Well, I knew it was coming. Now that the end of my time in Germany is upon me, I’m really sort of confused about how I feel. By this time the morrow I’ll once again be in the United States. Though I’ll be extremely happy to see my family and American friends, I will definitely be missing Freiburg and many of the people I’ve met here. Really, five months wasn’t anywhere near enough time for the study abroad, considering the time it took to get comfortable with the language. If only major requirements were different, I could’ve done the academic year program, but alas, not to happen.

Anyways, the past couple weeks have just been a whirlwind of final papers, exams, and presentations on the academic side and sad goodbyes to friends I’ve made. Starting with the wonderful Nacht des Tanzes on the 12th (live 15 piece big band!), going out for a drink (orange juice) with my swing course, having tea after the end of my poly sci class, and ending with a lovely Abschiedsessen with my suite-mates this evening, I’ve had such a wonderful time, but it’s hard to say goodbye, especially when I have no idea when I might be returning. On the academic side, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out that even with my less than perfect German, I might manage to do decently in all of my coursework. Nice to know that my ideas can shine past the fog of my linguistic ineptness.

Well, all in all, it’s been an absolutely marvelous experience here in Germany. I’m really going to miss the place and hope to come back someday, maybe with a Fulbright or something, but am definitely going to be trying to keep up my German skills. I’ve grown a lot as a person and would probably mark this as one of my most formative experiences in the recent past. This post actually started out as a rather personal contemplation of what I’ve learned about myself through the course of the semester, but after writing the full 7000 characters or so, it just turned out way too personal to spill out on the Internet. Anyone who I call “friend” or “Freund(in)” in real life and is really interested in my personal development need just ask, and I’ll pull up the document, though it’s something I’d far rather show in person so I can explain any unclarities. Mayhaps over a tea/coffee break, sometime? I’ve grown rather fond of such, though I of course reserve the right to just drink orange juice.

All the best, William