Wrapping Up Our Transformative Experience

With the little amount of health in me for the past couple of weeks, I have recouped my energy in preparation for the last week of this study abroad. Bonn has become a second home for me, whenever I arrive back after a week or a weekend away I get that warm fuzzy feeling inside like I was arriving back into America. Dare to say, it felt good to go back to class. On Monday, among other things, we learned that when a light bulb idea comes into your head, particularly for research in science, to not let it pass because you might win a Nobel Prize for it. Since I had been consistently ill for the past 3 weeks, I had utilized my time in Bonn to rejuvenate, as I caught up on all of the missing sleep I had passed from traveling. On Wednesday, we left for Berlin, in which I anticipated the heat to be the first welcome into the city. During the bus city tour once we arrived, I had got to see the “sparknotes”  version of Berlin, driving by the Brandenburg gate and visiting the East Side Gallery among other things. The next day was the awaited My Berlin Day, where my group and I were  greeted by a Syrian Refugee who had fled in 2014 to come make a new life of himself once he had received a mandatory service to the military letter when he was 18. His name was Mohammed and he had taken our group around the city to reflect on Germany’s history and how it parallels with the state of Syria today. I had heard and briefly glanced among the Syrian Refugee Crisis, but to be able to hear the story myself from the flesh of the one who has lived through it was completely different. He had explained his gruesome journey to Germany and for every word that had spoken about it, the more grateful I became for the life I live now. We had wrapped up our tour with a Syrian lunch, which had one of the most delicious foods I’ve had on this trip thus far. It was inspiring to meet an individual that, despite the obstacles that were placed in front of him, did not give up and managed to make a new life out of himself. We had gone back to a house to present our group’s day along with watched other group’s presentation. I was thoroughly entertained about what others had done, and in some sense was jealous of the fact that I could not go through all of their days too. It was amazing to see a group of 19, 20 and 21 year olds process experiences in a mature and appreciative way that I had only expected out of the older adults. I had wrapped up that night by going to a “Fairytale Bar”, which was ominous looking from the outside, blacked out doors that were locked until you rang a doorbell. But, then I was greeted by a man in a card-suit who had delivered our menus- a fairytake book that had drinks pasted onto the pages along with an “eat me” “drink me” portion (that was cake and a tiny citrus shot in a test tube). The next morning, we had left to visit the Charite Museum by a guide who came to be known as Tiny Tom. The exhibition was astounding, the number of preserved specimens-from a megacolon to a full grown fetus- and organs as well as antique surgical instruments were incomparable.  However, what truly set this tour apart from anything I had ever experienced was the tour guide himself. Tiny Tom would deliver information in a story like way, using his tone and hand motions to draw you to the edge of your seat. Every word that he spoke, he spoke with passion and it was infectious. We had then followed it by a trip to the Sachsenhaus Concentration Camp. Much to my expectation, it was eerie, with the openness of the camp with the information being told by the guide of the history leaving much of the gaps to be filled with our imagination. The stories that the guide would tell in great detail put a reality check to our past; the things we hear about and learn in class are known to be true. But, to be standing on the groups and to point to the exact location where things happened is a different story, some I will never forget. We had wrapped up the final night by eating at a Lebaneese Restaurant where I had my final deep, thoughtful conversations with the people I adored.

 And this is where my reflection comes in-going through my teenage and young adult years I had been familiar with the idea of meaningful conversations. From time to time, there was a subject that popped up and the parties would provide their respective opinions. What really set the conversations I had on this trip apart from anything I’ve had before was that I learned how to use my voice. I had always had certain views on subject matters before, but I’ve never been able to express it the way I did on this trip. Being able to formulate responses and questions while thinking about what I was actually saying, rather than just saying it, set myself apart on this journey. It has provided the foundational knowledge and fundamental confidence that I could use beyond now: during interviews, through medical school and so on. How I choose to think about my opinions and carry myself through it has taught me great importance. And although I could not ask for a better last night to remember-our professor, and whole class practically, dancing along a belly dancer-what I will truly remember is how I’ve learned to accept growth in experience and not to be so hesitant to change.  Change is a scary thing- the idea of it alone can make me uncomfortable. But, not all change is bad, and I have to constantly remind myself of this. For the greatest changes in my life will leave behind the biggest marks that I can now acknowledge as growth.