I miss Europe!!!

We are supposed to blog one last time, so here it goes:

I miss Europe, especially Germany so much!!! As soon as I got home I went into shock and wanted to get right back on a plane headed for Germany. It all of a sudden hit me how loud public places are in America and it was strange to hear English everywhere I went. I noticed how dirty American cities are and it was weird seeing so many SUVS and trucks. Being in Germany made me realize how wasteful Americans are and how we don't take as much care and value in our surroundings. Also, it was hard adapting to how hot it is in Texas and how cold it is inside because of air conditioning.
I do enjoy having free bathrooms and free refills once again. Meals are also cheaper here, even though the food isn't as good.

As soon as I got home, I organized my thousands, and I mean thousands, of pictures. I printed 500 of them off to make an album/scrapbook. I'm almost done. I've been showing everybody pictures. I notice how almost everything I say starts with "In Germany"...my friends and family are probably getting tired of hearing me talk about it so much. This trip was the best experience of my life. All of the culture, history, art and everything else was just so much better than anything you can find in the states. This trip made me more open-minded. One of the things I have noticed the most after being back, sadly, is that I have lost pride in being an American. I think that after hearing so many different perspectives about our country made me realize that foreigners are losing respect for us and we need to make changes to get our country back on track. I am still thankful to be from such a powerful and free country, but I don't want our country to be disliked by so many others.

Well, good luck to everyone this semester and I'm glad you all made it back safe and sound. I'm thankful to see so many of you around campus and to have classes with you!!! Hopefully we can always keep the friendships that we made!

My family away from home

Today will be my last day in Germany, and unfortunately i have to spend it by myself. I just got back to Dusseldorf from Berlin, and my flight leaves tomorrow. There are other people that are leaving tomorrow also, but they are leaving from Berlin. I regret not doing that myself.
The train ride back to Dusseldorf was tough. The whole time i sat there and thought about the past five weeks. How ive seen everyone in the program just about every day. Now, although we'll be in school at A&M, it wont be the same. We wont be in the same classes, and chances are we may never cross paths as we walk through campus.
I sat on the train remembering the good times we had together. Eventhough we didnt go out and drink as much i would have liked, the few times we did were great. Everyone got along (for the most part) and there wasnt any drama (that i know of) that got in the way of us having a good time.
Each of us had our own unique personality. I will alway remember Larry´s Dwiggymon jokes. Dustin as my travel buddy and roomate, and his outgoing personality. Joey´s "Danke Shön." Sarah`s Forrest Gump quotes. Kat as being one of the guys. Kimberly's friendliness. Michelle's split personality (she can be quiet at times, but when you talk to her she's hilarious). Laura's kindness. Andrew's alcoholism (hahaha....not really, but he can drink like a German). Jacob always having a clever joke. Braden's knowledge about farm animals (freaking genius). Meredith never turning down a beer. Kendall my fellow Austinite. Matt's stories. Hannah's love for shopping.The time Jennifer and ran down our night cruise ("im losing it"). Leigh, the Canadien. Chris' night in Zurich. And Kaylee's "duber" (the word, not the actual thing).
A couple of summers ago, i was in the same situation. That night as i was saying good bye to my yellowstone coworkers, someone said "after tonight, you will never be with the same group of people in one room again." So far this person has been right, i have met up with people from that summer, but we have never been together as a group again. I really hope that doesnt happen with this group, and i've got a feeling that it wont.
While we are in College Station, lets make sure we say hi to each other when we walk by, and hang out every once in a while. Even if it's just to have dinner or something. Lets never forget the time we spent together in Germany, and how we bonded together as a family.

This is Hanna's blog...

I am having technical problems with my blackberry so I am using Kim's to blog. Today is our last day in Berlin. Our flight leaves at 930 tomorrow morning. The time has gone by so fast. We had a bike tour here on Tuesday. That was my favorite tour so far. This city is very interesting and has a lot of history. There are also a lot of hippies, artists and musicians. On our bike tour, we rode through a park and it reminded me of somewhere in Austin. Today Sarah, Kim and I went to the Berlin Zoo and saw Knut. That was really neat because he is so famous all over the world. Tonight is our farewell dinner. I am excited, but it is also sad to think about. My host mom sent me an email yesterday. I am going to miss them a lot but am looking forward to seeing my family tomorrow.

This is Hanna's blog...

Berlin

I only have 15 more minutes of Blackberrying so I have to make this one short!

I am so glad to be in Berlin again! It is so beautiful and there's always something to do! I went to KaDeWe today and was blown away by the gourmet foods section. It was full of things I'm desperate to bring home! I bought a ton of chocolate and some coffee too. It figured these are things my family would love. I can't wait to show them these things!

