Prague, Berlin, and then The End?

After a ridiculously hot week in Vienna, we went had a wonderfully cool and cloudy weekend in Prague...just kidding. So yeah, after a full week of hot weather, it was another full weekend of sweating! But it was so worth it. Prague was absolutely gorgeous and now a city I consider filled with so many wonderful memories. We did have a little mishap getting there though. Our Flixbus was delayed by two hours, so instead of getting into Prague at midnight, we got in at 2am. Luckily our Airbnb had self check-in, but needless to say, we did not get up as early as we wanted to the next morning. But, we still made it out and about to the Old Town Square for lunch and to see the Astronomical Clock Tower. However, Bridgette, Kim, and I did have some work to do on our papers, so we also spent some quiet time in our Airbnb working away. But, the real fun started that night. The three of us, along with about 10 of our other friends in the study abroad did a "pub" crawl, which really turned out to be a club crawl. Regardless, it was a blast, and we all had a really fun, crazy time! The next day, Kim, Bridgette, and I went exploring in the city again. We got to walk across the beautiful Charles Bridge, which had statue after statue of religious figures, and we slowly made our way to Prague Castle, which was quite a trek, especially in the heat. After what seemed like hundreds of stairs, we made it to Prague castle and toured our way through its beauty. We got to see the basilica of St. Vitus, which was one of the most impressive churches I have ever seen. I was also amazed while wandering through the museums in the castle, as they housed many gorgeous artifacts from the Bohemian kings, like scepters, crowns, and crown jewels, along with many religious artifacts. We also saw the impressive royal palace and the thrown room. After finishing up at the castle, we headed to the airport and back to Bonn!

Our last few days in Bonn were very bittersweet. I was surprised at how comfortable I had gotten with my host parents and my living situation in Bonn, so it was strange to pack everything up and leave. But I was so thankful to have had such wonderful host parents, and I will definitely always remember the wonderful adventures Kim and I had with them.

And then it was on to Berlin! We started off with the city tour, which I loved. I knew that Berlin had a lot of history, obviously. But knowing about history, especially a history like Berlin's, is way different than being in the midst of it and seeing it firsthand. For example, the Soviet bullet holes in so many of the buildings, and the square in which of one of the famous Nazi book burnings took place. Many of the sights we saw sent a chill up my spine, such as the memorials for all those who had lost their lives from the war, especially the Memorial for Murdered Jews of Europe. As we walked through the slabs of concrete, and they kept getting deeper and deeper, I couldn't help but feel like I was getting lost among a sea of death and nothingness. It was powerful. I also had an uneasy feeling standing before Brandenburg gate, which both the Nazi and Soviet Armies marched through. It was chilling to think that I had stood where Hitler once stood. It was also amazing to see the remnants of the Berlin Wall, which I had expected to be taller, and not so plain. It's interesting to think that this huge symbol of oppression and division was not all that impressive.

The next day was My Berlin Day. I have to admit, I was not very excited for this when Dr. Wasser first described it to us. I went into thinking that it would be just another long day of touring museum after museum, but with the added bonus of a project presentation at the end. However, that could not have been any further away from what I experienced. Niko, our guide, was one of the most interesting and genuine person I have ever met and he ended up truly influencing the way I look at the world, after only a few hours. From the moment he began talking, I could tell that it was not going to be a normal day. From the very first meditation circle we did, I was immediately so relaxed. And that relaxed, peaceful mindset was carried with us throughout the entire day and we hiked up through gorgeous nature just outside of Berlin to Devil's mountain, where the old Army watch post used to  be, which has now been turned into a grafitti park. Although the lookout point was the main goal for the day, we learned so much along the way about mindfullness and paying attention to all of the sounds around us, whether those are "city" sounds, or "nature" sounds, and noting the difference between the two. I truly loved every minute of our day with Niko, and was so thankful that I got to have him for a guide. The next day was our last full day in Berlin, and it did not disappoint. The Sachsenhausen concentration camp was a powerful and depressing experience, but I am glad that I was able to see a concentration camp, as I think it is important in fully understanding what the victims went through. Later that day was the Berlin Haus der Musik, which may have been my favorite museum we went to! I was in heaven seeing all the beautiful instruments and playing a couple of notes on a valve-less trumpet. And not to mention the awesome cinema organ! I could have stayed there all day listening to our amazing tour guide play that thing. I had never seen anything like it.

And finally, the farewell dinner. The fact that the program was ending was not real for me until the dinner, and it hit me hard at the end. But, I had an amazing time reminiscing with my newfound friends over the memories we shared on the trip, dancing with the belly dancer, singing my heart out to the songs played on the piano (shout out to Michael's amazing piano playing). There were many tears and hugs that night, and it was a perfect end to the program.

I never could have expected the impact that this program would have on me. I made so many friendships and gained so many experiences. My view of the world has definitely been changed, and I can't wait to see how that affects my daily life back in Texas. I'm so thankful for all the memories I got to make, and so depressed that it is all over. Now, it's back to real life in Texas!