So our trip is over. Five weeks went by way to fast! It was great , though. Last night we went to a Morroccan restaurant for the going away dinner. It was such a cool restaurant. The waiter came first to rinse our hands in rose water. I felt like a princess. Then, we got a hige plate of appetizers, too much wine, and a shot. It was an herbal liquor that Andrew ordered for us, I don't know how he found out about it. But apparrently we were supposed to take that shot after dinner to help with our digestion. Whoops!
After dinner, we went around and talked about our favorite parts of the trip. Everyone was emotional and I really enjoyed hearing what everyone had to say.
THEN, at Olaf's favorite hangout, we saw tons of graffiti that I'm pretty sure Olaf did all himself. He's crazy. This place was five stories with a beach party outside. Each floor was something different- DJ, chill, local shops, and graffiti. It was so much fun!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Berlin Blog part 2: Perspective on Perspective
A laymen definition of perspective: the way something is seen. Something happens around dozens and gaggles and multitudes of people, and they all see something else or something more.
As we get older and wiser, does our perspective increase or does it change.
An argument could be made that perspective simply expands. We might not, at one point be able to see or interpret or understand the entire “picture,” but as we grow more and more of the picture is made visible and comprehendible, as if the blinders over a window had been lifted and the grit and grime washed clean.
Similarly, perspective could morph and contort as the mind of a child develops into the mind of an adult. What may have seemed innocent and harmless when we were young reveals its guilt and malice until it bears no resemblance to how it previously appeared.
Four days after our classes have ended, and I have yet to sort all of the memories and emotions and facts and figures into a format that I can understand. My central processing unit works diligently to defragment the hard-disk of my mind. May what remains after all has been considered be objective and accurate, and may my perspective, small or large or cone-shaped or cubic, be sufficient to decode it.
As we get older and wiser, does our perspective increase or does it change.
An argument could be made that perspective simply expands. We might not, at one point be able to see or interpret or understand the entire “picture,” but as we grow more and more of the picture is made visible and comprehendible, as if the blinders over a window had been lifted and the grit and grime washed clean.
Similarly, perspective could morph and contort as the mind of a child develops into the mind of an adult. What may have seemed innocent and harmless when we were young reveals its guilt and malice until it bears no resemblance to how it previously appeared.
Four days after our classes have ended, and I have yet to sort all of the memories and emotions and facts and figures into a format that I can understand. My central processing unit works diligently to defragment the hard-disk of my mind. May what remains after all has been considered be objective and accurate, and may my perspective, small or large or cone-shaped or cubic, be sufficient to decode it.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Goodbye Berlin...
(Yes, I'm finally updating about our week in Berlin)
I never expected to like Berlin so much. Throughout our trip when interacting with my host mom and other people in Germany they would all ask if I was going to visit Berlin and encouragingly tell me that I would love it when I affirmed that Berlin was part of our trip. I didn't quite believe them though. In all honesty it's a very special big city that I like. I love Chicago, but that's because I have so much heritage and relatives there, I also love Minneapolis and St. Paul, but they're smallish for big cities, especially when counted seperately.
Anyway the point being that I thought I would get to Berlin and be like "Oh, this is nice to visit" and then go on my way again, instead a small piece of me has fallen in love with Berlin. I suddenly understand why every German I met told me Berlin was a "special place" with fondness in their voices, and I understand why it's being split for so long was such a travesty. Berlin's charm is inexplicable, but without being too annoying I'm going to try to explain some of it here.
Berlin is alive, in fact Berlin is overflowing with life... Being on the streets you can feel it. Berlin is a place where things happen, where strange monuments are built, where personal submarines are invented, where tear-filled confessions are made, it's a place perhaps summed up by the last place we all went together, Tageles. Tageles is this 5 story building in the old east side of the city that squatters and artists moved into and have kept since the wall fell 20 years ago. It cost 2 euro to get in (apparently an increase from the past) and is well worth the cost because once inside you can buy food or drinks at the beach bar while listening to live music (or watching contortionists and fire breathers, or so I'm told) or you can go into the building. Each floor of the building is something unique, on the top, a bar and a viewing area from which you can see art installments projected on the wall of a neighboring building or just look out at the city. The fourth floor is where people live, but is also full of graffiti that instead of looking disrespectful or like an eyesore, looks like it belongs, sort of how I imagine the graffiti on the west side of the wall looked. The third floor is full of artists pedaling their wares including postcards, shirts, prints, oil on canvas, jewelry, and many other things. Second floor is a bar and a theatre that shows things like Slumdog Millionaire alongside German and independent films. The first floor is just the entrance, but the whole building and in fact the whole place just has this air of magic about it. I'd never have guessed I'd like the place so much, but now I can't seem to stop talking about it.
Already I'm planning to return to Germany, perhaps my friend will make it into University in Berlin, or perhaps I'll find a way to feasibly study in Germany again, maybe I'll even go the way of my friend Ellen and work in Germany for a few years. Whatever happens, all of Germany, Berlin especially, has wormed its way into my heart and I'll never be quite the same person I was at the beginning of July.
And so that's all. I might get back on when I return to the USA on Saturday and am not so pressed for time about how much I miss everyone, but otherwise this chronicle is over, just as this chapter of my life is over. See you in 4 weeks for the retrospective.
Sincerely,
Caitlin
P.S. I am writing about my week in London/Ireland on my lj if you're curious including a bit about adjusting after all my time in Germany to the cultural differences.
P.P.S. Sorry about all the run-ons.
I never expected to like Berlin so much. Throughout our trip when interacting with my host mom and other people in Germany they would all ask if I was going to visit Berlin and encouragingly tell me that I would love it when I affirmed that Berlin was part of our trip. I didn't quite believe them though. In all honesty it's a very special big city that I like. I love Chicago, but that's because I have so much heritage and relatives there, I also love Minneapolis and St. Paul, but they're smallish for big cities, especially when counted seperately.
Anyway the point being that I thought I would get to Berlin and be like "Oh, this is nice to visit" and then go on my way again, instead a small piece of me has fallen in love with Berlin. I suddenly understand why every German I met told me Berlin was a "special place" with fondness in their voices, and I understand why it's being split for so long was such a travesty. Berlin's charm is inexplicable, but without being too annoying I'm going to try to explain some of it here.
Berlin is alive, in fact Berlin is overflowing with life... Being on the streets you can feel it. Berlin is a place where things happen, where strange monuments are built, where personal submarines are invented, where tear-filled confessions are made, it's a place perhaps summed up by the last place we all went together, Tageles. Tageles is this 5 story building in the old east side of the city that squatters and artists moved into and have kept since the wall fell 20 years ago. It cost 2 euro to get in (apparently an increase from the past) and is well worth the cost because once inside you can buy food or drinks at the beach bar while listening to live music (or watching contortionists and fire breathers, or so I'm told) or you can go into the building. Each floor of the building is something unique, on the top, a bar and a viewing area from which you can see art installments projected on the wall of a neighboring building or just look out at the city. The fourth floor is where people live, but is also full of graffiti that instead of looking disrespectful or like an eyesore, looks like it belongs, sort of how I imagine the graffiti on the west side of the wall looked. The third floor is full of artists pedaling their wares including postcards, shirts, prints, oil on canvas, jewelry, and many other things. Second floor is a bar and a theatre that shows things like Slumdog Millionaire alongside German and independent films. The first floor is just the entrance, but the whole building and in fact the whole place just has this air of magic about it. I'd never have guessed I'd like the place so much, but now I can't seem to stop talking about it.
Already I'm planning to return to Germany, perhaps my friend will make it into University in Berlin, or perhaps I'll find a way to feasibly study in Germany again, maybe I'll even go the way of my friend Ellen and work in Germany for a few years. Whatever happens, all of Germany, Berlin especially, has wormed its way into my heart and I'll never be quite the same person I was at the beginning of July.
And so that's all. I might get back on when I return to the USA on Saturday and am not so pressed for time about how much I miss everyone, but otherwise this chronicle is over, just as this chapter of my life is over. See you in 4 weeks for the retrospective.
Sincerely,
Caitlin
P.S. I am writing about my week in London/Ireland on my lj if you're curious including a bit about adjusting after all my time in Germany to the cultural differences.
P.P.S. Sorry about all the run-ons.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tschuss zu Alles
There were 5 of us left behind in Berlin as the program came to a close. I happened to be one of them. Our last weekend in Berlin (and Europe) was a great one. The first day, Justin, Matt, Brittany, Caitlin, and myself decided to go back to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial and walk around in it. As Dr. Wasser said, it is pretty disorienting to walk amongst the 2,711 stones. We also went under the memorial to place for more information. Most of the information here had been presented to us on previous excursions, but I found the letters written from the victims on display to be extremely upsetting, especially one in particular of a letter from a little girl to her father. Very sad.
In the evening we decided to hit up Blue Man Group!!! And the best part, we had to wear raincoats because we were seated so close and could get hit by paint/other items. The show was fantastic. The funniest part of the show is when one of the blue men used gooey bananas as a projectile. It all happened in slow motion. The banana was shot out of the blue man's chest and landed all over Caitlin!!! I have never seen Matt laugh so hard in my life. He was crying. It was really funny stuff. After the show we got to take pictures with one of the blue men. The creepy one as Brittany put it. Well, as it turned out, my camera was accidently on video so we had to retake it. In the end we got two videos and three pictures with the blue man. It was a very documented two minutes.
This program was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am so thrilled that I had chance to take part in it. Not only did I have so much fun, but I made wonderful friends and I had many stories that I will be able to tell for years to come, everything from the crazy Czech lady assaulting Matt in prague to the Speedos in Italy. I want to thank everyone involved with the program as well as my classmates for this wonderful experience. It is not something that I will soon forget.
Vielen Danke,
Roger
In the evening we decided to hit up Blue Man Group!!! And the best part, we had to wear raincoats because we were seated so close and could get hit by paint/other items. The show was fantastic. The funniest part of the show is when one of the blue men used gooey bananas as a projectile. It all happened in slow motion. The banana was shot out of the blue man's chest and landed all over Caitlin!!! I have never seen Matt laugh so hard in my life. He was crying. It was really funny stuff. After the show we got to take pictures with one of the blue men. The creepy one as Brittany put it. Well, as it turned out, my camera was accidently on video so we had to retake it. In the end we got two videos and three pictures with the blue man. It was a very documented two minutes.
This program was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am so thrilled that I had chance to take part in it. Not only did I have so much fun, but I made wonderful friends and I had many stories that I will be able to tell for years to come, everything from the crazy Czech lady assaulting Matt in prague to the Speedos in Italy. I want to thank everyone involved with the program as well as my classmates for this wonderful experience. It is not something that I will soon forget.
Vielen Danke,
Roger
From Hygiene to Couscous
Berlin was one of my favorite cities that I had the chance to visit on this program. It had history, beautiful buildings, and a great night life. While we were in Berlin we went to the Hygiene Museum, which was probably the most hands on museum that I have ever been to. The room that I had, along with Justin and Matt, was the Transparent Man room. This room was interesting because it was in this museum that the first transparent man was ever built. The original transparent man used a plastic covering, real human bones, and over 12,000 meters in copper wire. Now the transparent man uses synthetic bones made of aluminum and different parts of the body will light up when a certain button is pushed. The transparent man is a good tool to use when studying the human body. That, and it is just a cool thing to look at.
Bodyworlds was also a great experience in Berlin. I had been to Bodyworlds about 4 years ago when I was a sophomore in high school so this was certainly something that I really enjoyed because I had not seen it in so long. It is definately a must see for people, however I am not sure if I would feel comfortable having my body displayed like that after death, but that is another topic completely.
The farewell dinner together was probably one of the best memories I have from the entire trip. It was good to hear what everybody had to say about the trip and their favorite parts. I really enjoyed that excercise. Also, Dr. Wasser and Olaf deserved recognition for all the hard work they put into the program to make sure that we would all have a great time (which we all did), so I thought that was a great part of the evening. That dinner will certainly be something that I will never forget and I thought it was appropriate that this program ended on such a good note.
I will miss you all.
Roger
Bodyworlds was also a great experience in Berlin. I had been to Bodyworlds about 4 years ago when I was a sophomore in high school so this was certainly something that I really enjoyed because I had not seen it in so long. It is definately a must see for people, however I am not sure if I would feel comfortable having my body displayed like that after death, but that is another topic completely.
The farewell dinner together was probably one of the best memories I have from the entire trip. It was good to hear what everybody had to say about the trip and their favorite parts. I really enjoyed that excercise. Also, Dr. Wasser and Olaf deserved recognition for all the hard work they put into the program to make sure that we would all have a great time (which we all did), so I thought that was a great part of the evening. That dinner will certainly be something that I will never forget and I thought it was appropriate that this program ended on such a good note.
I will miss you all.
Roger
Monday, August 10, 2009
Berlin in a nut shell
Four days in Berlin and still so much to see! As I was leaving the hotel Friday morning at 4:30 am! i looked around the quiet city and reflected on the past couple days.
Day one we went on a bike tour through the town. I figured after riding through Berlin for 4 hours I might have some idea of how to get anywhere, but afterward I was just as lost as before. We didn't even see a majority of the city! I never realized just how big Berlin was.
Over the last three days we went to several Museums and hospitals. I found the MRI machine at the Charite University Hospital a lot of fun. But the coolest things of all were the technological advances they showed us to help aid in surgery. It reminded me how you don't have to go to medical school to help out in the medical industry. Physics and computer science are just as important especially in advancing our ability to get medical care specialists to everyone everywhere, even if there isn't a specialist in that area.
The last night was a lot of fun and a very touching time for all of us as we reflected on our favorite parts and how we have all grown as a group. And we celebrated by all going out together to one of the coolest "clubs" I have ever been to. It was like icing on my cake called trip to Europe. Thank you everyone for your help in making this trip so amazing. I have enjoyed getting to know everyone and hope to see all of you even if it is while I'm working at the Rock wall.
Guten Tag Berlin!
Stephanie
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Farewell Europe…
Dated: Friday- August 7, 2009
Today I left Germany and ended by far the most amazing trip of my life. As I get older and the responsibilities pack on, I knew this trip was necessary before I become grown-up and boring. I have made lifelong memories and friends, but also reaffirmed my desire to work in Medicine. Thanks again everyone!
We had our last meal together eating Moroccan food. I had some weisseweinshorle, but it couldn’t compare to the stuff in Vienna! The food was pretty amazing, I honestly really did not know what I was eating in the appetizers, but it was good. As any of us would agree, the best part was sharing our experiences together. This reaffirmed the truth that our group has grown together and become a tight knit family. I can only hope that our friendships will continue once back into normal life in College Station!
I also must mention that I had my final currywurst yesterday for lunch and it was GOOD. Although some people did not like Olaf’s “famous” currywurst in Cologne, I still liked it Olaf, don’t worry!
