Where She Slept – Berlin, Germany

After sleeping in foreign beds for seven weeks, I finally found my way back to a familiar one in Berlin. Home. Sure, I was sleeping in the guest room rather than the room I stayed in two years ago, but it felt the same. The bed was made with the duvet cover that I used during my year and it smelled like the fabric softener my host mom uses.

I found my little corner of Berlin to be much the way I left it. The sky was still cloudy, the cobblestone streets still bumped below my bike wheels, and the friendly faces and warm hugs of my family greeted me.

After all of the travel, I thought I may find Berlin lack-luster, not as fantastic as I remembered. But I found the city just as bustling and beautiful and charming as it was when I, nervous with anticipation, arrived there two years ago. I was, after all this time, home. And while home may mean familiarity, it doesn’t have to mean boring.

It can mean being with people you love, eating a favorite food, or strolling along the streets you know so well. It can mean finding yourself just as happy and excited as you would be upon visiting a new destination.