Now that the trip is over...

So our three-week long program was definitely an experience. There were certain aspects of it that could be tweaked for next year's lucky contestants, but I would not have taken back the trip if I had a choice. I feel like I learned a lot from everyone who spoke to us, whether they were professors, researchers, or students. I know a couple of us had host issues, but I have to say I was very lucky, and my hosts were wonderfully helpful and friendly. We got to see so much in so little time that it was kind of a bit of a whirlwind, and we were almost blown away at some points. I can't even describe fully how tiring the whole trip was. Just all the travelling between cities and then going straight from one thing to another was a little overwhelming. It would have been nice to have more down time. I think the best part of Hannover was actually getting to sit down and enjoy it in the park with some wine, cheese, and crackers on the last day. (Maybe the sitting down was the best part of that.) Our free weekends were so much fun that they almost made up for all the time spent in classrooms and conference rooms. Hamburg, London, and Prague...all cities worth seeing for more than two days if you can. I think most of us have recuperated, although some of us may not even be back in town yet, but hopefully we'll all meet up soon to exchange pictures and reminisce. Have fun all you undergrads! It'll be over before you know it!