It has already been six months! I am back in the states and looking forward to the next steps toward the future. A lot has happened and many things have changed because of this incredible experience that I was able to participate in.

With my last week in Europe I took another class business trip to Germany, where I was able to get a feel for what their industry works and deals with. Among the numerous company tours, time was taken out the visit the Black Forest, a brewing company, and the Mercedes-Benz museum.

The entrance to the brewery! It was located in the Black Forest near Freiburg which had recently  gotten some snow, so while we were waiting for our tour to start some of the boys decided to have a snowball fight!

The companies main beers--all of which are delicious. After the tour, we were able to have a bottle of beer with the traditional German pretzel! 

A castle that our group visited. This was a little disapointing because it was built in the 1800s and only styled after the more gothic/older castles; also, it is manly used as a museum to represent the history of the family who built it. 

The museum! Although I am not the biggest car fan, it was still a wonderful experience and  it was able to teach me some things about history that are not often thought about. This museum easily took the entire morning, but it could have taken much longer for a car enthusiast.

With all the excitement that came with coming home, my last few hours in France were mixed. As much as seeing my family and friend again is nice, I have made many more in Europe. I was able to travel to several countries and am looking forward to when I will be able to have the time and funds to travel again, to see the friends that I have made these last six months, and to make more in the counties that I hope to travel in the future. 

Would I go live in Europe? I don't think so, there are some differences that are hard to explain that are different between our two regions, but I would consider traveling long term again to other areas of the world. Understanding and learning about different cultures has been the best thing I could have done. I know that I have changed and I hope that everyone at one point gets a chance to experience a trip for however long. Never be afraid to be a tourist or try and meeting new people; understand that you are on a budget, but also on vacation and that some additional expenses are okay. 

 Now that my education is nearly at an end and with this experience under my belt, I feel ready to face what is to come. I wish everyone the best of luck and hope that you all get the chance to travel the world, as scary as it may seem at this moment. Good bye and good luck!