Alright, Let’s Do This One Last Time

When I received the email saying it was time to write the final post, it felt like no time had passed since the trip ended. I’ve pretty much been busy every day after we said our goodbyes in Berlin. Instead of directly coming back to the United States, I visited Venice, Rome, Florence, London and Paris and then made my way home. About a week later, I moved back to College Station and started Resident Advisor training. The past few weeks have been a blur of presentations, team-building exercises, and residents checking in.

I’ve felt so rushed lately, I haven’t even thought to look back and reflect on my summer abroad. When I force myself to think What was the most transformative part of the trip? How was I changed? and other deep questions, I can’t really seem to find an answer. I know that I am now more appreciative of certain aspects of the US, like tap water being free, pirating videos, and air conditioning.

Though, there are some things I miss about Bonn and Germany. In Texas, everything is so far away. No stores are as conveniently close as the Haribo store was to my host home. Sales tax has always confused me, but it does so even more now that I know the benefits of the euro.

I remember some of the course work we did and the sites we visited, but most of my memories are the random, daily experiences of life abroad. One of my favorite memories was the last night in Berlin when the belly dancing show turned into a full-on dance party. Some things that I thought were terrible don’t seem too bad now (however, I still remember how cold my feet were on the mud flats).

Even though I don’t feel like I’ve changed a lot, my friends often tell me to stop talking about Europe. Things are back to normal here in College Station, and I’ve only seen a handful of people from the trip. It’s weird how I spent every day for those six weeks with a group of people, but don’t hang out with them now. I guess, overall, what I am most grateful for is the friends I made this summer and the time I spent with them.

To anyone reading this in preparation for their own study abroad, I have three pieces of advice:

1. Nothing will go exactly as planned, and that’s OK.
2. Believe in yourself. You may be nervous about going to a new place, but when the moment comes, you’ll find the confidence you need.
3. Buckle your seatbelt, because a trip with Dr. Wasser and Professor Waltz will be one hell of a ride.