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  • Writer's pictureShelby Hettler

1O hours till my midterm...a reflection on my travel break

Dear Readers,


It’s 11pm the night before I have the midterm for my Queer and Subversive Writers class and a quiz in my core course. I just started studying, I still have other homework to do, and I’m planning on going to sleep soon. But, surprisingly, I’m not that stressed. If this had happened back at Barnard, I would probably be freaking out. I can imagine the frantic note-writing, the desperate lament over time not spent on studying. This is not to say that Barnard causes this reaction, but rather my own expectations and inflexibility.


Two weeks ago, I went on an absolutely amazing trip to Budapest and Berlin (vlog coming soon!) I didn’t do any homework, but I still learned so much about life, history, art, and myself. In Budapest, I learned how to be more spontaneous. We made plans, we deviated from them, we had a wonderful time. Some of our adventures include relaxing in the Gellert Baths; exploring one of Budapest’s most famous ruin bars, Szimpla Kert; going on a three-hour long walking-tour around Buda and Pest; getting lost in the Buda Castle Labyrinths; perusing the Museum of Fine Arts; and learning about post-World War II Hungary at the Terror Háza. On the plane ride to Berlin, I realized that I had learned as much there as I had in some of my classes—not because my classes are easy, but rather because the trip itself was so educational.



St. Matthias Church

Chain Bridge



My studies continued in Berlin. After mistakenly writing down the wrong meeting point, we decided to craft our own walking-tour of art and history. We went to the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Topography of Terror, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Each site had an interesting and for a few, horrible history. Because I went to Jewish schools, I have read a multitude of books about the Holocaust, met many survivors, taken an entire class dedicated to the Shoah, and visited multiple concentration camps. Yet the Topography of Terror still had something to teach me and the memorial still filled me with feelings of despair. Visiting Berlin added a new dimension to what I learned about the Holocaust during my lifetime, as well as what I had learned about while I was in Hungary. Despite these grim, yet important experiences, we also visiting a modern art museum, the Berlinische Gallery, as well as two urban art spaces, the Eastside Gallery and Urban Spree. Experiencing different kinds of art and learning about the messages behind them, showed me a different side of Berlin. It inspired me to not only create, but to use my creations in a way that benefits a larger purpose outside of myself.



The Memorial to Murdered Jews

The Topography of Terror

The Topography of Terror




East Side Gallery

Urban Spree


My travel week was unlike anything I could have imagined. I had an amazing time with an amazing person and I would have loved for it to go on even longer. Of course, that was not possible and upon my return, I had to buckle down and get to work. This past week has been full of intern applications, readings, and presentations. However, I also went with my LLC friends to Christiana to get soup (and then to District Tonkin because the restaurant was too full), danced to Cheetah Girls at a friend’s birthday party, drank wine and painted at Absalon, tried new recipes, and watched my new favorite show SKAM. The point is, studying abroad has taught me to find a balance between studying and being abroad, between work and life. It has reminded me that there is so much more to learn outside of school and that it’s important to take advantage of those opportunities. I’m not perfect at this balance and doubt I ever will be, but I think the effort is the most important part.


So now that I’ve written this blog post that is way longer than I intended, I’m going to read over some old notes from class and go to bed. I’m sure the tests will be okay and I will forget tonight’s last-minute studying in a few days’ time. If studying abroad has taught me anything, it’s that actually experiencing life is just as, if not more, important and educational than what I learn in the classroom.


With Love,

Shelby

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