By: Jake Prosnit, Class of 2012

As a history major, I could not have chosen a better city to study abroad in. Berlin is a place rich with history, old and new. I could walk along the banks of the Spree and imagine Berlin, the 13th century fishing town. I could journey 30 minutes by train to Potsdam and stand in awe of Frederick the Great’s summer palaces, a symbol of the once dominant Prussian nobility. I could stroll through the old Jewish neighborhoods and try to envision what the people and the city looked liked before fascism and allied bombs destroyed it. I could touch the Berlin wall and still sense the divide between East and West. I saw it in the architecture; I saw it in the memorials; I saw it in the language; I saw it thru my host mom (an East German) and my host dad (a West German). I am fortunate to have experienced all these ancient and modern wonders. Most importantly, I return home having more questions than when I began.