Final Seminar and Start of Last Month in Germany

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So after spending one night at home after Rome I had to get up early the next morning for our train to Berlin. The trip to Berlin was paid for by our program because it was a final seminar for all 75 participants. The week was basically to visit the capital and be involved in different publicity events to support the exchange program. It was also a nice way to all meet up and find out how everyone’s year has been.

We arrived on Tuesday and only had a brief greeting from the program organizers before having a nice dinner all together at a Restaurant in downtown Berlin. Berlin is the capital of Germany and a really amazing city. I think it would be hard to find another city with so much history and culture. We spent the evening catching up and having a drink by the Sony center in Potsdamer Platz. The next day we spend at a cultural training session. It was basically to look at American and German stereotypes. It involved groups basically acting out all the funny things that have happened to us this year. After the cultural training we had tickets to see a performance of Madame Butterfly at the Berlin Opera house. The performance was really cool and it was fun feeling really international. We watched an opera in Italian and it was translated in German. Really made me feel like I have become European this year and adjusted to a life in a foreign country.

The next day was a boat tour on the Spree River in Berlin. The boat tour brought us by most of the major sites in Berlin. It was also fun to hear a little history but 3 hours on a boat can be a little long. The rest of the afternoon we had off to see a little of Berlin. We had lunch at the same great burrito place I ate at in January. That evening my program had a 25th year celebration and it was at the Red city hall. It was an evening to celebrate the program and meet with alumni from previous years. The evening was fun and it was interesting talking with previous participants that now live in Germany. The last day of our seminar was at the Chancellorampt or basically the German White House. We spent the day first at the famous glass domed Reichstag and then to the Chancellorampt. It was really cool going to both and being very welcomed by the German government. We even got to see Angela Merkel briefly during a Bundesrat meeting. During a panel at the Reichstag we got to listen to speeches by important German politicians and even 2 Senator from the US. The coolest part was a letter from Nancy Pelosi and video message from Hilary Clinton congratulating our program on its 25th year. After we had taken pictures and listen to more speeches we got to enjoy our final evening all together in Berlin.

Since one of my friends was having a birthday that weekend we decided to stay for the weekend instead of leaving Saturday. We spend the longer weekend just enjoying the city of Berlin. We toured around and went to a few cool bars and restaurants. Berlin had never been my favourite city in Germany but after the long week I really learned to love it. Berlin has such an international feel while feeling both cultural and trendy. After travelling for about a week and a half straight I was glad to head home and relax. The seminar was also a realization that my year in Germany was coming to an end.

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Photos

Reichstag
This is me in front of the German capital

Skulpture on the Rheine
During out boat tour we saw downtown Berlin.

Hilary Clinton
This was the video of her congrats for my exchange program.

The Red City Hall
Inside of building we had alumni event for my program.

Holocaust Memorial
This is downtown Berlin and a very eerie thing to see.

Broken Tooth Church
One of my favorite things in Berlin. I love the old bombed out church surrounded by the city.

Main City Hall
This is the main Rathhaus in the downtown area of Berlin

TV Tower
This was the view from our hostel