So here we are, with my very last blog post of the summer as I sit on the back patio of my parent’s house surrounded by a mild bombardment of potted plants. With only a couple days at home under my belt, I can still confidently say that Voorhees, New Jersey is worlds different from Berlin, and I still have tons and tons to process through. But here’s the quick rundown of my last couple moments in Berlin ~~
Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum
yes to any and all floral things
The last week of my stay in Berlin began with a wonderful trip to the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum. My obsession with flowers and pretty plants pretty much mirrors my obsessions with all things coffee culture, so as you can imagine I was STOKED to get to go see this place! I won’t bombard you with ~all~ the succulent and floral shots I took while here, so you can just believe me when I say I was on cloud nine during the whole visit. There’s something about botanical gardens that reminds me of my childhood/home (probably because when I was little my parents liked to take me and all my siblings to a botanical garden in Pennsylvania and I used to absolutely hate it but look @ me now lol joke’s on me). Anyway, I spent my final Berlin Sunday afternoon just chillin with the flowers and it was lovely. 20/10 would recommend. The place was massive, and I didn’t make it through the whole thing because I got hungry (typical), so I guess that just leaves more to be explored if I ever make it back to Berlin–and I’d like to someday.
Honestly, the rest of the week was extremely lowkey and chill. I finished up my classes at Humboldt University with a final test in my language course and a final presentation in my Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue course. I finished all the last minute souvenir shopping for my family that I probably should’ve done earlier, took a million last minute pictures of the Berliner Dom, ate my very last ice cream cone (rip I will miss you Berlin ice cream), and did plenty of walking all up over and around the city of course. Towards the end of this trip, the weight of the last few fast-paced months abroad were kind of catching up to me, hence feeling a bit exhausted as I aimed to see everything one last time. But looking back I think I can confidently say that I saw/did/learned/experienced all that I really hoped to this past summer.
Tiergarten strollin
On my very last full day in Berlin, I strolled around the Tiergarten to the Berlin Victory Column one last time, making sure I’d have a solid memory of the place and also so that I could reflect a little bit on what this past summer has meant to me. Studying abroad for the summer in Berlin was nothing like I could’ve expected. Aside from juggling classes and schoolwork, I also needed to cultivate a brand new sense of independence and not be afraid to get to know a city all the way on the other side of the world. I think the most significant thing I learned this summer, which I guess is a pretty typical sentiment to be found in a study abroad reflection post, is not to be afraid of change/difference, and not let my own version of comfort dictate my quality of life in a place that might take me a little outside that comfort zone. Berlin is a wonderfully diverse city with such a cool, vibrant culture (shout out to the art galleries and coffee shops). I am fortunate to not only have experienced that culture, but in a way to have become a part of it, albeit for a short time.
If you’re still reading this, thanks for tracking with me and my sporadic posts this summer! And Berlin, thank you for the priceless mems. Nothing but grateful for the wonderful, crazy, weird, lovely, unique adventure that was this summer abroad.
So long for now!!