Well it has been over a month since I got back from glorious Deutscheland and while I didn't think I knew I would miss being over there, I never thought it would be this bad. Being a foreigner can be really fun, learning new customs and how to behave (or in my case how NOT to behave),but being back in America has its advantageous too, such as being fluent in the language the natives speak and knowing how to get around. The experience really changed how I viewed foreign students since I was in their shoes for a short time, I really gained a lot of respect for them and now when I see a lost looking person I try to go out of my way to help them get around, like the many friendly people in Germany did for me.
While I would be lying to say that I experienced reverse culture shock, it did take some time getting used to the "normalcies" of home, such as the prices not being what they appear, and the money all being the same color, and my favorite activity, driving. One thing that did take a while to get used to was cooking my own meals (thanks Gertrude :)) and trying to get back into a workout schedule. Well that's about all about the most fun summer I have (and probably will have) had ever.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wish I was back in Europe - Final Blog Posting
When i got on to post my last blog, I realized my last 5 posts were not published.... so I'm bombarding this thing with my blogs..... sorry
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Travelling to Europe was the best experience of my life! I didn’t really think I was going to change after the trip, I thought I was going to come out with great memories and friends. This trip impacted me in ways I could have not imagined. The most challenging thing in Europe was the language. I had a hard time trying to speak and understand German. I am usually quick in picking up languages but German proved to be very difficult. I used to get mad at my parents because they cannot speak English fluently after living in the United States for almost twenty years. I can now see and understand why they had such a hard time learning a language like English that usually makes no sense.
The most noticeable change I have noticed is my confidence and independence. While in Europe, there were times I could only depend on myself to get to places or figure something out. I have always depended on someone to help me in difficult situations. Also, when I would tell my mom I was going to do something challenging or different, she would always tell me I was not going to be able to do it. For example when I told her I was going to take the bus to get from my host home to school she thought I was going to get lost because I would not understand the language or the transportation system. I have always doubted my abilities to accomplish things that have not been done by my four over achieving older sisters. My mom would kill me if she found out I went to Paris all by myself and stayed in a hostel sharing a room with two random guys. But at least now I know I am capable of traveling on my own and I can't wait to do it again.
I have also realized I take more risks now. OK so some people would not consider going to the lake a risk, but I do since I do not know how to swim. I lost my fear of water after I went canyoning in Switzerland.
I have also noticed I walk to more places more often; before I would never consider walking from west campus to the Gateway apartments. I find myself making this trip about twice a week. There are times I just feel like walking. I did A LOT of walking in Europe, especially in Paris. I walked almost across the entire city. Now it seems like there is no distance too long to walk.
I have also taken initiative to learn German. I downloaded an app to my iphone that teaches me simple German words and phrases. I am saving money to buy the Rosetta Stone program to learn the proper grammar.
I find myself thinking about my time in Europe almost every day. Sometimes I wish I could just jump on a plane and be back in Bonn with my host family. I plan on going back to Europe really soon. If my summer is free next year and if I have saved up enough money for a flight, I will return to Germany. My host mom already offered her home and even a job. I hope I can take my parents to Germany so they can see it is not as dangerous as they believed.
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Travelling to Europe was the best experience of my life! I didn’t really think I was going to change after the trip, I thought I was going to come out with great memories and friends. This trip impacted me in ways I could have not imagined. The most challenging thing in Europe was the language. I had a hard time trying to speak and understand German. I am usually quick in picking up languages but German proved to be very difficult. I used to get mad at my parents because they cannot speak English fluently after living in the United States for almost twenty years. I can now see and understand why they had such a hard time learning a language like English that usually makes no sense.
The most noticeable change I have noticed is my confidence and independence. While in Europe, there were times I could only depend on myself to get to places or figure something out. I have always depended on someone to help me in difficult situations. Also, when I would tell my mom I was going to do something challenging or different, she would always tell me I was not going to be able to do it. For example when I told her I was going to take the bus to get from my host home to school she thought I was going to get lost because I would not understand the language or the transportation system. I have always doubted my abilities to accomplish things that have not been done by my four over achieving older sisters. My mom would kill me if she found out I went to Paris all by myself and stayed in a hostel sharing a room with two random guys. But at least now I know I am capable of traveling on my own and I can't wait to do it again.
I have also realized I take more risks now. OK so some people would not consider going to the lake a risk, but I do since I do not know how to swim. I lost my fear of water after I went canyoning in Switzerland.
I have also noticed I walk to more places more often; before I would never consider walking from west campus to the Gateway apartments. I find myself making this trip about twice a week. There are times I just feel like walking. I did A LOT of walking in Europe, especially in Paris. I walked almost across the entire city. Now it seems like there is no distance too long to walk.
I have also taken initiative to learn German. I downloaded an app to my iphone that teaches me simple German words and phrases. I am saving money to buy the Rosetta Stone program to learn the proper grammar.
I find myself thinking about my time in Europe almost every day. Sometimes I wish I could just jump on a plane and be back in Bonn with my host family. I plan on going back to Europe really soon. If my summer is free next year and if I have saved up enough money for a flight, I will return to Germany. My host mom already offered her home and even a job. I hope I can take my parents to Germany so they can see it is not as dangerous as they believed.
Im glad my bike did not kill me
July 2 - July 6
Berlin has the most history than any of the other cities we have visited. I wish we could spend A LOT more time here. There is soooo much shopping to do here. The cutest thing I have seen in Europe has to be the little crossing men and women in East Berlin. It seems that I often wish I could spend more time in all of these places. That just means I have to revisit when I come back to Germany. I will definitely go back to Dresden. That city is so beautiful. I really wanted to go into the palace but it was not part of the tour. The museum we visited there was great. Time went by really fast.
