Fun Times

Well, the other day we went to the Heart and Diabetes Hospital in Bad Oeynhausen and it was AWESOME!! I had a great time learning about all the heart devices they use. I was in the group that went to the Institute for Research and Development and the Intensive Care Ward. The research part was sometimes hard to follow, but overall it was really interesting. My favorite place by far was the intensive care ward. There we got to put on robes and booties and go see patients. We saw a man who was five days out of a heart surgery in which they removed his heart because it had a left ventricular ejection fraction of only ten percent. We got to see the x-rays of the artificial heart they put in him, and we got to see him in person with the artificial heart. (Of course all we could see was the compressor and battery thing that wheeled around, but it was still really cool!!) Then we got to go up a floor and see all the different heart devices they use. I especially liked the artificial heart that he demonstrated for us. I learned from him that the balloon-like membrane that inflates and deflates was made out of four layers of polyurithane just in case one of the membranes leaked air. My only wish is that we could have had more time in the intensive care ward.

After a wonderful cafeteria lunch complete with fresh strawberries, we got to see the PET and BOLD imaging. Those were both interesting since I had never seen them in action before. We also got to see the partical accelerator, which was quite fun! Probably the funniest thing I learned there (at least to me) was that there is indeed a one and a half kilometer particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva. This was mentioned in the book Angels and Demons that I just read and it is so great to know that it actually exists!!

Today we went down to Köln and toured the Roman museum and the Dom. I loved seeing the mosaic Roman floor in the museum and to know that that is exactly where they found it. The Dom was so much more extrordinary than I ever could have imagined! I loved getting to go to the top of it (despite the fact that I don't like heights), and it was so much fun walking through all the little pathways, tunnels, and tiny spiral staircases that made you dizzy!! I only wish we had more time to stop and take pictures. On the way back home we didn't know for sure which train to take and by the time we decided on one the doors were already closing. So, Katie and I made it in first and Karen came last but she got stuck in the door and it was squeezing her. We got her free, but then her backpack was stuck. Finally the door opened again and she got in fine before the train left! It was pretty scary and I wasn't even the one stuck in the door!