I woke up on our last morning feeling so many emotions: sad to leave, grateful for the experience, and dreading the nine-hour flight. I headed down for breakfast one last time, sad that the array of food would soon be a memory. After eating, I made sure to stop at the grocery store one last time for some snacks they don’t sell in the States, my favorite being the Biscoff Milka Chocolate bars, which I bought four of.

I went back up to my room and packed up the rest of my items in my overflowing suitcase and said goodbye to my room, where the bed was surprisingly comfortable. We loaded onto the bus one last time with our driver, Karl, to Munich. As the bus drove, I reflected on the first drive from Munich to Augsburg and how much has changed since then. I have made so many memories, friends, and gained great knowledge.

We got off the bus at the Munich Airport, checked our bags, went quickly through security, although I had to be patted down, and headed for our gate. I grabbed one last pretzel at a bakery on the way, and soon we were getting onto our first flight.

As I walked the aisles trying to find my seat, I saw my seat number and some young children who were my seatmates. Although I wished I sat next to someone from our trip, I took the opportunity to make some new friends! Sophia and James lived in Munich but were headed back to America to visit family. They were awesome to sit next to while I switched between reading my book, Sunrise on the Reaping, watching Ford VS Ferrari and F1: The Movie, and sleeping. Soon enough, we had landed in Washington, DC.

The Border Patrol line was crazy long, and we even got worried we were going to miss our flight, but after an hour we had finally made it through, and thankfully security was quick. We made it to our gate with about ten minutes till boarding, where I sat on the ground and talked with the group. I realized that I am really going to miss everyone. Although we were only there for two weeks, it felt as if I had known these people for much longer, and I was sad to be parting.

We boarded our final plane to Pittsburgh, and it was the smallest plane I have ever been on, with only two rows of two. I sat next to a nice lady who mentioned she was picking up her mom. I noticed that everyone on the plane was on their own journey and had their own story. She said she was from Brazil, but has moved around to many different states.

After a quick nap, we landed at Pittsburgh International Airport, where the trip began. It felt so full circle to return to this place with so many new experiences gained from my first time out of the country. We all hugged goodbye at baggage claim, and I watched the airport shrink in my rearview mirror. Goodbye.