I am writing this last part of the blog about 4 days after I have come back to the United States. I have gotten over the euphoria of just being back home, and I simply miss a lot of the aspects of Germany and Europe. The train rides along the Rhine every day, the Solo Qui gelato, the meals with my host family, and the weekend trips. Life here in the United States seems a little lackluster, but I am really trying to just look for those small little moments to hold on to just as I did in Germany. That is the perspective that I have gathered from this trip to Germany. Also, I have learned that I need to strive for new experiences. Do with my life what I want to instead of being so cautious.
Now I will get into detailing my last week in Germany. The river cruise of the Rhine was a very nice and peaceful moment. The tour of the Marksburg castle offered some great views of the valley and the whole of the area surrounding the castle. I really enjoyed the tour of the castle, and the rushing down the hill to get to the train on time was quite funny yet exhilarating. The trip to Trier involved one of my last complications involving the DB, a service I have grown to love yet also violently criticize at times. the trip to Trier was an interesting one as I began to see a different perspective than I usually get from my similar BIMS colleagues. Either way, the project was a good exercise in interdisciplinary cooperation that I hope will guide me in my academic pursuits later in my life. The last day in Bonn was a bit anticlimactic as the Rhine walk was enjoyable yet not out of this world. That night is when the interesting started. I was all packed up and about ready to get to sleep and awake early for the train ride when I felt a sudden nausea develop. I felt a need to rush to the restroom which I satisfied, and you can probably guess what happened next. Anyways, I didn't get much sleep that night, but I was determined to get to Berlin, so I woke up and dragged myself to the train station in Bonn with the help of my host mom. The next 10 hours or so of travel and waiting were agonizing, but I eventually made it to the hotel room in Berlin where I subsequently slept for around 15 of the next 17 hours. This refreshed me and I was able to do most of the activities on the second day. I was sad to miss the walking tour of Berlin on the first day, but I simply had to. I'm gonna be honest, Berlin was not my favorite place to be partly because of the whole stomach situation. It felt like a very anticlimactic ending to an amazing trip, but it made me more willing to come home and see my family.
I had to take an overnight train from Berlin to Frankfurt with 3 other people because of a cancelled flight, but we made it to the Frankfurt airport at 2 AM. We had to wait many hours for our flights, but it ended up working out. I arrived in Houston, saw my parents and they took me back to San Antonio where at about 10 PM I promptly passed out on the couch and woke up early in the morning. Just like that I was back in my element, and the trip was over. I am sad it is over, but I am so glad I was able to take part in this amazing opportunity.
Here are 3 pictures without context. Try and find out what they mean.
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