The Berlin on bike tour was very exciting and scary at the same time. I was really nervous about riding a bike in the streets. The bike seemed a little big for me but I managed alright.
I finally understand some of the history of Berlin that i was never quite able to grasp. Not until my visit did I really understand what the Berlin Wall was about. We visited several museums, The Topography of Terror Museum, however, had the greatest impact on me.
Berlin has the most history than any of the other cities we have visited. I wish we could spend A LOT more time here. There is soooo much shopping to do here. The cutest thing I have seen in Europe has to be the little crossing men and women in East Berlin. It seems that I often wish I could spend more time in all of these places. That just means I have to revisit when I come back to Germany. I will definitely go back to Dresden. That city is so beautiful. I really wanted to go into the palace but it was not part of the tour. The museum we visited there was great. Time went by really fast.
The Berlin on bike tour was very exciting and scary at the same time. I was really nervous about riding a bike in the streets. The bike seemed a little big for me but I managed alright.
I finally understand some of the history of Berlin that i was never quite able to grasp. Not until my visit did I really understand what the Berlin Wall was about. We visited several museums, The Topography of Terror Museum, however, had the greatest impact on me.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Bonn
July 27 - 30
I really enjoyed my last week in Bonn. I will be sad to leave the city and my host family. My favorite part of the week, besides the surgery mentioned in the last blog, is the cruise of the Rhine and the trip to the Haus der Geschichte. The museum was awesome. There was so much to see, I wish we could have spent more time there. The trip along the Rhine was very chilly but still fun. I really enjoyed lunch and the wine tasting at the restaurant. I learned my lesson from Vienna and only had a little bit of wine. I did not like all of the wines, only the second one, unfortunately that was not one I could buy. One of my most memorable moments my last week in Bonn was a bike ride with my host mom along the Sieg River and the countryside. At one point we passed by two gentlemen riding horses with cowboy hats. For a moment I thought I was back in Texas.
I really enjoyed my last week in Bonn. I will be sad to leave the city and my host family. My favorite part of the week, besides the surgery mentioned in the last blog, is the cruise of the Rhine and the trip to the Haus der Geschichte. The museum was awesome. There was so much to see, I wish we could have spent more time there. The trip along the Rhine was very chilly but still fun. I really enjoyed lunch and the wine tasting at the restaurant. I learned my lesson from Vienna and only had a little bit of wine. I did not like all of the wines, only the second one, unfortunately that was not one I could buy. One of my most memorable moments my last week in Bonn was a bike ride with my host mom along the Sieg River and the countryside. At one point we passed by two gentlemen riding horses with cowboy hats. For a moment I thought I was back in Texas.
Surgery and Haribo
July 26
The surgery was very exciting!!! I’m glad we got to witness a surgery since we were not able to at the cardiac center. I witnessed 2 surgeries that day; one laparoscopic shoulder surgery and a laparoscopic knee surgery. I thought I was going to be able to handle the surgeries just fine since I have no problems with blood or anything. In the first surgery, the surgeon made a small incision on the shoulder and then struggled with the instrument to get it inside the shoulder joint. It looked painful. Blood was pouring out of the incision. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I did not want to walk out and miss out on a surgery so I tried to ignore my stomach. I was in the room with two other girls who did not speak English very well and the surgeon was mainly talking to them in German so I did not understand him at all. Halfway through the surgery I began to feel dizzy, the room was cold and I was sweating profusely. According to the girls in the room with me, I was extremely pale. I did not want to leave because the surgeon was about to open the patient to expose the joint since he could not finish laparoscopically but I had to. I can’t really explain what happened but I was really mad at myself. I took a little break and then went back for the second surgery and was fine for the rest of the time. I really enjoyed the second surgery. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, it was really bad. The surgeon compared himself to Yoda from Star Wars and his instrument was his light saber. I wish I could have stayed for a third surgery. I could have found my way back to school and I did not have to go to the Haribo store. I am glad we went to the store though. I bought too much candy though.
The surgery was very exciting!!! I’m glad we got to witness a surgery since we were not able to at the cardiac center. I witnessed 2 surgeries that day; one laparoscopic shoulder surgery and a laparoscopic knee surgery. I thought I was going to be able to handle the surgeries just fine since I have no problems with blood or anything. In the first surgery, the surgeon made a small incision on the shoulder and then struggled with the instrument to get it inside the shoulder joint. It looked painful. Blood was pouring out of the incision. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I did not want to walk out and miss out on a surgery so I tried to ignore my stomach. I was in the room with two other girls who did not speak English very well and the surgeon was mainly talking to them in German so I did not understand him at all. Halfway through the surgery I began to feel dizzy, the room was cold and I was sweating profusely. According to the girls in the room with me, I was extremely pale. I did not want to leave because the surgeon was about to open the patient to expose the joint since he could not finish laparoscopically but I had to. I can’t really explain what happened but I was really mad at myself. I took a little break and then went back for the second surgery and was fine for the rest of the time. I really enjoyed the second surgery. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, it was really bad. The surgeon compared himself to Yoda from Star Wars and his instrument was his light saber. I wish I could have stayed for a third surgery. I could have found my way back to school and I did not have to go to the Haribo store. I am glad we went to the store though. I bought too much candy though.