Its strange that I'm going to be home tomorrow! I'm sad about leaving Germany, but it will be nice to be home. I miss my family, A/C, and steak!

Berlin

I only have 15 more minutes of Blackberrying so I have to make this one short!

I am so glad to be in Berlin again! It is so beautiful and there's always something to do! I went to KaDeWe today and was blown away by the gourmet foods section. It was full of things I'm desperate to bring home! I bought a ton of chocolate and some coffee too. It figured these are things my family would love. I can't wait to show them these things!

Its strange that I'm going to be home tomorrow! I'm sad about leaving Germany, but it will be nice to be home. I miss my family, A/C, and steak!

Well I guess this is my last blog. I'm really going to miss this blackberry. :( this morning we walked around downtown, saw a really cool old bombed out church, went to the kadewe and ate too much german schokolade. We are going to the jewish museum and then having our last dinner together. I have all day tomorrow to wonder aimlessly around berlin before my train takes off for vienna. Hopefully I will make it despite the deutsche bahn train drivers strike. I'm so glad I don't have to fly out with everyone else tomorrow, but I still feel melancholy that they are all leaving. I can't imagine going back to real life in college station texas right now. I have absolutely no idea what it will be like to go home. I just hope it doesn't seem the same.

Last day in Germany....

So today is my last day in europe before I go home in the morning. We've been in berlin these past couple days and its been really relaxing. Berlin is a lot different than everywhere else we've been in germany and has more of the look and feel of a big city, like new york or somewhere like that. Its interesting because it has more recent history than just world war two. Seeing parts of the wall and where it stood was really amazing and also imagining what east berlin mustve looked and felt like before the wall came down was so eerie almost. Today, I went to the berlin zoo and saw knut and he was so cute! He was swimming around for us :). But it has been a good end to our trip and I'm definitely ready to get home and see my family and friends. We are going to the jewish museum today and then we have our farewell dinner tonight and then leave in the morning. Its sad to leave here and it was really sad leaving my host parents but I have so many good memories and I really feel like I learned a lot and was exposed to so many great things.

Well, I'm really suprised how fast this program is ending! I'm ready to go back, though. I really miss my friends and family. The things I really miss at home:
Being with friends and family, having a regular schedule, eating tex-mex, having a car, sleeping in my own bed, having unlimited refills on drinks, never being charged for something that I don't realized I'm being charged for, being able to go to church, knowing where everything is, never having to pay to go pee, and being able to read and understand every posted sign. Things I'll miss from Europe: everything having a story behind it, being spontaneous with my free time, the extensive public transportation system, being lost and not caring, always being somewhere new, Dusseldorf, trying new food, eating at deliciouss delis, going to the places I've always dreamed of going to. I could go on and on, and I love it here, but I'm ready to go home. I've learned so much here, I don't think I've realized how much I've learned yet. I think once I go home, I'll realize a lot more how I've changed and how much I've learned.

This time tomorrow most of us will be over the Atlantic Ocean on the way to our hometowns. I am sad to be leaving, but it is definitely time to go home. I think the length of this program was perfect. If it was any shorter I could not have seen as much as I did. If it was any longer I would've been so worn out that I could not have appreciated the things I did see in a longer stay. I am so excited to fly home and have my family come pick me up at the Shreveport airport. I am nervous about flying by myself all the way home, but I feel like I have grown a lot on this trip and going through customs will be a piece of cake compared to navigating the Paris metro and regional train system. Not only have I learned so much about German history and culture, but I feel like I have gained so much more confidence in myself. At the beginning of this trip I felt like I was being given too much responsibility, but I really feel like I handled it all pretty well. They told us the first day of the program we would really mature during our five weeks here, and I found this to be very true.

I love being here in Europe, but I don't know if I could live here. I would love to visit or study abroad again, but I am ready to be back in America. I am proud of my country even though I feel like we get put down a lot here, and sometimes we put down ourselves. Yeah, we have our problems, but what country doesn't. Any nation has its bad times and its good times, and I think that's something the Germans can really understand. But that's just how I feel. I am anxious to see what it will be like when I get home. It has been a long time so far away from home. It has been such any amazing experience though, and I won't soon forget it, especially with my 500 pictures or so. So I hope everyone has a safe trip back home!! And I don't know about everyone else, but I am getting really excited about football season! Gig 'em Aggies!! Whoop!!

So...I blogged a couple of hours ago and then noticed it never posted for some reason so here I go again!!! Ive really enjoyed having alot of free time. These past few days have been very relaxing. I like dusseldorf and cologne the best out of all the german cities weve been to. Berlin is just like any other big city.

