Exploring Bonn!

From what we’ve done so far, this is turning out to be an awesome experience! My first impression of Bonn was that it had the most beautiful little stone streets, and that the city was full of life. It’s quite funny to remember that people actually walk instead of driving cars… I wish American towns were like this, there’s a central market full of shops, food, and a gorgeous church. There’s a relaxed atmosphere despite the number of people, and it feels so homey. They also take Christmas decorating a lot more seriously. We started the first night off fantastically with schnitzel and dunkel, and headed over to the University Hospital in the morning to observe surgeries. I was able to view a coronary artery bypass, which was beyond words. I’ve got to admit the smell of burning flesh threw me off (holding your breath doesn’t quite cut it), but as the surgery got underway, I definitely developed a new sense of awe as to what medicine is able to accomplish. From seeing the inside of the thoracic cavity in person for the first time to the tiny stitches that rerouted this 78 year old’s blood supply to his heart, there was a lot to take in, and the surgeons were happy to answer our questions ( we had a ton) as they worked. It is so exciting that this patient can live for a few more years if the procedure ended well. After a lecture from Dr. Wasser on healthcare systems, and a tour of Bonn, we got to hang out and partake in some German New Years traditions.

On our second full day, we visited a history of anesthesia museum put together by Dr. Stoeckel. He traced the development of this technique from its origin in Boston to the present, and it was interesting to compare the early techniques and devices used from country to country. He played a huge part in the ease with which anesthesia can be applied and monitored today, and his passion for this area of medicine is inspiring. We also visited the Haus der Geschichte, which focused on the history of Germany after World War II. The ways in which the war has affected the development of Germany, and more importantly, the mindset of the Germans today, especially with respect to nationalism, adds another dimension to the war I had never considered, and makes it that much more a terrifying time period. One remarkable thing I’ve picked up on (among many) about Germans today is that they’re much more honest about their recent history than Americans seem to be, they accept and learn to live with successes and mistakes alike, which deserves a huge amount of respect.

On a lighter note, I love our group, and I am so excited to see more!

From Bonn to Cologne and Back!

Today, our group made our one day voyage to the nearby city of Cologne. We took a railway train car and entered the train station in under thirty minutes. From the moment we stepped foot out of the station we were confronted by the trademark of Cologne: the Cathedral. Words can't put to justice the size of this cathedral; the sheer size makes a person feel as though they are an ant among giants. And still throughout the day, the shock of this building didn't wear off. Every time I was able to glance upon it through the market buildings of downtown Cologne it still slightly took me aback. It was even more amazing that this building was erected in 1248, when the modern construction amenities of today weren't even thought of.

We had an excellent guide that showed us some of the best qualities of the cathedral and some of the surrounding areas; everywhere you looked in the cathedral there was history: from the monumental stained class panes that were hand crafted, to the gold and jewel encrusted tomb of the Three Wise Men, and to the multiple century old painting that still looks crisp to this day to name a few. Even more amazing, was the fact that this cathedral survived the onslaught of bombs dropped in the area during WWII. Despite the fact it was aimed at from above by Allied bombers, it still escaped with minimal damage.

The museum near the cathedral was also very interesting; the number of Roman artifacts found in the area is quite amazing. I think the historical piece that took me aback the most was the preserved floor that was discovered and left in its original position. This floor has been dated back to 50 AD.

After a quick lunch, we attended a museum that was transformed from the local offices of the Gestapo. This included peering into the vaults that prisoners were held in until their time came for interrogation, a synonym for torture in this time. This was one of most unique emotions I've experienced from seeing history firsthand; being in the basement where they were kept, seeing what they wrote on the walls in their last moments, and viewing the room they were tortured in, it was almost surreal. It really made the horrors and tragedies of WWII more "real" for me. It almost hurt trying to imagine what these innocent people experienced inside those walls.

Now off to Berlin.....

