Duesseldorf Digest and Bonn Blog: This is not goodbye

After we got back to Bonn, we began our very last week in Europe. We only had two days left in Bonn; therefore, most of us were trying to make the most out of our time there. At this point, we only had two days of classes left, and it was sad when we had our last lectures. We will never have two professors like Wasser and Waltz again.

Monday and Tuesday, we just spent the day finalizing Neurophysiology of Music and History of Medicine in Europe. Those days we finished class relatively early, which gave us some free time in the afternoons. Like I previously mentioned, we used the free time we got to enjoy Bonn and make a few more memories to bring back home. Since we were almost leaving, we visited the beer garden next to the Rhine one more time. Also got the BIGGEST gelato I could eat (I managed to finish it, but I almost couldn’t). By Monday, the class that I’ll be taking during the second half of the summer had already started, so I had to find time to work on my assignments for the class.

For our last night in Bonn, my host mom (Rosa) took us (me and Melissa) out to eat at a beer garden near the house. The view was beautiful, we were sitting next to the Rhine and could see everything, mountains, and castles, it was a perfect location for a good-bye dinner. The dinner was terrific, but the whole time, I had a feeling of sadness. During those six weeks, I spent at Rosa’s it was impossible not to get somehow attached to her. She offered us her house and made us feel at home while we were away from home, therefore, saying good-bye was not easy.

We headed out to Berlin on Wednesday morning for what would be our very last excursion. Berlin was extraordinary. I loved the city. Since the moment I arrived there, it felt great, the people were terrific, and once again, the food was GREAT! (I bet I won I few pounds while in Europe). During our first day in Berlin, we had a guided tour of the city. During the tour, we were taken to see different landmarks. Some of the ones we visited included: The Holocaust Memorial and the Museum Island. During the tour, we were able to see the scars that the Nazi Period left in Berlin, and also, many simple, but impressive monuments to the victims of this time in history.

Thursday was one of my favorite days of the whole trip. Thursday was the day when we did “My Berlin Day,” which spoiler, is not about MY Berlin. At that point, I still didn’t have a Berlin of my own. We were given a tour by Jan Fischer, who is an architect born in New York City, and a Berliner for the last 25 years. As an Architect, he showed us his version of Berlin, the buildings, the story behind them, and some significant monuments, but yet, might be unnoticed by people. The first monument we visited was a monument dedicated to the T4 victims. The memorial consisted of 3 main elements: a blue glass wall, a wall with information regarding the T4 massacre, and a plaque honoring the victims. What was the most shocking to me, is that since this monument is dedicated to the people killed between 1939 and 1945 for having some disability, the memorial is designed, so it is accessible to people with ANY disability.

The second monument we visited was The Bendlerblock (The German Resistance Memorial). This monument is easy to miss and is dedicated to the five organizers of the very last failed attempt to kill Hitler. These five militiamen were considered traitors for a long time because they tried to kill Hitler. After a while, Germans began to realize that they were heroes instead of traitors. This memorial is located right next to the Federal Ministry of Defense. The goal is to continually remind members of the German army that their duty is to the people of Germany, and not to follow orders given to them blindly.

The very last memorial we visited was The Bundeswehr Memorial. This memorial is also located next to the Federal Ministry of Defense. This memorial is dedicated to all the people who have lost their lives in the service of Germany.

We also visited that day the Berlin State Library, which is a hidden gem in the center of Berlin.

For our last day in Berlin, we had a guided tour of a concentration camp. Just being there and listening to all the atrocities that took place here was a moving experience. From the other side of the world we get to study and learn what happened during this time, but getting to see where some of it happened, and in the conditions in which people living in concentration camps lived is something else.

Later in the afternoon to bring the group’s mood up, we visited the House of Music. Here we got to see a massive collection of musical instruments beginning with instruments from many (manyyyyyy) years ago. We also got to enjoy watching our tour guide playing some of them, which was stunning, she was a great player, and we enjoyed the show.

To finish our last day in Europe, we had a farewell dinner. Here finally, all emotions came out, some of us cried, while others did the best to keep it together. This dinner officially marked the end of our trip, and therefore, it was a little hard not to feel sad and happy at the same time. During the dinner we had a belly dancer perform for us, and we eventually belly danced too, some of us were good at it, some of us not so good. This night could not have been any better. Now our hero’s journey is completed. We bring home with us the memories, the knowledge, the friendships.

To Alexa, Brian, Prof Waltz, and Dr. Wasser: I will be forever grateful for this experience. Thank you so much for always being there for us. Thank you for the memories and your dedication to the program.

To everyone else: it was great to meet you all. I hope to see you all again someday.