many died in the prison from rampant disease or torture, and many were sent to concentration camps. Afterwards, we relaxed at home for my final night here. Ashley writes: Today my host family and I went canoeing on a big lake. Afterwards we celebrated Clara’s younger brother’s birt
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What feels like the END is often the BEGINNING

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ODE AN DIE DEUTSCHEN (with apologies to the non-German speakers in this group):  Ich sitze gerade im Zug zurück nach Leipzig und lasse die letzten 15 Tage Revue passieren. Wie ich es euch ja schon in Georgia gesagt habe -- ihr seid eine unglaublich tolle Truppe, wie wir sie uns nicht besser hätten wünschen können. (To my students, good luck untangling the three pronouns and three verbs in that last clause.) Dasselbe gilt für eure Eltern. Wie ihr euch alle um unsere Kids gekümmert habt, als ob sie eure eigenen Geschwister bzw. Kinder wären, ist die Quintessenz eines gelungenen Schüleraustauschs. Egal ob Krankheit oder Heimweh, ihr habt alles ohne zu meckern gemeistert und allen Beteiligten zwei unvergessliche Wochen in Deutschland (und anderen Ländern, sogar Bayern!) ermöglicht.  Stellvertretend für alle sei Max als Paradebeispiel genannt: Obwohl er den ersten Teil des Austauschs nicht mitmachen konnte und dann auch noch sein eigentlicher Partner absprang, war Max sofort auf
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#15 Easter Weekend - Part 2

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  The Easter weekend is in full swing, and all of our students are excited to share their fun and interesting experiences with you. Everyone is clearly making the most of these last few days in Germany. ENJOY! (again in no particular order 😊)  Maddie writes:  Today we (Joey, Jaseen, and I and host families) went to the Schloss Rochlitz Castle and got to see all of its medieval  history. The castle dates back to the 11th century and the view was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We also visited a barn house with lots of different animals like horses, cows, chickens, etc. Joey adds:  Today, Maddie, Jaseen, and I visited an old castle and we explored the grounds and chased each other around 😀Then the rest of the day so far has been spent getting ready for a kind of grill out. Branden writes:  This morning I had a large typical German breakfast with bread, cheese and meat with my host family and their friends. We then left the farm and headed back home where I fell asleep in the ca
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