Today is the day the entire trip has been leading up to: presentation day. The American students have been so busy with company visits and other activities that it has been somewhat difficult to find time to meet with our groups. We met up a few times throughout the trip, but most of the work was completed independently. The presentations did not start until 2:00, but my group wanted to get there around 12:30 to run through the fully finished presentation one last time. I think all of the other groups had the same idea. Most of the American students also wanted to stop by the cafeteria before meeting with their groups, so we all hopped onto the streetcar at 11:40 and started our journey to the university.
After a quick meal at the cafeteria, we met as a group to go over the project. Everyone had finished their sections, so we ended up spending our time rehearsing. The practice runs went pretty well, and before we knew it, it was time to present. My group was really hoping to go first so we could get it out of the way and give our best performance. We ended up switching the presentation order, which meant we went second instead.
Personally, I strongly dislike public speaking, so I was pretty anxious when it was finally our turn to go up. Despite that, I feel like my group did a really good job. Once our presentation was over, I was finally able to relax and focus on what the other groups had put together. I thought all of the presentations were very well researched, informative, and engaging.
After every group had presented, we had about an hour to get back to the hotel and change before dinner. Even with the quick turnaround, most of us managed to make it on time. Sadly, it was our last dinner together as a group. Over the last two weeks, we have all become such good friends. I was really sad knowing it was time to say goodbye to so many people I had grown close to. Thinking about it, there is a chance I may never see some of the German students again, which made the evening even more emotional.
After the goodbyes, some of the students decided to go get gelato. We went to Tutti Frutti. It was my first time trying gelato from that particular place, and I would have to say it was pretty good. Overall, it felt like the perfect way to end our last real day in Germany.
