Good, Bad? I'm the guy with the blog.

So, this is the end.

I got back from Germany two days ago, after a total delay of about an hour, due to Heathrow airport and the weather in Boston. Not to mention that the baggage claim belt got jammed, and it took a while for them to fix it. My parents didn't recognize me as I stepped out of the gate, not with my new hat, my new beard, and my new jeans (which, if you know me, is a huge step away from the norm). There's not much to say about the ride home. We talked about the program a bit, but not anything really specific. I was pretty tired from the flight, and was ready to just eat dinner and lie on the couch.

I hadn't been back in the States for more than 10 minutes when I noticed how different everything felt. The way that people talk. The English that people talk; It's American English, rather than British English. The dollar doesn't feel real to me anymore. It's more like monopoly money than ever. So far, all I've unpacked are the gifts that I bought. I can't even begin to think about where the rest is going to fit, and I've had barely enough time to see my friends before Christmas rolls around, and relatives take over for a few days. My friend Brandon is leaving for Cork, Ireland on the 28th. I'm lucky that I saw him before he disappeared for the semester. I ran into my friend Jess today while I was getting my haircut, so that's another down. We're trying to get people together tonight.

Tomorrow's the big annual Christmas party at the Pluskal's, to which I am obligated to go. I'm sure it will be a fine time, but it's all so soon after everything else. I'm still on Berlin time; just a little. I haven't even gotten used to my bed here yet. It's been so long; it doesn't feel right just yet.

It snowed about two feet the week before I got back to the States. It had only snowed about a quarter of a half of a third of an inch in Berlin while I was there, so this was a welcome change. I threw a snowball, and it was good.

As for the program, well, I don't know how much there is to say. I think I covered my impressions pretty well over the other posts in this blog. In case you can't tell after reading through the whole thing (which I hope you did), I had a good time. Actually - more than that.
I had a great time, a wonderful time. I do not regret going to Germany for this last semester, no matter how depressed, awkward, anxious, angry, or otherwise I might have felt during the whole experience. Sure, I wish that I could have traveled more, and that the actual academic portion of the program was structured a bit better, but that doesn't change the fact that I was able to go to a Germany, live with a German family fr four months, and gain a passable knowledge of the history, culture, and language of Germany. It was fun, it was exciting, and I'd love to go back.

My host family was beyond amazing. Tom and Dorothee Lennert are wonderful people, with a great amount of patience, compassion, and understanding for an American student trying to get his bearings. I'd like to put it out there that the Lennerts really made my experience what it was. It would not have been the same had I lived in an apartment like the other 50 percent of the students. Chumps.

I really can't complain about much (well, I could, but it's pointless and insignificant stuff). Everything is said and done, my classes and housing for next semester look like they're all set up, and life moves on.

That's right, life moves on.

I'd like to thank you all for reading this blog. It's been fun writing this thing, and I hoped you've enjoyed it. I might consider continuing writing in this, but that's a story for another day.

That's all, folks.