Back to the Norm

I was fortunate enough on my flights back to have Francisco and Brian with me. While we were seated about as far apart as you can get in coach, it was still nice to have someone to talk to during layovers and to keep the feeling that I wasn’t back home just yet. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, I arrived in Houston late on the 17^th and in a matter of days I had to adjust myself back to “normal” and get ready for another semester. I’ve been back for 3 months now and I still think it’s rude when the waiter brings me my check without me asking for it. This is one of the many little things I noticed right away when I returned. One thing I realized immediately is that I love Berlin but I don’t like Houston. There is traffic in Houston and road rage, and the downside is you can’t ever escape it. The first couple of weeks back I felt tired because of the lack of exercise I was now getting. After walking almost everywhere in Germany, I now drove instead to the places I needed to be. I enjoyed my trip to Germany and Austria, but when it was time to leave I was ready to get back home. The irony is now that I am back; I spend most of the time thinking about when I can return. At the time, our pace in Europe seemed rather hectic, but now that I am back I can barely keep my head on straight with everything I have to get done. Everything moves quicker here and it has taken me some time to get back into my routines.

As for the program itself, I could not have asked for more. I know that sounds very fairy tale-ish, but it is true. I enjoyed every minute of our trip and now that I am back, I wish it could have been longer. I learned a great deal before and during our time in Germany; the excursions where well thought out and had a great deal to do with the main topics of the program. Even in my free time I had many chances to learn as much as I could about the country and its people. In all my trips abroad I have never been as satisfied with my time spent as with this one. I don’t feel that, as far as the program goes, we missed out on anything. For my own personal interests, I would have liked to see and learn more but that will have to be done at a later time. I really enjoyed the time spent in Austria, as it is one of the many countries I know nothing about. I also liked visiting the hospitals and getting a chance to see the patients and procedures.

My time spent in Germany and Vienna has not greatly changed my outlook on the world, but I do take advantage of opportunities I would normally pass up. It has helped me to be accepting of other people, cultures and events in my life. Before we left for the trip I did not know how I would interact with the others. I have a quick temper and I was afraid that I would be alienated from the group for something I might say. Fortunately everyone in the group was easy to get along with and accepted me for who I am. Since I have been back I have worked very hard to keep my temper under control and to accept things that are out of my reach to change. So far I have made a little progress but I still have a long way to go. I am grateful that being around the group opened my eyes to the things about me that needed to change to make me a better person. My ambitions toward medicine have also changed with my return to the state. I have recently begun to look into the research side of medicine instead of limiting myself to just being a doctor. Although I really enjoy interacting with patients and solving health problems, I also think that research focused of bettering the procedures/methods used in health care would be an interesting path to take. Only time will be able to tell what I will do, but for now I am keeping my options, and eyes, wide open for any new opportunities that may come along.

My old, yet new, life...

Its been almost two months now since I've been back in the states, and I can honestly say that I still think about my experiences in Europe every day. I think of how different my life and culture is from Germany's, or Holland's, Austria's, Czech's, and France's. I appreciate the things I have in my life, and I am grateful that I got to experience so many different things in such a short time. I think it is so cool to see different parts of the world, and it makes you realize that there is so much more to life than just yourself; you are just one small part of the big picture. I wonder what my life would be like if I lived in Germany, and ate Doners, ride public transportation, owned a tiny car (if any car at all), and drank nothing but beer and coffee... I want to go back so bad.

But this trip changed more than just the way I thought about the world. I have no problem walking long distances now. I actually prefer it. My confidence with navigation and not freaking out when getting lost has increased dramatically. I have a better understanding of human physiology and anatomy, especially about the cardiovascular system since the doctors at Bad Oyenhausen gave me a whole tutorial about how the heart works while I was watching them do heart surgery.

As for professional plans, I still would like to go into health physics and/or in the field of nuclear medicine. I feel like its my passion in life and its just one of those things I feel a calling for. However, one thing this trip has convinced me to do is to become bilingual. I would like to pick up my old knowledge from German high school class and become fluent in the language that I love so much (besides English). I don't care if I won't be using it much here in the states, but I still think it would be cool to learn and it makes a great impression on non-Americans if you are able to speak another language besides English.

Overall, this experience is something I will treaure forever. This definitely isn't the last time I will see Europe. Maybe London is next, or perhaps Rome, but until I have saved up enough money to go on another trip, who knows where I'll go... ;-)

Before I end this post, I want to thank Dr. Wasser and AIB for making all of this possible for me. I know how many countless hours of hard work you guys put into this program, and might I say you guys did an absolutely amazing job. You guys have taught me so much about the world and have inspired me to not stop here, but to keep on going and have my own international adventures... Once again, thank you. You have made such a timeless, extraordinary experience for me.

Auf Wiedersehen! :-)

More Europe, Bitta?

After my plane landed and I walked sans luggage (my duffel back apparently still wanted another couple of days of vacay) out of the DFW airport, I was blown away not only by the heat when the sliding glass doors opened but by how unattractive the metroplex really is. Don’t get me wrong, I love Arlington, but compared to the Germany and Austrian countryside, I needed a box of Kleenex to help me face the harsh reality of the polluted air that I was back to inhaling. Besides the enchanting scenery, I miss the convenience of hoping on the subway and lack of standstill rush hour traffic. I almost miss the Olympic speed walking pace of our fellow Germans, but it is nice to get back into the casual shuffle of the feet to and from class.
Visiting all of the awe-inspiring facilities in Germany and Austria really cemented my desires to pursue a career in research. For the longest time, I only saw myself as a veterinarian but now thanks to all of the lectures we had by the different doctors, pursuing a career in medicine isn’t so out of the question. Also, I never understood how global research has become, as a researcher you’re never limited to one continent, which is really appealing. There are so many contributions to studies made from scientists around the globe. From this trip, I took away that I shouldn’t lock myself down into one set profession; I really need to keep exploring out there to make sure that I find the one I truly belong to.
This opportunity to study abroad allowed me to make some new life-long friends and learn so much about veterinary medicine and human medicine. Being able to visit hospitals and the cattle clinic at the vet school is something I would have never been able to do if I had taken this class here on campus. One of the best parts of this trip for me was being able to see pieces of history that I had learned about for years and years in the classroom and witness it in real life. I can’t tell you in how many history text books I’ve seen pictures of concentration camps, but when I walked around the grounds of Sachsenahusen on a cold, solitary winter day, I really felt like my understanding of what happened there deepened and became more real. My connection to this part of history strengthened and I felt emotions that I hadn’t experienced before.
I just wanted to say thanks to Dr. Wasser and Steffi and anyone else who made this trip so influential because it really did change my perspective, thoughts, and ideas on some many things. My eyes were opened to many new topics and historical information. The program was so efficiently run and I think that’s why we all enjoyed it so much, not to mention that’s how we packed in all of our awesome activities. Even with all of the long nights :) and early mornings :( , I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I will be forever grateful!!

Lauren L.