I arrived back here in Texas at 3 PM to a humid and sweltering Dallas. Awesome!.... I only got two hours of sleep last night after some of us stayed at Olaf’s old hangout til three in the morning. It really was a unique place, I loved it. So yeah, today I have been up for more than 26 hours. But that’s not even possible, there are only 24 in a day! Ha… gotta love those time zones. So… thank you Dr. Wasser and AIB for an amazing five weeks! I will never forget all that ya’ll have done to make my experience incredible.
Today I left Germany and ended by far the most amazing trip of my life. As I get older and the responsibilities pack on, I knew this trip was necessary before I become grown-up and boring. I have made lifelong memories and friends, but also reaffirmed my desire to work in Medicine. Thanks again everyone!
We had our last meal together eating Moroccan food. I had some weisseweinshorle, but it couldn’t compare to the stuff in Vienna! The food was pretty amazing, I honestly really did not know what I was eating in the appetizers, but it was good. As any of us would agree, the best part was sharing our experiences together. This reaffirmed the truth that our group has grown together and become a tight knit family. I can only hope that our friendships will continue once back into normal life in College Station!
I also must mention that I had my final currywurst yesterday for lunch and it was GOOD. Although some people did not like Olaf’s “famous” currywurst in Cologne, I still liked it Olaf, don’t worry!
I arrived back here in Texas at 3 PM to a humid and sweltering Dallas. Awesome!.... I only got two hours of sleep last night after some of us stayed at Olaf’s old hangout til three in the morning. It really was a unique place, I loved it. So yeah, today I have been up for more than 26 hours. But that’s not even possible, there are only 24 in a day! Ha… gotta love those time zones. So… thank you Dr. Wasser and AIB for an amazing five weeks! I will never forget all that ya’ll have done to make my experience incredible.
Farewell Bonn
Dated: Monday, August 3, 2009
This morning I said my final goodbye to Bonn and my host mom. I always knew the end was coming, but it truly did not hit until I was here in Berlin. Before the trip, I was not incredibly excited about the host family idea. All of my siblings that had studied abroad had always lived in dorms with other students, so I always thought that would have been the funner and more ideal way to spend my time in Europe. But, after these past four weeks, I realize that I have learned so much more about the lifestyle and culture in Germany due to my host mother and am grateful this program was structured so. AIB, you have done a great job matching me with my German home away from Texas!
Now, I spend my final days in Berlin. Earlier, we had a bike tour around the city and got to see the government buildings. It is crazy to think that only twenty years ago, the city was divided, and further that only sixty years ago, the entire city was in ruins. They had done an amazing job reinventing themselves as an influential and incredibly diverse city. I also love the walking light people in East Berlin! It’s such a random and unique feature of the city and its past.
Oh yeah, I can’t believe how short Penelope Cruz was in real life!!
This morning I said my final goodbye to Bonn and my host mom. I always knew the end was coming, but it truly did not hit until I was here in Berlin. Before the trip, I was not incredibly excited about the host family idea. All of my siblings that had studied abroad had always lived in dorms with other students, so I always thought that would have been the funner and more ideal way to spend my time in Europe. But, after these past four weeks, I realize that I have learned so much more about the lifestyle and culture in Germany due to my host mother and am grateful this program was structured so. AIB, you have done a great job matching me with my German home away from Texas!
Now, I spend my final days in Berlin. Earlier, we had a bike tour around the city and got to see the government buildings. It is crazy to think that only twenty years ago, the city was divided, and further that only sixty years ago, the entire city was in ruins. They had done an amazing job reinventing themselves as an influential and incredibly diverse city. I also love the walking light people in East Berlin! It’s such a random and unique feature of the city and its past.
Oh yeah, I can’t believe how short Penelope Cruz was in real life!!
Thursday 7-30-09
This whole week, we have been back “home” in Bonn. I enjoy getting my amazing home cooked meals from mom and am glad to be riding the 18 train to and from Bonn. Today, we watched a documentary about the falling of the Berlin Wall. I had always grown up hearing about the Berlin Wall, but honestly, I knew nothing behind the history. It is crazy that such a country as Germany was split up only twenty years ago.
We also went to the House of History museum, which described West and East German life after the second world war. It was interesting to see how life differed so greatly between the two Germanys during that time span. I also never realized how much influence America had on Germany and the rest of Western Europe after the war.
Then, I went to the Haribo store… for the 2nd time in two days. I love gummi candy! This is by far one of my favorite stores in Europe. Others in the group like shopping for the European fashion and clothes, but I would rather spend my money on the good stuff! And, we got to sample as much candy as our stomachs would allow. Amazing…
Bonjour Paris tomorrow!!
We also went to the House of History museum, which described West and East German life after the second world war. It was interesting to see how life differed so greatly between the two Germanys during that time span. I also never realized how much influence America had on Germany and the rest of Western Europe after the war.
Then, I went to the Haribo store… for the 2nd time in two days. I love gummi candy! This is by far one of my favorite stores in Europe. Others in the group like shopping for the European fashion and clothes, but I would rather spend my money on the good stuff! And, we got to sample as much candy as our stomachs would allow. Amazing…
Bonjour Paris tomorrow!!
5 weeks? More like 5 minutes.
The final hours of the trip have arrived. My favorite part of the day was Body Worlds or Körperwelten, of course, because I had seen the first two exhibitions in Houston and was looking forward to yet another outstanding collection. I normally enjoy looking at the bodies preserved by plastination and positioned differently to highlight various usages of our muscles the most but this exhibition included other interesting sections that I had never seen before. The most eye-catching was the horizontal body sections of a giraffe that were displayed laterally in the form of the animal. This was especially interesting because of its size but the ability to see each section of the body from head to toe was amazing. I also learned about Situs Inversus from one of the models, which is a condition that features the major visceral organs reversed or mirrored from their normal positions. Although I had never heard of this condition before, the exhibit said that it occurs in roughly 1 in 20,000 of the general population. Although much of the information in the audio guides were repetitive of what I have learned in Dr. Wasser's class and other courses, it was nice to know that these concepts are easily accessible by the general population for learning about the human body.
Thursday evening was the farewell dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was lovely but the best part of the evening was when we shared our personal favorites of the trip. At this point we realized just how close our group had actually gotten. Dr. Wasser even said that the expression of feelings in such a way was unique to our group when compared to study abroad groups of the past. I could not help but cry when thinking of how much I was going to miss everyone. We all attend the same university and will definitely be seeing each other again but our memories and our experiences here in Europe can never be replicated in the same way. I love each and every person that made this trip with me and miss them already.
A few of us, Caitlin, Justin, Matt, Roger, and me stayed the weekend in Berlin. Friday morning we said our goodbyes to those in the group that were to travel to other destinations, made our way to the hostel, and walked around the city once again. We decided to go back to the Holocaust Memorial for a closer look and a walk through the information center underneath. We also made our way back to the Brandenburg Gate and to Checkpoint Charlie before ending our evening with the most amazing entertainment ever: The Blue Man Group. The show was mind blowing especially from the second row! There was laughter, shock, awe, dancing, and banana. It was seriously one of the best things I have ever seen. Saturday we went to the International Beer Festival, which just happened to be going on in Berlin this weekend. The beer stands extended over 2.2 kilometers with 300 breweries from 86 countries selling over 2000 brands of beer. My favorite was the African mango beer. There was also live music and food everywhere. It was neat to see how one substance can bring so many cultures together.
It was 5 of the most amazing weeks of my life. I made best friends and had the best time and took the best pictures and have the best memories ever. Thank you to Dr. Wasser and Olaf and Steffi and Rainer and the AIB and my host mom, Eva. I loved every minute of it. To the group: I better see y'all in College Station. Like really, really soon.
Brittany
good byes
aufwiedersehn.
over the 5 weeks i got to know everyone on the trip. some people i got to know really well but i'm looking forward to the friendships we will build when we are back in College Station. we've shared many laughs, angers, frustrations and helped each other get through the trip. we are now family and the memories from this trip are PRICELESS. i am ever so greatful that i had the opportunity to spend this time with each and every one of you.
Dr. Wasser- you are the coolest prof i know! i'm so glad i was able to get to know you through this trip. i love your passion for physiology and germany. honestly, you look like a german! you and rhinea could be brothers. i couldn't imagine a better prof to share this experience with. because of your enthusiasm about this trip, i was looking forward to an amazing time and it was everything i was expecting and more. thank you for everything and we will be seeing you soon!
Olaf- COSMOOOOOOO is so cute. you make a good daddy too! maybe squeezing him to go poop isn't the best thing...but that's okay. i'm glad to have gotten to know you! berlin was alot of fun and i wish we could have hung out with you more! i will definitely be coming back to germany within the next year and i hope i can maybe be a student worker at the AIB during my stay. i will keep in contact with you about that though. keep being the badass you are! i'm also going to buy that mouth spray you use/squirted on my face. i actually kinda like it.
Justin- met you in London with your giraffe pillow! you are hilarious with your one liners and lines that should have stayed in your head. (baden, its like bin laden....) i'll be seeing you at martini street. i'm expecting VIP treatment!
Laura- you are one of the sweetest people i've met! your laugh is infectious and i hope that you will always be the same happy person that i know! woo moulin rouge! looking forward to see you in CS!
Jena- sup girl! we've had some fun times through out this program and i am definitely looking forward to being sushi buddies!! p.s. all that chocolate we bought is definitely melted together right now.
Nicole- texas girl :D haha i'm glad that i got to know you this trip and that we shared moulin rouge together! once in a life time experience. i wish i could have gotten to know you a little bit better, see you back in CS!
Coral- haaaaaay. before the trip started i really didn't think we'd be friends! hahah how wrong i was! i'm glad we clicked that one day on the train... looking forward to seein you back in CS :D we have to keep reporting news. we were born to do it. lol remember when alex almost fell down the escalator?? hilarious. ohh and that indian food. DELICIOUS! RFL
Mark- markyyyy. i love your "nein", crazy hair in the morning, and that little shirt you bought your nephew! thanks for saving my life in switzerland. i'm forever in debt to you. i love your sense of humor and you never failed to make me laugh. i'm glad i could expose you and jena to indian food! i hope that you will keep eating it! be careful of sketchy places though.
Alex- you are THE goofiest person i know. we came into this trip as alright friends and we left as great friends. i'm glad i got to actually know you better and saw what kind of person you really are! one of the sweetest guys i know. (minus your outbursts) don't drink jager anymore, haha. seroiusly, if you weren't on this trip...things would have been alot different. no one would have gotten stung by a bee, spilled their food, tripped every 2 seconds, told sarah she's got a good heart deep in the marian trench...HAHA. thanks for making this trip absolutely hilarious! RFL
Sarah- one for all, all for one! OPA for life. we came into this trip only knowing each other and i'm glad that we are able to maintain our friendship while forging new ones. i'm glad we were able to share this amazing experience together! deep within the marian trench, you are a great person. HAHA, just kidding. i had to throw the trench in there.
Stephanie- you are the smallest person i know. i admire how hard you work and how much you appreciate everything around you. lol you are a little ball of energy! keep up your spirit and rock that rock wall girl! i wish you the best with medical school applications!
Caitlin- you are such an amazing person. it took a little bit for you to come out of your shell, but once you did i could see your shining personality. i really enjoyed hearing your first impressions of everyone! haha some of the were really funny. i'm glad that you went out in hamburg till 4 am! party animal! i hope to see you back in CS and keep in touch. we will be having plenty of girls nights and you are required to be in attendance. don't let anything phase you and keep doing your thing!
Andrew- i'm glad i got to meet you this trip. you are full of life and opinions! keep your spirit and your fashion sense alive :) i enjoyed our talks and i like hearing your point of views. when i get back to CS i will definitely get you that glue and help you fix that stone thing. stay in touch bud!
Matt Bersi- matthew bersi. when i first met you, you had barely escaped death and all i could do was laugh. hahah. i still laugh when i think about it. you and i have spent the last 5 weeks laughing our asses of. i honestly don't know what we would have done without you! all of our laughs on the crazy trains, berlin bike ride, subways, class, wherever.... priceless. also your model pictures came out very well. i will never forget the train ride to prague. i can't believe we weren't friends before this trip....sorry about booty dancing on your face. RFL
Brittany- oooooooooooooooh (high pitched) i'm sad that we weren't friends before this trip. we had some gooooooood times through this trip. i'm glad we were roomies in all the different places! "wanna do stuff?"hahahah. i'm gonna miss seeing you all the time! raisin, raisin RAISIN RAISINNNNNN!!!! lol. man, if i could type out all of our inside jokes, i don't even think i could do it. there's just too much. thanks for making this trip badass. RFL
Roger (british accent)- Oh rog, where to even start. before the trip i had no idea what your personality was going to be like. just after a day of knowing you i knew we'd be good friends! you have such a good heart and you always want to protect us and make sure we're okay. that is what i love most about you. always helping me with my luggage, protecting us from creepers in prague, and even protecting us from those scary men in berlin! haha, although sometimes you make weird faces and when you first wake up you look creepy, i'm very glad i got to know you and i'm looking forward to our friendship! Saw I party soon! RFL
i'm really sad now.
love all of you very much,
shyanie
over the 5 weeks i got to know everyone on the trip. some people i got to know really well but i'm looking forward to the friendships we will build when we are back in College Station. we've shared many laughs, angers, frustrations and helped each other get through the trip. we are now family and the memories from this trip are PRICELESS. i am ever so greatful that i had the opportunity to spend this time with each and every one of you.
Dr. Wasser- you are the coolest prof i know! i'm so glad i was able to get to know you through this trip. i love your passion for physiology and germany. honestly, you look like a german! you and rhinea could be brothers. i couldn't imagine a better prof to share this experience with. because of your enthusiasm about this trip, i was looking forward to an amazing time and it was everything i was expecting and more. thank you for everything and we will be seeing you soon!
Olaf- COSMOOOOOOO is so cute. you make a good daddy too! maybe squeezing him to go poop isn't the best thing...but that's okay. i'm glad to have gotten to know you! berlin was alot of fun and i wish we could have hung out with you more! i will definitely be coming back to germany within the next year and i hope i can maybe be a student worker at the AIB during my stay. i will keep in contact with you about that though. keep being the badass you are! i'm also going to buy that mouth spray you use/squirted on my face. i actually kinda like it.
Justin- met you in London with your giraffe pillow! you are hilarious with your one liners and lines that should have stayed in your head. (baden, its like bin laden....) i'll be seeing you at martini street. i'm expecting VIP treatment!
Laura- you are one of the sweetest people i've met! your laugh is infectious and i hope that you will always be the same happy person that i know! woo moulin rouge! looking forward to see you in CS!
