NORTH BRUNSWICK — A local 11th grader went around the world in 20 days this summer.
Megan Pelszynski joined 44 other delegates from Central New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania in visiting eight countries in Europe as Student Ambassadors from the People to People Student Travel Group this summer.
“It was exciting,” said the 16-year-old who attends North Brunswick Township High School. “It was a different experience than when traveling with family.”
During her first excursion away from home, Megan traveled from July 3 to 22 to England, France, Germany, Litchenstein, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. She did most of her traveling by a bus.
The group had a question-and-answer session with Patrick Nichols of the British Parliament; visited Hampton Court Palace, the historic home of King Henry VIII; and witnessed the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
They performed a wreath laying and dedication ceremony at the American Cemetery in France, which is the final resting place of 9.387 soldiers who were killed in 1944 during the Battle of Normandy.
They walked on the sands of Omaha Beach, where American troops landed on June 6, 1944, which ultimately led to the liberation of France.
They visited the Memorial Museum in Caen and learned about the military operations of June 6, 1944 and the full impact of World War II.
“We realized we [Americans] made an impact on their lives over there,” she said.
Each delegate then participated in a “home stay” for several days with host families in Germany.
“I loved Germany because we were so immersed in the culture with the home stays,” she said.
Megan was able to attend secondary school (Gynnasium am Romerkastell) while in Germany. She said the school day was structured more like an American elementary school than high school, with teachers visiting students throughout the day in one classroom.
The curriculum centered on science, math, English and German, though she also got to take a cooking class with her home stay partner, Emma.
Although German children are taught English from an early age, the lessons in school are spoken in German, so Megan said she and her counterparts had somewhat of a difficult time following along,
“It definitely helped with my German because we would speak it all day, every day.”
The delegation also partook in a community service project to prepare traditional cuisine from the region and host a dinner and dance for a group of special needs adults in Germany.
They also toured Anne Frank’s house.
In addition to the historical elements of the trip, the delegation went sightseeing at many sites of the countries: The Louvre, The Hague, The London Tower, The London Eye, Palace of Versailles, L’Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Montmarte, Basillique du Sacre Coeur, Flanders
Fields Museum, the Kinderdijik 17th century Dutch windmill park, International Peace Palace, Dome Cathedral, Heidelberg Castle, the Black Forest and the Alps.
Megan’s favorite places were the Tower Bridge in London and the Eiffel Tower in France, and she enjoyed a bicycle ride through a windmill park in the Netherlands, an Alpine-Coaster down Mountain Golm in Montafon, Austria, and hiking after a zipline obstacle course in Austria.
Throughout her travels, Megan said she realized that “each culture is a little bit different, between the food they eat or the language they speak, but in the end they’re all the same people in the way they communicate,” she said.
She also realized more about herself.
“I think I’ve become more independent. I didn’t know people so I had to make friends … and communicate when our leaders weren’t there so that left more up to me, myself.
“It makes you realize there’s more than just us out there.”
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@gmnews.com.