The Beginning of the New Us

My first thoughts as I am looking over the blog is that its shocking for me to be in the same position that my brother was a year ago. I haven't taken the time to look for what his original feelings were about the trip, but I'm sure they are similar to the ones I am having now. We all know that we are about to experience something different than we ever have before. Sure, some of us have travelled internationally, but that's not the point. Here we are, adults in college, setting out to venture without our families on possibly one of the longest trips of our lives.

What I must say though, is that I am expecting nothing from this trip. Not that I doubt our program staff's abilities, but I don't think any of us can possibly know what we're going to feel when we get back. That "Eurotrip" image of Europe, angry and loud Germans, crazy Brits, weird French robots in front of the Louvre and hordes of people at nude beaches are clearly not what we should be expecting to see. Our preconceived, while hilarious, notions of what Europeans are like will be put into perspective and we'll realize that they probably think something ridiculous about us as well.

While we're in Europe, I think we're there to learn in many different ways even though it might not feel like it. Learning the history of medicine will be the "taught" part of the course while discovering other cultures, their people and the details of their history will be the things we pick up on the way as we immerse ourselves in their countries. Of course, getting to know the locals our age and indulging in the night life certainly will be an experience, but just remember to really talk to our European elders there, look at the scenery and the landmarks as you visit. The things you'll learn will hopefully invaluable, if not only interesting and it may be the only time you see the sights, so enjoy!

With that said, here's to the first post for our group, I'm extremely excited and looking forward to spending time with everyone in Europe and I hope everyone takes advantage of all the opportunities available on this trip.