One Final Post

Hello everyone!

I hope that ya'lls first few weeks of school have been going well... I've been so stressed out since returning to the US (I took the MCAT a little over a week ago)- it made me grateful for the almost completely carefree time we had in Germany. I would love to go on another trip like the one we had- I like to think of our time as an "intellectual vacation." We learned many things, saw many places, got to know one another in the setting of another culture... who could ask for anything more in a trip?

My favorite experience of the trip had to be the surgeries we had the opportunity to watch. Wow! It was so amazing to see, and an invaluable experience. Also, learning about the socialized medicine in Germany was quite eye-opening.

My least favorite experience of the trip would have to be the cold in general. I have decided that I absolutely loathe being cold and I pray that I never have to be that cold again. I missed being barefoot after a shower and when I was sleeping.

I would love to say that the German culture was so much different than ours, but it really wasn't. They listen to much of the same music, watch the same t.v. shows, and care about the same issues we do. However, they have a much more complex history than we do, and a sad history at that. We noticed while we were there that the German people as a whole are a little more abrasive and not quite as "cheery" as we are. I'm not sure that those two things are related, but they could be.

To sum it up, this trip has helped me develop culturally and spiritually. I met all of you amazing people. And I was able to see some of the most beautiful sights of my life. And all at the same time, it helped me realized that being a doctor is the profession that calls me.

Thanks to you all for an amazing trip. Thanks to Steffi for being awesome. And thank you Dr. Wasser for being a man of great intellect who care for your students- this trip would have been just a vacation without you.