21. Day: Final preparations, July 14

The exhaustion from all of the intense work we’d been doing had already started getting to me the moment I woke up, but with a week to go I gritted my teeth and headed to class. The lecture was quite interesting and thought provoking, but the main focus of the day was finishing our community projects. I had already completed most of my work by last week, which meant that I only needed to complete some fine tuning before being able to rest a bit. Afterward, my host brothers and I were picked up and taken to some more thrift stores by our host father, which we had been waiting to visit, like Plato’s closet and Goodwill. We spent most of the time discussing the necessity of ethics in a school curriculum, which is not as straight forward as I had believed it to be before the discussion. Soon after we arrived home, ate, watched an hour of the Alexander Hamilton musical and went to bed.

22. Day: Presentations, July 15

It was finally time to show what we had been working on all this time. We were separated into groups and got to present what we had created, some projects were done in teams, most were one man shows. My community project was specifically targeted to helping my peers at my school, thereby, a solo act. I won’t go into too much detail, but hearing the interesting ideas everyone had and the passion backing said ideas made me realise just how much potential there was for change in each and every community. Even though it’s obvious that a lot of the projects presented were unlikely to truly reach the amount of people the presenters were hoping for, it was still a joy to see the passion in the room. The evening was also incredible, as we were officially finished with the educational part of the program and were ready to receive our certificates. I can’t explain the excitement I felt after receiving that piece of paper. This was physical proof of my labour, and while the knowledge I had gained lied with me, it was awesome to have something to prove that my work was done. After the reception we drove home and went to sleep.

23. Day: Reflections, July 16

Lessons were held, but not the kind we had gotten used to. As it was our final day in Indiana and the educational part had been completed, our mentors had prepared lessons that made us reflect on all that had happened, good and bad. Even though it was meant to remind us of what we had already learned, I learned a lot more than from reflecting than I had expected. While the amount of material we had gone through was immense and challenging, it was dwarfed by the amount of development I had made in regards to my own person. I wouldn’t say I’m a changed man, but I was definitely different before having gone through everything I did at BFTF. Everybody told me this would be the case, but one can’t truly comprehend to what degree this experience can influence you until you do experience it for yourself. The lessons ended a lot earlier than usual, so my brothers and I were picked up by our father and taken to best buy and Walmart to prepare for the 12-hour drive awaiting us the next day.

24. Day: Drive, July 17

In all honesty, I usually can’t stand long trips. I find them to be immensely draining and annoying. But this bus ride was different. After saying goodbye to our host families in the morning, we boarded the bus and started our journey. I spent eight of the twelve hours catching up with my friends and family back home in random intervals, and the rest of the trip was spent talking to the amazing friends I had made during my time in Indiana. It seems obvious, but after spending 3 weeks huddled together in a place nobody is truly familiar with you start forming quite close-knit bonds with people, and I had found my people. That’s why this ride wasn’t boring or draining. It didn’t feel like I was simply getting from point A to point B, it was more akin to a road trip with really good friends, and the way I feel about those are two is very different.

25. Day: Washington, July 18

After a long night’s rest from the whole trip, I got ready for the US Capitol Tour, which wasn’t really all too exciting. I spent most of it hyping myself up for our next part of the day, the Holocaust Museum. It was amazing, as expected, and incredibly thought provoking. I already knew a lot about World War two and the Holocaust, not only from school but also from knowledge acquired over the years by my own curiosity over the years, and it still showed me just how little it was in comparison to how much there is to learn. There was a discussion between me and some other fellows about the topic, although I think those are best kept between us. The rest of the day was spent on exploring the city and just enjoying the free time we finally had. We were also making plans for the days to come, as Washington is filled with museums that are just waiting to be visited.

26. Day: Philadelphia, July 19

Our one and only day to Philadelphia started off with a two-hour bus ride from Kennedy Hall to Independence Hall, where we got to watch a beautiful and exciting theatre show, telling us the story of America. It was so good in fact, that it made me proud to be American and had me excited to vote. These feelings were quickly shut down by the fact that I am not an American. Too bad that this incredible show was followed up by one of the most boring “exhibitions” that we had visited during the entire program, the Ben Franklin House. I really like the story of Ben Franklin, but the way it was presented there was quite underwhelming and boring in all honesty. That’s why I’m glad we only stayed there for a short time and then got to explore Philadelphia. I was oh so excited by all the shops there, but I didn’t spend a dime, as the thrift stores we had visited during our stays at the host families had my luggage filled to the brim. After exploring the city, we drove back to Georgetown and I went to sleep right away.

27. Day: Museums Galore, July 20

I spent the entire day exploring as many museums as I could with three other fellows. We visited the Air and Space Museum, The National Art Gallery, The American History Museum, The Natural History Museum and the Washington Monument, which is not a museum, but still awesome. The Croatian fellow pointed out a very interesting thing, which is that the Air and Space Museum as well as the American History Museum are very different from European museums, as they try to build a narrative instead of displaying objects of significance and letting the viewer do most of the interpreting. This is not a bad thing, but we, as a group, found it a lot less appealing. That being said, the National Art Gallery was one of the prettiest and most interesting places I had ever visited. The art works had me hypnotised. It even contained Napoleons original famous portrait, in which he has one hand in his button up. After getting back to Kennedy Hall I spent most of the time talking to people and relaxing, one of my favourite pass-time activities.

28. Day: Final Day, July 21

Today was it, the final day. We dressed our best and went to the State Department, where we met and talked to a few people, including the U.S. Secretary of State, Darren Beattie. This was quite a unique experience and while we only had a short amount of time to talk to him and the others, The thoughts and questions that I left with did make me realise quite a few things that I believe will aid me in my future. After we left, everyone drove back to campus and got to decide if they wanted to go on a memorial tour or if they wanted to pack for the departure tomorrow. I, including five other fellows, decided to go on the tour which was a good bit of fun. We ended the day on a high note with a Pizza party and an all nightery, so that we could watch the sunrise together at the Lincoln Memorial.

29. Day: Departure, July 22

This was it. The end. What a beautiful end it was indeed. We visited the Lincoln Memorial at 5 in the morning and watched the sunset together. The first tears were being shed, and rightfully so. Two of my friends and I left for the White House after the sunrise and got a few pictures, because that’s just an obligation you have when visiting Washington. At 9, the first fellow left. At 10, two other fellows followed suit. At 11 we drove to the Airport. Slowly but surely, everyone was leaving, heading home. The home-sickness was immense, but so was the sadness that came along with the realisation that we were all leaving, some were mere hours’ drive apart, others were divided by great oceans and continents. I am happy to say that I met people I can see being life-long friends with, which made me as emotional as everyone else. And after our final goodbyes were said with tears streaming down our faces, we flew home, bringing the program to a beautiful conclusion.