Last week in Bonn

Time has flown. That's all I can really say. It seems like yesterday we were just arriving and meeting our host families and now we have spent our last week with them. I'm not quite sure I am ready to leave Europe completely, but I am starting to miss home quite a bit. I'm not sure if I really miss home or if it's just the mexican food and having my own car and free water and A/C that I miss so much. Oh and of course I miss my friends and family. I have been fortunate with my host mom being Hilde. She truly treated Maggie and I like we were her own and I am going to be sad when we leave in the morning for Berlin.

Last weekend, we went to Paris. While it was a very short trip due to train complications, we saw a lot in our time there. The Notre Dame Cathedral wasn't very massive in size after being in, on top of, and outside the Cologne Cathedral but it was still impressive. My favorite part was the Eiffel Tower at night. While we were on our way to Paris Friday evening, there was a shooting in Munich in which a lot of civilians were killed. Saturday night as we made our way to the grass area to sit and watch the Eiffel Tower light up, I noticed the colors weren't just the bright white lights that normally shine at night. However the top of the tower was dark, the middle section was red, and the bottom was gold. It was lit in the colors of the German flag. This touched my heart to see that even though the world seems to be falling apart at times and there is so much evil within, countries are continuing to stand together and show their love and support for one another in such a tough time. It was heartwarming considering Germany has been my home for the past month.

This last week in Bonn has been nice. It wasn't too crazy and fast paced. We finally got to slow down and take it all in before we head off for our last excursion. Most of the week we just had lecture which for the most part was interesting enough, I just really liked having a normal schedule and not running around 24/7. We did get to go to the Cologne Zoo and have a behind the scenes visit with the elephants. And the BEST part of all....we got to pet and feed them! It was absolutely amazing!! I felt like such a carefree kid again and not one who is approaching college graduation and the "real" world. The elephants were so patient with us and calm. They were very intelligent and knew what was going on. They weren't aggressive and they definitely enjoyed all the treats we fed them. It started out with just one elephant, but when the others noticed that the one was receiving treats they were quick to join the party as well. Petting the elephants is one thing I will never forget.

Another day we did a tour of the Rhine river. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We had lunch right on the Rhine and then got to ride a boat down the river just taking in all the beautiful scenes as we passed by. You could look at the mountains and clearly see the history that lives there. Every time I looked upstream there was another castle in view, granted most of them were just ruins but each one was so different and had its own story. I wish we could've stopped and looked at all of them, but getting to wander around one was great. The entire time I was on the ruins I kept imagining what it was like back in the day when the castle was lively and filled with people. I imagined myself in an elegant dress wandering the courtyard (yes I was one of those kids that always wanted to be a princess and sometimes I still like to believe in a fairytale like Cinderella) with all the townsfolk. It might not have been the largest most extravagant castle but you could see the detail and the beauty in the ruins.

Tonight, Maggie and I will spend our last night under Hilde's roof in Bonn. We have made so many memories already and I am sadden to see the program come to an end. However, we still have the rest of the week to explore Berlin and make as many more memories as we can!

Until next time!