Die Letzten Tage

So this is it...

After getting back from Prague, Monday was the last official day of the program. We had to be up early to catch a bus to where the Rhine cruise started. So I walked along the Rhine from my house to the Hofgarten for the last time, enjoying the ducks and the scenery. We got on the buses and rode for an hour or so and then got on a really big (but really slow) boat. The weather was perfectly sunny and the boat made a nice breeze on the deck. Somehow Koi had bubbles (I've learned to never question what Koi is up to) and the boat blew them for us as it chugged along the river. The boat also had a Subway, and cookies were a nice bonus to the experience. I really enjoyed just sitting out in the sun, talking to all the good friends I've made, and watching the picturesque German countryside go by. It was all very relaxing and retrospective and whatnot. I could have stayed on that boat for hours, but I also didn't eat breakfast and was very excited for lunch. We had our last group dinner (I'm gonna miss those...) of traditional schnitzel and fries, then we hiked up to see a castle. I counted, and this was the ninth castle I've seen/been in. That's just crazy to me, because I never thought I would see more than one or two in my life, and I thought they would be at Disney World. Anyway, the castle was nice, and then we bused back to Bonn. We had a brief meeting about course evaluations and turning in our German phones, and we had to say goodbye to Kristin and Tete. They were the best coordinators we could have asked for, and they (plus the other student workers) are what I think make the AIB so great. I'm assuming we'll see Dr. Wasser and Haley in College Station, so I won't get all in my feels about them. After the meeting, most of us had to leave immediately to catch a train to Cologne for the Lumineers concert.We had some issues with the train schedule (but when did we not have issues with the trains amiright? It seemed fitting) but eventually we got there. It was a really good concert, and I sang along to the three songs I actually knew. And I got a t-shirt because I realized I didn't really have any souvenirs for myself. But that's okay, I got the memz. After the train ride back to Bonn, we went out to the Quiet Man for the last time. We all had our Kolsch and then suddenly a magician appeared. Seriously, I have no idea where he came from. At first we thought it was just some drunk dude with a deck of cards, but then he pulled some straight witchcraft voodoo on us and we all lost it. It was great.

The next day was Tuesday, aka Packing and Saying Goodbye Day. I got up and got my last breakfast (because Lord knows I wasn't getting up in time to eat at 4:30 the next morning). I'm gonna miss German bread. And pastries. Then I packed for about an hour, caught up on some blogging, and met the people who hadn't left Bonn yet for lunch at Vapiano. That's another thing I'll definitely miss. After Vaps, some of us went souvenir shopping, and I finally got my family some stuff. Procrastination is a talent of mine. Then I went home and packed some more. (It's funny how I started to call my host family's house home, but it really did feel like it. I became familiar with Bonn and more importantly made some really great friends here, and it honestly became my second--or third, after College Station--home. Now I'll most likely never go back. Ok, I'm getting sad. Back to the blog.) When I went upstairs my host mom had made a really good dinner, and I thought it was because it was my last night, but it turns out she didn't know that (I definitely told her I was leaving Wednesday...I guess she thought it was the next week). Anyway, after the initial shock and hugs, we all sat down to a nice meal and had some good reflective conversations. My host sisters are so sweet and they sat right next to me hugging me the whole time. I loved spending time with my host family, and I think I was matched with them really well. I'll miss Felia and Franka a lot; they reminded me of my own sisters. And my host mom, Sandra--I'm gonna miss her frankness and crazy but surprisingly grounded spirit. She would talk about anything with me. I'm getting sad again, dang it... After saying goodnight and goodbye like a thousand times, I went out in Bonn for the last time ever. We went to Billabonn, which was neat because that's the first bar I went to way back in January. I was on a mission to get rid of as many Euros as I could, and I ended up with enough to buy a pitcher entirely in coins. I'm sure the bartender was thrilled with this. After that, I walked home for the very last time.

I won't talk about the 4 AM taxi or the plane ride because those aren't very interesting, so I'll leave with some contemplative stuff. It simultaneously feels like we just got here and that it's been forever since the first week. I'm not really ready to leave because even though I've experienced so much in such a relatively short period of time, I want to see more. This trip has made me realize how much I want to do stuff. What that stuff will be, I'm still not sure, but I hope it's exciting. One thing that helps me not feel as bad about leaving is that pretty much everyone will be taking classes over the summer, so I'll see them all soon. I hope I stay friends with these people for a long time, and I hope that someday I'm able to come back to Germany or maybe go somewhere new. Whatever happens, this has been one of the best times of my life, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity.

Tschuss and Gig Em!