I did not miss the Texas heat

             I began my last week in Europe saying goodbye to Bonn. The week began with a bed bug scare, we thought we may have picked them up at our hotel in Munich. So I got to experience the pleasure of carrying every article of clothing I brought on this trip across town to the AIB so they could get treated. Luckily, I think the bed bug scare was JUST a scare, but better to be safe than sorry! While Madison and I's clothes were cooking (we were sadly both affected by the possible bugs), we went to Tacos in downtown Bonn to meet up with our buddies. Tacos had kind of become a safe haven for us; it was one of our favorite hang out spots. Tacos had great cocktails and the closest thing to Mexican food that we had found in Germany. We were super emo about this being our last time there (or so we thought), but we just spent the night laughing about the bed bugs before we all went our respective ways.
        The next day marked our final day of class in Bonn. The class went as usual, except we were all a little sad to know that this was the last lecture we'd be hearing in Bonn. For lunch that day, we went to Dim Sum and dined on delicious dumplings. After lunch, we got gelato for one last time. Class got out a little early, and we were all debating what to do before we went home to spend one last night with our host families. Without much convincing, we decided we needed to go to Tacos just one more time. So, we went to tacos and each ordered a new cocktail we had never had and got one last order of nachos. As we were leaving after we paid, our waitress said: "See you tomorrow!". We sadly informed her that this was our last night in Bonn, to which she decided to treat us to free drinks because we were such loyal customers. We then went our separate ways. I spent the night packing and reminiscing on my last night in Bonn.
                 The next morning, I got in a cab at 5:30 am to begin the journey to Berlin. I was excited to visit the city because it was so rich in history, but I was also so incredibly sad. Berlin brought with it my departure from Europe. After arriving in Berlin, we went to the Charite museum. It was super interesting getting to see all the specimens, and Tiny Tom was an awesome guide. After our tour with him, we went on a walking tour around the city. It was so interesting to get to see all of the iconic landmarks of Berlin and to get to hear all the historical facts and stories associated with them. We ended the night eating at a burger place next to the hotel, and hanging out at the bar literally twenty feet away from the hotel's entrance.
              Our second day in Berlin, we were all split up into different groups where we got to experience My Berlin Day. My guide was Mohamad, a Syrian refugee. He took us around the city and showed us landmarks that corresponded with either Nazi Germany or East Berlin, and he related what happened in those locations to events that were happening in Syria. His story was very powerful and made me grateful for the things I may normally take for granted. After going on our tour with Mohamad, he took us to a Syrian restaurant where we gorged ourselves on Syrian food. It was sooo good. Following lunch, we went back to the hotel where we worked on our presentations, before presenting to the rest of the group that night. It was really interesting getting to hear what everyone else learned and experienced that day. After presenting, we went to dinner before spending a night out in Berlin. It was definitely an eventful night to say the least, but it was so much fun.
             Our final day in Berlin began with a tour of a Nazi concentration camp, Sachsenhausen. This was a really powerful tour. Hearing the atrocities the Nazis committed against so many groups of people was horrible, but important. After a depressing tour, we went to lunch before heading to the music museum. Our tour guide was awesome and we had so much fun listening to her play all of the instruments. We then had a short break before we headed as a group to Merhaba for our final dinner. We were surprised about halfway through the meal with a belly dancer. This night was so much fun. We laughed, danced with the belly dancer, sang when Michael played the piano and cried when we realized this was the last time we'd all be together.
        The next morning was my departure from Berlin. The flight from Berlin to Newark went smoothly and was pleasant. Afterward, it went downhill. To make a long story short, I was supposed to home by 6pm and didn't get home until 2 am. But, it could've been worse.
             I'll save most of the sappy stuff for my last blog post, but I really loved this trip and I know it gave me memories I'll cherish forever. Thank you to my parents for giving me the opportunity to have my own hero's journey. And I miss all of y'all already :,)