June 9th-13th
Berlin, Berlin!
“You guys are taking the Spanish test tomorrow!”
“Uhmm… You are too!”
“No, I’m not, because I’m going to be in Berlin.”
“… Lissa, sit still for more than five minutes.”
“Never.”
My end of the year exchange for my organization was in Berlin, so being that I lived as West as you possibly could get in Germany, it was a 6 hour train ride, meaning I had to miss school and my Spanish final. What a shame. J The beginning of the trip was the Cologne train station, where we all sat in our assigned seats and watched as another exchange student or two would board our train with the final destination of Berlin. We were loud. We were excited. We had to sit in the hallway to talk, so we wouldn’t annoy everyone.
Berlin was only 36 of us together from the original 45, and those 9 faces were very much missed. Looking around the table, which had changed since our mid-year seminar in Cologne (Köln), it reminded me of just how long this year had been. Sharing a room with Anne and Sara completed the year quite nicely, as we had shared our entire years with each other. Within minutes, all of the suitcases were opened, and even just our windowsill reminded me of why I loved Sara: hairspray, ironing spray, volume spray, deodorant, hairpins, and a brush were all at the ready. Anne looked at her clothes she had already put on the shelves, “What should I wear? Help!” Sara and I contemplated our week’s schedule and what would be best to wear when. Although my sleeping hours in that room were few, I loved having them as my roommates to end the year.
We went around Berlin and Potsdam as tourists with our tour guides being the students who had been lucky enough to live in Berlin or Potsdam. I think the photos can describe running around in the furious summer heat and the places we saw better than I could ever put into words. I’m showing you, not telling. (Other photos are on my Facebook page)
As part of our exchange, we met and thanked the people who gave us the scholarships: the German Bundestag. Early on Friday morning, we put on our make up with ironed skirts and squared ties with polished shoes. We sat through a Bundestag meeting in the morning in shock as people walked in late, interrupted other parties’ speeches with loud comments, and carried on full conversations with their neighbors during presentations. This was not the respect and working environment I expected in one of the world’s most governments. Exchange students prepared speeches, painted pictures, and one even played the bagpipes to show our thanks and appreciation. I thought about the Tango I was supposed to be dancing, which fell through. Afterwards, we followed our very young and enthusiastic American Ambassador to the Embassy across the street. After showing my passport, I experienced a little bit of culture shock: there was Dr. Pepper, American outlets, air conditioning, and bare feet on the grass. We were chilling in the embassy, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Later, I picked up my high heels and joined some friends, watching the beginning of the World Cup. After a year in Germany, soccer gained a new importance as the sport to watch.
Our last meeting of the weekend was the incoming of paper after paper: information for going home, flights, to-do lists, and advice from exchange alumni. The end was near. Instead of going home, I arranged a ticket to stay with another exchange student, Hannah, for another day in Berlin. Hannah showed me her personal favorites of the city and let me go back to all the places I had missed in our hurry of the previous days. To end of a tiring weekend, we picked up to pints of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and went to the movies for a good, laugh-out-loud, romantic comedy. Although I missed my train in the morning and was two hours late getting home, it was all nearing the end, and I was having trouble realizing the “lasts” that I might have missed.