Im excited to go home and share all the things Ive learned here. Im not looking forward to the flight, but atleast some of us are on the same plane.

Today we went to an awesome art museum and saw some famous works. I love the crepes!!! Im thankful for getting to know everyone and I hope we will keep in touch. Im going to miss everyone. Be safe tomorrow!!!

tourist

I thoroughly love being the tourist with the wandering eyes. The camera in one hand and the map in the other. Its fantastic. I have taken so many sights and moments and tours and monuments and views in. I have stored a lot away to my memory bank while I have some pictures of other events. Its all wonderful and I can't get enough of it. I wish the time here were not over so quickly. But all good things must come to an end. Nevertheless I will always remember my time in Germany in the year of our Lord 2007 with all thine fellow ags! And I don't think it could have been any better.

friends

I am belated at the friends I have made on this trip. Not just casual friendships, but the ones that will continue far after we get home to the splendid cll st! I am so excited. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on this trip and true friendships were made during the process. Not just the casual "I am hanging out with you because my other friends aren't here". And I really like how things have turned out. I can't wait to see how these friendships develop. Its going to be great.

Berlin

We finally made it to the capital city of Germany: Berlin. We took a lovely bike tour around the city, and while we were not able to see everything, I absolutely loved being on the bikes. I have missed doing physical activity while I have been here in Germany. We have been walking everywhere, don't get me wrong, but we haven't been exercising exactly. So the bike tour was fun; our tour guide was interesting because he travels so much with his work (giving bike tours is his summer job.).

What I really enjoyed in Berlin however, was going up into the glass dome of the parliament building. We went up there at dusk when the sun was just setting and the clouds were still on fire from the sun. The breeze at the top of the building felt amazing, and the view was fabulous. From the top of the glass dome you could see the entire city, the tops of roofs and the occasional peaking church spire. One of my favorite things is being in nature, and while the city is man made, the wind and the sun up there made the city feel calm (like nature). I really enjoyed that.

We did see parts of the wall, we went to check point charlie and saw them selling "pieces of the wall" - I am skeptical as to whether they were actual pieces of the wall or just pieces of concrete.

My prominade around the city took me to the Tier Garden, a beautiful place to sit and blog. However, I wanted to mention briefly here at the end that there were some really cool global stone in an exhibit here in the park. One stone from every continent. It was pretty cool.

Debunking the myths

I will now attempt to summarize my findings of the German culture as of this point.I have been here for about 12 weeks. I have seen and heard much, that both confirms and completely changes my opinions of Germany and Germans. These explanations are of course only my opinions and previous thoughts about Germany before I got here and pertaining to where I have been and what I have done...take them with a grain of salt.

.Myth 1: Germany is in Europe, therefore it is more dangerous than the United States.

Before I left I had to attend a few "Safety While Abroad" seminars and if anything these made me more paranoid than I should have been. Every country is going to have its dangerous people and criminals, that unfortunately is inevitable in today's society. However, I have observed daily in Germany, only events which make me feel that much safer when walking or taking a bus home at night. I won't go as far as to say that the Germans are naive about safety but looking around, one might think that nothing bad ever happens. I have seen on multiple occasions, children I would gauge as around 10-14 travel with a friend of the same age alone on the subway system. This has been both during the day and in the evening. I personally don't think this is a lack of parental concern, but rather a trust of the German people that has over the years never been betrayed. Every now and then I will attempt to read a German newspaper. I have not once seen on the first few pages anything about a murder, robbery, or other aggravated crime. Surely, these things occur but the media in Germany don't feel the need to publicize every wrongdoing that unfortunately happens. I have also noticed that the police here seem to be less anxious when talking to or approaching people. If they need to tell a beggar or homeless person to leave they seem to do so as one would ask a child to do something. As far as pickpockets go, I have never had any apprehensions as to keeping my wallet in my sidepocket. I am not so bold as to keep it in backpocket, but most Germans I have seen do so. I cannot say that Germany is a safer place without fear of having to eat my own words, but I can say that I in no way feel more threatened or anxious here than I do in the United States.

Myth 2: The Germans are a cold and somewhat unfriendly people concerned only with business.