Praha
July 24 & 25Prague was AMAZING!! Arriving to the hostel was an adventure. The pouring rain made reading the map a difficult task. We took the wrong tram in the wrong direction and ended up on the wrong side of the river. Finally, the girls decided to take a cab to the hostel. The next task was to hail down a cab. I attempted to get a cab but I just got soaked by a car. By the time we arrived at the hostel we were very tired, soaked, and hungry. We had a gre
at dinner that night. I had a skewer with bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with spinach. As seen from my blogs, food is very important to me. Saturday we walked a lot and visited a castle and the Senate palace. I really enjoyed the walk and the shopping. Saturday night we did a bar crawl. It was fun but I would not want to do that again. as we were leaving sunday morning, we all struggled to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m., some of us had more trouble than others.
at dinner that night. I had a skewer with bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with spinach. As seen from my blogs, food is very important to me. Saturday we walked a lot and visited a castle and the Senate palace. I really enjoyed the walk and the shopping. Saturday night we did a bar crawl. It was fun but I would not want to do that again. as we were leaving sunday morning, we all struggled to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m., some of us had more trouble than others.Dӧner!!!
When I came to post my final blog I realized my last six blogs were not published so I am about to bombard this thing..... sorry!!!!
Vienna Blog - July 12 - 16
It seems that the hottest place in Europe is Vienna! There is no way to cool down. The hotel room offers no relief from the heat. Vienna is a pretty city with lots to see and do. I really enjoyed the operetta; although getting there was neither fun nor easy in heels. But I like that we were all dressed up for this event. The operetta itself was hard to follow at some point, even with the subtitles. The Freud museum and lecture were awesome, but my favorite museums from Vienna have to be the Josephinum and the Narrenturm. I wish we could have spent a little more time there.
The tour of the city was interesting, but it was hard to pay attention because I was hot and tired. All the walking has been hurting my feet. I spent a lot of my free time and money shopping with Kathryn at H&M and other stores.
The best memory I will carry with me from Vienna is the Dӧner. It was here where I first tasted this culinary masterpiece. I like to try new things. I tried a lot of new things in Vienna: goulash, Wiener schnitzel, and some other things at that restaurant where you pay what you want. My second favorite meal in Vienna was a schnitzel I had at the restaurant across the street from the cemetery. I had a rolled schnitzel with a spicy bean filling and breaded with what seemed crushed corn flakes. It was amazing!! The Dӧner takes it all away though. I will never forget my first Dӧner. I would write an ode to the Dӧner if i was poetically gifted.
Vienna Blog - July 12 - 16
It seems that the hottest place in Europe is Vienna! There is no way to cool down. The hotel room offers no relief from the heat. Vienna is a pretty city with lots to see and do. I really enjoyed the operetta; although getting there was neither fun nor easy in heels. But I like that we were all dressed up for this event. The operetta itself was hard to follow at some point, even with the subtitles. The Freud museum and lecture were awesome, but my favorite museums from Vienna have to be the Josephinum and the Narrenturm. I wish we could have spent a little more time there.
The tour of the city was interesting, but it was hard to pay attention because I was hot and tired. All the walking has been hurting my feet. I spent a lot of my free time and money shopping with Kathryn at H&M and other stores.
The best memory I will carry with me from Vienna is the Dӧner. It was here where I first tasted this culinary masterpiece. I like to try new things. I tried a lot of new things in Vienna: goulash, Wiener schnitzel, and some other things at that restaurant where you pay what you want. My second favorite meal in Vienna was a schnitzel I had at the restaurant across the street from the cemetery. I had a rolled schnitzel with a spicy bean filling and breaded with what seemed crushed corn flakes. It was amazing!! The Dӧner takes it all away though. I will never forget my first Dӧner. I would write an ode to the Dӧner if i was poetically gifted.
Final Blog Posting of the Trip
What to say about my Study Abroad overall and in retrospect? So much! It was/is so difficult to come back and have people ask “so how was Germany?!” and try to describe it in just a few sentences. In the amount of time that I was there I made great friends, ate great food, learned interesting facts about the culture and history, and got to know a great host family that took care of me as their own. There are so many people to be thanked for this opportunity to even begin to name!
While Germany was a great experience and a lot of fun, I will admit it was a sigh of relief to walk in the airport in Houston and see “Welcome to the United States of America!”. It felt SO good to be home. Germany was awesome along with all the countries that we visited and the people that we met. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Austria were each amazing in their own ways. In each country I thought of a town/location that I could compare it to that was back at home. The Netherlands had some crazy people and had sort of an “Austin-feel” to it. While it was nothing like Austin, I thought that’s as close to the Netherlands I had experienced before. Czech Republic was cheap and fun. I still remember getting a salmon dinner for $6! Austria was quite fashionable and had so much culture thrown in as well. (Not to mention the Wiener Schnitzel was the best!) However, my favorite part looking back was experiencing Switzerland’s beauty. Colorado MAY be able to give it a run for its money but everything about it was so pretty and outdoorsy. (No wonder they weren’t as overweight as Americans!)
So many things were learned and experienced in the weeks that I was abroad and I’m thankful for every one. I gained a lot of knowledge through the program and culture exposure. However, with all that being said, America just feels like home. It’s got family and familiar languages and faces. There’s a comfort to it that I never knew it had. The overall thing I learned from studying abroad is just how blessed I am to live in such a wonderful country. I didn’t know how much I took for granted until I experienced what others had. I’m not saying what they had was bad or trashy, it was just different than what I’m used to. Americans are luxurious, lazy, and many times wasteful, but the way I see it, every culture has its ups and downs. I’m extremely grateful that I got to experience the different cultures and lifestyles to compare my everyday life to. It has changed my outlook on America and the world in general. I would HIGHLY recommend studying abroad to anyone who was interested.
