-the atmosphere was electric (literally it was pouring rain with ridiculous thunder and lightning storms) 

-every citizen of Berlin that I saw was decked out in black, red and gold 

-facepaint, flags, banners, soccer scarves and the like were being sported everywhere I turned 

-no one was in a bad mood, they were all too nervous to be 

So it was exactly like a football weekend at Penn State, except this time, the entire world was watching and it was for national pride that the Germany team played. 

Normally I try to include one or two pictures with a post to bring you all with me, but there was something about last night that didn’t permit pictures. No matter how excited everyone was, how crazy their outfits were or how many fire works were let off, no one was taking pictures. They were all simply there. So I followed suit and put down my phone and was just here in Berlin during the final game of the 2014 World Cup. I didn’t regret any of it. I got to talk to some Germans who were explaining the rules and intricacies of the game to me and people accepted the group of us that weren’t on our phones as one of their own, just being curious about the game. 

This taught me something about passion. How many places do you go and you see people glued to their phone screens?: museums, sporting events, parties? I think an appropriate answer would be a great majority. What I felt last night wasn’t about being connected to the internet or any of my social media outlets, it was about connecting with the raging heartbeat that had arisen from Berlin. So this fall when I stand in Beaver Stadium for the final time as a student, I won’t be on my phone, I won’t be trying to capture the moment on camera, I will just be. 

Until Next Time, 

Casey R