Frohes Neues Jahr!

   I've always been intrigued at different New Years celebrations across the globe, but never did I imagine I'd be able to experience any firsthand. The Brandenburg Gate and "party mile" we spent the holiday was everything I expected it to be, filled with people from every nation excited to ring in the new year. As the crowd yelled "drei, zwei, eins," fireworks and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought us into 2014. But what a year 2013 was, and ending it on this amazing study abroad program only seemed fit.
   The last days of 2013 were filled with new friends and adventures. From currywurst to viewing my first surgery, Germany has provided so many opportunities already. What struck me most about the cities we visited was the assimilation of the ancient and the modern. The thriving shops and markets of Cologne still line the same street as the shops of the Romans, and a few meters under the soil of Bonn lies an ancient heated floor. The United States prides itself on its history, yet here many of the buildings are older than our nation's founding.
   Throughout my history classes I have always been taught the Allie's version of World War II, Germany=bad and America=good. And for all intensive purposes, this sentiment is true. But what I never really learned was the humanity of the German people. They were not simply the enemy, but families and children who were swayed by a manipulating dictatorship. Visiting the Gestapo prison in Cologne and discussing the euthanasia program T-4 truly showed the cruelty and sadistic nature of the Nazis. Yet the Nazi party is not synonymous with the Germans, and Germany has taken great efforts to move on from this period they wish to forget.
     As we begin exploring Berlin and taking a peek into its past, it's incredibly important to realize how much the German people have accomplished. Today they are one of the globe's largest powers with one of the top healthcare systems. The new year will hopefully bring even more lessons and widen my knowledge of the European way of life. Cheers to 2014, to new friends, and to the new experiences that await us!