While Germany was a great experience and a lot of fun, I will admit it was a sigh of relief to walk in the airport in Houston and see “Welcome to the United States of America!”. It felt SO good to be home. Germany was awesome along with all the countries that we visited and the people that we met. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Austria were each amazing in their own ways. In each country I thought of a town/location that I could compare it to that was back at home. The Netherlands had some crazy people and had sort of an “Austin-feel” to it. While it was nothing like Austin, I thought that’s as close to the Netherlands I had experienced before. Czech Republic was cheap and fun. I still remember getting a salmon dinner for $6! Austria was quite fashionable and had so much culture thrown in as well. (Not to mention the Wiener Schnitzel was the best!) However, my favorite part looking back was experiencing Switzerland’s beauty. Colorado MAY be able to give it a run for its money but everything about it was so pretty and outdoorsy. (No wonder they weren’t as overweight as Americans!)
So many things were learned and experienced in the weeks that I was abroad and I’m thankful for every one. I gained a lot of knowledge through the program and culture exposure. However, with all that being said, America just feels like home. It’s got family and familiar languages and faces. There’s a comfort to it that I never knew it had. The overall thing I learned from studying abroad is just how blessed I am to live in such a wonderful country. I didn’t know how much I took for granted until I experienced what others had. I’m not saying what they had was bad or trashy, it was just different than what I’m used to. Americans are luxurious, lazy, and many times wasteful, but the way I see it, every culture has its ups and downs. I’m extremely grateful that I got to experience the different cultures and lifestyles to compare my everyday life to. It has changed my outlook on America and the world in general. I would HIGHLY recommend studying abroad to anyone who was interested.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Retrospective Blog
Even after being back from Germany for little more than a month, there has not been one day that I have not thought about my time there and the people that I met. I got to see some of "the group" a couple weeks ago, and I enjoyed reminiscing about our adventures and just talking to people that I got to know very well through our continuous interaction for the five week duration of the trip. This experience really has changed my outlook on the world, and I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the cultures of other countries and areas as well as for those that can speak multiple languages. I would like to become better at the languages that I am familiar with and possibly learn another one altogether.
I am now keenly aware of how unsettling it can be to arrive in a foreign country not really knowing anyone and not speaking the language. I am inexpressibly grateful to those people that went out of their way to make my time in Germany and Europe a truly wonderful experience. A week after I arrived back in the United States I went to the International Student BBQ that I was emailed about. At this event I met many students experiencing the same things that I had experienced just six weeks prior. They were uncomfortable, a little awkward and looking for something familiar. I met four or five students from Europe that are studying here for a semester or a year, and I have tried to help out a little in making their experience here as memorable as mine was in their part of the world. I have subsequently met at least ten other students from Europe that are studying at A&M, and I have had a great time getting to know them and answering their questions about Texas and the United States. While they are much better equipped than I was for a stint in a foreign country I know that it is comforting sometimes to have someone that is a resident of the host country that can take you somewhere or help you solve a problem. Nils did this multiple times for all of us and went above and beyond to ensure that we had a good time and any problems we encountered were handled even when the problems were the result of something stupid that we had done. I have emailed my host parents a few times, and I hope to remain in contact with them as time goes on. They are truly remarkable people, and I hope one day that they are able to come to the United States, and I can return some of the hospitality that they have shown me.
I have also gained a more acute awareness regarding world events. I find that I often look at world news and see what else is happening in the world despite the sense of isolation and desensitization that I think many Americans acquire by being so geographically distant only experiencing our forms of media (TV, sports, movies, etc.). I am more aware of how Americans and Texans are perceived by the rest of the world, and I think that has made me better able to understand some of the issues the rest of the world has with our culture. I cannot wait to return to Europe and especially to Germany to visit with the friends (American sense of the word) that I made while staying there. I again would like to thank Dr. Wasser, Nils, and all of the AIB staff that worked so hard to create such an amazing program that is enlightening in so many ways.
I am now keenly aware of how unsettling it can be to arrive in a foreign country not really knowing anyone and not speaking the language. I am inexpressibly grateful to those people that went out of their way to make my time in Germany and Europe a truly wonderful experience. A week after I arrived back in the United States I went to the International Student BBQ that I was emailed about. At this event I met many students experiencing the same things that I had experienced just six weeks prior. They were uncomfortable, a little awkward and looking for something familiar. I met four or five students from Europe that are studying here for a semester or a year, and I have tried to help out a little in making their experience here as memorable as mine was in their part of the world. I have subsequently met at least ten other students from Europe that are studying at A&M, and I have had a great time getting to know them and answering their questions about Texas and the United States. While they are much better equipped than I was for a stint in a foreign country I know that it is comforting sometimes to have someone that is a resident of the host country that can take you somewhere or help you solve a problem. Nils did this multiple times for all of us and went above and beyond to ensure that we had a good time and any problems we encountered were handled even when the problems were the result of something stupid that we had done. I have emailed my host parents a few times, and I hope to remain in contact with them as time goes on. They are truly remarkable people, and I hope one day that they are able to come to the United States, and I can return some of the hospitality that they have shown me.
I have also gained a more acute awareness regarding world events. I find that I often look at world news and see what else is happening in the world despite the sense of isolation and desensitization that I think many Americans acquire by being so geographically distant only experiencing our forms of media (TV, sports, movies, etc.). I am more aware of how Americans and Texans are perceived by the rest of the world, and I think that has made me better able to understand some of the issues the rest of the world has with our culture. I cannot wait to return to Europe and especially to Germany to visit with the friends (American sense of the word) that I made while staying there. I again would like to thank Dr. Wasser, Nils, and all of the AIB staff that worked so hard to create such an amazing program that is enlightening in so many ways.
