I try to give a good bit of thought to my blog titles because, if I am going to write about my life, one, I want others go have good incentive to read about it, and two, I want the title to accurately convey what I was feeling/ thinking at the time. This time feels especially accurate to me and perhaps you could guess why. Though other students may not have felt this way, I felt like the last weeks of the program flew by way too quickly, consumed by academics and activities. After a week of finals and attempting to finish a portion of our BMEN 253 design teardown, the whole group travelled to Remagen to not only see the famous Remagen bridge by the adorable town itself but, more so, to hear the stories of Hans Peter Kuerton-- a "piece of living history" to be sure. This now elderly man had entered World War II at the age of 15 for the German military, since becoming Mayor of Remagen, and taking it upon himself to construct a peace memorial from the pivotal Remagen bridge. Eager to speak to us, he exhibited so much passion and excitement for the stories he told us that it was a pleasure to tour his museum. Soon after the tour, we had our final group lunch and proceeded home, only apart for a few hours until the AIB Farewell Party-- a very well done party with great food, host families, picture slide shows, fun music, and eventually even some dancing. A few hours at this party and I had had my fun, ready to return to the host family house and prepare myself for a weekend trip to Prague...but perhaps not enough! If you talk to anyone who went to Prague, he or she will admit that it was a rough trip. People missed trains, we got on wrong trains, we missed change overs, we attempted to get on a train without tickets because we didn't have the coins to buy them (which no one would give us change for) and had to pay a fine, we slept through alarms... we had issues lol. But, as always, we made the most of it! And that's what matters. We enjoyed the beautiful city, stuck to the really touristy areas (not the original intent, but it worked)-- including Prague castle, Old Town, Charles Bridge, Dancing House, and enjoyed simply walking up and down the river-- ate good food, and took pictures throughout the trip.
Though we got home between the hours of 12-1am, we were all at the bus in the Hofgarten at 7:45am the next morning to go on the Rhinecruise, a relaxing two hour trip on the Rhine followed by lunch in Braubach and an informative, well-guided tour of Marksburg castle. The conclusion of this last program event left us with only one more group activity-- the Departure Meeting. We turned in our phones, filled out final evaluations, and said our goodbyes to Tete, Dr. Wasser, and Kristin. And with that, we were officially done. Finals, a crazy weekend, final program events, preparing to leave... moments that required much energy, focus, and staying on pace. And then, all of the sudden, it was over.
How I spent my Tuesday made me regret that we only had open program days at the beginning of the program, or I guess, rather that I did not explore the Bonn/ Cologne area more on my own or opt to stay in Germany longer. For the first time in the semester, I had time to travel to Drachenfels castle. I'm so glad that I felt the need to go to Drachenfels because otherwise I would have missed out one of my favorite castles, second only to Neuschwannstein, and the incredible view of the Rhine and Bonn that the steep half-hour hike to the castle affords. It was a clear and cool day, giving DeLayne and I plenty of time to explore, take pictures, and just enjoy Germany-- no schedule, no work to get back to, no stress. Once I returned to my host family, I had time to ask my host mom where they like to hike to in Bonn/ which castles they've gone to. Why didn't I ask that before?! Shoulda, woulda, coulda... That night I set out all my luggage and possessions I would need, said goodbye to my host brothers, and gave flowers to my host mom thanking her for her kindness, hospitality, and helpfulness, and slept a few hours, before the alarm signaled the beginning of the journey home :)
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