Jena- sup girl! we've had some fun times through out this program and i am definitely looking forward to being sushi buddies!! p.s. all that chocolate we bought is definitely melted together right now.
Nicole- texas girl :D haha i'm glad that i got to know you this trip and that we shared moulin rouge together! once in a life time experience. i wish i could have gotten to know you a little bit better, see you back in CS!
Coral- haaaaaay. before the trip started i really didn't think we'd be friends! hahah how wrong i was! i'm glad we clicked that one day on the train... looking forward to seein you back in CS :D we have to keep reporting news. we were born to do it. lol remember when alex almost fell down the escalator?? hilarious. ohh and that indian food. DELICIOUS! RFL
Mark- markyyyy. i love your "nein", crazy hair in the morning, and that little shirt you bought your nephew! thanks for saving my life in switzerland. i'm forever in debt to you. i love your sense of humor and you never failed to make me laugh. i'm glad i could expose you and jena to indian food! i hope that you will keep eating it! be careful of sketchy places though.
Alex- you are THE goofiest person i know. we came into this trip as alright friends and we left as great friends. i'm glad i got to actually know you better and saw what kind of person you really are! one of the sweetest guys i know. (minus your outbursts) don't drink jager anymore, haha. seroiusly, if you weren't on this trip...things would have been alot different. no one would have gotten stung by a bee, spilled their food, tripped every 2 seconds, told sarah she's got a good heart deep in the marian trench...HAHA. thanks for making this trip absolutely hilarious! RFL
Sarah- one for all, all for one! OPA for life. we came into this trip only knowing each other and i'm glad that we are able to maintain our friendship while forging new ones. i'm glad we were able to share this amazing experience together! deep within the marian trench, you are a great person. HAHA, just kidding. i had to throw the trench in there.
Stephanie- you are the smallest person i know. i admire how hard you work and how much you appreciate everything around you. lol you are a little ball of energy! keep up your spirit and rock that rock wall girl! i wish you the best with medical school applications!
Caitlin- you are such an amazing person. it took a little bit for you to come out of your shell, but once you did i could see your shining personality. i really enjoyed hearing your first impressions of everyone! haha some of the were really funny. i'm glad that you went out in hamburg till 4 am! party animal! i hope to see you back in CS and keep in touch. we will be having plenty of girls nights and you are required to be in attendance. don't let anything phase you and keep doing your thing!
Andrew- i'm glad i got to meet you this trip. you are full of life and opinions! keep your spirit and your fashion sense alive :) i enjoyed our talks and i like hearing your point of views. when i get back to CS i will definitely get you that glue and help you fix that stone thing. stay in touch bud!
Matt Bersi- matthew bersi. when i first met you, you had barely escaped death and all i could do was laugh. hahah. i still laugh when i think about it. you and i have spent the last 5 weeks laughing our asses of. i honestly don't know what we would have done without you! all of our laughs on the crazy trains, berlin bike ride, subways, class, wherever.... priceless. also your model pictures came out very well. i will never forget the train ride to prague. i can't believe we weren't friends before this trip....sorry about booty dancing on your face. RFL
Brittany- oooooooooooooooh (high pitched) i'm sad that we weren't friends before this trip. we had some gooooooood times through this trip. i'm glad we were roomies in all the different places! "wanna do stuff?"hahahah. i'm gonna miss seeing you all the time! raisin, raisin RAISIN RAISINNNNNN!!!! lol. man, if i could type out all of our inside jokes, i don't even think i could do it. there's just too much. thanks for making this trip badass. RFL
Roger (british accent)- Oh rog, where to even start. before the trip i had no idea what your personality was going to be like. just after a day of knowing you i knew we'd be good friends! you have such a good heart and you always want to protect us and make sure we're okay. that is what i love most about you. always helping me with my luggage, protecting us from creepers in prague, and even protecting us from those scary men in berlin! haha, although sometimes you make weird faces and when you first wake up you look creepy, i'm very glad i got to know you and i'm looking forward to our friendship! Saw I party soon! RFL
i'm really sad now.
love all of you very much,
shyanie
last week
i can't believe the program is over. how did 5 weeks go by so fast? i feel like this past month has been an out of control whirlwind filled with crazyness, never ending laughter, unlimited knowledge and opportunity.
so here i am, 5 weeks later...and i already miss germany. i'm in italy right now...and all i can think about is how amazing germany was and how i took a lot of things for granted. ex: the nice weather, prompt public transport, friendly (not creepy) people, and cheap food/drinks.
before going on the trip i was expecting to like italy and switzerland the best out of all the countries i would be visiting. but i can proudly say now that I LOVE GERMANY! my favorite country, next to the US, of course. the culture and the way of life is perfect for me. maybe one day i can learn the language and enjoy germany on the same level Wasser does.
Berlin was amazing. I definitely want to come back and spend more time there. the museums were cool, but the city had its own vibe. the place Olaf took us to was by far my favorite place i've visited. i loved the atmosphere, grafitti, and it was cool to be apart of that free spirit. amazing.
so here i am, 5 weeks later...and i already miss germany. i'm in italy right now...and all i can think about is how amazing germany was and how i took a lot of things for granted. ex: the nice weather, prompt public transport, friendly (not creepy) people, and cheap food/drinks.
before going on the trip i was expecting to like italy and switzerland the best out of all the countries i would be visiting. but i can proudly say now that I LOVE GERMANY! my favorite country, next to the US, of course. the culture and the way of life is perfect for me. maybe one day i can learn the language and enjoy germany on the same level Wasser does.
Berlin was amazing. I definitely want to come back and spend more time there. the museums were cool, but the city had its own vibe. the place Olaf took us to was by far my favorite place i've visited. i loved the atmosphere, grafitti, and it was cool to be apart of that free spirit. amazing.
August 7, 2009
I left Germany for home Friday. I was definitley ready to come home and see my family and friends, but it was also sad leaving my home for the last 5 weeks. Its strange to think that I wont have to wake up in the morning to run and catch the bus or that I wont be waking up every morning to the standard breakfast of bread, cheese, and lunch meat. (Even though I had my fill of breakfest sandwichs, they will be missed.) This past month has been great; it was something I only imagined for a long time. The trip exposed me to many different places, thoughts, people... I'm looking forward to going back someday.
Our last day in Berlin was another eventful day. In the morning we visited the Charite hospital and later we went to the Bodyworlds exhibit. The exhibit was interesting to see; plastinates in different possess showing the way humans move and the muscles used. A plasinate by the way is a real human body preserved with plastic. No matter how many preserved organs, bodies, vascular systems I have seen throughout this trip, I always ask is that real? Its astounding that we can preserve such things for so long. To see an actual vascular system all the way down to capillaries preserved and in a display case is unbelievable.
That night we had our last dinner together. All throughout the day people kept saying "the program is over, this is our last day," but I dont think any of us realized it was over until then. We had moroccan food, which was amazing (most of us were a little scared of what we might be eating). During, we all went around the table and shared our favorite part about the trip. It seemed that most people's favorite part was just getting to know the others. I think we have all grown close throughout our time traveling through Europe, and will hopefully remain friends after.
Our last day in Berlin was another eventful day. In the morning we visited the Charite hospital and later we went to the Bodyworlds exhibit. The exhibit was interesting to see; plastinates in different possess showing the way humans move and the muscles used. A plasinate by the way is a real human body preserved with plastic. No matter how many preserved organs, bodies, vascular systems I have seen throughout this trip, I always ask is that real? Its astounding that we can preserve such things for so long. To see an actual vascular system all the way down to capillaries preserved and in a display case is unbelievable.
That night we had our last dinner together. All throughout the day people kept saying "the program is over, this is our last day," but I dont think any of us realized it was over until then. We had moroccan food, which was amazing (most of us were a little scared of what we might be eating). During, we all went around the table and shared our favorite part about the trip. It seemed that most people's favorite part was just getting to know the others. I think we have all grown close throughout our time traveling through Europe, and will hopefully remain friends after.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Auf Wieversehen Deutschland
I left Germany and came back to Dallas yesterday. That was a sad day. I really loved Germany and all of Europe that we visted. I am so grateful to have had the chance to go on this trip. I really want to go back soon and see even more of Europe. I can't believe how fast those five weeks went. But they were the best five weeks of my life thus far!
Berlin seemed like a great city. It is a city with an intersting past and it is clear when venturing around. I really liked that there were many signs and memorials from the era with the Berlin wall. Like many large cities, Berlin offered many things to entertain yourself. One night a few of us went to a jazz bar and listened to a local band play. Our last night in town we all went to the coolest bar I have ever been to. During the bike tour we saw the location in the day and and I have to admit it looked very ghetto. At night the place was transformed into a cool night spot for the younger generation. There was a live band, several bars, lots of people, and a cool building with new surprises on every floor. Even more proof that you can not judge a book by its cover! A few of us stayed awhile. We tried some more local beers and watching fire breathers!! That was really neat.
The Charite Museuem was very intersting. I really enjoyed the section with the hearts with pacemakers and vavle replacements. I found it very interesting to really be able to see the placement of the devices from a view you cant see from the living. The forensic exhibit was also very intersting. I definetly felt my mobid curoristy drawing me in. The last museum visit as a group was body worlds. I was really happy to see that most of the specimens were different from what I had seen several years ago. The last specimen was two people having sex. It was interesting but I couldn't imagine being in that post for eternity. I also didn't like that they made her look like a hooker.
Everything I could've asked for
As I sit here writing my last official blog of the trip, I feel like the fast forward button was pushed. I can remember reading the blogs of past students and wondering what my trip would be like. And now, here I sit, just another one of those blogs.
Our last week of the trip was a perfect end that came too soon! From my last blog, I left off in Dresden. I wasn't expecting much from Dresden seeing as we were only going there for a day. But, it turned out to be a very nice city. We had a great city tour and then visited the German Hygiene Museum. The museum was super interactive and I really could've stayed there a few more hours. I also managed to come out of it with a couple purchased items for myself. :)
Thursday was our last day of the trip. A great way to end the trip was a visit to the Berlin Body Worlds exhibit. It was so creative and interesting. I just wonder what kind of person came up with the idea! At night, we went to an amazing Moraccan restaurant for our farewell dinner. What I heard at dinner was truly amazing. In just 5 weeks, the 15 of us had become a family. We got close and formed bonds that I never, ever would've expected. It made such a difference to have this on the trip. Not only did you benefit academically, but emotionally and socially as well. I really couldn't have asked for more in the trip. It was a perfect mix of learning, culture, and fun. I would really recommend it to anyone. Cheers to such a wonderful trip! I can't wait to tell everyone back home about it!
Coral
Our last week of the trip was a perfect end that came too soon! From my last blog, I left off in Dresden. I wasn't expecting much from Dresden seeing as we were only going there for a day. But, it turned out to be a very nice city. We had a great city tour and then visited the German Hygiene Museum. The museum was super interactive and I really could've stayed there a few more hours. I also managed to come out of it with a couple purchased items for myself. :)
Thursday was our last day of the trip. A great way to end the trip was a visit to the Berlin Body Worlds exhibit. It was so creative and interesting. I just wonder what kind of person came up with the idea! At night, we went to an amazing Moraccan restaurant for our farewell dinner. What I heard at dinner was truly amazing. In just 5 weeks, the 15 of us had become a family. We got close and formed bonds that I never, ever would've expected. It made such a difference to have this on the trip. Not only did you benefit academically, but emotionally and socially as well. I really couldn't have asked for more in the trip. It was a perfect mix of learning, culture, and fun. I would really recommend it to anyone. Cheers to such a wonderful trip! I can't wait to tell everyone back home about it!
Coral
In the Blink of an Eye
The program has now officially ended, and the majority of the goodbyes have been made. Now the only thing that separated me from my return trip home was the weekend in Berlin. Of the people who remained in Europe after the trip, the people who remained in Berlin were Justin, Roger, Brittany, Caitlin, and Me. We had quite the eventful weekend, and it was a relief to be able to experience the city without any sort of structure from the program.
So we started out on Friday and checked into our new hostel for the weekend, and then headed into town to find some form of entertainment. While we were travelling, it was funny to see many of the sights that we had seen earlier on the bike tour. It made me feel like we were experienced travellers. First thing on the agenda was to head to Potsdamer Platz and the Bluemax theater to get our tickets to that night's showing of the Blue Man Group. Then in an effort to spend the rest of the time in the day, we headed to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and did our last rounds of souvenir shopping. Finally, that night we went to the epic Blue Man Group show. I have been wanting to see one of their performances for the majority of my life. Anyways, the show was very artisic and musical and there was a portion of the show that was filled with banana. It was hilarious to see the blue men shoot a strange banana mixture out of the tubing in their chest, but unfortunately Caitlin fell victim to such a blast. Although I felt very bad that she was covered in banana for the length of the show, I couldn't help but laugh at such an outlandish situation. Afterwards, we snagged a picture with a blue man, which was probably just the icing on the cake. Saturday came, and we found our way to the International Beer Festival. There was live music, bratwurst, chocolate covered fruits, beer, more bratwurst, and more beer. The people there came from all over the world, much like the different types of beer. It was a very unifying experience for the people...and the beer. Definitely an adventure. Then after that there was just packing and flying out the next day. Although my plane left later, I went with the other group because I didn't want to be late for my one chance home.
So now, as I sit here in the Berlin airport after my last goodbyes writing this blog next to the prime minister or something of Sudan...no joke..., I can easily say that this trip was everything that I could have asked for. Despite the occasional bumpy spots in the long road that we travelled, the trip went as I could have only hoped that it would. If there was one thing that I could change, it would be that the trip actually felt like it lasted for five weeks, as opposed to five seconds. As I was thinking back on all of the fun times we had, I noticed how well I could remember every part of the trip. I think that this says something about the integrity of the program in that this will not be easily forgotten. From the program excursions during the week to the recreational excursions on the weekend, the friendships, memories, and learning foundations formed are all priceless. These were probably the best 5 weeks of my life. I will definitely recommend this trip to anyone who has the slightest opportunity to partake in such a trip.
I guess this is the last thank you to all of the people involved with the trip: Steffi, Olaf, Dr. Zäck, Dr. Wasser, my host momma Rosa, everyone at the AIB, Alisha, the Texas A&M Study Abroad Office, all of the museums and locations that allowed us to visit, and finally the best group of 15 ever. We need to hang soon. Thanks for everything and making this trip unforgettable.
