The Berlin Wall

After six hours of constant rain in Newark, a defective plane, and a cancelled flight, I finally made it to Frankfurt, Germany on June 2nd. What a journey it has been thus far. I have visited 5 cities and am about to head to a sixth. In Karlsruhe, I mingled with German students at Karlshochschule International University and spent hours talking about unexpected similarities between the educational atmospheres of our universities. I discovered Strasbourg, France and climbed 650 steps to the top of an impeccable cathedral that is one thousand years old. Munich offered a lively atmosphere in itself only complimented by a humbling day-trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp and a magical visit to the Neuschwanstein Castle (lovingly called “the Disney Castle”). I rode a bike for the first time in 3 years and swam in an alpine lake surrounded by the Bavarian Alps. And in Berlin, I touched history as I ran my hand along the Berlin Wall and walked along the remnants of the headquarters of the Nazi Gestapo and SS. For the last 10 days, I have felt connected…to a rich and varied history, to a diverse and complex people. I have begun to understand who I am in the world and the way my life ties in to a bigger picture. I am forever grateful and forever changed.