This statement has 2 different parts, one of which is true, the other false. The Germans are not friendly when it comes to business. They aren't unfriendly but they will not waste their time talking about the weather or the local sports team at a place of business. They will not hesitate to do so in the home, but at work it is all work and no play. There have been exceptions to this generalization to both extremes. My family and I were fortunate enough to have a very genuinely nice waiter at a Beer garden who all but made the night for us. Conversely, I have heard a waiter ask "Why do you say please? I don't have time for that sh&%." to which the customer promptly answered "Fine, A beer as%*(le." The germans are very concerned with efficiency and will do all to maintain schedules, from street construction to a timetable for a project at a processing plant. HOwever, I have found the Germans to be a very friendly people if you take the time to really talk to them. They are more than willing to teach you and listen while you struggle with a sentence and then compliment you before correcting you. SO basically, don't expect a German to go out of the way during business hours to make your day better (if one honestly needed help, they would of course oblige, but priority 1 is efficiency). But talk to a german when they aren't busy with work and they will laugh and joke and compliment the entire time.

Myth 3: The second world war is taboo.

This myth is false. They have no problem talking about post war reconstruction or anything historical having to do with the Nazi party or the times during the war. Now of course, one cannot call a German a "Nazi" and expect them to not be upset, but if one has a legitimate question about anything concerning the war, the Germans are more than happy to answer. I have also heard the war brought up between two Germans, so they don't only speak about it when asked about it. As long as one maintains a serious attitude and doesn't make any unnecessary and rude quips, it can flow as part of normal conversation.

Myth 4: Beer and Alcohol are consumed like water. Because the drinking age is lowered, binge drinking isnt as much of a problem.

The Germans do drink more than the Americans. However, most of this is in the form of wine or beer at dinner. Germans do not forego water in order to drink beer however. On the contrary they are very proud of their water with carbonation and drink more water than Americans do as well. What they substitute for beer and alcohol, isn't water, it's coke or other sodas. Coke and Sprite are generally as expensive as a glass of wine or small beer. Sometimes, the germans will compromise and drink a "Radler" which is sprite and an ale beer or some other variation of beer mixed with a soda. As far as the attitude about drinking goes, the Germans are generally just as concerned. I have met many germans, all over 18 that think that the drinking age should be raised. They believe 16 is just too young and I must agree. While there are alot of individuals who drink responsibly young, there are quite a few who don't. I have seen 16 or 17 year olds sit at a beer garden and have one beer, and I have also seen 16 or 17 year olds bring a couple bottles on a subway station and drink them there (drinking in public is legal almost everywhere, I have yet to see a drinking forbidden sign). AS far as binge drinking goes, I can imagine that it is about the same. I have seen as many drunk people here as I have seen in College Station. However, the laws against drinking are much more stringent here. The responsiobility lies with the individual. Drinking and driving with any amount is illegal. I have heard that you may have a reading of .02, which is four times lower than the U.S. Needless to say, One drink will probably put a person close to if not over this level. They take their drinking very seriously. Most people if they must drive home do not drink anything. If one is caught drinking and driving, they receive points on their license plus a fine. When a certain amount of points is obtained, they lose their license. So while they may have the choice to drink and drive, they don't.

Goodbye Dusseldorf

A few days ago we left Dusseldorf for the last time (on this adventure at least). I spent the last weekend of the trip in Dusseldorf, which was really nice and relaxing. It was nice to be in a stable place for a little while and not travel. I was able to experience the city at my own pace; I went out into the old town and read by the river and then met up with some of the other guys and we found some live bands along the river. It was a really relaxing weekend, a perfect goodbye to the city. It was also really nice to see the family a bit more on the weekend.

Our last day in the city was spent writing. It may sound extremely unfortunate that we were not able to party or go out on the last day, but in all honesty it felt extremely good to actually have to think. The whole research and writing process made me feel so productive, and it felt good.

We had an excellent last few days, and while it was sad to leave the host family, we could not have left the city on a better note.

Das Bier

Well as the proram comes to an end I feel it is time to elaborate on that one German experience that everyone always talks about: beer. The germans do love their beer, that definitely isn't a false stereotype. The beer is also, in general, better than the beer I have tried in the states. However, I have also had the worst beer I have ever tasted here in Deutschland. My frequent beer tasting has made me very picky but I also am beginning to appreciate the different beers. I found that I am a fan of the pils type, although I also enjoy lagers and darker beers. Beer tastes a lot better from a keg from the brewery 5 minutes away than from a can. My favorite beers from germany will have to be schluessel alt, franciscaner, and radeberger. The worst beer I've ever had, was called rauchbier which translates literally into snoke beer. The malt is passed over smoke sometime during the brewing process which leads to a distinct and disgusting taste of smoke with every sip. I have heard people say that they can't drink us beer after coming from germany but I doubt that will be the case. I think that I will just have to throw out the extra dollars for something that tastes a little better...

Leaving Berlin on Saturday...

