Ishmael Dotse, South-North volunteer from Ghana at the NM office, gained new impressions during his vacation.
What was intended to be a random check up on a friend, eventually became an invitation to Dahme, a town in Schleswig-Holstein at the Baltic Sea to spend part of the Easter holidays there. I joined a couple of which the man is of Ghanaian origin, to spend the Easter holidays at the vacation house of his wife’s family in Dahme. I was very grateful for the opportunity and it was really a great moment to be far away from the hustle and bustle to cool down a little. I found the experience almost therapeutic, waking up every morning with the view of the ocean and the waves. All the walks we had along the beach, after meal conversations and discussing intercultural differences brought me so much joy. This was my first experience at the Baltic see and I will forever cherish this memory.
Afterwards, I also embarked on a trip down south to Rheinland-Pfalz, hosted by a German family for the whole time I spent in Mainz. Departing from Mainz was very difficult for me, because the reception and hospitality meted out to me by this family despite all our differences was very remarkable. A memory, thus apparently going to stay with me forever. I doubt if I can be grateful enough for their generosity towards me. I can only but hope to see them again someday in future. I had the opportunity to see Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Mainz. The landscape was just incredible with the breath-taking view of the Rhein, Main and beautiful mountains. I really loved the landscape in the south. We were at the stadium to watch Mainz FSV play against SV Darmstadt, the game ended in the favour of Mainz and that was very impressive. “Niemals Aufgeben!” (Never give up!) The motto of the Mainz side has since stayed with me upon my return to Bremen. The resilience of the supporters was absolutely contagious and this really inspired me to keep heads up and still be optimistic even when the odds seem otherwise. I tried new things on this trip: some southern German cuisines and made some new and adventurous experiences.
