Ich bin ein Berliner

Contrary to the title of this blog, I am actually not a Berliner (or a jelly donut). Instead, I am just passing through. I had a great time in Berlin, and it might have been one of my favorite excursions. The walking tour the group went on with Ryan was amazing, and I really got to learn a lot about the history of Berlin. Even though I had background knowledge on Berlin, there was a lot I didn't know, and this walking tour helped me get my bearings and learn more about Berlin's history. Walking through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was insane. Even though it was more abstract than most memorials, I feel like I interpreted it in a way the artist wanted: the gradual rise of the blocks represented the gradual oppression of the Jews. Furthermore, it was easy to get lost in the blocks, showing how it was easy to get separated from your loved ones. Even though this was a very serious memorial, I appreciated it and felt like I learned a lot. I also appreciated the empty library monument in Bebel Platz. That was very sad to see and learn about. The last somber moment I'll talk about was the tour at Sachsenhausen. I learned a lot about concentration camps and the Holocaust in elementary school and high school, and getting to see a camp like this in real life was difficult. There is obviously so much sadness surrounding these places in Berlin, but it's important to remember these moments so that it doesn't happen again. I'm really grateful I got to see these parts of history in real life. 

Despite these sad parts of Berlin, there were places I greatly enjoyed. I loved the last group dinner we had together, and the belly dancer was so fun! The food was great, and the company was even better. I also enjoyed going to the karaoke bar afterwards with some people from the group. I also had a great time at the museum for musical instruments. At first, I was skeptical about it because I didn't know anything about musical instruments or music in general, but the tour guide we had was awesome. He did a great job teaching us history and demonstrating how the instruments work. The organs was the best part. 

Overall, Berlin was great. I learned a lot and made some great memories. It was a perfect end to our amazing time abroad, and I'll miss being in Europe with everyone.