And i do not want to go home. I miss my family and friends and I really want to see them, but at this point, I am not ready for a return to reality. We have done some studying, but for the most part it has felt like a five week vacation that I don't want to end. If my family were to all jump on a plane and visit me for a week, I would have no problem staying for a couple more months.

On tuesday in Berlin we arrived and went on a bike tour of the city. Its a whole different experience being able to see the history that took the city instead of only hearing about it. The remnants of the wall are scattered throughout the city, a constant reminder of their recent history. The Jewish memorial, a maze of concrete blocks, was impressive in that it conveyed its message well: a feeling of isolation and helplessness when walking through it. Today we're going to the Jewish museum and I don't know what to expect, so we'll see...

This is probably my last post in Germany. Tonight we have our going away party and most people are leaving tommorrow morning. I've had a great time in europe; these 5 weeks sure flew by...

Gone to Texas or Stabbing Westward (like the band) take your pick.

So headed back to the west on Saturday, back to the big land of Texas, the country of English, English speakers (not the Großebritania speakers), to the land of good steaks, Mexican food, free refills, trucks, big yards, big roads, big people (not excited about that one), and my car. oh to be able to drive again. I dont know why it is we miss things like that, i mean i am not desperate to get home in anyway, i love travelling, absolutely love differnt societies and cultures, but i guess it is that we have grown up with it, i have spent all my life living in Texas and as humans, as Americans, or as ethnocentric Texans whatever it is, we feel a slight superiority and wonder how people live like this. but its wonderful here, it really is, there are big differences but we are in the civilized world and life thrives here, there is nothing wrong with this place it is just different, i enjoy the food (the little fast food pasta place down the road is such a great idea, healthy, quick cheap and really authentic and lecker. but i have always had reverse culture shock to a degree when going home, especially when i have learned so much about history, medicine, and culture as with this trip. it will be hard to get back into the ordinary life and quite dificult to see things the same again, and impossible to ever be the same. I like this place, and whether i ever come back or not is not the point of this trip, it is how i have changed, that i have changed, and that i take a global persepective from this trip and an interest in the world, politics, society, different cultures, and the dynamic aspects of this world. everything is changing around the world. we think that in America there are big generational gaps because our parents cant work computers and our grandparents were alive in the depression. but here and even more so around the world things are modernizing fast, from one generation to the next it could be; subsistence farming to information technology, from poverty in a shante, to successful in a flat everywhere that the government and society allow social movement people can change their stars and affect their fate. nothing is perfect, no government is perfect, Germany (unlike my host Mom says) is not MORE perfect than America, we are all humans, they are all governments and life is just life, poverty will always exist, war will always exist, there will always be unemployment, horrible living conditions, and starvation. that is not a pessimistic view it is a view of history. the citiyens during the Pax Romana thought they would last forever and never hunger, fear, or war. the Citizens of the third reicht believed it would last for 100 years before the war broke out. and here we are, citizens of a modern world where democracy reigns (abit like Greece hmm?) and attempts are being made to stamp out war forever (the aim of the second World War) but we are moving towards conflict with many contries ( America, the UN, and the EU) and we are not living in a perfect World, not even close. But what shocks me are the claims for diplomatic resolutions to foreign conflicts. so while people fight and kill their own contrymen, genocide and famine reigns, the politicians sit and talk. the governments lie, nothing is resolved and fighting continues. I have no answers, conservative, liberal, republican, or democrat no one can say what is right, but believe that to rate an American soldiers life or a UN peace keepers life above the lives of an "uncivilized civilization" is not right, and cant be right. we are to let nations, people, or radical groups kill eachother while we talk? we can do good in these contries, we did good by South Korea and it is an amazing place, we left Vietnam and it locked in communism and poverty, so there is good to be done. at what cost i have no answers, but ctiticizing American politics from an isolationistic stance while claiming the inhumanity of the American's actions is strange and foreign to me, and i think a bit hypocritical. But anyways im hungry, ciao.

outdoor cafes

I know I kind of hit on this at my goodbye to Duesseldorf but I can't get over the outdoor street side cafes. I love Europe's ability to mix city with nature. A park hidden in the middle of the city, or flowers or a green lawn of a church, or the canals. Our cities are filthy.. No exceptions worth noting. The weather is exceptional and every element comes together to create a sum greater than the parts and its pure bliss. I am a christian and not completely sure how that is relevant other than I have grown spiritually within myself.. In a Zen kind of way and just gotten in touch with that around me and am just at peace with everything. That's what this trip has done for me. Its allowed me to step away from medical school and stress of moving, chores for parents, and obligations of back home. It has allowed me to stay low and just be me. I am in my own little corner of the world and its magnificent!