The Final Night

Each minute ticks closer, and the night of the final day comes around. In less than four hours we will board a bus to head to Berlin airport to fly to London, to fly back to Dallas. We've packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and now are waiting for each moment to pass, slower and slower as we think about what our future's hold. The fifteen students on this trip have grown so close that even now, we are having fun together while feeling morose about leaving the people we have been bonded to for four months.

As many of you know, I am largely a numbers person. Numbers help me see the world clearly for what it is. And so, I would like to share with you a few numbers about this trip.

• 5,214 miles from Dallas to Leipzig
• Nearly 500 miles walked during this entire trip (less than one tenth the distance!)
• 9 extra trips
• 7 countries
• 22 cities
• 5 old friends
• 9 new ones
• 100s of tram rides
• 19 hours of classes
• 3,031 pictures
• 14 blogs
• 112 days in Europe

These past four months have been a whirlwind of adventures that gained speed to the point where each day seemed like an hour by the end. The people who have been with me are now like brothers and sisters to me, and I can't thank them enough for their company. I also can't thank you readers enough for being there for me when I needed you. All 3.5 of you. 

Spending time abroad has taught me many things about life and the world. But I would say that the most important lessons it taught me were those about people. No person is who I think they are in my head, sometimes for better, and other times for worse. No person's actions are my responsibility, though I have a duty to help those that I can. Life riding the tram taught me that young and old, rich and poor, male and female, western or eastern, we all are humans and we all need the same things. Food, water, education, love, and a purpose for starters. I've learned that the circumstances of our birth are irrelevant, because it is what we do with our lives that tells us who we are. In the end, we're all human.

To close this out, I'd like to quote one of my favorite philosophers.

"We do have a lot in common. The same earth, the same air, the same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, well, who knows?"

Thank you for reading this blog, and for traveling with me on these adventures. 

As always,

Keep it Fresh

Hug someone you love

Always laugh

Eat some chocolate

and don't be a stranger.

Thanks for reading,

-Tad Kile