Looking Back
After being back in the states for over a month or so, things have returned to normal for the most part. To be honest I haven’t made any life style or drastic changes since returning from Europe, I’ve been slowly acclimating back to my US lifestyle. I must admit that I do miss Europe a lot and often find myself daydreaming about being back in Germany. I miss the culture, the beer, and the public transportation (although it does feel good to drive my own car again). Probably what I miss the most was the carefree attitude I adopted while I was in Europe. Even though we were always busy and always traveling it was still a relaxing time.
I learned an awful lot from my month abroad, like how to use public transportation in different countries, a great deal of medical history and German history, and a lot about myself. When I first got off the plane (arriving to Germany) I had no clue how to exchange money, buy a train ticket, nor did I know how to get around. However, if I were put in that same situation after having spent a month in Europe I would have no problem accomplishing this. I have become a much more experienced and wiser traveler. I also found that my experiences while abroad focused me toward my goal to become a physician. For some reason, being exposed to the medical field/health care in Germany further solidified my desire to pursue a career in medicine. Traveling to all the hospitals, research facilities, health science centers and all the other field trips we went on allowed me to view health care in a whole new light; it provided me with new insight into the profession that I desire to become a part of by allowing me to compare/contrast the various health care systems in the world.
Despite the fact that our group was half the size of all the previous study abroad groups (which was worrisome at first) turned out to be just fine. We all became really good friends and we had a great time with one another. In fact, having a small group probably had some benefits. We were able to visit places a bigger group probably would not have been able to go to and b/c of the size of group the tours that we took were more personal. However, big group or small group, it would be hard to find a way to not enjoy yourself while in Germany/Europe.
In conclusion, this study abroad experience was something that I will remember for a lifetime. My experiences on this trip have opened the doors for other opportunities such as more traveling or studying/ working abroad at some other time in my life. My eyes were opened to a completely different world outside of Texas. I had a wonderful time and cannot wait to go back to Germany.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Post Trip Blog
It's hard to believe that almost two months ago I was 5000 miles away from home with people I barely knew. It was a completely new and exciting experience and now that I'm back home I feel like a more cultured and worldly person.
There are many things I've missed about Germany already. First of all, the public transportation system there was awesome! I don't miss it as much as a previous student of Dr. Wasser's who cried about not being able to take a bus, but it has been a bit of a hassel having to fill up on gas all the time now. This semester, since my bike is currently being repaired, I've been taking the Aggie Spirit bus to campus a lot more. My West campus Garage pass is only used after 5 PM when I can park anywhere. Another thing I miss is the great tasting beer! Being 20 and able to responsibly drink was a luxury I had in Germany. I had to wait a month until I was able to compare the American and German beer (My birthday was 12 September). Although it rained quite a bit, the weather in Germany was a lot less intense during the summer! Here in Texas it is miserably hot and it makes me appreciate the milder weather we had abroad. I also feel like I need to give a shoutout to my host family! The Colditz were so amiable and it was sad to leave them. I do still keep up with them on Facebook and they told me they might be visiting The States sometime soon. Hopefully they'll have time to come through Texas!
I really liked the structure of this program. We were busy a lot during the day and it was very educational, but at the same time we had a lot of free time! The work load wasn't very much at all and it gave us time to explore our surroundings after class instead of hitting the books. The museums and field trips were fun and interesting. The free weekends were crazy because we were completely unsupervised rookies! Some awesome memories were had at each place (particularly in prague) and we all came back from each trip safe and unscarred. Nils and Dr. Wasser did a phenomenal job and I recommend them to anyone looking to travel to Germany.
The precaution about culture shock made me worried at first. I didn't know what to expect since it was my first abroad experience. I guess I'm somewhat immune to it though, because I didn't feel shocked or overwhelmed getting there or coming back. It might have been less extreme since we were only there for 5 weeks. Nevertheless, I wasn't affected and I would truly enjoy going back in the future!
Since I've been back, I've noticed how I drop a few German words in my vocabulary and people sometimes look at me weirdly. One time on the bus to class I almost said "Entschuldigen" to a guy I bumped into. Now, on the rare occasion that I feel the need to cuss, instead of "shit" I say "Sheisse". Hopefully if I go back I will know more German and will feel more comfortable talking to people.
I miss the food, but I don't miss the service. I went to Cheddars in College Station last night and the waitress was so cute and nice to everyone because she knew it would help her get a big fat tip. I also love that I can use plastic almost everywhere I go now. On the other hand, the beer I had wasn't as tasty :(
I also miss everyone in the group! we got along fairly well. Shayna and I are in all the same classes so we still see eachother and are pretty good friends now. I see Chad every once in a while by Zachry, but I haven't seen Elsie, Claire, Kathryn, or Matt at all since I've been back and it sucks. We need to set up a reunion sometime. Hopefully we can hangout one weekend and watch the fightin' Texas Aggies football team BTHO somebody over a cup of Joe! Thanks and Gig 'em Germany! It was Unforgettable!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Retrospective Blog
Since being back in the US, I miss Europe, traveling and the people I met in Germany at least once a day. I keep in touch with Simone, who I already kept in touch with before the trip, Sebastian, Marcus, Svenja, some other friends and of course Karima, the best host mom ever. I talk to someone from Germany almost everyday. And they send me sentences in German and help me with words I don't know :) Marcus and I are pen pals and send letters to each other. It has probably been since 3rd grade since I have have a pen pal! It is really great and fun to get letters. I really want to get better at German so I can go back sometime soon! I invited everyone I know to come visit me in Texas until I can get back to Germany. Karima said that she would have to have anaesthesia to ever get on a plane for that long. Sebastian will be here as soon as possible, and Simone should be coming back in April!!
