On July 9th, smiling and crying at the same time, Juliet, Jack, and I waved goodbye to our Anna as she went off with 29 other teenagers to see much of Europe as "Youth Ambassadors" for the People to People organization, founded 50 years ago by Dwight D. Eisenhower. These kids are nominated by teachers, pastors, business leaders, and People to People alumni to participate in trips all over the globe to represent American youth and to experience life in other countries.
The group spent 19 days going from the Swiss Alps to Great Britain, spending time in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Anna spent three days with a German family as a home stay outside Heidelburg. Juliet asked her if her German parents spoke English well and she replied they did not speak English at all, but their 19 year old daughter did. We asked if her German family did anything special with her and she said, "No, not really. They mostly just took me out to bars." Anna mentioned "the schnapps burned all the way down" and that the beer in Germany tasted different than in the US. Drinking age in Germany is 16. Anna is 15, but looks 17.
They particpated in "Farm Olympics" in Switzerland, seeing who could milk a cow, chop wood, or feed chickens the best. The group visited a "Barefoot Park" in Germany where they walked in mud, crossed a wooden bridge, and did all kinds of things that stimulated their bare feet. (Hey, this is Europe, okay?) They went to a wooden shoe factory in Holland, rode around Bruges, Belgium in horse-drawn wagons and bought lots and lots of Belgian chocolates. Their hotel in Amsterdam was just around the corner from the red light district where ladies of easy virtue display themselves in shop windows. (This was portrayed as an educational trip. . .) Anne Frank's house was also visited. They spent a couple of days in Normandy, France visiting the beaches of D-Day and the heart-breaking cemetaries of the war dead. Anna found the grave of a young New Hampshire man and said she found it hard not to cry.
Their last few days were spent in England, visiting London and its surrounds. She loved the new "London Eye", a HUGE ferris wheel where you can see all over London. Of course the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was a must, as well as a trip out to Stonehenge. She made friends and memories for a lifetime on this great adventure. We were so happy she was able to go...and we were even happier to have our girl home again.