Matt Bersi
So we started out on Friday and checked into our new hostel for the weekend, and then headed into town to find some form of entertainment. While we were travelling, it was funny to see many of the sights that we had seen earlier on the bike tour. It made me feel like we were experienced travellers. First thing on the agenda was to head to Potsdamer Platz and the Bluemax theater to get our tickets to that night's showing of the Blue Man Group. Then in an effort to spend the rest of the time in the day, we headed to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and did our last rounds of souvenir shopping. Finally, that night we went to the epic Blue Man Group show. I have been wanting to see one of their performances for the majority of my life. Anyways, the show was very artisic and musical and there was a portion of the show that was filled with banana. It was hilarious to see the blue men shoot a strange banana mixture out of the tubing in their chest, but unfortunately Caitlin fell victim to such a blast. Although I felt very bad that she was covered in banana for the length of the show, I couldn't help but laugh at such an outlandish situation. Afterwards, we snagged a picture with a blue man, which was probably just the icing on the cake. Saturday came, and we found our way to the International Beer Festival. There was live music, bratwurst, chocolate covered fruits, beer, more bratwurst, and more beer. The people there came from all over the world, much like the different types of beer. It was a very unifying experience for the people...and the beer. Definitely an adventure. Then after that there was just packing and flying out the next day. Although my plane left later, I went with the other group because I didn't want to be late for my one chance home.
So now, as I sit here in the Berlin airport after my last goodbyes writing this blog next to the prime minister or something of Sudan...no joke..., I can easily say that this trip was everything that I could have asked for. Despite the occasional bumpy spots in the long road that we travelled, the trip went as I could have only hoped that it would. If there was one thing that I could change, it would be that the trip actually felt like it lasted for five weeks, as opposed to five seconds. As I was thinking back on all of the fun times we had, I noticed how well I could remember every part of the trip. I think that this says something about the integrity of the program in that this will not be easily forgotten. From the program excursions during the week to the recreational excursions on the weekend, the friendships, memories, and learning foundations formed are all priceless. These were probably the best 5 weeks of my life. I will definitely recommend this trip to anyone who has the slightest opportunity to partake in such a trip.
I guess this is the last thank you to all of the people involved with the trip: Steffi, Olaf, Dr. Zäck, Dr. Wasser, my host momma Rosa, everyone at the AIB, Alisha, the Texas A&M Study Abroad Office, all of the museums and locations that allowed us to visit, and finally the best group of 15 ever. We need to hang soon. Thanks for everything and making this trip unforgettable.
Matt Bersi
Berlin, Berlin, Where to Begin?
So here we are at the final week of the trip, and I don't think that it could have been spent anywhere more enjoyable. Of the three week-long excursions (Hannover, Vienna, and Berlin), I think that Berlin was probably my favorite. The size and immense history of Berlin are probably dominating factors, aside from the vast amount of program events. I enjoy the big city life, although regular bike travel would probably give me a heart attack haha. Either way, the week was jam-packed with events and excursions, and by the end of the week I was exhausted.
Despite the fact that the bike tour was much longer than i had initially suspected, the overall experience went smoothly (with a few bumps here and there). For example, on one of the first streets, we were turning left across traffic, and I was solly paying attention to the other biker speeding right at me and not the poles that lined the sidewalk...I pretty much smashed into the pole, but there was "no harm, no foul" as Dr. Wasser said. We saw a lot of the major sites in the city while on the tour, and I noticed this even more as we were walking around the town later on in the week. The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Euthanasia Victims Memorial were all great stops that were made on the tour. I think that this bike excursion coupled with the bike ride I had in Venice made me remember how much I like riding bicycles.
Another very interesting and influential exhibition, from an engineering standpoint, that I saw was at Otto Bock. This company produces and designs prosthetic limbs for the customer/patient to ensure them a better quality of life. Tihs type of produc is what sparked my interest in Bioengineering, so I really enjoyed the fully interactive exhibit that allowed you to feel when an orthotic was necessary, or allowed you to feel what a wheelchair felt like through the use of a virtual simulation, and allowed you to virtually peel back the skin to see the mechanics of a working arm and then compart that to a prosthesis. Very cool.
One day we made a trip to Dresden. Seeig as the only previous knowledge that I had of Dresden was from the burning of the city and the reconstruction of the Frauenkirsche, I had no idea what to expect. I had seen pictures of the city before the burning and I knew that it was reconstructed, but to what scale I as unsure. Upon the arrival to the city and subsequent city tour, I was awed at how much the city had rebuilt and modernized. It was amazing how far the city has come in this amount of time. Aside from the modernity, there was also some of the most entricate architecture that we have seen at the Zwinger Palace. It provided an interesting contrast between the modern shopping plazas and the classical cathedrals and opera houses around the corner. The rauenkirsche was absolutely phenomenal. To think that not too long ago the building was in ruins is so strange. The gold plating on the inside makes the figures glisten in the sun, and I think it brings the detailed sculptures to lofe, so to speak. I think that Dresden was a good trip.
Ultimately, we all knew that the final day of the program would come, but I don't think we wanted it to come so soon. The final day brought us the the German Hygiene Museum. the progression of the six permanent exhibits followed a basic structure of the functions of the human body, and I am an absolute sucker for interactive museum exhibits. This almost caused me to lose track of time and not have an adequate amount of time left to finish my presentation material. I enjoyed the student presentations in the juseum because it allowed fora closer understanding of some of the displays, and it forced us to build a presentation in a short amount of time. We also went to the Body Worlds exhibit on Thursday, and I have to say that this was my first time at such an exhibition. The plastenated bodies were entriguing in both an anatomical nature and an artistic nature. The displays showed how the body behaves in various situations, which was eye-opening to say the least. I also liked how the gorilla and giraffe were incorporated into the displays because it extended it the exhibition beyond the human barrier. Overall, this a good end to the week/program.
The goodbye dinner was one that had a bittersweet taste. The "sweet" came from the good food, good friends, and the prospect of returning home to the states. The "biter" was the fact that we would be leaving our trip in Europe and this newly formed family. I think that the most touching and emotional part of the evening was when everyone went around and said their favorite parts of the trip. I think that the group dynamic that we had is what distinguishd us from the other groups Dr. Wasser has had, and that makes me feel special. I think that it is awesome that the common ground of medicine brought us together, and thanks to this program something great happened in Europe.
I love this group, and I loved this program.
Matt
Despite the fact that the bike tour was much longer than i had initially suspected, the overall experience went smoothly (with a few bumps here and there). For example, on one of the first streets, we were turning left across traffic, and I was solly paying attention to the other biker speeding right at me and not the poles that lined the sidewalk...I pretty much smashed into the pole, but there was "no harm, no foul" as Dr. Wasser said. We saw a lot of the major sites in the city while on the tour, and I noticed this even more as we were walking around the town later on in the week. The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Euthanasia Victims Memorial were all great stops that were made on the tour. I think that this bike excursion coupled with the bike ride I had in Venice made me remember how much I like riding bicycles.
Another very interesting and influential exhibition, from an engineering standpoint, that I saw was at Otto Bock. This company produces and designs prosthetic limbs for the customer/patient to ensure them a better quality of life. Tihs type of produc is what sparked my interest in Bioengineering, so I really enjoyed the fully interactive exhibit that allowed you to feel when an orthotic was necessary, or allowed you to feel what a wheelchair felt like through the use of a virtual simulation, and allowed you to virtually peel back the skin to see the mechanics of a working arm and then compart that to a prosthesis. Very cool.
One day we made a trip to Dresden. Seeig as the only previous knowledge that I had of Dresden was from the burning of the city and the reconstruction of the Frauenkirsche, I had no idea what to expect. I had seen pictures of the city before the burning and I knew that it was reconstructed, but to what scale I as unsure. Upon the arrival to the city and subsequent city tour, I was awed at how much the city had rebuilt and modernized. It was amazing how far the city has come in this amount of time. Aside from the modernity, there was also some of the most entricate architecture that we have seen at the Zwinger Palace. It provided an interesting contrast between the modern shopping plazas and the classical cathedrals and opera houses around the corner. The rauenkirsche was absolutely phenomenal. To think that not too long ago the building was in ruins is so strange. The gold plating on the inside makes the figures glisten in the sun, and I think it brings the detailed sculptures to lofe, so to speak. I think that Dresden was a good trip.
Ultimately, we all knew that the final day of the program would come, but I don't think we wanted it to come so soon. The final day brought us the the German Hygiene Museum. the progression of the six permanent exhibits followed a basic structure of the functions of the human body, and I am an absolute sucker for interactive museum exhibits. This almost caused me to lose track of time and not have an adequate amount of time left to finish my presentation material. I enjoyed the student presentations in the juseum because it allowed fora closer understanding of some of the displays, and it forced us to build a presentation in a short amount of time. We also went to the Body Worlds exhibit on Thursday, and I have to say that this was my first time at such an exhibition. The plastenated bodies were entriguing in both an anatomical nature and an artistic nature. The displays showed how the body behaves in various situations, which was eye-opening to say the least. I also liked how the gorilla and giraffe were incorporated into the displays because it extended it the exhibition beyond the human barrier. Overall, this a good end to the week/program.
The goodbye dinner was one that had a bittersweet taste. The "sweet" came from the good food, good friends, and the prospect of returning home to the states. The "biter" was the fact that we would be leaving our trip in Europe and this newly formed family. I think that the most touching and emotional part of the evening was when everyone went around and said their favorite parts of the trip. I think that the group dynamic that we had is what distinguishd us from the other groups Dr. Wasser has had, and that makes me feel special. I think that it is awesome that the common ground of medicine brought us together, and thanks to this program something great happened in Europe.
I love this group, and I loved this program.
Matt
Paris, mon ami
Four weeks have passed, and the final official weekend excursion for the program was in Paris, but was almost going to be Bonn. After the scheduling fiasco in the Reisezentrum (which would have left me grounded in Bonn) was sorted out, we headed out of Köln hauptbahnhof on a 5 hour train bound for Paris. The ride was eventful as any other that we have had, with loud talkiung and even louder laughing all the way to the destination. Getting directions in the station as easy, and upon exiting the subay, after a massive group effort to purchase our tickets, the first thing we saw was the meon lights of Paris. All around were signs flashing this way and that with the entire display culminating in a red and yellow windmill with the words "Moulin Rouge" stretching across the front. Oddly enough the hotel was right down the street, and despite the outrageously small bathroom facilities in my room, it was a delightful place to stay. Either way, we made it to the hotel in one piece, but unfortunately one of the crew was missing, which I know has been expoundd upon in other blogs...its still funny though.
The next day was jam-packed with sites to see and souvenirs to buy. We hit what seemed like all of the typical Parisian hotspots; the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower summit, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, and a brisk walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It was phenomenal to see the sheer size of the structures becaue we have sen pictures our whole lives, but standing at the foot of such things had an effect that made me feel very small. Also, being able to see the artwork and diplays in the Louvre, such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, or the Code of Hammurabi was something that I never thought I would be able to do. It was almost surreal to see the size of the Mona Lisa painting because it was so much smaller than I envisioned it. Two hours in the Louvre is definitely not enough time. Basically we were all touristed out by the end of the day.
The night scene consisted of a splitting of the group, with one party attending a Moulin Rouge showing and the other returning to the Eiffel Tower in order to see it in its illuminated state. I have to say that this iconic landmark of Paris had completely different looks when comparing the night and the day. The most incredible part of the night viewing of the tower was the occasional flashing/sparkling of the flood lights that cover the exterior of the structure. The scene reminde me of a fireworks show and was a awe-inspiring to say the least. Overall, I think that the weekend was filled with the quintessential sights and sounds of the Paris esperience. The only downside to the weekend was the costof everyday items. My host mom told me that i would be broke when I left that city...that wasn't very far from the truth.
This weekend was fun, but the last week of the program should prove to be a most exciteing adventure in the capital city of Germany...Berlin!
Until Then,
Matt
The next day was jam-packed with sites to see and souvenirs to buy. We hit what seemed like all of the typical Parisian hotspots; the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower summit, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, and a brisk walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It was phenomenal to see the sheer size of the structures becaue we have sen pictures our whole lives, but standing at the foot of such things had an effect that made me feel very small. Also, being able to see the artwork and diplays in the Louvre, such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, or the Code of Hammurabi was something that I never thought I would be able to do. It was almost surreal to see the size of the Mona Lisa painting because it was so much smaller than I envisioned it. Two hours in the Louvre is definitely not enough time. Basically we were all touristed out by the end of the day.
The night scene consisted of a splitting of the group, with one party attending a Moulin Rouge showing and the other returning to the Eiffel Tower in order to see it in its illuminated state. I have to say that this iconic landmark of Paris had completely different looks when comparing the night and the day. The most incredible part of the night viewing of the tower was the occasional flashing/sparkling of the flood lights that cover the exterior of the structure. The scene reminde me of a fireworks show and was a awe-inspiring to say the least. Overall, I think that the weekend was filled with the quintessential sights and sounds of the Paris esperience. The only downside to the weekend was the costof everyday items. My host mom told me that i would be broke when I left that city...that wasn't very far from the truth.
This weekend was fun, but the last week of the program should prove to be a most exciteing adventure in the capital city of Germany...Berlin!
Until Then,
Matt
Weekend in Berlin
Well we decided to stay a few more days in Berlin and it was quite epic. We stayed in a cozy hostel and were able to mosey around Berlin at our pace doing nothing but enjoying the city. We went back to the holocaust memorial and saw BMG. I read some HP on a warm stone at the memorial and avoided flying bananas heaved at us from blue man #1. Saturday was the International Beer Festival in Berlin. What a freakin coincidence, I know! Another experience I will never forget. There was of course plenty of beer, 300 different kinds to be exact, and music for any taste. Note: the one man who played guitar, harmonica, drums, sang, and controlled his three puppets all at once was probably the most impressive musical performance I have ever seen. It’s no surprise the festival was held in Berlin. Berlin is unique, gorgeous, and unique. One of my favorite cities, hands down awesome. The weekend ended with a 4:30am wake and bustle to the airport, 14 hour squished plane ride next to a heavy Nigerian man, and then stepping back into Texas.
Ottobock
The Ottobock museum is a biomedical engineer's heaven. It is full of cutting edge medical technology and you get to play with it. There is GUI all over the place that gives all anatomical and physiological background on how the devices become one with the person. It was one of the few times I have seen the theory that we bioengineers have been learning put forth into application. I didn't realize how far we had come in assisting amputees nor did I realize how far we have to go. This visit was just another confirmation that my heart truly rest in the biomedical field. My favorite part of the museum had to be projection of bones, ligaments, and tendons onto my actual arm. Freaky and totally rad.
Berlin by bike
In our travels thus far, we have toured many cities. Many by foot and some by bus, both having good and bad qualities. Alas, we took a tour by bike! Berlin. This was easily my favorite city tour because of the method and the city itself. Biking allowed us to get were needed to go quickly, kept us close to sites themselves, and was good exercise. Berlin is a magnificent city that is full of construction, skyscrapers, and waterways. We were able to course along the Berlin wall, see the holocaust memorial, check out were the night life was, and make it to the Reichstag. Berlin by bike was no joke. Not to mention we also discovered what was in style if you were a middle age German man like Olaf and our guide. They were dressed with the same style sense and had identical pointy business dress shoes. To conclude our crash course on Berlin, we ended the afternoon with a delicious meal at a famous falafel restaurant.
