Frowns, Friends, and Farewells
Today we are leaving Munich and travelling to Berlin. It’s bittersweet to being moving on so soon; I really loved Munich and enjoyed every moment there but I’m also excited to be going to a new place. Berlin is a much larger city and has more to offer, but I’m also sad to be leaving Bavaria. I loved the Bavarian culture; the food, the streets, the people. I think I will definitely return in the future.
Yesterday, our last full day in Munich, we visited the Dachau concentration camp. It was very heavy on the heart and mind, but it was a really worthwhile experience. All it took was one step beyond the gate to immediately feel the importance of the place: the evil that took place there and the value of the lessons that can be learned from it. It was certainly not an enjoyable tour, but it was a truly educational experience. It’s just impossible to fully understand the horrors embodied by those buildings until you walk through them yourself and imagine the horrific photos of how it looked back when it was in use coming back to life. There is no way to explain the shame, disgust, terror, and profound sadness I felt as I walked those halls, reading about the things that people went through there and how it was allowed to go on for so long without resistance. Needless to say, it was not my most joyful day spent in Munich but I don’t regret going and it’s an experience I’m not likely to soon forget.
Switching gears to something less serious: it is comforting to know that the fundamentals of a hotel don’t change all that much around the world. Of course our hotel is nothing luxurious, but it does the job in terms of a place to sleep, a shower, and free breakfast. The best thing about it is that there are many open rooms available to hang around in, doing work or socializing. This makes meeting other people, either from our class group or just other people also visiting Munich, very easy. Having people around to talk to and explore with makes adjusting to a new place so much easier and helps ensure a positive experience in a new place.
I’ve found that so far it has been really easy to make friends on this trip. Everyone is so friendly and social, probably because that’s naturally the type of person attracted to this kind of experience. It feels like the group meshes well and we’re all committed to getting to know one another. I haven’t had one moment of awkward silence or conversation with a group member; everyone is easy to talk to, but more importantly, everyone wants to talk. We know we’re here together for 5 weeks and so we should make the best of it and try to connect with the others sharing this experience. I think the fact that we’re all in the same boat, in a foreign place surrounded by strangers, is really pushing the bonding process and facilitating good relationships. I am truly looking forward to spending the next month making memories with everyone.
