Last Hurrah

Per usual, I am a little behind on posting this final blog from the regular routine. Might as well keep it consistent down the last stretch, right?

My last couple days in Bonn were spent trying and failing to wrap my head around everything I had done, and the idea of leaving. Saying my last goodbyes to my host family was tough as well. My host mom had me write a farewell letter for her to be a part of her collection, which included all of the other people she has hosted over the years. It was a very exclusive club that I feel honored to be a part of, and was an awesome way to say goodbye. I wish I was a better writer or had more paper so that I could express even more what she and the city of Bonn and her family and all of it came to mean to me.

Berlin was crazy. It felt like standing in history that just happened. The concentration camp was poignant, the remnants of the Wall were shocking. Berlin was a demonstration of just how out of control things can become if you begin to treat your own people as Outsiders. I felt like the weight of history was well illustrated here, and it weighed heavily upon us as each new place was visited. However, the light in this darkness came in the "My Berlin Day" that my group spent with Nico. It was a nice reminder to be mindful of the sights and sounds around you, and how being mindful can be a simple way to improve and enrich your experiences in everyday life. It was a great counterpoint for the more grim scenes that had been painted as the week played out. The farewell dinner was awesome as well, with people reflecting before the fun began.

My flight was on Monday, so I spent my last weekend in Amsterdam (it was much cheaper to fly from here). I mostly stayed in and slept, but spent one evening watching the new Spider-Man movie. Without spoiling too much, it was cool to see the movie visit so many places that I had been to during my trip. My journey home was rather long, and included sleeping on a bench in JFK during a 14 hour layover and nearly missing my final flight to Charlotte thanks to the terminal being changed last minute. Now, its just back to my humdrum daily lifestyle until I return to Texas in a couple weeks.