Hygiene
The Hygiene Museum might not be the best name for this exhibit. This name does no justice for what the museum has to offer. Located in Dresden, this interactive museum was perfect for us. It consisted of 5 rooms and a special exhibit. The five rooms ranged from the human body as a whole to specific sub-regions of the body. It even included a human sexuality room. We had our final assignment in which we were divided up into groups and had to present on each of the rooms. I was assigned the room on the transparent man and presented on one of the first x-rays machines ever used. Pretty sweet. The special exhibit was on medicine in war and displayed how war shaped medicine and vice versa. The city of Dresden was magnificent. Almost completely destroyed in the war, it was awesome to see a modern European city.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Berlin Blog part One: Get Medical (Or Not)
How can you know what you want to do for a living until you’ve sampled every different flavor at the ice cream stand of life? To ease your mental anguish, I can answer the question precisely.
1) You never had any doubt that you knew what you wanted to do and did everything necessary to accomplish that goal.
2) You are a normal human being who can’t even decide what they want to order at IHOP without thoroughly examining the menu, and you still end up ordering things you don’t like but were convinced you would.
Barring significant changes in my emotional or mental or social state of being, I will not be going to medical school. It is also unlikely that I will see a career in anything related to medicine.
Why did I go on this trip? Well how would I have come to this conclusion had I not been so thoroughly exposed to the variety of careers available in medicine. This trip could easily convert a philosophy to the field of medicine. But in my case, it illuminated for me how uninterested I am in certain areas.
My father is an engineer. Has been for thirty years. My father’s father was an engineer for forty. Try as I might, it’s part of my genetic makeup. Who knows what I’ll be doing ten years from now? As of now, I’ve only just begun the elimination process to make that decision.
My Host Family
A lot of great memories and experiences have occurred over the past five weeks, and I have loved every minute of it. My favorite part was meeting some of the best all around people I have ever got the chance to meet in my life, my German family.
This family is kind, brave, and pure hearted. Ever since the day I arrived on their doorstep at 2:45 in the morning (a day late), they have welcomed me into their home as one of their own. As the days went by, we grew closer and got to know each other better. My host dad, Mario, plays guitar and is lead singer in a hobby band, which happened to play at the AIB party one saturday. I have been playing guitar for a little over a year now and when I got to their house there was a guitar waiting for me in my room. Mario even retrung the guitar left handed for me so that I coule play it. Every morning I would come down ready to go to class and their would be one or two sandwiches and fresh fruit. I was the only one that I know of who got lunch from his/her host family as well. This is just one of the many things that made me realize that their level of caring and kindness was unique.
These are not the only characteristics that Mario and Christina possess however, they are also some of the bravest people that I have ever met. Mario told me the story of their escape from East Germany. Around August of September of 1989, they had overheard on the radio that Hungary was going to open its borders for the East Germans for just a short period of time. Mario said that him and Christina did not hesitate and thought that this could be their one opportunity to escape oppression. They packed two bags and left their house heading for the border and freedom. They fled because Christina was pregnant and they did not want to raise a family under Communism, so they risked their lives for this. After successfully escaping they fled straight to Bonn, because Christina had family there and they have been there ever since. I have a tremendous respect for them.
While I was away for those two weeks, I missed Bonn and my host family very much. When I got back, I was pleasantly suprised that Yolanda was back as well (she is my 11 year old host sister that I wasn't going to get to see again because she had summer camp). When I arrived back at their home, I was talking to Mario and Christina in the kitchen when Mario told me that Yolanda had told them that she had missed me very much while we were away. Then I turned around to put my things in my room and Yolanda was standing right behind me. She jumped right into my arms and told me that she had missed me very much. That was a moment that I will not forget, it meant an incredible amount to me.
Leaving Bonn was emotional for me, because I had felt so close to my host family and I knew that it was going to be a long time before I got to see them again... But the rest of the trip should be a blast!
Roger
--This post is for the week we left Bonn.
This family is kind, brave, and pure hearted. Ever since the day I arrived on their doorstep at 2:45 in the morning (a day late), they have welcomed me into their home as one of their own. As the days went by, we grew closer and got to know each other better. My host dad, Mario, plays guitar and is lead singer in a hobby band, which happened to play at the AIB party one saturday. I have been playing guitar for a little over a year now and when I got to their house there was a guitar waiting for me in my room. Mario even retrung the guitar left handed for me so that I coule play it. Every morning I would come down ready to go to class and their would be one or two sandwiches and fresh fruit. I was the only one that I know of who got lunch from his/her host family as well. This is just one of the many things that made me realize that their level of caring and kindness was unique.
These are not the only characteristics that Mario and Christina possess however, they are also some of the bravest people that I have ever met. Mario told me the story of their escape from East Germany. Around August of September of 1989, they had overheard on the radio that Hungary was going to open its borders for the East Germans for just a short period of time. Mario said that him and Christina did not hesitate and thought that this could be their one opportunity to escape oppression. They packed two bags and left their house heading for the border and freedom. They fled because Christina was pregnant and they did not want to raise a family under Communism, so they risked their lives for this. After successfully escaping they fled straight to Bonn, because Christina had family there and they have been there ever since. I have a tremendous respect for them.
While I was away for those two weeks, I missed Bonn and my host family very much. When I got back, I was pleasantly suprised that Yolanda was back as well (she is my 11 year old host sister that I wasn't going to get to see again because she had summer camp). When I arrived back at their home, I was talking to Mario and Christina in the kitchen when Mario told me that Yolanda had told them that she had missed me very much while we were away. Then I turned around to put my things in my room and Yolanda was standing right behind me. She jumped right into my arms and told me that she had missed me very much. That was a moment that I will not forget, it meant an incredible amount to me.
Leaving Bonn was emotional for me, because I had felt so close to my host family and I knew that it was going to be a long time before I got to see them again... But the rest of the trip should be a blast!
Roger
--This post is for the week we left Bonn.
It's the last week, it must be cherished.
After a sad departure from Bonn, we made it to Berlin in 16 out of 17 pieces. I called for Justin and frantically followed the train from the outside as he was trapped in but it was too late. He was gone. Then, thirty minutes later, he was back. So, we went to the hotel.
Monday evening we did a bicycle tour of Berlin. I love riding bicycles so, touring the city on one was perfect. We rode for about three hours exploring the young history of Berlin's streets. We saw a section of the Berlin Wall equipped with the original border fortifications, heard stories about escape refugees, rode through the Brandenburg Gate and to the Holocaust Memorial, and made our way around the city as one of the largest bike touring groups in the history of Berlin. All on bicycles.
Tuesday had a full schedule. We toured numerous labs at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. My favorite was the discussion with Dr. Besser about his stem cell research lab, which led into the ethical discussion about the use of stem cells. It was a very interesting topic because of the differences of opinions between people and even countries. It was interesting to speak with a scientist that actually works with stem cells and hear his point of view versus learning about the views of anonymous figures with information that only suggests whether their opinions are based on science or religion. I really enjoyed Dr. Besser's presentation because he was acknowledging both sides of the argument. We also toured the MRI facility equipped with a 7 Tesla magnet. It was fun to play around with the magnetic field; the metal rings in the girls' bras were being twisted around, which felt awkward and my shoes had metal in the soles and were being pulled towards the machine! Because of the lack of time, our last tour was unfortunately cut short. We visited the labs for surgical research unit of the OP 2000, which has the potential of being used with surgeons being in one part of the world and the patients in another. It was amazing how they were able to reconstruct a scan of a region of the body and use cameras and sensors to display the instruments on the screen for surgical assistance.
The last part of the evening included an optional tour of the Otto Bock facility, which was a company that designs prosthetics, wheel chairs, and other physically assistive devices. As a biomedical engineer I really enjoyed this tour and all of the interactive features the facility had to offer. There were screens that displayed an arm with visible tendons, muscles, bones and ligaments on a table and you could place your arm underneath the projection to see where these structures lie and what they are labeled. There were also different physical activities to do like a treadmill with prosthetic assistance and a wheelchair with a virtual reality screen. The building was so modern and clean. I would love to work somewhere like that.
We have Dresden and one more day in Berlin as a group. Sad day.
Brittany
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Hygiene and Goodbye :(
When someone uses the word hygiene you normally think of personal hygiene or the use of soap in the shower and after using the restroom. This is the picture I had in mind when we went to the Hygiene Museum in Dresden and boy was I surprised. The museum had absolutely nothing to do with bathing regularly. The definition of hygiene is "a science of the establishment and maintenance of health" which is exactly what this museum showed. It had several different rooms, each devoted to a different aspect of health and medicine. There was a room called "The Transparent Man" which showed models of the human anatomy as they developed over the years. Another room was "Living and Dying," and this was my room. Each group was assigned a room and was required to give a short presentation on three of the items in the room. Our group had an interpretive dance as our introduction...it was pretty amazing!!
Today is the day that everyone leaves. :( Last night we had our farewell dinner at this delicious Moroccan restaurant and then we went to this club that Olaf used to hang out at. This club was really amazing because it had graffiti EVERYWHERE. When you walked up to the different levels you could find people selling their art work. Some of it was really awesome. I woke up early this morning to pack and I'm sad to leave Germany. I feel like 5 weeks isn't a long time at all and I wish we could all stay here for another 5 weeks. I've made some really great memories with some really great people and I hope it will continue when we get back to College Station.
Today is the day that everyone leaves. :( Last night we had our farewell dinner at this delicious Moroccan restaurant and then we went to this club that Olaf used to hang out at. This club was really amazing because it had graffiti EVERYWHERE. When you walked up to the different levels you could find people selling their art work. Some of it was really awesome. I woke up early this morning to pack and I'm sad to leave Germany. I feel like 5 weeks isn't a long time at all and I wish we could all stay here for another 5 weeks. I've made some really great memories with some really great people and I hope it will continue when we get back to College Station.
First bike ride in 8 years!
We are ending the trip in Berlin and on the day we arrived we had a bike tour of the city. I was a little nervous about this because I haven't ridden a bike since about 6th grade! And Berlin has a lot of cobble stone streets which worried me because they are uneven which could have caused my tire to get stuck and send me flying through the air. :) Once we got started on the bike ride I realized how much fun it is and now I want to buy a bike to ride back home (only on days that it's not TOO hot!). Berlin is a beautiful city. It's really big so you would think it would be hard to know where you are at but the crosswalk signs help with that. In East Berlin the crosswalk man has on a hat and in West Berlin there is no hat.
On Tuesday we had a bunch of lab tours at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, which was really cool. We got a lecture from Dr. Besser about embryonic stem cells and how they are using them in medicine. I think the use of stem cells is a great idea and I really enjoyed his lecture. The coolest tour of the day was the MRI facility. They had a super powerful machine and when we went in there all of the girls felt their bras shift a little! :) Brittany's shoes where also magnetic and they would angle themselves toward the magnet.
On Tuesday we had a bunch of lab tours at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, which was really cool. We got a lecture from Dr. Besser about embryonic stem cells and how they are using them in medicine. I think the use of stem cells is a great idea and I really enjoyed his lecture. The coolest tour of the day was the MRI facility. They had a super powerful machine and when we went in there all of the girls felt their bras shift a little! :) Brittany's shoes where also magnetic and they would angle themselves toward the magnet.
So long Germany/Europe
Well it's the last day of the trip and I'm leaving tomorrow on the plan to America. I'm definitely sad to leave all the people I've met on the trip because I've gotten to know each one and everyone is truly special and unique. Here is my impression on everybody for the last month;
Stephanie- Really cool to talk to/ badass rock climber/ Natalie Portman
Laura- Best Laugh allways makes me smile
Coral- Great dancer/ singer/ EVERYTHING
Andrew- Master- Debator
Jenna- Day 50 Jenna...Day 50 forever!
Sarah- you are Kind at your core...I loved seeing it, and the moments it showed you are truly beautiful ;)...hope ur not offended by this
Brittany- Cuteness doesn't even begin describe how cute you are...and great singer
Shyanie- Great friend and thanks for taking me through this trip ;)/ thanks for the fashion guidance
Caitlin- Great person to talk with even though you are very passive-agressive towards me;)
Nicole- We will always have Moulin Rouge!/ best wipe out in the train station
Justin- Thanks for telling that lady that we weren't going to shut up on the train to Paris
Roger- The trip woulda sucked w/o u man
Matt- It's your world and we're just living in it
Mark- Great Hotel Roomie bud thanks
Thanks everybody for making it a great trip
Stephanie- Really cool to talk to/ badass rock climber/ Natalie Portman
Laura- Best Laugh allways makes me smile
Coral- Great dancer/ singer/ EVERYTHING
Andrew- Master- Debator
Jenna- Day 50 Jenna...Day 50 forever!
Sarah- you are Kind at your core...I loved seeing it, and the moments it showed you are truly beautiful ;)...hope ur not offended by this
Brittany- Cuteness doesn't even begin describe how cute you are...and great singer
Shyanie- Great friend and thanks for taking me through this trip ;)/ thanks for the fashion guidance
Caitlin- Great person to talk with even though you are very passive-agressive towards me;)
Nicole- We will always have Moulin Rouge!/ best wipe out in the train station
Justin- Thanks for telling that lady that we weren't going to shut up on the train to Paris
Roger- The trip woulda sucked w/o u man
Matt- It's your world and we're just living in it
Mark- Great Hotel Roomie bud thanks
Thanks everybody for making it a great trip
Berlin on a Bike
Well I'm in the hotel in Berlin and I have come across the most awesome thing (as far as hotels go) so far on the trip. I am currently standing (with my computer) in front of the the room's toilet and it flushes for as long as I hold down the button!!....
Anyway, Berlin so far has been an amazing city to behold. We were fortunate enough to do 'Berlin on a bike' which is when you travel around Berlin...on a bike. I was pretty apprehensive at first about how this would turn out. I could not help wondering if I, or anybody was going to have a really bad accident. Besides a taxi almost hitting Shyanie and my chains coming off everything went pretty well! The guide was excellent with his commentaries and really filled us in with the Berlin's history post WWII, with the Berlin Wall going up and such. We rode around near where the wall used to be and viewed apartment buildings that people jumped out to get to the West in fear of being trapped in indefinitely. I think the people that escaped while the wall was being put up must have had some complex emotions going on when they saw their fellow countrymen being locked up like prisoners. Feelings of extreme relief to have been among the lucky few to have literally escaped and made it to the 'other side'. I like to think about what they may have thought about as 1989 was approaching and during the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and watching those people being overjoyed to finally being free. To me, it seems like they basically, in that one night of escaping, saved themselves 30 years of imprisonment.
That's what I was mainly thinking about during the bike ride.
