Home!

I'm back in San Antonio and have been since 5pm on Friday night. I left Berlin on Thursday after an interesting lecture on Intellingent Design and a wonderful bike tour. I spent six hours in a hotel in Duesseldorf between my flights from Berlin and to Amsterdam. I met up with Leslie, Shannon, and Kellie in Amsterdam, where I said goodbye to Kellie. I said goodbye to Shannon in Houston, and to Leslie in San Antonio, where my mother picked me up. We randomly ran into a family friend at baggage claim, then made our way home to drop off the German chocolate. I convinced my parents to take me out to Mexican (not a hard battle!), and it was sooooo good! (my sister is recovering from surgery) My mom and sister left yesterday for the East Coast, so I basically spent a day and a half talking nonstop about my trip. My dad got back Friday from London, so he's a bit jet lagged too. We did go see Pirates 2, but I liked the first one better. Now I'm getting ready for school and my trip to see the grandparents in FL and AL on Saturday.

As for my trip, it was amazing. I learned so much about German (and European) culture and about my abilities to cope with a language barrier and a new culture. My host family was fantastic, and I think I learned so much from them about the culture. They were very open and we were able to discuss Germany's history and culture and make comparisons to U.S. culture. I want to thank them for their kindness. My professors, Dr. Wasser, Dr. Musser, and Miriam were wonderful. They helped open my mind to new ideas with formal and informal lectures and discussions. I met so many great people on this trip, not least of all my fellow students. It's incredible how 22 people can get to know one another so well. I guess because we were all in the same situation, we bonded way more than I've ever gotten to know classmates in other classes at school. I made many new friends, whom I hope to see back in College Station. Saying goodbye to Germany was difficult, as I enjoyed traveling and seeing so many new things. However, I was anxious to get back to Texas to see my family and to prepare for the next big thing, moving back to school.

I went back to the clinic where I worked at the beginning of the summer with my dog for his annual exam on Saturday, and I realized how much I've changed in just a few weeks. I am grateful to my parents for enabling me to come on this trip, and I am glad I made the decision to come, even though I was nervous back in June. I would have missed so much had I decided to just work all summer. So many thanks (viele danke, I think) to those who helped me come on the trip, and who helped me on the trip. It was truly a unique experience.