Berlin —The Bundestag
During our time in Berlin, we visited the Bundestag. This was a very exciting learning experience for me and the rest of the class. The Bundestag is the German parliamentary building, and it is where all major federal government decisions are made. When we visited there, we had two main experiences: sitting in on parliament sessions and being able to ask questions to one of the members of the Senate. This visit was all about showing us how good governance and economics happen in Germany.
From sitting in on parliament, I could see the tension growing between the AfD (Alternative for Deutschland) with other parties. They were in all suits and filled every seat compared to other parties whose seats were majority empty. The AfD party is a German nationalist party centered around Germany being great and wanting a change with everything in the country and leaving the EU. Because of these rising tensions, we had the privilege to see some very interesting debates while in the Bundestag. The first heated debate was around supplying military aid to Ukraine and a conversation around aid to Israel. We also were able to gain an understanding of the rising division between the government and the general population. There has been a rise in nationalism in the country because of the AfD.
From the Meeting with the parliamentary members, I gained an understanding of how the German government works differently compared to the USA. Seeing real decisions being made on the floor was so inspiring. The conversation with parliament members was very interesting. I learned about the current stance around Germany and Israel. We talked about the country's anti-nuclear actions and learned why the Germans are not rational on this one issue.
Overall the visit to the Bundestag was a great experience for me. Because it taught me about the good and bad governance that is currently taking place in the government. I would like to visit the Bundestag again in the future and see how the AfD party changes or if it is removed in the future.
