Final Thoughts and Bremen

When I came to Germany, I came with the goal to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. I left Atlanta with high anticipation and curiosity of what the year would hold; what things would be like, what I would learn, see, and do. It's different going back to the States. In packing my bags to come back States the anticipation is no longer there. The last few days held nothing unusual. In fact the days were normal and routine and felt a bit anti-climatic. I take that to mean that the strange has indeed become familiar. There are several things that I have become used to and things that I have grown to love. I've loved the half timbered houses and the the connection and closeness to European history. I've enjoyed the accessibility of a pretty punctual train system. I've gotten used to separating my trash and making use of the bio trash. I don't leave the house without a cloth bag to hold my purchases. I make sure to make it to the grocery store before Sunday, otherwise it's the local döner imbiss for lunch. I've enjoyed the luxury of more leisure time than the average year holds. I've loved running around the lake not far from where I lived. German has made it's way into my thoughts and dreams on occasion. I've gained an appreciation for what it means to live as a foreigner. I've grown fond of the German breakfast and Abendbrot (supper) which consists of a spread of delicious breads, cheeses, meats, yogurt, muesli, and nutella. Above all, I've loved walking everywhere.

I started preparing this post during a packing break and have now finished sitting in my parent's home in Colorado. I can say with confidence that this past year has been great and I am left to discover which of the familiar things that I left behind have indeed become strange. I have also been left to wonder what to do with the blog. I started it with the intention of keeping an account of the happenings abroad and now that I'm back it seems a bit strange to keep it up. At the same time, just because I'm back, that in no way means my wanderlust has subsided and that there won't be travels in the upcoming year. I think for the time being, I'm going to give it a go to try and continue to keep it up.

Here's a few last pictures from my time in Germany. As an end of the semester celebration, I managed to fit one last trip in, traveling up to Bremen. It was cold and rainy, so we didn't stay long, but managed to get a few photos out of the trip.

Medieval Böttcher Street

Town Square

Inside the church