Anyway, Berlin so far has been an amazing city to behold. We were fortunate enough to do 'Berlin on a bike' which is when you travel around Berlin...on a bike. I was pretty apprehensive at first about how this would turn out. I could not help wondering if I, or anybody was going to have a really bad accident. Besides a taxi almost hitting Shyanie and my chains coming off everything went pretty well! The guide was excellent with his commentaries and really filled us in with the Berlin's history post WWII, with the Berlin Wall going up and such. We rode around near where the wall used to be and viewed apartment buildings that people jumped out to get to the West in fear of being trapped in indefinitely. I think the people that escaped while the wall was being put up must have had some complex emotions going on when they saw their fellow countrymen being locked up like prisoners. Feelings of extreme relief to have been among the lucky few to have literally escaped and made it to the 'other side'. I like to think about what they may have thought about as 1989 was approaching and during the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and watching those people being overjoyed to finally being free. To me, it seems like they basically, in that one night of escaping, saved themselves 30 years of imprisonment.
That's what I was mainly thinking about during the bike ride.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
August 2, 2009
"Paree" as Justin calls it was wonderful. Although it wasn't my b=favorite city, I never got bored. When we got here on friday night I was definitely not in a good mood, but we went out after we got settled in and explored the area around the hotel. We went to get drinks at a little bar around the corner, the drinks were expensive so we expected a pretty big drink, instead we all got tiny drinks with weird ingredients. Afterwards, we found a little pub with a French band playing. They were surprisingly really good! Everyone else ended up going back to the hotel, but Justin and I stayed. Justin got called out for being American and went on stage to sing (or try to sing) Michael jackson. Let's just say it was pretty funny..
In the morning, we went to get crepes for breakfast. Mine had way too much cheese, it really gave me a bad first impression of french crepes. from there, we went to the Louvre. It was beautiful. The paintings were wonderful, but I think I was more impressed with the architecture of the building and the great marble decorations.
All the way to france I was in contact with my friend Djordje (Georgie as I call him) and was planning to meet him at 1 pm for lunch and to go around the city. But, we kindof got lost. Not lost, but we didn't know how to get to where he was.. so lost. He found us eventually haha. But it was nice to meet up with someone I know in Europe.
In the morning, we went to get crepes for breakfast. Mine had way too much cheese, it really gave me a bad first impression of french crepes. from there, we went to the Louvre. It was beautiful. The paintings were wonderful, but I think I was more impressed with the architecture of the building and the great marble decorations.
All the way to france I was in contact with my friend Djordje (Georgie as I call him) and was planning to meet him at 1 pm for lunch and to go around the city. But, we kindof got lost. Not lost, but we didn't know how to get to where he was.. so lost. He found us eventually haha. But it was nice to meet up with someone I know in Europe.
August 5, 2009
Monday we left Bonn for Berlin. It was a little sad leaving our German home away from home. My host mom drove me to the train station with all my luggage. She told me to send her an email when I got back home so that she could know I got there safely (just like a mother). My host family was very sweet and I am greatful for all they did for me during my stay in Bonn.
As we waited in the train station, I decided to buy a pretzel to eat with my delicious Nutella during the train ride. So I went up to the counter and asked for a salted pretzel. The lady replied in German, which i clearly didnt understand. The lady standing behind me interpreted that they weren't making salted pretzels today because salt is bad for your bady, but that I could buy a buttered pretzel if I wanted... (because butter isn't bad for the body). Good 'ol German logic.
So we made it to Berlin and the first thing we did was a bike tour through the city. This was so much fun! We rode past where the wall use to stand and even saw a piece of it. We rode past government buildings and monuments. I think my favorite was the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial is row after row of uneven columns, all different shapes and sizes. The artist who created it wanted the work to be up to the interpretation of the viewer, but some say that the columns symbolize headstones like in a jewish cemetery which are worn away with time until they collapse.
As we waited in the train station, I decided to buy a pretzel to eat with my delicious Nutella during the train ride. So I went up to the counter and asked for a salted pretzel. The lady replied in German, which i clearly didnt understand. The lady standing behind me interpreted that they weren't making salted pretzels today because salt is bad for your bady, but that I could buy a buttered pretzel if I wanted... (because butter isn't bad for the body). Good 'ol German logic.
So we made it to Berlin and the first thing we did was a bike tour through the city. This was so much fun! We rode past where the wall use to stand and even saw a piece of it. We rode past government buildings and monuments. I think my favorite was the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial is row after row of uneven columns, all different shapes and sizes. The artist who created it wanted the work to be up to the interpretation of the viewer, but some say that the columns symbolize headstones like in a jewish cemetery which are worn away with time until they collapse.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Begining to know Berlin
We arrived in Berlin on Monday. My expectations are pretty high after hearing Wasser claim how this city is incredible starting at day one of this trip. We get off the train and go to our hotel. So far I am not impressed. Afterwards we all go on a bike tour of the city. At first I thought Berlin was gross and depressing. I think the bad weather had a lot to do with that feeling. As we continued to ride the sky cleared up and the sun started to shine. Our tour guide led us to some beautiful areas and also explained the history. I love how Berlin has a lot of history and respects it! The bike ride was a great way to meet the city.
Yesterday was interesting. I really enjoyed seeing some of the new technology they are working on at the center in East Berlin. The one with the three dimensional video might be one of the coolest devices I've seen. It seems like it would be such a wonderful tool in finding and removing the entire tumor. The MRI was also impressive. I can't believe they had a 7T MRI! My old professor talked about how amazing those were all the time! It was fun getting close to the machine and feeling the power of the magnet. Afterwards we went to the Otto Bock "embassy" center for science. That exibit was incredible. I had so much fun going around and trying all the different machines. I wish we had more time to really learn what we were doing but it was still a ton of fun and a great experience.
At night last night a few of us went to a local jazz bar. The band was amazing. I loved the music and was drawn in by watching the passion on their faces. I was so glad that we went and I even bought a cd. We talked to the guys for a few moments after they were done and they ended up being really cool guys!
Yesterday was interesting. I really enjoyed seeing some of the new technology they are working on at the center in East Berlin. The one with the three dimensional video might be one of the coolest devices I've seen. It seems like it would be such a wonderful tool in finding and removing the entire tumor. The MRI was also impressive. I can't believe they had a 7T MRI! My old professor talked about how amazing those were all the time! It was fun getting close to the machine and feeling the power of the magnet. Afterwards we went to the Otto Bock "embassy" center for science. That exibit was incredible. I had so much fun going around and trying all the different machines. I wish we had more time to really learn what we were doing but it was still a ton of fun and a great experience.
At night last night a few of us went to a local jazz bar. The band was amazing. I loved the music and was drawn in by watching the passion on their faces. I was so glad that we went and I even bought a cd. We talked to the guys for a few moments after they were done and they ended up being really cool guys!
berlin
It is our last week on the program and we are spending it in Berlin! When I first saw the Berlin HBF when we were on our way to Prague, I knew that I would definitely enjoy this city. It is completely different from Bonn. First off, I love love love the graffiti. I've already seen/took pictures of some amazing work! Secondly, this city has SO much history (recent at that) and its nice to see that parts of it are still around.
On Monday we took a bike tour of the city. We saw parts of the Berlin wall, learned some back stories and saw major sites in Berlin. My favorite was the Jewish memorial. The uneven blocks were really cool and I felt really relaxed when I was walking atop them. We also saw the major street that the Nazi party operated on and the area where Hitler's bunker used to be! It's crazy how its filled in and there are other buildings and stores on top of it.
The rest of the week was jam packed! We visited a lab and spoke with a stem cell research GOD! he was full of information and very excited about what he's doing. i had a question to ask...but i waited too long and the moment passed. :( maybe i can email him or something. We also visited a SEVEN TESLA MRI machine...insane. The MRI technician was a little too happy about his job..but whatever floats his boat is cool i guess!
All in all i'm enjoying Berlin so far. We'll see how the end of the week plays out....... and see how our good byes go.
I'm going to cry.
:(
On Monday we took a bike tour of the city. We saw parts of the Berlin wall, learned some back stories and saw major sites in Berlin. My favorite was the Jewish memorial. The uneven blocks were really cool and I felt really relaxed when I was walking atop them. We also saw the major street that the Nazi party operated on and the area where Hitler's bunker used to be! It's crazy how its filled in and there are other buildings and stores on top of it.
The rest of the week was jam packed! We visited a lab and spoke with a stem cell research GOD! he was full of information and very excited about what he's doing. i had a question to ask...but i waited too long and the moment passed. :( maybe i can email him or something. We also visited a SEVEN TESLA MRI machine...insane. The MRI technician was a little too happy about his job..but whatever floats his boat is cool i guess!
All in all i'm enjoying Berlin so far. We'll see how the end of the week plays out....... and see how our good byes go.
I'm going to cry.
:(
August 4, 2009
We just got back from gorging on dinner and dessert. We went out to eat on Potsdam street after we spent the day running around the city and ate way way too much. It was great, the pasta was like tomato bar, but better and the tiramasu ice cream with extra chocolate was absolutely delicious!
First, we went to the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine. We talked to Dr. Daniel Besser, an embryonic stem cell researcher. He was really interesting, not boring. We talked about the ethics behind his research, about the topic of murdering unborn fetuses.. No comment on my opinion.
My favorite part of the MDC tour was after lunch, though. we went and got a look at the technology the institute is developing to do surgeries from other locations. Like the doctor is on one continent and the patient is on another! It's madness. In one room, he showed us the machines for allowing the doctor to see the surgery in 3-D, and another machine which allowed the doctor to take a MRI of the patient and use it to develop a 3D image of their body. This image can be touched and felt by there doctor using another crazy machine. It was really cool. The other room showed a similar method, But the MRI makes a 3D scultpure of the patients affected area and they use it to allow the doctors to visualize the surgery with more accuracy. This technology uses little balls on the instruments and on the sculpture of the body part in order to match the locations. This whole little institute was really neat, I enjoyed it alot and they had good food!
The last thing we did was my favorite part of the trip thus far. We went to the Science Center Medical Technology. It was geared towards the Biomedical Engineers, but really anyone could enjoy this. It was a showroom for a company who designs prosthetics and wheelchairs, and does medical research. The showroom was interactive and so cool!
First, we went to the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine. We talked to Dr. Daniel Besser, an embryonic stem cell researcher. He was really interesting, not boring. We talked about the ethics behind his research, about the topic of murdering unborn fetuses.. No comment on my opinion.
My favorite part of the MDC tour was after lunch, though. we went and got a look at the technology the institute is developing to do surgeries from other locations. Like the doctor is on one continent and the patient is on another! It's madness. In one room, he showed us the machines for allowing the doctor to see the surgery in 3-D, and another machine which allowed the doctor to take a MRI of the patient and use it to develop a 3D image of their body. This image can be touched and felt by there doctor using another crazy machine. It was really cool. The other room showed a similar method, But the MRI makes a 3D scultpure of the patients affected area and they use it to allow the doctors to visualize the surgery with more accuracy. This technology uses little balls on the instruments and on the sculpture of the body part in order to match the locations. This whole little institute was really neat, I enjoyed it alot and they had good food!
The last thing we did was my favorite part of the trip thus far. We went to the Science Center Medical Technology. It was geared towards the Biomedical Engineers, but really anyone could enjoy this. It was a showroom for a company who designs prosthetics and wheelchairs, and does medical research. The showroom was interactive and so cool!
We're on the final count down of the trip, and boy are we crammin stuff in! For our final week, we are in Berlin. I really like Berlin. I'm not sure I would compare it to New York City, though. It has a different feeling when you walk around..it's busier than other cities we've been to, but not any where near New York.
As soon as we arrived in Berlin, we got our hotel rooms and headed out for our bike tour of the city. Biking the streets of Berlin...oh buddy...I'm not sure how we all made it back safe, but we did. We biked for about 3 hours; stopping at some of the famous sites in Berlin. It was absolutely fascinating to see sections of the Berlin Wall that were still up as a memorial. Our guide explained alot of what Berlin was like only 20 years ago. It's very hard to imagine the city completely different. On our way to return the bikes, we met Penelope Cruz and Matthew McConaghey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) They had just arrived in Berlin. Matt loved that we were from Texas...of course. It was so awesomeeeeeeeee.
Today was a jam packed day! We visited a Molecular Research Center and had a great discussion with an expert on Stem Cell Research. The coolest part of the day was getting to see a 7 Tesla MRI! The magnetism was so strong that it pulled Brittany's shoes off! hahha The man in charge must have known that we were going to turn into little kids when we got there because he had all these things for us to play with. Coming in at a close second for cool things of the day was visiting a surgical center that's designing software for the future. They have created a computer program that eventually could enable an expert surgeon in Australia to show a surgeon in Texas how to operate on any part of the body! Seriously...technology is out of control. Our day ended with a lecture from Claudia Witt on different alternative medicines. This was very interesting because it's quite different in Germany. For common colds, most Germans don't immediately got take Advil or Tylenol. Instead, they opt for more natural remedies....herbs, massage therapy, etc. It sounds alot better to me. The only problem is that it probably takes longer than most Americans want.
Dresden tomorrow and then our last day! :( More later in the week...
Cheers,
Coral
As soon as we arrived in Berlin, we got our hotel rooms and headed out for our bike tour of the city. Biking the streets of Berlin...oh buddy...I'm not sure how we all made it back safe, but we did. We biked for about 3 hours; stopping at some of the famous sites in Berlin. It was absolutely fascinating to see sections of the Berlin Wall that were still up as a memorial. Our guide explained alot of what Berlin was like only 20 years ago. It's very hard to imagine the city completely different. On our way to return the bikes, we met Penelope Cruz and Matthew McConaghey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) They had just arrived in Berlin. Matt loved that we were from Texas...of course. It was so awesomeeeeeeeee.
Today was a jam packed day! We visited a Molecular Research Center and had a great discussion with an expert on Stem Cell Research. The coolest part of the day was getting to see a 7 Tesla MRI! The magnetism was so strong that it pulled Brittany's shoes off! hahha The man in charge must have known that we were going to turn into little kids when we got there because he had all these things for us to play with. Coming in at a close second for cool things of the day was visiting a surgical center that's designing software for the future. They have created a computer program that eventually could enable an expert surgeon in Australia to show a surgeon in Texas how to operate on any part of the body! Seriously...technology is out of control. Our day ended with a lecture from Claudia Witt on different alternative medicines. This was very interesting because it's quite different in Germany. For common colds, most Germans don't immediately got take Advil or Tylenol. Instead, they opt for more natural remedies....herbs, massage therapy, etc. It sounds alot better to me. The only problem is that it probably takes longer than most Americans want.
Dresden tomorrow and then our last day! :( More later in the week...