Days 1-3

Despite a severely uncomfortable flight, my first impressions of Germany are definitely positive. After a smooth transition to the dorm room in Bonn, we had an orientation meeting then dinner. On the first full day in Bonn, we went to the university clinic to see surgeries, and my group saw a liver tumor resection. Much of the surgery was similar to those I’ve already seen, which I was expecting. However, I was surprised that the doctors were not anticipating the patient’s atypical vein. In the US, it seemed like the surgeon would make absolutely sure that he knows where everything is before he cuts, but here in Germany, a scan probably costs money that the insurance does not cover. Since the cancer was so extensive, the surgeons did not know if they could do that resection, so between doing a cholecystectomy and waiting for the lab results of the tumor and normal liver, we had to leave before the actual removal began. After lunch on the beautiful Rhine River, we were shown around Bonn and learned about some of its important historical moments. Sometimes it can be easy to forget how extensive the Roman Empire became, especially, for example, since I don’t think of the Romans when I think about Germany. For having lived over two thousand years ago, the Romans had advanced techniques, such as heating the floors, walls and baths by a fire underneath the floors.

On the third day, after a lecture from Dr. Wasser, we headed to the Museum of the History of Anesthesia for a tour by Dr. Stoeckel. It was interesting to see the evolution of a specific part of medicine, from the machines used to deliver the anesthetic and keep the patient alive to the actual drugs. Learning about the history of something directly from a man who witnessed it himself always brings a new perspective to the subject that could not be found in a book. We also went to the House of German History Museum to learn more about what happened after World War II. Even though we studied this in world and US history classes, hearing the same stories from a fresh perspective is always an eye-opening experience. What impressed me about the museum is that is completely public, since it is so important for Germans to learn about their history.

Bonn is an amazing town, not too big and not too small. Walking through the city center looking and the stores, comparing the McDonald’s to the ones in the US and seeing a bakery on what seems like every corner have been the highlights of the free time.

Germany Trip Thus Far

My Germany travel experience got off to a great start. I had an excellent seat on the plane where I was able to lay down completely flat and watch TV and movies the whole time. Needless to say, I had a rude awakening once I stepped outside into the freezing cold. But the rest of the day got a lot better once everyone met up and we had our AIB welcome dinner.

But then the first night came, and I was awake by 2:30 and could not really go back to sleep. Freakin jet lag! Luckily, we had to be awake super early because we went to visit the University Clinics in Bonn and got to observe procedures in the OR. I got to see two orthopedic surgeries, one on a knee and another on a shoulder. It was really cool since I want to get into Orthopedics. I've seen orthopedic surgeries before in the US, so it was interesting to see what kind of protocol differences were present. I really enjoyed the group dynamic of the doctors and nurses in the OR, which showed me that even doctors can have fun. The doctors and nurses were all friendly and willing to explain things, which made observing a very enjoyable experience. After lunch, we then got a guided tour of Bonn from the boss of AIB himself. Bonn is a really a great town. Despite being a "college town", I really like the fact that the school is incorporated into the town rather than being one big campus surrounded by the city like College Station is. In addition, it is a great place to hang out but it still has places to visit that put you in awe.

The next day was just jam packed with action. After finishing up Dr. Wasser's lecture on different insurance models in the world, we went to the Museum of the History of Anaesthesia. Dr. Stoeckel, the creator of the museum, was truly an amazing guy. You could tell the guy was just so passionate about anaesthesia and medicine in general because a person doesn't just dedicate 10 years of their life for something unless they're genuine about it. The fact that he was able to recover items spanning the evolution of anaesthetic techniques is remarkable to me. It definitely gave me an added perspective of medicine since anaesthesiology is sometimes overlooked despite playing a vital role. Then, we went to the the House of German History Museum. I really enjoyed being able to see German history that was not only about the Nazis since the Nazi regime usually predominates any discussion of German history.

This morning, we went to Cologne. We got to go inside the Cologne Cathedral. It is literally the most magnificent structure I've ever seen in my life! The magnitude of its epicness cannot be put into words so here's a picture:



I really enjoyed our tour guide, Athena. She was a tiny woman that was just an Energizer Bunny. She gave us a great tour through the cathedral and the museum we went to. We finished up our scheduled day by visiting the ELDE HAUS. We were able to learn much about the Nazi movement and even got to see cells where the Gestapo kept their prisoners. It just gave me chills thinking about what went on in some of these very cells just 70 years ago. Our tour guide was cool and by cool, I mean she kept asking if anyone had questions for her, which no one did...

I wish I knew a little bit more German because many of the places we've been to so far only have German text. But despite knowing very little of the language, I've been able to respect and appreciate the profoundness of all these places.

Berlin, here I come!

