The last day began with a goodbye as Nadia was the first participant to depart from the academy . We stood in the reception area to wish her goodbye and promise to meet again. Following breakfast we began our discussion on power in the 21st century, where Dr Claudia Schmucker talked to us about the G8, G20 and the IMF. She helped us to understand the importance for the smaller nations to be in a group such as those just mentioned. After this Andrea and Tina asked us to write down the first word that came to mind when thinking about power and a still opened question about the seminar. There was a variety of words and questions and even though we know more about People and Power than we did at the beginning of the week, we feel like this is just the beginning of our understanding and hope that one day in the future we will be able to answer the questions from the board.
After lunch there were yet more goodbyes as six more Eustorians left and those of us who remained returned to the hostel where we spent out very first night. We decided to have one last afternoon in Alexanderplatz, exploring places such as the TV tower and the Berlin Dome, before we all re-grouped to dine on pizza as a group. Our last supper. And, as we went back to our hostel Berlin revealed to us what it looks like at night.
This week has helped us to me more aware of politics and the people behind politics and has inspired us to use critical thoughts when we try to interperate the world around us. It has also been an opportunity to understand different cultures and to be more conscious that we can make a difference to the future of Europe. The worst part of this experience was saying goodbye to the incredible people we have met. Despite the fact that we have only known one another for seven days it feels like we have known each other for years and hopefully will for years to come now that we know that there are places for us all across Europe (and Africa!).