Trip Takeaways

The six weeks since I got back from the trip were very strange, especially compared to the trip itself. Settling in to a comfortable routine to prepare for the school year at home was a refreshing change, despite being a lot less exciting than rushing around Europe, The last three weeks were spent at College Station, preparing a new class of freshman for the trials of their fish year. This was an exhausting period of time, with early mornings and late nights and long days spent in the Texas sun.

Being back in the States has given me a little bit of time to process everything that I did in Europe. I totaled seven countries in the six weeks of the trip, and I feel like every place I went taught me something different, and that there was a lesson to be learned from every culture and people that I saw.

Brussels showed me how being open to visitors and willing to adopt multiple languages can create a city and country that is welcoming and diverse, with an inclusive mindset being key there.

In Paris, I learned what it felt like to be actively disliked by the majority of people. I felt their discrimination against Americans, and I saw firsthand what idealism, extreme wealth, and a touch of corruption can turn a city into (Versailles was the best example).

The Irish demonstrated an incredible degree of openness and friendliness. Dublin was this beautiful bastion of welcoming smiles and good times, enabled by hard workers and cold drinks. I've never been to a place so upbeat and open.

Amsterdam helped me appreciate a lesson my old friend had taught me, that taking life too seriously is the fastest way to make yourself miserable. Being flexible and able to adapt, to change plans, helped me enjoy the city both times I went, once with friends and once on my own to fly home.

Austria gave me the perspective that death can be welcomed, and that even grim ideas can be appreciated, even celebrated, to help bolster spirits when things get tough. The Viener's take on death has allowed them to take the biggest fears of most people and turn them into an iconic part of their culture.

Going to Prague lent me a new perspective on urban environments, and the beauty of architecture. I also took away an open-mindedness thanks to the compression of huge numbers of people around me through all parts of my visit to Prague.

Last but not least, Germany and her people gave me many lessons. Austerity in living, both in plainness and seriousness. Being open to new people and languages and foods and lifestyles. A serious dedication to what is better for the environment, from recycling to public transit. However, my favorite thing about the Germans is the genuine nature of their interactions. The respect of being on time and the honesty of every conversation was amazing, and probably the thing I miss most of all.

I hope that I remember all of these lessons, and apply them in my life from this summer forward. I want these experiences to improve me, and to better inform me as I press forward in my life and make decisions and have influence on people as a leader and learner.