Already a week spent in Europe!

Hallo all! It is currently a little past midnight, and I am waiting for our train to Munich which departs at 3:30 A.M. I have just finished doing my laundry and packing for the ten days we will be away from Bonn! Overall I am having an experience of a lifetime in Germany, and I cannot be more thankful for this opportunity.

Our schedule has been nothing but packed, and though it has tired me out this week, I am not complaining because every second on this trip has been worth it. Everyday we learn so much, and I have never stopped opening my eyes to the many incredible sights and interesting s the program has offered us. We not only spend time learning in the AIB classrooms, but also spend a great majority of our time on field trips where we actually get to see the history of Europe in front of our eyes.

My favorite "tour" thus far has been the visit inside the Gestapo prison in Cologne. Learning about what happened in Germany during World War II is particularly interesting to me, especially because the schools in America put a big emphasis on this time of the world. The inside of the prison and the people's writings on the walls were inexplicably amazing to see. It was as if we were actually living during the time of the war and  witnessing what the people had to go through. Stories about prisoners who escaped and lived happily ever after, or those who were counting down the days of their execution...it was so interesting to hear about all of these different people and how what exactly they went through during this time.

One thing I also particularly enjoy about this trip is getting to experience the contrasting lifestyles between Americans and Europeans. Overall, Germans seem to live a "greener" lifestyle than us Americans, and this is very attractive to me. I like that host families have a separate waste container for compost. I like that public transportation is so common here and therefore saves a great deal of gas and money on cars. I like that the showers and toilets can be turned on and off for water-saving purposes. Being a huge fan of recycling myself, I am very fond of a lot of these habits in Germany.

It has only been a week and I have learned so much. I have so many pictures on my camera it is almost overwhelming. We are going to Munich in a couple of hours, then in Vienna for the next week, and Prague next weekend. I cannot wait to see what the next four weeks has in store for me!