First Days in Germany

So I made it safely here, thank goodness. I thoroughly enjoy traveling, but I can never help but to get a little nervous. Jet lag is now a thing of the past so I am thankful for that as well.

First of all, I love Bonn. I feel like Bonn is the perfect size town to get around in while experiencing a little German lifestyle. I hate that we can't stay here longer, but I am excited to see other places in Germany. We started off day one, Wednesday, nice and early, by heading out to the university clinics. I was fortunate to see a laparoscopic procedure - a rectal tumor removal. Having see these kinds of procedures working as a surgery tech in our large animal clinic, I was amazed by how similar everything was - from surgery prep to cautery to instruments. Of course, I'm aware that veterinary medicine looks to human medicine as a basis for developing procedures, but I have had little experience in human medicine, and I feel that the similarities between the two really speak for how far veterinary medicine has come.

Later in the day, we had a brief walking tour of the city and were able to learn bit more about its background and history. My favorite part, of course was the chapel. I love the chapels, and churches and cathedrals of other parts of the world. I always find the architecture amazing especially when you take into consideration the sometimes limited materials people had to work with at the time. Always impressive.

Thursday we visited an awesome anaesthesia museum, created by Dr. Stoeckel who gave us a tour. Anaesthesia is an interesting subject in and of itself, but the fact that he was able to research and compile all of his information and pieces is remarkable. I liked the fact that his exhibit was organized by country to show the differences between equipment developed in the different areas during the beginning of anaesthesia.

We wrapped up the day with the House of German History Museum. This was by far one of the coolest museums I have been in. You move with the layout and the use of the wall dividing items of East and West Germany aid in partially understanding a piece of history the is completely unthinkable for me. Even more difficult for me to understand is how hard Germans have had to work and are still working to come to terms with this piece of their country's past.

I am so excited for what's still to come! Be back soon!

Awesome surgeries, and one old anesthesia dude... (Blog 4)

Wednesday, December 29^th 2010

Bonn

Wednesday was pretty amazing. We got to see some surgeries and the anesthesia museum. Daniel, Chris and I got to witness an open heart aortic valve replacement. The atmosphere was so relaxed and the surgeons were quite entertaining. It was cool to see how skilled the surgeons were at technique. I grasped a better appreciation for the level of expertise they must have to be surgeons. It goes beyond just medical knowledge and application. The surgeons must have steady hands, be graceful with a needle, and have a sharp prolonged attention span.

During the valve replacement the chest was cut open and the patient put on a heart lung machine. This was interesting and lined up nicely with my track of BMEN, instrumentation. The heart was stopped and aorta clamped. Calcification occluded the chamber of the heart leading to the Aorta and had to be cut out. The surgeon held open the incisions made in the heart with a thread that was skillfully sewn so that it could later be woven into the replacement valve and cinched up tight to reseal the lesions. Amazing! Many threads going from incision flap to vise clamps encircled the heart. There were probably 20 vice clamps that caught the many different thread ends that were draped over the chest cavity in this circular pattern. After the threading was done the valve was inserted and woven into the threads. Next the valve was secured in the cavity. Its openings were covered with a gortex type material (that looked like cotton rectangular gause) that was sewn over the lip of each incision flap. This helped the thread not tear through the tissue after surgery in high stress situations. The surgeon said its to help them sleep better at night. The threads used were not the dissolvable since not enough tissue grows back in to secure the replacement valve. A few tugs on each thread and everything pulled together smoothly. It was like watching an artist. This was such a cool experience and I am excited about getting to see it again in Vienna!

After that we got to go to the anesthesia museum. The man was old and knowledgeable but very slow. It was entertaining to watch everyone try and stay focused. I really enjoyed getting to see him deliver the tour because of his joy and passion for what he does. It was hard to stay awake, but that was mostly due to everyone adjusting to the new sleep schedule and getting used to all the walking we had been doing. Another thing that stood out was how clean the museum was. I liked the white wall layout with silver paneled plaques containing descriptions of everything. Even if it was all German, it still looked cool. The glass cases with modern lighting and flooring drew the eye of the observer well. Another interesting note from the museum was how well machined the tools and devices were in the early 20^th century. They may have been restored or repainted, but they looked awesome. Overall I felt the museum was a plus and I am glad I got to experience it.