Although I miss Europe a lot, I hear Germany is having bad weather already with all of the rain so I am thankful for the sun. I made a pact with myself while in Germany that I would allow myself to miss Germany/Europe whenever but only be sad one day and other than that I must remember it fondly and enjoy my life here because I have it really great here as well. I kind of consider Germany as a break and a fresh start for me. I had a rough past couple of years but it was so refreshing to experience everything that we experienced on this study abroad. I really feel like I found myself again on this trip and am back to being the me that I like. I can say happily that I am having a great year so far and the best part has been looking forward to the future, making new friends, remembering great times in Europe, and making plans to travel again.
On that note, as of right now I am planning on working abroad for a year when I graduate then coming back and finishing up my masters or go to medical school, whatever life throws at me. For the first time since starting college, I have no concern about what I am going to do when I graduate. I am too young to decide right now and there are way too many options out there! All I know is that I want to travel so mine as well try and find a job abroad and see where it takes me. I would love to go back to Germany, but I would have to know German pretty well to work there. I was thinking about Australia and Sebastian told me that it is pretty easy to get a work visa in Australia and you can stay for a year, even up to two. I love Sebas, he is a pretty great friend and very schfunny :) I enjoy getting to talk to him and know him better even though we are a world apart. Hopefully he will come to Texas and be a farmer asap :D
I really miss our little group that went on the trip together. We really were an interesting group and a lot of fun, I think. I hope that we will have a reunion as soon as possible! It is really exciting to see someone on campus from the trip and it just brings back great memories :)
It really is hard to express how amazing this trip was and what it sparked in me. I didn't even realize how much it has changed me until I did the follow up questionnaire and it asked me questions like "do you think about traveling now; would you be comfortable moving to another place now; do you want to learn a new language now; do you follow foreign events now"...etc. And my answers were definitely yes. I also just see a new side of me. Some habits die hard but in general I am more care free (a good kind), fun, happy and positive (being negative is one of the habits that dies hard), and I have already started saving money again to travel! :). I feel confident that the opportunity will present itself again, and I will not hesitate to say no. Leaving my family would be the hardest part.
This trip was the time of my life and nothing compares so far. The experience I gained in the medical field was amazing and just the cultural experience alone will be something to remember forever. I will never forget it and the person it made me. I am so thankful to my family members that helped make this trip possible for me. My family is so amazing and I hope they know how much this trip meant to me and how it has truly changed my life. I can't express in a blog how grateful I am or how much I loved this trip or how much it really changed me. But believe me, it is a lot. I love you family, I love you Germany, I love you new friends!
ENDE :)
Although I miss Europe a lot, I hear Germany is having bad weather already with all of the rain so I am thankful for the sun. I made a pact with myself while in Germany that I would allow myself to miss Germany/Europe whenever but only be sad one day and other than that I must remember it fondly and enjoy my life here because I have it really great here as well. I kind of consider Germany as a break and a fresh start for me. I had a rough past couple of years but it was so refreshing to experience everything that we experienced on this study abroad. I really feel like I found myself again on this trip and am back to being the me that I like. I can say happily that I am having a great year so far and the best part has been looking forward to the future, making new friends, remembering great times in Europe, and making plans to travel again.
On that note, as of right now I am planning on working abroad for a year when I graduate then coming back and finishing up my masters or go to medical school, whatever life throws at me. For the first time since starting college, I have no concern about what I am going to do when I graduate. I am too young to decide right now and there are way too many options out there! All I know is that I want to travel so mine as well try and find a job abroad and see where it takes me. I would love to go back to Germany, but I would have to know German pretty well to work there. I was thinking about Australia and Sebastian told me that it is pretty easy to get a work visa in Australia and you can stay for a year, even up to two. I love Sebas, he is a pretty great friend and very schfunny :) I enjoy getting to talk to him and know him better even though we are a world apart. Hopefully he will come to Texas and be a farmer asap :D
I really miss our little group that went on the trip together. We really were an interesting group and a lot of fun, I think. I hope that we will have a reunion as soon as possible! It is really exciting to see someone on campus from the trip and it just brings back great memories :)
It really is hard to express how amazing this trip was and what it sparked in me. I didn't even realize how much it has changed me until I did the follow up questionnaire and it asked me questions like "do you think about traveling now; would you be comfortable moving to another place now; do you want to learn a new language now; do you follow foreign events now"...etc. And my answers were definitely yes. I also just see a new side of me. Some habits die hard but in general I am more care free (a good kind), fun, happy and positive (being negative is one of the habits that dies hard), and I have already started saving money again to travel! :). I feel confident that the opportunity will present itself again, and I will not hesitate to say no. Leaving my family would be the hardest part.
This trip was the time of my life and nothing compares so far. The experience I gained in the medical field was amazing and just the cultural experience alone will be something to remember forever. I will never forget it and the person it made me. I am so thankful to my family members that helped make this trip possible for me. My family is so amazing and I hope they know how much this trip meant to me and how it has truly changed my life. I can't express in a blog how grateful I am or how much I loved this trip or how much it really changed me. But believe me, it is a lot. I love you family, I love you Germany, I love you new friends!
