Monday, March 02, 2009

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! :-)

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