BONN aka my future home

Geez I don't even know where to begin! First of all, as you can tell from the title of this blog that I'm completely in love with the city of Bonn. There are too many reasons why this place is so perfect but I'll give you just a few of them. First off, the size of the city is perfect. There are enough people here where you feel like you're in a big city, but it's not intimidating by any means. I've only been here 4 days and I already know how to take a train to Cologne and back and take the metro in Bonn back to my dorm. That leads to my second point: transportation. I've been to Europe before so the wonderful transportation system was no surprise to me, but coming from a place where I have to drive to get to anything and everything, metros and trains are a pleasant perk to this town. Thirdly, everyone is very friendly here. I clearly can't speak German even though I'm trying my best to learn some key phrases. Right now I know how to say: please, thank you, excuse me, hello, goodybye, my name is, and rude. Oh and also how to say, "you're breakfast is the best in the world". This is a story for another time :) I honestly can't say enough good things about this place. Out of all the cities I've been to in Europe, I have never felt so comfortable so quickly. Normally I'm a little intimidated at the beginning of my trips to Europe but Bonn was the perfect place to start. I'm already trying to figure out how I can live here for the rest of my life. No joke. The German will just come naturally to me right???

Anyways, I've been very busy the past few days! I arrived in Frankfurt on Tuesday and met up with the group and our program coordinator, Nils, where we then took a bus to Bonn. Tuesday was pretty low key, due to our jet lag. We arrived at AIB, where we've had a few lectures from Dr. Wasser, and then had a traditional German dinner of schnitzel and my first German beer. Nom.

Wednesday was a bit more packed. The group started early with an excursion to the University Clinics on the outskirts of Bonn. There, I was lucky enough to watch my first surgery! The surgeons provided me with a stool so I could watch the surgery from about 3 feet away. It was pretty amazing. The surgeons were trying to remove a tumor from the kidney, which even after 4 hours was not accomplished. After this we grabbed a quick lunch on the Rhine and started on our city tour of Bonn. During this tour we saw the main cathedral, the wonderful views of the Rhine, Bonn University and the town center. After a quick cup of coffee (which I'm now drinking because I'm already exhausted), we had our first lecture with Dr. Wasser over health care comparisons between different countries. To finish off the day, Nils introduced us to feuerzangenbowle, which is a basically hot wine, rum, and sugar. Obviously extremely delicious.

Thursday, our last full day in Bonn was another wonderful day in the city! The day started with lecture and then a visit and tour to the Museum of the History of Anesthesia. The tour was given by the creator of the museum himself, Dr. Stoeckel. It was home to an amazing collection of items all describing the evolution of anesthesia. Then, we made our way across town to the House of German History Museum where Dr. Wasser and Nils gave us the history of Germany starting from the end of World War II, which I always find extremely fascinating! The group was supposed to go ice skating, but we all agreed a good German beer would be better on our feet than the ice.

So as you can see, it's only been four days and I've already done more in Germany than I've done on most trips! I absolutely love it here, more than I thought I would and I hope to travel to Bonn again in the very near future! My dorm room already feels like a home, so leaving for Berlin tomorrow will be bittersweet. But I'm positive I will be back in Bonn very soon :)

Until next time!

I'm bad with titles but really like Bonn!

It is hard to believe that we have already been in Bonn for several days, and even harder to believe that we are about to move on to Berlin. Dr. Wasser, Nils, and other AIB folk are taking good care of us and keeping us busy. One of the first things we did was make our way out to Bonn's university clinics where we traded our layers for scrubs and furry boots for clogs. We were split up to observe surgeries. Abhishek and I were sent to orthopedic surgeons where we saw a laproscopic repair of a severely damaged meniscus and then an open surgery of the shoulder to repair the rotator cuff and AC joint. We were able to follow the woman who had shoulder surgery from the time she was awake and receiving a nerve block to the time she was back awake in recovery. The doctors and nurses were excellent at explaining to us what was going on, drawing pictures and debating on the proper english word to use, at times. They are very well suited to be at a teaching hospital!
Later, we got a walking tour of Bonn complete with history and culture led by Dr. Ranier Zack. It is hard to wrap my mind around the layers of history that Bonn boasts.
On Wednesday we headed out to the Museum of the history of Anaesthesia. It was brimming with early and intermediate methods of administering anaesthesia, and it was very impressive. We also saw an Iron Lung apparatus, which I have never seen in person before. cool!
We were led by Dr. Wasser and Nils through the House of German History museum. This was an incredibly well designed museum that took you through Germany chronologically from basically WWII onward. i think i could spend a whole day there if only I could read the information.
Today promises to be a very fun and interesting adventure to Cologne. Bitta for reading!

