The Three Flags :: Essays Papers

The Three Flags Whenever I go into my bedroom, I see three large flags. One drapes the stairs and two cover the walls. If I take the time to notice them, I can’t help but smile. These flags are the national coat of arms of Germany; Germany’s greatest state Bavaria; and the national flag of Austria. The three of them serve to remind me of the summer of my junior year. During that summer I went on a class trip to Germany and Austria. These flags have become the greatest souvenirs of the trip. When I returned, I hung them carelessly to avoid finding an appropriate storage place. Now their presence is important for the good memories of that summer that they bring to my mind. I never had the opportunity to travel abroad as a young boy, so the European trip was extremely important to me. It was the first time I was without the supervision of my puritan parents and I remember it as if it were yesterday. All my closest friends from that period in my life were along on the trip. The shared experiences of our lives at school continued that summer, during what was a great adventure for us all. When my present life provides me with a moment to reflect I look at those flags and remember a great experience and great friends. I think not only of Germany, but also of other universities, other colleges, and even boot camps that have become the homes for those who shared my life and shared that summer. It’s difficult to casually walk by those three flags these days and briefly reminisce over the memories they evoke. Too often I find myself staring for a minute, then sitting down in my room to revisit the joy in my mind. I take those opportuni ties to wonder how my good friends are doing off in their lives abroad and even to offer up a prayer for their well being. The people that I went with to Europe that summer and I now share an unbreakable bond. We still reminisce and even those who were only acquaintances at the time have become friends as if forever.