When one comes to Europe, it is only natural to form expectations. To try and fathom a makeshift template that will encompass the experiences is the first mistake a traveler makes. Europe is a country of dynamic layers that extend beyond the present moment to its monolithic history. These roots reach deeper than the Mayflower. Roots that are bloodier than the American revolution and more extensive than the intellectual pursuits of Twain and Kearouac. Yet once this awe of the European accomplishment subsides, I was left with a more personal question. How could a country in this continent, namely Germany, avoid the apathetic atmosphere that has so hastily covered the American soul?

Apathy is a natural reaction to overwhelming exposure. However this definition contradicts the predicament of America. The nation of the red, white, and blue is the “Golden-Boy” of the globe, riding this perpetuating economic wave. Perhaps this entitlement that Americans have always felt has led to these feelings dwelling in the national consciousness. On the contrary, Germany is the perfect counter-example to the American apathy. Germany is a country that left the forest over a thousand years before America was a tangible idea. A country that had its moment of empirical conquest, fell into its dark depths of the circles of hell in the Holocaust committing some of the most atrocious crimes against the human species. Yet Germany is the country that has continually proved itself through the economic crisis. Germany has been the lender to countries such as Portugal and Greece that have been struggling with this continental transition. With these thoughts in mind, I approached the town of Osnabruck searching for knowledge, cultural exposure, and personal revelation.

            My train from Frankfurt to Osnabruck was filled with four hours of anticipation, waiting to hear the monotone female voice announce my destination. The expectations and thoughts were brimming minute by minute. Once I saw my classmates at the train station--the same people who I saw in class every Thursday at 9:30—the thoughts dissolved and I realized that I was in Europe. The dream of mine to travel to Europe had always been at an uncomfortable distance. But here I was, walking out of the Frankfurt airport, greeted by familiar smiles, standing at the arch of my gateway to Europe.