Our last leg of our study abroad was spent between three cities; Weingarten, where we’ve spent the duration of our trip, Stuttgart, and Munich, where we all originally met. The last week was bittersweet; on one hand, I was missing home and ready to come back to Alabama, but on the other, I felt that I’d really settled in at this point and would be sad to part with the country I’d grown to love. Still, I had a good time as we made the most of our last week in Germany.
In our last week together, we had a girls’ trip to Stuttgart to celebrate one of our classmate’s birthday. We had an awesome time exploring the city and celebrating, and topped it off the following day with a trip to a nearby thermal bath, where we enjoyed indoor and outdoor pools, water slides, and a number of saunas. These kinds of parks are very popular in Germany, and I found the saunas to be incredibly relaxing and refreshing.
That same day, we returned back to Weingarten, packing up and preparing to depart for Munich the next day. The next morning, we got up early and gathered our things. Leaving Weingarten was a little sad for me, as I’d grown accustomed to the tranquility and peace of the small city, and had also made some friends along the way. However, all good things must come to an end at some point, and so we said “goodbye” to Weingarten and “hello” again to Munich. Our arrival coincided with that of several thousand football fans coming in to celebrate the start of the Euros, mainly Scottish fans. Hearing so much English in the city took me by surprise, but it also proved a great opportunity to interact with people of different cultures, besides Germans. The Scottish fans we met were very friendly and outgoing people, and proved a stark contrast to the timid, withdrawn nature of the Germans I had become familiar with. There were also fans of Romanian, Ukrainian, and English origin, all mixing together in the city and celebrating their football teams. It was an amazing sight to behold, and made for a very interesting end of our trip. Our last few days were spent on our own in Munich, leaving us to spend our time how we wished. I myself was quite exhausted with the traveling and moving around, so I spent most of that time relaxing in my hotel room. The rest of it was spent roaming and exploring Munich in the same manner of which I did when I first arrived nearly a month before. When the morning of my departure from the country arrived, I was sad to leave, but also relieved to return back to my home and see my family again. The flight back was long, but seeing my mom and family again made it all worth it.
Altogether, my experience studying abroad was overwhelmingly positive. I enjoyed every minute of my time in Germany, and am already excited to go back one day. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I am so fortunate to have been able to take part in. I highly recommend studying abroad, and specifically as a part of this program. I think everyone has something to gain from it, and can learn a great deal about Germany and its language and culture. I am happy to be back home, and for now, I must say tschüss to Germany!