Emperor Charlemagne

Emperor Charlemagne. He is considered one of the greastes European rulers.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther nailing the 95 thesis to the church door.

Germany and America

In the thirteenth century, Rome was the center of western Christendom. The Pope and the Emperor were the two that lead all of the land. The Emperor lead the land by leading with his sword whereas the Pope lead with his appeals to the ancient rights. What I was reading, it made it seem like the Pope had a lot more say and power through out his kingdom than the Emperor. In one of the pictures, the Emperor is leading the Pope’s horse through the streets. This shows how the Pope was more powerful than anyone else in the kingdom. Germany is now a democracy and the Pope is still the leading figure for religion in Germany. It seems like the power that the Pope has now is no where close to what he use to have in the thirteenth century.

Religion was a huge part in the lives of Germans. The main religion throughout the German kingdom was Catholicism. This all happened until in the 16^th century Martin Luther wanted to change all that. The churches were making the people pay to have their sins forgiven and to be able to get into heaven. Martin Luther knew that this was wrong and told the people of Germany with his 95 thesis. The Protestant Reformation can be related to the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement has a leader who was just like Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the movement. Both Martin Luther and Martin Luther King had the majority of the people hate what they were fighting for. These two leaders really showed how to stand up for what they knew was right when the majority of the people did not want change. I believe that both of these events were major changing points in both Germany and the United States history. The Civil Rights Movement brought the whole country together, while for a while the Protestant Reformation split the kingdom into two parts during the Thirty Year War.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle. It is the most famous of the three royal castles.

Invasion of Poland

German soldiers break the barriers at the invasion of Poland.

One of the first photos of Dachau concentration camps.

Why I choose Germany

Taking a study abroad trip was something that I wanted to do the moment I came to North Central. My cousins all have taken a trip when they were in college and they come back telling me about how great of an experience they had. I play baseball here at North Central and it is very hard to study abroad with all the practices and games that we have over the entire year. D-Term is the only time of the year that I could take a study abroad course. I was talking with some of my friends and they wanted to take a trip too. We all thought that a trip to Germany would be a great time and an amazing experience.

My mom also was a big into study abroad trips. When she was in college she went to Ireland for a full term. She still talks about what happened and the people she met on the trip.
            I am very interested in seeing the difference between our culture and the culture of the Germans. I am very used to the way that we live our lives and I have heard that there is a different way the Germans go out their lives. I would like to also see the way they communicate with each compared to with our group. I have heard that some Germans treat Americans very different than how they treat people from Germany. Seeing what kind of food will be served at the restaurants we go to will be an interesting thing to see.
            The history of Germany has always been something that I have been interested in and wanting to learn from a first hand experience. Going to Germany will teach me way more than having read anything out of a book or article. In high school we learned a lot about Hitler and all the concentration camps that happened there. That was a terrible event that happened but also it had a huge impact around the world. Germany has a huge history with both of the World Wars and learning about the impact that it had on Germany and how they rebuilt after the damage it had to their land and people living there.
            Going to Germany will really open my eyes to other cultures and being able to compare my lifestyle with how another country lives theirs.
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