Cheers,
Coral
Here's looking at you Bonn
I would say something about how my weekend went but I think Caitlin covered that pretty well. I definately enjoyed spending a few more bitter sweet moments in Bonn before we hoped on our train to Berlin. I got to have a few more conversations with my host mom on things going on in the world. I do not think I was able to get as close to my host family as many others have, but I still plan on trying to stay in contact with her the best I can.
I would like to say that if I ever went back to Germany I would definately come back to Bonn, but most likely I would be going to Duesseldorf were I have family. Staying in Bonn was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am glad I took it. I explored the city and started to become familiar with it. I actually knew my way around for the most part and was starting to communicate on some level with the people in Bonn in German. In fact a lady walked up to the bus stop while I was standing there and was asking me when the bus was coming and which bus it was. All this she asked in German but by her manner, the way she asked, and recognizing a few words, I was able to tell her "Vier minuten" and "sechs null sieben." Then I offered her tissues by holding them out to her and saying "Bitte". I'm actually not sure if that is correct in anyway but she didn't look at me like I was crazy. Then again she was really excited to have a tissue when she was sneezing so much. I can understand her pain. Sometimes it doesn't matter what anyone says if they're offering you a tissue because that tissue is like a gift from God. But that's off topic.
...I've got at job to do. Where I'm going, you can't follow...Someday you'll understand that. Now, now...Here's looking at you Bonn.
Stephanie
A weekend in Paris...
This weekend, 13 of us headed to the city of love…Paris, France. Well, it was supposed to be 13. Then we lost Andrew on the way..then we found him in the Louve. See his blog for more details.
When we got to Paris, it was about 11pm on a Friday night. I made all the hotel arrangements last minute so I was a little worried about what it was going to be like. I can only imagine what we looked like walking out of the metro. All of us with our giant backpacks, maps, and lost faces in an unfamiliar city. The area our hotel was in just happened to be in the center of Montmartre. This is right where the Moulin Rouge theatre stands, so you can only imagine. However, we made it to our hotel safely and it ended up being perfectly fine. We went out for a bit then headed in because we had a long day ahead of us.
The amount of things we packed into Saturday is pretty impressive. First, we headed to the Louve. I’ve now seen Mona and I can check one thing off the bucket list. Dr. Wasser did warn us that the painting wasn’t going to be very big or impressive, which was true. However, it was still really cool to see it. The whole museum was unbelievable….so much history right in front of you. While at the Louve, I ran into two high school friends! I couldn’t believe it. It was the weirdest thing ever. After that, we made our way over to see Notre Dame. Again, another beautiful cathedral, but I’ve seen so many this trip that they’re all starting to look the same :/. Our day ended with a visit to the Arc de Triompe and finally, the Eiffel Tower! Definitely the highlight of the day. I still can’t believe I was actually there, but I have pictures to prove it.
Now, I said that’s where our DAY ended. Our night had only just begun. Our original plan was to hit up another pub crawl. That soon changed when we realized we were just getting ready at 8pm and the pub crawl started at 9pm. Not going to happen with a group of 7 girls. So instead, my lovely roomie for the weekend, Shyanie, convinced me to see the Moulin Rouge show. Shyanie, Alex, and Laura were the only ones going at first, but soon enough, Nicole, Justin, and I were on our way. The show was definitely worth the money. It was unlike any other show I’ve ever seen because it’s not a typical broadway production. I was so glad I went, though. The group of us had such a great time. While in line for the show, Nicole and I convinced the bouncer of the neighboring club to stamp our hands for free entry after we got out of the show. So…about 2am, the 6 of us headed on over to the club. Let’s just say we brought the party. After about an hour of dancing with crazy French men, my feet were screaming at me. It was a great way to close up the weekend.
I cannot believe that this was our last free weekend of the trip! In 4 days it will all be over. But we’ve all agreed…no holding back in Berlin. More from Berlin soon!
Cheers!
Coral
When we got to Paris, it was about 11pm on a Friday night. I made all the hotel arrangements last minute so I was a little worried about what it was going to be like. I can only imagine what we looked like walking out of the metro. All of us with our giant backpacks, maps, and lost faces in an unfamiliar city. The area our hotel was in just happened to be in the center of Montmartre. This is right where the Moulin Rouge theatre stands, so you can only imagine. However, we made it to our hotel safely and it ended up being perfectly fine. We went out for a bit then headed in because we had a long day ahead of us.
The amount of things we packed into Saturday is pretty impressive. First, we headed to the Louve. I’ve now seen Mona and I can check one thing off the bucket list. Dr. Wasser did warn us that the painting wasn’t going to be very big or impressive, which was true. However, it was still really cool to see it. The whole museum was unbelievable….so much history right in front of you. While at the Louve, I ran into two high school friends! I couldn’t believe it. It was the weirdest thing ever. After that, we made our way over to see Notre Dame. Again, another beautiful cathedral, but I’ve seen so many this trip that they’re all starting to look the same :/. Our day ended with a visit to the Arc de Triompe and finally, the Eiffel Tower! Definitely the highlight of the day. I still can’t believe I was actually there, but I have pictures to prove it.
Now, I said that’s where our DAY ended. Our night had only just begun. Our original plan was to hit up another pub crawl. That soon changed when we realized we were just getting ready at 8pm and the pub crawl started at 9pm. Not going to happen with a group of 7 girls. So instead, my lovely roomie for the weekend, Shyanie, convinced me to see the Moulin Rouge show. Shyanie, Alex, and Laura were the only ones going at first, but soon enough, Nicole, Justin, and I were on our way. The show was definitely worth the money. It was unlike any other show I’ve ever seen because it’s not a typical broadway production. I was so glad I went, though. The group of us had such a great time. While in line for the show, Nicole and I convinced the bouncer of the neighboring club to stamp our hands for free entry after we got out of the show. So…about 2am, the 6 of us headed on over to the club. Let’s just say we brought the party. After about an hour of dancing with crazy French men, my feet were screaming at me. It was a great way to close up the weekend.
I cannot believe that this was our last free weekend of the trip! In 4 days it will all be over. But we’ve all agreed…no holding back in Berlin. More from Berlin soon!
Cheers!
Coral
Monday, August 03, 2009
Tunnel Vision
Living for the moment. The phrase is lauded as the key to happiness in some circles. Only worrying about the things you can control. Easy come easy go. Paul McCartney would say, "Roll with It."
Those things are easy to do when you are put in a situation that forces you to enjoy yourself. When you're surrounded by beautiful/single/interested women, its easy to take it easy. When you're knocking down Bud and watching the Cowboys beat the Eagles, forgetting about your credit card debt for three hours doesn't take much mental fortitude. When you realize you're on the wrong train... look on the bright side?
There was no getting around it. I was going to be twelve hours late to Paris, and my best option was to get a good night's sleep and enjoy the next day. Really the only influence I had on the next twelve hours was spent when I foolishly boarded the wrong vessel. Foolishly made assumptions. Foolishly, carelessly, accidentally, clumsily, definitely.
Worse things, though, have happened to better people. At the very least, I have another story to tell. At most, I have proven to myself that I have the emotional stability to handle my mistakes, at least to some extent. Taking it easy while there's easy left to take; there's nothing left to lose.
Those things are easy to do when you are put in a situation that forces you to enjoy yourself. When you're surrounded by beautiful/single/interested women, its easy to take it easy. When you're knocking down Bud and watching the Cowboys beat the Eagles, forgetting about your credit card debt for three hours doesn't take much mental fortitude. When you realize you're on the wrong train... look on the bright side?
There was no getting around it. I was going to be twelve hours late to Paris, and my best option was to get a good night's sleep and enjoy the next day. Really the only influence I had on the next twelve hours was spent when I foolishly boarded the wrong vessel. Foolishly made assumptions. Foolishly, carelessly, accidentally, clumsily, definitely.
Worse things, though, have happened to better people. At the very least, I have another story to tell. At most, I have proven to myself that I have the emotional stability to handle my mistakes, at least to some extent. Taking it easy while there's easy left to take; there's nothing left to lose.
Nutella on your Patella
It is my last night and I just discovered I can get wifi on my iPhone if I come down from the third floor. The only problem now is I can't find any light switches that don't illuminate the entire restaurant. To save the Schrempps some euros, I am making due with a bit of candle light. Quite peaceful I must say. Sweet scent of flowers recently brought inside, clock ticking away slowly, and the flicker of light reflecting off the countless wine bottles surrounding me. Tranquility. Not a bad way to end an incredible weekend. Oh yeah, I went to Paris. It was cool, you know, just Pari. Just a city full of centuries of rich history, beautiful buildings, beautiful people, and the Effiel. Another European city that had it's way with me.
Paris got me thinking. Week after week I don't know if I'm finding myself or loosing myself with all the culture I have been exposed to. One week surgeons let a complete stranger, me, watch them perform open heart surgery. No biggie, just squirtin heart juice and a German surgeon blaring Pink. Next I was using Spanish with people who have never smelled fajitas and can drive boats backwards, blind folded, or drunk. That's what they do, they drive boats. Then!...days later I'm watchin a topless broadway production that showcased everything from glittery leaping men to a Cheetos puppet ventrilliquist...all to brilliant French music. Welcome to Earth.
I'm trying to let it all sink in. I know it is, slowly. One place did feel like home though, Bonn and the weinstuben. I hate that my time is up here, but Olaf is forcing me to leave. All great things come to an end and I know one thing, Bonn was great!
Paris got me thinking. Week after week I don't know if I'm finding myself or loosing myself with all the culture I have been exposed to. One week surgeons let a complete stranger, me, watch them perform open heart surgery. No biggie, just squirtin heart juice and a German surgeon blaring Pink. Next I was using Spanish with people who have never smelled fajitas and can drive boats backwards, blind folded, or drunk. That's what they do, they drive boats. Then!...days later I'm watchin a topless broadway production that showcased everything from glittery leaping men to a Cheetos puppet ventrilliquist...all to brilliant French music. Welcome to Earth.
I'm trying to let it all sink in. I know it is, slowly. One place did feel like home though, Bonn and the weinstuben. I hate that my time is up here, but Olaf is forcing me to leave. All great things come to an end and I know one thing, Bonn was great!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Bye Bye Bonn
This weekend was a lot of fun going to Paris. I wish we had a little more time because I felt rushed. We did a lot though. We went to the Louve, Notre dam, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and Jim Morrisons gravesite. Overall I would say that Paris is a bit of a let down. It was dirty and smelly. The famous places were nice but they didn't live up to image I had in my head. The Eiffel Tower was awesome. I can't believe we climbed so many stairs. In the end it was well worth the work. The view was incredible. It hardly looked real. On Saturday a few of us went to the Moulin Rouge. I have wanted to see a show for a long time. It wasn't what I expected but it was still great. It was so much fun! At first I thought the show was going to be horrible but we all ended up really enjoying it. I am very glad we decided to go. Afterwards we went dancing which was a funny experience and I was totally soaked in sweat afterwards. This morning we woke up early to see Jim Morrison. I am a big fan of The Doors' music so I wanted to see the site while I was in Paris. It was insane how many people go there! He really touched a lot of people.
I am so sad that tonight will be my last night here in Bonn. I am not ready to leave yet! I liked being with a host family and I wished I had a chance to get to know them better. My host mom took us out to dinner tonight as a farewell. It doesn't feel like it has been four weeks already! Before I know it I will be on the long plane ride home.
I am so sad that tonight will be my last night here in Bonn. I am not ready to leave yet! I liked being with a host family and I wished I had a chance to get to know them better. My host mom took us out to dinner tonight as a farewell. It doesn't feel like it has been four weeks already! Before I know it I will be on the long plane ride home.
Auf wiedersehen Bonn :(
This weekend most of us went to Paris. This was awesome because we say a lot of stuff. We went to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, Notre Dome Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. We climbed up the tower to the second level after about a million stairs, or so it seemed! Once on the 2nd level you have to take the elevator to the summit. The view from the top was incredible. After dinner we went back to the Eiffel Tower because we wanted to see it all lite up. It would sparkle every hour! This was so cool because I didn't even know it did that! This morning, Laura, Jena, and I got up early to go see Jim Morrison's grave. The cemetery in Paris was so beautiful.
Tonight is our last night with our host families in Bonn. :( It's so sad to think that in just a week we will be leaving Germany. Since it was my last night in town my host family and I ate dinner together and then drank a couple of beers while watching some concert dvds. My host dad loves rock music so we watched Queen's concert at Wimberly Stadium and part of a Rolling Stones concert. This was fun because I also enjoy listening to this type of music. It was nice to spend the evening with my host family. After watching all the concerts I had to pack-which was interesting. I bought a couple of clothing items at H&M and I didn't really have the room for them! My bags are bulging at the seams so I can't buy anything else while I'm here! I'm excited to go to Berlin but I'm sad that it means we are leaving Bonn.
~Sarah
Tonight is our last night with our host families in Bonn. :( It's so sad to think that in just a week we will be leaving Germany. Since it was my last night in town my host family and I ate dinner together and then drank a couple of beers while watching some concert dvds. My host dad loves rock music so we watched Queen's concert at Wimberly Stadium and part of a Rolling Stones concert. This was fun because I also enjoy listening to this type of music. It was nice to spend the evening with my host family. After watching all the concerts I had to pack-which was interesting. I bought a couple of clothing items at H&M and I didn't really have the room for them! My bags are bulging at the seams so I can't buy anything else while I'm here! I'm excited to go to Berlin but I'm sad that it means we are leaving Bonn.
~Sarah
Paris Weekend
Well, I am back in Bonn and I've got all the good scoop on what went down in Paris the last couple of days! Where to begin?...
I guess it is only appropriate to begin at the beginning....when poor Andrew missed the train with us! I am useless when it comes to directions, so for this whole trip I have basically stuck myeslf to whatever more directionally oriented are deciding to do. So, when I heard that Andrew was not on the train with us destined for Paris, I was freaking out more than he probably was for himself. It worked out, because less than 12 hours later we reunited in the Louvre at noon the next day. The showers in the hotel we were staying at were extremely small, but the equipment inside them...namely the showehead was the most delightful and poowerful shower I've been in in quite some time. The water pressure on those babies pretty much made me feel AMAZING.
With one full day in Paris we had our work cut out for us and had to see all the must see things that there were to see. We started in the Louvre and saw some priceless works of art; the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory (my personal favorite) to name a few. After the Louvre we took the tram to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a beautiful gothic style cathedral, which looks great from the outside from certain angles. However, after seeing the Köln Cathedral, Notre Dame was not quite as amazing. I also happened to fall for a scam outside the famous cathedral when a woman asked if I spoke English. I said yes, and she handed me a postcard with a little paragraph. I thought I was reading it for her, because she seemed to wanting me to decipher the card for her, but it ended up telling me that her mother was dead and her sister has Leukemia. I gave her 20 euros and then shortly realized that there were 20 other girls exactly like her with verbatum post cards doing the same thing to other people like myself....bummer!!
