Sandip Lamichhane

My visit to Germany became interesting to me; personally. It was my first visit outside the country. Before going, I was very glad to know that our college was going to take a huge number of students for a cultural exchange program. As we’d already planned to go for a cultural exchange program in Herzberg city, the Esperanto city, we should have to learn the same language i.e. Esperanto.

In order to have some basic knowledge, we started learning Esperanto for a period of three months. We’re taught by Miam Salam shany, Esperantist as well as a journalist of UNESCO, who was from Pakistan Esperanto Association. We were in a large number, so that, we decided to divide different programs for reflecting Nepali culture in Germany. From the college side, we were informed that we would be taken to two European countries viz, Germany and France.

As the program was fixed, I started to prepare my documentation (citizenship certificate, passport) during my Dashain vacation. And after that vacation, I went for the department of passport for submitting form where I stayed for 6 hours waiting for my turn.embassy with parents, being an underage of eighteen. The day when I got my visa, 19^th Dec was my happiest moment ever. We were granted 17 days visa by the embassy.

After the completion of shopping for clothes to overcome the cold climate in Germany, 27^th Dec 2014 was the date on which our flight was booked on Oman airlines at 5:55 pm in the evening.   After departing from the family ,I went to the airport at 3:oo pm. All friends were there already while others were yet to come, At about 4:30 pm, we went inside the departure for checking and after immigration we went for boarding pass before 30  min, of flight. Similarly, at 6:00 pm we went in the airplane, it was my first experience which is still fresh in my mind. Before takeoff, I went on my seat which was on the window side, we were in a large group so, the quarter part of the airplane was occupied by our group. Airplane travel for nearly about 3:15 an hour to Muscat from Kathmandu was very interesting. We remained in Muscat international airport transit for 5 hours living in the terminal; again we went for boarding to travel Frankfurt. At about 2:00 am local time in Muscat I .e. About 4: oo am in Nepal, we went to the Boeing which was highly sophisticated and facilitated than before. it was our longest air travel which lasted for about 7:10 hours from MIA to FIA ( Germany ). At about 7:00 am in the morning, we reached there. Then, we got the immigration where the stamp of arrived was pasted. Thereafter, we were in the 2^nd terminal and there were Nepalese persons who were there to accept us. Furthermore, we got information about how to get in and get out of the train. I saw the real train there for the first time ever in my life. To go in terminal 1 from terminal 2, we took a skyline train which was in the aerial part. By the time we went, we were very glad to see very huge building with beautifully decorated houses. As it was wintertime, the temperature was very low. After staying for about an hour at the airport we went to an underground train to go to the Hotel Everest which was on Schonstrabe Street just 5 minutes walking from the main Hauptbahnhof. I could see there that the streets were fully covered by the snow which made me feel so interesting. After reaching the hotel, I went to our room which was on the top floor with room no. 65. As we all were so tired, we become fresh and started eating all the dry foods. After then we went for visiting outside in the shopping mall named ‘Saturn’ (famous for the electrical item, monopoly market in the whole country). Then, in the evening we went in the Chinese restaurant and had a taste of Chinese dishes (which was very sweet rather than spicy and salty). Then, afterward, we went in the various historical cities, Heidelberg, Köln city; on New Year eve), Romer and Main River on different days. In Heidelberg, we could see there a castle that was believed to be built during world war. And in Köln city, we saw a very big cathedral, went inside and prayed to me. It was very artistic and fascinating which could attract any people towards its amazing designing.

            During our about six days staying in Frankfurt, we visited almost more  parts of the country we took food in cocos restaurant and bar, for taking Nepali food  as the hotel was of Nepali who has been staying there for a long time. Thereafter, on New Year's eve, we could see that the whole sky was full of light and other fire sticks. On 1^st Jan, we moved to Berlin from Frankfurt. It was a long-distance about 9 hours of train travel after changing five trains. After reaching Berlin, it was in Boxhagener that the hostel named A & O hostel where our staying during Berlin stay was booked. We also got a wonderful hotel with Nepalese people where we enjoyed Nepalese food. We visited various places like Karl-Marx alleys and others, we saw there a parliamentary house, the house where the chancellor Angela Morkel stays, Europe’s biggest Hauptbahnhof (i.e . 5 story ed Berlin Hauptbahnhof ). Berlin wall (where there was controversy of two male character kissing), Brandenburg gate (border between east and west Germany), VIP area with Sony center, Olympia stadium where the final game of champions league 2015 was supposed to be held, and many more places including the wall which were made on the remembrance of Jews who were killed during the time of Hitler. We enjoyed our staying in Berlin and visited Deutsche technical university which is recognized as a best technical university in Germany and Deutsche Technik museum. On the 6^th Jan, we prepared to go for attending our program in Herzberg so that we became ready at 5:00 am in the morning. (But due to some reason, we could not catch our destined train so we needed to pay extra money i.e. 50 € = about Nepali Rs. 6000 by a fastest train of Germany 185 km/hr ICE). But fortunately, we reached in time when we reached in Herzberg; we were welcomed by the group of students which was so interesting for us. After our program became successful where I along with my friends showed our culture by Tamang selo in front of the city mayor Lutz peters and Sofia Lorody (our sponsor from German Esperanto association) in the hall of the city council. The program lasted for 2 hrs then, we started to visit the castle and observed the museum describing the ancient period of Germany. After then, we visited a school in Germany where we could see a very big auditorium hall, high standard classrooms each connected with projectors and others. In the evening time, we took a party meal in a Chinese restaurant with more than 50 items. Then again we came back to Frankfurt by the same metro train at 2:00 am in the morning in the same hotel. In the hotel, we were given a welcome speech by the NRN general secretary cum the owner of the hotel Everest, Mr. Kumar pant on 7^th Jan we rested whole day and I personally with brothers (Santosh and Upendra bro who stays in Germany) went for shopping and sightseeing and on the same day also got an opportunity to taste Vietnamese dish. There I got a wonderful opportunity to meet Nepalese students staying in Frankfurt namely, Manish, Biraj , Santosh , Upendra , Yam , Krishna, Sagar and from Berlin Bijay, Ashok, and Rupak brothers and with sisters Prava, Navina, and Sabina. They helped us a lot with is still in my mind. The day on which I stayed with brothers and sisters makes me feel very happy. These moments can never be erased from  my mind and on 8^th Jan, at about 9:00 pm( local time ), we departed from Frankfurt and landed in TIA on 9^th Jan at 4:00 pm after about 3 hours transit in Muscat international airport but it was already 7:00 pm to reach in the room due to the late arrival of luggage. Finally, it was an interesting trip to Germany though couldn’t go to France as mentioned in the schedule.

                        Happy trip(2014, Dec 27 to 2015 Jan 9)