Final Thoughts

Before this trip, I had never left the North American continent, so I was both nervous and excited when we boarded our airplane just a little over 3 ½ weeks ago. Perhaps I had expected more of a culture shock, which there was in a few small ways: like how you could not order tap water in restaurants, instead you had to ask for either still or sparkling mineral water that came in a fancy glass bottle (which in my opinion was nasty and overpriced, but perhaps I just have a different palette); or how most bathrooms were not free and you were asked to pay either a machine or an attendant for their use; or even how there were hardly any grocery markets for buying fresh produce, and you had to go out of your way to find them in the big cities if you wanted something simple, like a banana. The biggest culture shock however was not being able to speak the languages of the countries. I felt very powerless not being able to ask basic questions, or incredibly senseless trying to order food using a string of broken German words I’d picked up from other students in the group. But as far as basic necessities, living space, transportation, and food, I found everything really easy to adapt to and I would have liked to stay there longer. Being home now and not being able to wake up everyday with the anticipation of hopping on a subway or bus to go exploring makes everyday life seem so boring. In the end, I am just so thankful for the opportunity I had to be able to go to other countries and become more aware of the art, culture and history of each one. I’m also incredibly grateful for the other students of this trip that I had the immense privilege of getting to know and sharing this amazing experience with. GO PLU MUSIC CAPITALS OF THE WORLD 2016!!