I am physically and mentally exhausted so no photos right now.  Lately, my only respite has been in airports and I still have 20 hours to go.  I’m excited to finally get to Berlin, I’ve spent the last 30 days hating life at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington for the ROTC LDAC.  After spending half of that time in the field and living deprived of all electronics and any other facet of normal life (simply for the sake of being unpleasant), the return to civilization will be a welcome change, provided Berlin isn’t a sensory overload for me.  This will be a difficult transition and a slow start, I left during finals week and couldn’t touch my computer until the day I left for Germany, and I haven’t taken a language class in over a year.  To make sure I was prepared I did my best to research German customs and culture.  My intent is to blend in as best I can and not look like a tourist foreigner.  I’ve been in Germany three times before but only for a few hours flying through, and even then I was locked down in an isolated terminal.  From what little experience I have and from what I’ve read/heard Germany should seem pretty familiar to me; organized, clean, polite.  I’m expecting there to be an ever-present stark contrast between modern Germany and centuries old Germany.  I definitely don’t feel prepared for this but that’s my first challenge and half the fun.