Blog 10: Exploring Berlin

The final day in Bonn really did not feel like the final day. I found myself on the tram home realizing that would be my last tram ride home from AIB. Forever. Then I flashback to all the lasts I've had and realize how I went about my business without really trying to savor the moment. I'm not sure I necessarily regret this. I do wonder if I would of tried to savor those moments more if I realized the end was so near. Ultimately my last night in the city is uneventful, just a relaxing evening with the host family.

Of course it’s the last day and I miss my bus. I end up arriving at HBF right on time though. When we were all together, the catching and missing of trains on the way to Berlin came naturally. I know if that were our first week I would have been more stressed out, but after missing upwards of 30 connections(I'm guessing, but that number doesn’t sound unreasonable.) missing one train because the one we were on was late, was just a fact of life and easy to not worry about. We found another train and had to sit in free, unreserved seats. There were many stops between Bonn and Berlin, and at every one of these stops more people would enter the train, kicking out some people in our group and forcing them to relocate. When we finally made it to Berlin the trip to the hotel seemed to take forever. Its always exhausting to walk somewhere new because you don't know how much farther there is to walk. Of course dragging over 50 pounds of luggage didn't help.

We didn't have much time to relax in our new hotel rooms, as we had a bike tour to get to. On the bike tour we got to see many different places of significance in Berlin, including a set of stairs where Hitler gave a speech, the Berlin wall, and the Holocaust memorial. The Holocaust memorial really did an excellent job of making those who walk through it feel small and alone. also i can definitely say the bike ride in Berlin was much easier than the one in Norderney, the helmets were weird to adjust to but considering we were weaving in and out of traffic and around pedestrians i understand why we were required to wear them.

The next day was our trip to the concentration camp. It was more than half an hour(or so it felt) on the tram and the 15 min of walking. We got brief lessons before entering each part of the camp. Learning about Nazi Germany in a classroom is one thing but actually being at the same place it all happened is a totally different experience. I couldn't help imagining my classmates and I as prisoners at the camp. After all we were the prime working aged. the accounts of what happened on those grounds really is an excellent example of how how evil exists in our world. What really got to me was the sign that translated to "work will set you free". First off the fact that these words were on the gate that physically kept the people inside from being free was  crazy.  Then you have the fact that the real freedom for those sent here was death. They didn't know when the war would end or if they would ever be rescued or released so in the end it was work till you die...then and only then you were finally free. Thinking about it still gives me chills.

That evening we were supposed to have lunch at the potato basement(I don't recall the actual name, but it was underground and they served potato almost exclusively). However as soon as the waiter heads off to start on our drink order, I'm summoned by Henning and we learn we have to leave without our food to get to my doctors appointment. The sick feeling I described in earlier blogs had only worsened. We make it to the clinic right on time and do the typical check in and filling out a bit of paper work. With Hennings translation assistance we get it all filled out with no problems. After about 10 min I'm called in to see the doctor. I don't sit on a bed with a white sheet on it, I just sit across from him at his desks and he asks me about my symptoms. I describe the coughing, the difficulty breathing, and sore throat that have been bugging me for the past few days with no signs of improvement. After examining my breathing with a stethoscope he determines I have a simple case of bronchitis, and gives my some prescription medicine to help fight it off, and sleep better. The final bill for the appointment was around 30 euros with no insurance, and the medicine was about 20. This seemed significantly cheaper than if I were to have the same appointment and medicine prescribed in the US. That didn't surprise me. After picking up the medicine we learn that our lunch with the rest of the group had come and gone so we stop at a Greek food place on the way back to the hotel. That night I really wanted to go out but ultimately my body was not having it so I stayed home with Emily for the rest of the evening. Which might not have been a bad choice considering the purse snatchers and aggressive club goers that seemed to find the group of students that went out that night.

Our third full day in Berlin and I start feeling a little better. We got to the alchemy museum and it's a beautiful collection of art, history, and science. For lunch most everyone went to this restaurant in a covered plaza to avoid the rain while found a Starbucks and worked on my paper by myself. I knew I wasn't going to want to do it after the blink 182 concert. but i met up with them later to get gelato and walk to the ottobock. I didn't realize there were going to be so many interactive displays. The whole place was filled with learning opportunities. I had just completed A&P 1 at A&M before this program so i was quite familiar with bones muscles ligaments tendons and joints.  We had some free time after the prosthetic place, but i was too tired to go out. instead i took a nap before the concert that.  Getting to see blink 182 live was truly awesome. There was so much angst in the air and everyone was having a good time. I couldn't really have more than one beer considering my health status so i was noticeably more sober than my friends but i still had a good time. 

That night we went to the same place Henning and I stopped at the other day and got Doner and Falafels. I got back to the hotel and fell straight asleep trying to recharge as much as I could before our last full day in Germany. The last day in Germany felt very similar to the last day in Bonn, like it couldn't possibly be the last. The Hero's Journey was coming to a close and I wasn't ready to stop traveling. Luckily I had a new adventure waiting for me just 3 hours away in London...