ENDE :)
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Praha 23-25 July 2010
Prague was one of my favorite cities that we visited. It is very well preserved, and so much history has taken place here. Our hostel was really good and had very helpful and funny staff. Our room was nice, and it was basically just our group because all eight of us were in a room designed for 10. There were two other Israeli girls staying in there with us, but we did not talk to them very much. We went out to eat when we got there at a restaurant right down the street from our hostel, and the food was amazingly good and amazingly cheap. Some of us then got ready and went out to a club. It was not a very good club, and we did not stay long but it was a learning experience. The next day we walked through Prague and went to the palace and crossed the very famous medievil bridge. The views from the palace were spectacular, and although I liked that the rain made everything cool it also made it less enjoyable walking through the city. We ate lunch at some little brewery that we found, and I am glad we did because I had a really good meal and one of the best beers I have ever had. After this we went to find the Patagonia outlet store, but when we found it we realized the prices were about the same as the prices in America. Michael bought a pretty cool jacket and then we went back to the hostel. This night we went on a pub crawl that we read about in a brochure. We got ready and went to the meeting place. When we got to the meeting site there was only like five people already there, and we thought we were in for a lame night. We did not have to pay right away so we decided to just check it out. We were lead to an old five story church that had been converted into a night club. It was packed full of people from all different countries around Europe and the world. The drinks were free for the first hour and a half, and we walked around and met people. We then went downstairs to a dance club area, and we were there for about an hour. We walked through the city to the next club and hung out there for an hour, and then the whole group went back to the hostel except for Kavi and I. We went to the next bar with the group and met some other American medical students. Somehow we lost track of the group when they left to go to the next bar, and we ended up staying at this bar to almost 4 am. When we left we decided it would be best to get a cab. We were much farther away than we thought and ended up not having enough Korona to pay for the ride, so we had to pay in Euros. Eventhough we got ripped off on the exchange rate, I was glad to be back. I felt like I slept for about 5 minutes, and that might have been true because our train was leaving at 6:55 in the morning so we left the hostel very early. After finally regathering my faculties I made it to the train station with the rest of the group and tried to sleep on the train on the way to Berlin despite Matt waking me up to tell me we were getting off several times. I was glad to finally make it back to Bonn and my host family after this adventurous weekend.
Wien Second Part
Vienna is definately one of the most classical European cities in Europe. Because of the Hapsburg dynasty's rule the whole city is very ornate and grandiose. I really like all of the statues and paintings that can be found around the city. We went to the AKH which is one of the biggest hospitals in the world. We learned about the medical school system in Austria and got a tour of the old AKH grounds from a historian. We went to lunch at a Pakistani place that allowed you to eat all you want and pay what you thought you owed. The food was pretty good, but I didn't eat much because I was not that hungry. We then went to an old asylum that has been turned into a pathological museum. It was extremely interesting to see all of the rare anatomical specimans and wax casts of the presentations of various diseases. Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. He asked us questions throughout the tour and knew many interesting facts. The most interesting thing for me was a 200 year old preserved body of an eight year old girl with a rare skin disease. We then went to an anatomical museum that had 150 year old wax anatomical specimans. It was very hot outside and since the building did not have air conditioning the workers were having a hard time keeping the wax cool enough. Because of the danger to the exhibit, we were not allowed to be in there very long. I was very impressed with the detail and craftsmanship of the anatomical specimans. There was also a whole part of the exhibit dedicated to the anatomy of pregnancy as well as different techniques that can be used in delivery. We went to the operetta "Die Fledermaus" this evening. It was very entertaining but somewhat hard to follow, as it was in German.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Vienna First Part of the Week
After leaving Interlaken, we made our way to Zurich to get on a night train to Vienna. In Zurich we grabbed something quick to eat. It was like a hot dog but it was in a loaf of bread. It was pretty good, but we got ripped off because we had to pay in Euros because we were out of Francs, and the lady charged us the same price. On the night train to Vienna I got a couchette which is a little cot-like bed. I was in a compartment with 5 other people I didn't know, and although I got a middle bed which is the best one this train ride was by far the worst one I went on the entire trip. The beds were extremely small and uncomfortable, and there was no place to put your stuff so you had to put it on the end of the bed which made the short beds even shorter. Every time I almost went to sleep the train started rocking or I would get hot or cold. I probably slept about an hour combined the whole night. In the morning I got breakfast which consisted of two rolls and hot tea. This was actually pretty good, but I spilt the hot tea all over myself and the bed almost as soon as I got it. I got more tea, but as there was no where to eat but my bed I had to eat what wasn't tea-soaked and just get ready to leave. I was relieved to make it to Vienna to say the least. It took us a little wandering to find the hotel even though we were right by it off of the tram. A couple of our rooms were ready and I immediately went up to the room, took a shower and went to sleep. We walked to McDonalds and ate lunch before going back to the hotel and resting some more. It was really hot in Vienna, and it made it especially difficult to go to sleep. Matt and I also shared a bed. While this allowed for some quality bonding time, it was not very comfortable for sleeping. I had my first schnitzel with veal in Vienna, and it was amazing. I liked it better than the pork which I also thought was good. We went to Freud's house in Vienna before he left to go to London. It was pretty interesting, but I was expecting more of his stuff to be there. It was kind of empty with pictures of how it used to look. More Vienna to come!
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Switzerland (7/16/10-7/18/10)
We left Bonn early on Friday morning to catch a train to Interlaken, Switzerland. The train ride was not too bad. I was sitting by an older German lady that spoke no English and we were teaching each other our respective languages using a couple of vocabulary sheets I had from our German lessons. It was very fun and I learned some new words and improved my pronunciation. When we finally got to Interlaken we had to take another train to Lauderbrunen. We were on this train and it turned out that it was a private line and our Eurail passes were not valid. Since we had just arrived in Switzerland, we had no Francs. The ticket checker allowed us to pay him 4 Euros each which was actually cheaper than we were supposed to pay. After getting to Lauderbrunen we went to the grocery store while we were waiting for the bus that had to take us to the Gondola station. In the grocery store we were astounded at the prices of the various goods. We bought a few things and went out and got on the bus which cost 4 Francs one way. We then made it to the gondola station and bought a round trip ticket for 8 Francs and took the Gondola up to Gimmelwald. The views in the Alps are definately more spectacular than anything I've ever seen in the U.S. Our hostel was very nice and not too expensive. It was a very fun place to stay because at night everyone in the hostel just kind of hangs out and plays games and drinks. We met many different people from all over the world as well as quite a few people from the United States. The next day we went canyoning which might have been the most fun thing I've ever done in my life. I had a great time with the guides Donny and Francie and I can't wait to go back and do it again. That night we took it easy in the hostel with everyone and taught some people from other countries American drinking games. I think they liked them because they said their drinking games mostly just consisted of seeing who could drink the most or the fastest. The next day we went hiking, but we underestimated the amount of time it would take to finish the hike and we had to turn back early in order to be on time for our train to Vienna.
