The final week of the trip was a mixture of excitement, fun, and melancholy. The activities we did in Berlin were exceptional, but it was also overshadowed by the constant feeling that the trip was coming to an end.
Upon arrival to Berlin, we jumped straight onto a tour bus and dove into the historical district. I found this tour very interesting especially because it was easy to paint a picture in my head of what the city once was. Seeing all of the old buildings, the remnants of the wall, and clearly being able to see the difference between what was once the East and the West was amazing. The history of the city is endless; I truly wish we could have spent more time.
My Berlin Day was undeniably my favorite day of the entire trip. Nico was our tour guide, and his character truly made the day special because there never was a dull moment. We spent the day listening to the different soundscapes all over Berlin. We would spend time closing our eyes and meditating on the sounds all around us in various ways. First we listened to the city, and all of the traffic and people bustling by. Then we moved onto the tram, and examined how we never would think to meditate on a place like that. Once we exited the tram, there was a totally different feeling and side of Berlin that we had not yet been exposed to. It was quiet, but still a part of the big city. We began to hike to Devil’s Mountain. A mountain that was built on the debris of World War II. This was so mind blowing to me, because something so beautiful came out of the destruction, and as we hiked there were moments you could see a brick or metal sticking out of the trail. At the top of this mountain was an abandoned listening station that was now covered in graffiti. This was not the average graffiti that is often seen around the city, it was very expertly done and often had comic relief. During this hike we listened to so many different sounds including: bees, birds, the crunch of our feet, the sound of us eating wild plums, the clink of our drinks, and the sound of us obnoxiously saying Howdy. It was the perfect day, especially after the constant feeling of always being on the go. The group we had was also amazing, everyone was so open to what Nico wanted to show us and we genuinely just enjoyed each other’s company.
The next morning, we kicked off the day by visiting a museum of medicine. This museum was quite interesting and different than the rest, we had a great guide who enjoyed telling us full stories of patients with very odd cases. We also got the pleasure of seeing many well preserved specimens including a megacolon. Our afternoon was spent at a concentration camp near Berlin. This experience was very eye-opening. Actually standing in a place of so much pain and suffering is not something that can be recreated in a classroom setting. It is so hard to imagine that such terror actually existed in this world, but once you are looking at the buildings and standing on the same ground it is such an impactful experience.
Later that night, we all went to our final dinner of the trip. This dinner was both somber and celebratory. We had an amazing summer together, but it was hard to admit that it was time to return home. The food was great, but the best thing was the belly dancer that surprised us at dinner. Seeing everybody, including Dr. Wasser, dance along and laugh with the group was the best way to end such a trip.
The journey home was a hero’s journey in itself. First, I woke up at 4:20 am to arrive for my 6:45 am flight only to discover that my flight was at 7:45. Next once I finally sat down in my seat, another man had the same seat number and I had to wait until the plane was fully boarded to find a seat that was left over. My long flight home went as planned thankfully, however that is not the difficult part. The true hero’s journey was trying to navigate my way from Houston to College Station with no Google Maps because my phone is still broken. This may seem easy to most people, but anyone who knows me would agree that I lack any sense of direction.
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