Final Post

Now that the USF/Uni. Osnabruck trip has come to a close, and now that I have started my adventures in other parts of Germany, I can reflect on the experiences I had over the past two weeks.

I must admit that I originally was questioning the Balu und Du program as a good use of our time. I thought it seemed like a waste to fly all the way to Germany just to spend some time with kids, or to do some “American Baking,” or something similar- activities that I did not even do in the states! I didn’t really think that I would gain any skills or experiences from my time on this program- only some memories of a volunteer service program and mentorship experience, and wishing I was sleeping or something similar. Much to my surprise, this was not the case at all. I found every minute I spent at the Balu und Du program to be highly rewarding. Working hard in the outdoor garden to make the barefoot path or the benches was made worth it when all the young Mowglis came out there to play a few days later. The baking program was fantastic, working together with the Balu and the Mowgli, Jacob and I were able to make some fantastic Rice Krispie treats! It really made me realize that the mentorship program, while hugely benefiting the mentee in a developmental sense, also benefits the mentor in a variety of ways.

This became extremely apparent when I had the interview session with the Balu that Emily and I were paired with, Britta. She talked with us about the various challenges facing her in this program. Many of them seemed to come from the language barrier with the mother of her Mowgli. She talked to us about a time that her Mowgli fell in a lake and was so worried about being punished at home that she, too, began to worry. This ended up being for nothing as the Balu’s father was very understanding. Events like these seem to be part of what makes the program great, but Britta also mentioned the changes she felt on a personal level. She discussed how she was able to become more emotionally perceptive, and how she rediscovered her inner child, as a result of this program. She talked about how this program made her a more mature and more aware individual. I thought to myself about how this program affected me, and I found that I felt much the same way. The Balu program was highly rewarding, and I feel like it was a great addition to the many activities that we did on this trip.

Speaking of the remainder of the trip, I thought it was fantastic. I never actually noticed how jam-packed our school trip was. I have been enjoying this third week of the trip outside of the school schedule, but it is odd to not have all kinds of fantastic tours to historical sites lined up. I feel like everything in this trip was done exactly the way I wanted it to be- many of the tours felt like an interactive, on-site history class, and that was exactly the way I wanted it to be.

This was a fantastic trip, I would highly recommend it to anybody considering it. Thanks again to all at USF and Uni. Osnabrueck for a great time!