Hannover (7/15/10)
On our last day in Hannover before we left to go back to Bonn we went to tour the new small animal clinic and the old large animal clinic. The small animal clinic was extremely modern and had facilities comparable to and exceeding the best human hospitals. There were a lot of dogs and cats there undergoing various procedures, and I learned that veterinary clinics use beagles as blood donor dogs for the animals undergoing surgery. I was impressed with the small animal clinic, but we did not get to do very much except for tour the facility. We then went to the horse clinic, and it was as sophisticated as any human hospital except of course for the size. I found it interesting that the horses were transported through the hospital suspended from the ceiling by their feet. At the cow clinic we got a tour from a veterinarian that was very engaging and knew lots of interesting things about cows. Although I have grown up in an area that has a large cattle industry, I have never really found cattle interesting until I toured this clinic. They are a very interesting group of animals with a fascinating physiology. The guide asked us many questions and allowed us to see and do basically whatever we wanted. We got to see Kavi try to give an epidural to a cow and true to form he didn't listen to any of the instructions and struck the cow's artery with the needle. Blood started squirting out, and the veterinarians said that the artery he hit was actually very hard to strike when doing an epidural. After the cow was numbed, we all got to try and do a rectal palpation, but after about 4 people you couldn't palpate anything anymore because of all the air that had entered the rectum.
After leaving Hannover we went back to Bonn and stayed the night and prepared to leave to go to Switzerland the next morning.
After leaving Hannover we went back to Bonn and stayed the night and prepared to leave to go to Switzerland the next morning.
Hannover/Bad Oeynhausen (7/12/10-7/14/10)
On Monday, we hiked up the ruins at the top of the Drachenfels mountains with Nils. The hike was not too bad, and the view at the top was definately worth it. We ate a little bit of food that we had brought and rested. The ruins were over 800 years old, and although there isn't a whole lot of form left to the structure it was still really cool to be in a place with so much history. We had to run down the mountain to beat the rain and it only took us about 15 minutes to get down after hiking 45 minutes to reach the top. We got back to the train and went back into Bonn. We had a German lesson and a culture lesson. The culture lessons are very interesting to me and are one of my favorite parts of the experience because Ture has lived in the United States and is knowledgeable about both cultures. He is able to give an objective analysis of the differences and explain some of why they exist. I especially liked learning about the German view of Americans. After all of this, I ate dinner at my host family's house and talked to them as much as I could while they ran the restaurant.
On Tuesday we left Bonn to go to Bad Oeynhausen and tour a hostpital. It was a very nice hospital with a wing specifically designed for children. I was impressed with the thought that had been to put into the design of the section. There was a window in the ceiling so that small children could see their siblings through the floor if they were too young to visit them or if they were too sick. The doctor that gave the tour was very informative and was willing to answer any questions we had. The bioengineers got a presentation from the pump technicians about the various types of VADs that have been used over the years. These guys were extremely knowledgeable and made a lot of jokes with us about their work and stuff. I do research on VADs, and I found this part of the day to be the most interesting because I had more background on the subject.
On Wednesday we were in Hannover, and we went to tour the medical school. The first doctor we met was a head of a department, and he asked us about our system of medicine and our thoughts on the German/European system. He brought up some interesting questions about healthcare and exposed some of the weaknesses in both systems. The next doctor was one of my favorite guides of the trip. He was a nephrologist, and he really involved us in his lecture by quizzing us and making us consider many different situations. We then walked through the hospital and met a patient undergoing dialysis. He explained the dialysis machine's parts and functions and questioned us about why certain aspects were important to its function. That night in Hannover some of us went out to a club called "Zazzy" and met some German people our age. It was a lot of fun, and I wish we could have stayed a little longer to meet more people.
On Tuesday we left Bonn to go to Bad Oeynhausen and tour a hostpital. It was a very nice hospital with a wing specifically designed for children. I was impressed with the thought that had been to put into the design of the section. There was a window in the ceiling so that small children could see their siblings through the floor if they were too young to visit them or if they were too sick. The doctor that gave the tour was very informative and was willing to answer any questions we had. The bioengineers got a presentation from the pump technicians about the various types of VADs that have been used over the years. These guys were extremely knowledgeable and made a lot of jokes with us about their work and stuff. I do research on VADs, and I found this part of the day to be the most interesting because I had more background on the subject.
On Wednesday we were in Hannover, and we went to tour the medical school. The first doctor we met was a head of a department, and he asked us about our system of medicine and our thoughts on the German/European system. He brought up some interesting questions about healthcare and exposed some of the weaknesses in both systems. The next doctor was one of my favorite guides of the trip. He was a nephrologist, and he really involved us in his lecture by quizzing us and making us consider many different situations. We then walked through the hospital and met a patient undergoing dialysis. He explained the dialysis machine's parts and functions and questioned us about why certain aspects were important to its function. That night in Hannover some of us went out to a club called "Zazzy" and met some German people our age. It was a lot of fun, and I wish we could have stayed a little longer to meet more people.
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