After the cathedral we had lunch at a cool Italian place where I got...pommes!! We then took the metro to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and walked that all the way to The Arcul de Triumf. On that journey we saw some pretty legit break dancers! The Arc was amaying and the street surrounding it was just as mind blowing, because hundreds of cars were whizzing by not hitting each other somehow!
Shyanie and I got lost from the group there and had a nice walk through Paris to get to the Eiffel Tower. The tower is amazing to behold and one soon realizes why it is an international monument. It is one of a kind, nothing else in the world just quite like it. We then decided to WALK up all 670 steps to get to the halfway mark. We lost some group members along the way, but I'm sure they were very content with what they saw. For a select few, we journeyed all the way to the Sommet as they say in French. The view up there was...perfect. The whole city was laid out perfectly. I could literally trace with my finger everywhere I had walked and been that day. Even the monstrous Louvre looked like a cottage from up there. I told other group members that they didn't miss out by not going all the way up....but seriously...Y'all need to trek up there nextime!! My leg were visibly shaking when the decent was completed and I was back on the sweet sweet ground (I am very afraid of heights).
The best part of the day was yet to come however...MOULIN ROUGE!! That show was truly amazing and the highlight of my entire trip. I got to enjoy it with 6 other group members and we wined and champaigned while enjoying the spectacle. The show was breathtaking with the intricate constumes that wreaked of quality. The performers were all basically the strongest, healthiest, and fittest people in the world. The women looked like Olypian swimmers, with long and slender muscles, while the men all looked EXACTLY like the Olympian gymnasts. You really needed to be in the shape of your lives though to execute all they did in that show. The women were topless most of the time which definitely added to the experience! Also, the craziest part of the whole show was this guy who literally could balance himself on a needle point. I cannot even begin to describe what this man did...you simply must see it for yourself.
Paris is truly the city of lights...
I guess it is only appropriate to begin at the beginning....when poor Andrew missed the train with us! I am useless when it comes to directions, so for this whole trip I have basically stuck myeslf to whatever more directionally oriented are deciding to do. So, when I heard that Andrew was not on the train with us destined for Paris, I was freaking out more than he probably was for himself. It worked out, because less than 12 hours later we reunited in the Louvre at noon the next day. The showers in the hotel we were staying at were extremely small, but the equipment inside them...namely the showehead was the most delightful and poowerful shower I've been in in quite some time. The water pressure on those babies pretty much made me feel AMAZING.
With one full day in Paris we had our work cut out for us and had to see all the must see things that there were to see. We started in the Louvre and saw some priceless works of art; the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory (my personal favorite) to name a few. After the Louvre we took the tram to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a beautiful gothic style cathedral, which looks great from the outside from certain angles. However, after seeing the Köln Cathedral, Notre Dame was not quite as amazing. I also happened to fall for a scam outside the famous cathedral when a woman asked if I spoke English. I said yes, and she handed me a postcard with a little paragraph. I thought I was reading it for her, because she seemed to wanting me to decipher the card for her, but it ended up telling me that her mother was dead and her sister has Leukemia. I gave her 20 euros and then shortly realized that there were 20 other girls exactly like her with verbatum post cards doing the same thing to other people like myself....bummer!!
After the cathedral we had lunch at a cool Italian place where I got...pommes!! We then took the metro to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and walked that all the way to The Arcul de Triumf. On that journey we saw some pretty legit break dancers! The Arc was amaying and the street surrounding it was just as mind blowing, because hundreds of cars were whizzing by not hitting each other somehow!
Shyanie and I got lost from the group there and had a nice walk through Paris to get to the Eiffel Tower. The tower is amazing to behold and one soon realizes why it is an international monument. It is one of a kind, nothing else in the world just quite like it. We then decided to WALK up all 670 steps to get to the halfway mark. We lost some group members along the way, but I'm sure they were very content with what they saw. For a select few, we journeyed all the way to the Sommet as they say in French. The view up there was...perfect. The whole city was laid out perfectly. I could literally trace with my finger everywhere I had walked and been that day. Even the monstrous Louvre looked like a cottage from up there. I told other group members that they didn't miss out by not going all the way up....but seriously...Y'all need to trek up there nextime!! My leg were visibly shaking when the decent was completed and I was back on the sweet sweet ground (I am very afraid of heights).
The best part of the day was yet to come however...MOULIN ROUGE!! That show was truly amazing and the highlight of my entire trip. I got to enjoy it with 6 other group members and we wined and champaigned while enjoying the spectacle. The show was breathtaking with the intricate constumes that wreaked of quality. The performers were all basically the strongest, healthiest, and fittest people in the world. The women looked like Olypian swimmers, with long and slender muscles, while the men all looked EXACTLY like the Olympian gymnasts. You really needed to be in the shape of your lives though to execute all they did in that show. The women were topless most of the time which definitely added to the experience! Also, the craziest part of the whole show was this guy who literally could balance himself on a needle point. I cannot even begin to describe what this man did...you simply must see it for yourself.
Paris is truly the city of lights...
Ssshhhhhhhhhh
You have 36 hours in Paris. Ready, set, go! We arrived late Friday night around 11pm, made our way through several subway stations, around the city nightlife, past the Moulin Rouge and around the corner and ended up at our hotel. To prevent wasting any time, we decided to go out that night to a couple of local bars but not for long because the plan for Saturday was crash course Paris.
The meeting time in the hotel lobby: 8am sharp! The morning started with crepes, which were interesting. Most of the group decided to get a choice of meat and an entire bag of shredded cheese but I opted for Nutella and banana and was definitely pleased. We then made our way to The Louvre. Amazing but more than overwhelming. We gave ourselves 2 hours to get through as much as possible so, the main attractions were up first. The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, The code of Hammurabi, and then everything else. I decided I would venture away from the group because I had so many other pieces on my checklist and little time to see them. I made my way through the ancient greek collection first. Then to the egyptian art, oriental, and french renaissance. I felt like I was running through the museum just to see 1/100th of it all. As the day grew so did the crowd and it became even more difficult to make it through the museum. I would love to go back and spend an entire day, if not more, there. I will.
Our next stop was Notre Dame Cathedral. Granted, Coral, Matt, and I got sidetracked and ended up at the shops for a while but we made it. The cathedral was pretty and I found the front of it to be more interesting than any others I have seen because of the sculptures and the decor engraved in the arcades. Once we made our way inside, there were stained glass windows, pews, and arcade ceilings but not everything was quite so typical. All of the sudden a loud shhh sound boomed through the cathedral followed by "silence, remember you are in a church." It was actually somewhat intimidating.
Our next stop was The Arc de Triomphe and to get there we walked down Champs Elysee. They were both very nice. And last but not least was the wonderful Eiffel Tower. It was grand! I screamed a little when I saw it for the first time. I was so excited and ready to climb every step it possessed and as we walked towards it, I took too many pictures from too many angles only to realize that my camera battery was dying. We found a grassy knoll under the tower, laid there a while, and decided to continue our journey. Out of money, without a camera, and with little energy left, I made it to the first level, bought a 4 euro bottle of water and a mini Eiffel Tower, and made my way back down. But we did return later that evening to see it light up/sparkle. It was beautiful!
All in all, Paris was worth it. We were exhausted the entire time but we made it. Now I am sobbing over it being my last night in Bonn but am looking forward to Berlin. I just do not want it to be over yet.
Brittany
The meeting time in the hotel lobby: 8am sharp! The morning started with crepes, which were interesting. Most of the group decided to get a choice of meat and an entire bag of shredded cheese but I opted for Nutella and banana and was definitely pleased. We then made our way to The Louvre. Amazing but more than overwhelming. We gave ourselves 2 hours to get through as much as possible so, the main attractions were up first. The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, The code of Hammurabi, and then everything else. I decided I would venture away from the group because I had so many other pieces on my checklist and little time to see them. I made my way through the ancient greek collection first. Then to the egyptian art, oriental, and french renaissance. I felt like I was running through the museum just to see 1/100th of it all. As the day grew so did the crowd and it became even more difficult to make it through the museum. I would love to go back and spend an entire day, if not more, there. I will.
Our next stop was Notre Dame Cathedral. Granted, Coral, Matt, and I got sidetracked and ended up at the shops for a while but we made it. The cathedral was pretty and I found the front of it to be more interesting than any others I have seen because of the sculptures and the decor engraved in the arcades. Once we made our way inside, there were stained glass windows, pews, and arcade ceilings but not everything was quite so typical. All of the sudden a loud shhh sound boomed through the cathedral followed by "silence, remember you are in a church." It was actually somewhat intimidating.
Our next stop was The Arc de Triomphe and to get there we walked down Champs Elysee. They were both very nice. And last but not least was the wonderful Eiffel Tower. It was grand! I screamed a little when I saw it for the first time. I was so excited and ready to climb every step it possessed and as we walked towards it, I took too many pictures from too many angles only to realize that my camera battery was dying. We found a grassy knoll under the tower, laid there a while, and decided to continue our journey. Out of money, without a camera, and with little energy left, I made it to the first level, bought a 4 euro bottle of water and a mini Eiffel Tower, and made my way back down. But we did return later that evening to see it light up/sparkle. It was beautiful!
All in all, Paris was worth it. We were exhausted the entire time but we made it. Now I am sobbing over it being my last night in Bonn but am looking forward to Berlin. I just do not want it to be over yet.
Brittany
Alex could've been a pimp... or the adventures of Stephanie and Caitlin part deux
Our last full day in Bonn, Stephanie and I decided to visit the famed Drachenfels, which is the site of two castles (one was built in the 19th century and is home to a rich guy, the other is in ruins) and the quarry sandstone for the Koeln cathedral was taken from until they realized they were destroying the mountain.
For this adventure I took the bus for the first time out of the city to meet Stephanie in Ramersdorf, this was weird because thanks to the fact that I live right in Bonn, I've really lived as a city girl and can walk you around good chunks of Bonn but have very little idea how to use most of the public transportation. Thankfully Stephanie met me on the bus and made sure I didn't get off at the wrong station. Of course, the both of us did get off two stops late in Koenigswinter so Stephanie led us through the city and we eventually came to the Drachenfelsbonn, the private railway we took to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately the donkeys were only for children, this was a huge disappointment, but on the train Stephanie and I did get to use our burgeoning ability to smile, nod, and generally give the perception that we can understand the kind people who chat with us in German.
The top of the mountain gave an incredible view of the surrounding countryside which would have been even better if it wasn't misty and threatening rain. We walked up to the ruins and took some fun pictures and I remembered that my camera has a timer feature, so that proved useful. Before leaving the mountain Stephanie and I had some pommes in honor of Alex, who pondered and then rejected the idea of staying in Bonn with us.
This is Stephanie's and my second most romantic outing for two, and of course the pommes.
The hike down the mountain provided even more wonderful views, and we purposely ended up in the town Conrad Adenauer used to live in. Although we didn't visit his house (it was starting to rain) just being in that charming little town was proof enough for why Mr. Adenauer promoted Bonn as the place for West Germany's capital so heavily.
I'm off to enjoy my last dinner with my host family.
Ciao,
Caitlin
For this adventure I took the bus for the first time out of the city to meet Stephanie in Ramersdorf, this was weird because thanks to the fact that I live right in Bonn, I've really lived as a city girl and can walk you around good chunks of Bonn but have very little idea how to use most of the public transportation. Thankfully Stephanie met me on the bus and made sure I didn't get off at the wrong station. Of course, the both of us did get off two stops late in Koenigswinter so Stephanie led us through the city and we eventually came to the Drachenfelsbonn, the private railway we took to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately the donkeys were only for children, this was a huge disappointment, but on the train Stephanie and I did get to use our burgeoning ability to smile, nod, and generally give the perception that we can understand the kind people who chat with us in German.
The top of the mountain gave an incredible view of the surrounding countryside which would have been even better if it wasn't misty and threatening rain. We walked up to the ruins and took some fun pictures and I remembered that my camera has a timer feature, so that proved useful. Before leaving the mountain Stephanie and I had some pommes in honor of Alex, who pondered and then rejected the idea of staying in Bonn with us.
This is Stephanie's and my second most romantic outing for two, and of course the pommes.
The hike down the mountain provided even more wonderful views, and we purposely ended up in the town Conrad Adenauer used to live in. Although we didn't visit his house (it was starting to rain) just being in that charming little town was proof enough for why Mr. Adenauer promoted Bonn as the place for West Germany's capital so heavily.
I'm off to enjoy my last dinner with my host family.
Ciao,
Caitlin
Saturday, August 01, 2009
August 1, 2009
This was our last week in Bonn... so sad. It funny to think that we have been here for 4 weeks already. Even though this feels like a long time, we still have so much more to see. We only got a little taste of the cities we visited, and yet there are so many more. My host family kept telling me that I was here for such a short time and that they couldn't believe I was only going to be here a month. To me that seemed so long to be away from home before, but now I realize how short a time it is.
This weekend most of the 15 went to Paris for the weekend. We almost didnt make it though; the trains we wanted to make reservations for were all booked! Luckily, we were able to find a train that left a slit bit earlier, with a few connections, and we were able to fulfill our weekend plans.
We had only one day to see Paris, so we picked out the high points and made a plan. Everyone was to meet in the lobby of the hotel at 8am and we would make our way to the Louve! On the way we stopped for breakfast: crepes. Mine was ham and cheese...a mountain of cheese. Not the best crepes I've ever had, but maybe I'll try again tomorrow. So, we arrived at the Louve at around 930ish. Not very crowded. We spent 2 hours in there and only made it through one wing... its huge! Other sights included: Notre Dome Cathedral, Champs Elyeese, Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower! Getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower is quite a feet. After climbing what seems like a thousand steps, you reach the 2nd deck. From there you must take an elevator the rest of the way. All of this... totally worth it.
This weekend most of the 15 went to Paris for the weekend. We almost didnt make it though; the trains we wanted to make reservations for were all booked! Luckily, we were able to find a train that left a slit bit earlier, with a few connections, and we were able to fulfill our weekend plans.
We had only one day to see Paris, so we picked out the high points and made a plan. Everyone was to meet in the lobby of the hotel at 8am and we would make our way to the Louve! On the way we stopped for breakfast: crepes. Mine was ham and cheese...a mountain of cheese. Not the best crepes I've ever had, but maybe I'll try again tomorrow. So, we arrived at the Louve at around 930ish. Not very crowded. We spent 2 hours in there and only made it through one wing... its huge! Other sights included: Notre Dome Cathedral, Champs Elyeese, Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower! Getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower is quite a feet. After climbing what seems like a thousand steps, you reach the 2nd deck. From there you must take an elevator the rest of the way. All of this... totally worth it.
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