Day 3

There's a movie on TV right now about a little boy during the Nazi regime whose father was publicly executed for not supporting the Nazis, it seems, and who has just had to kill his own horse who was shot in the leg in the process of an effort to get the little boy's non-Aryan friend across some border. But as intense as this movie is, the relevance it has to everything we've talked about today and the things we learned so far in Germany has not escaped me. First, while it is very common to discuss the pain and distress that the Nazi regime inflicted on Jews, Gypsies, and pretty much the rest of the world before, during, and after World War II, this is the first time I'm seeing an emphasis placed on how much pain some of those who were deemed "of Aryan decent" and were safe may have also suffered. This poor little 12 year old is having is entire life torn apart even though he technically was on the safe side of it all. Second, seeing atrocities through movies somehow makes them more atrocious. The museum of German history presented events in a very learnable and understandable way, but watching it in movie form seems to be the exclamation point at the end of everything we learned today that makes the history even more horrific. Third, and on a lighter note, I'm quite proud that I understood this much from a movie that was completely in German. At first, hearing the words "bitte" and "nein" was pretty darn exciting, but then the story just started carrying itself and somehow transcended the language barrier. (Granted, having no German translator here does present the possibility that I've misinterpreted this whole movie, but I like to think that I haven't.)
I'm quite satisfied with what I've been getting out of this trip so far. You wonder how much you can learn in the period of three weeks through a course that should be taught over a semester, but I'm feeling this multifaceted accumulation of knowledge that is really unparalleled by any traditional method of learning. In addition to lectures that are so immediately practical right before I enter medical school, I'm learning about culture, language, people, travel, and a lot of other things that can't be titled. I'm really looking forward to visiting Cologne today and getting a second dose of cultural inundation.

Day 2

Today was our second day in Bonn. The day started off bright and early at 5:45 am local time, so that we could have time to eat and then catch bus to the University Hospital. Upon arrival, we dressed out in gowns, and then split into smaller groups to witness different assortments of surgeries. The surgery I witnessed was liver cancer removal from a 73 yr old patient. The surgery was the first I had ever witnessed first hand, from about a foot and a half away from the open chest cavity. It was a unique experience that I thoroughly enjoyed, but also proved to me I could never be a surgeon; constantly standing and slicing and dicing patients. However it was cool to see instrumentation and tools obviously designed by Biomedical Engineers being put into hands on practice; it just shows what BMEN is all about, helping people and saving lives. After a quick lunch it was time for a tour around Bonn. We were told some fabulous history of the surrounding area, including the hills and the famous royal mansion on top of the hill where the Clintons and other world figures have stayed. I would say the highlight of the tour was the underground Roman artifacts, that were over 2000 years old. These artifacts showed how advanced the Romans were in there building design and infrastructure; from keeping the building warm through heat occurring underneath the floor to how they experienced a nice hot bath. Overall it was a great, long day, and I can't wait for more to come.

Zach

So close!

After thoroughly saturating myself with forms, pre-travel-I can’t-sleep-jitters, and wool clothing, I cannot wait to step foot in Deutschland! I feel as though the past few weeks have been hurdles to get through before this, the most incredible classroom I could possibly imagine, is staring me squarely in the face. My biggest goal for this trip is to be a huge sponge. I want to take in all I can, both of the German culture and locals, and of this new perspective into medicine. We’ve been given an awesome opportunity to consider how people worldwide have solved medical problems in the past, and how different cultures approach current problems in medicine. This alone would knock my socks off, I hope that it sheds a new light on what possible role I personally can play in helping the advance of medical technology. I guess I really would love a fresh way to think about biomedical engineering problems too; it’ll be like having a whole new set of mentors for three weeks! And, I’ve never seen a surgery on a human being in person, let alone a cardiac one, so I seriously get close to the point of jumping around whatever room I’m in when I think about it.

On top of all that, excited doesn’t even begin to describe being immersed in German culture, art, architecture, people, history, (I could list a million things here). The only thing I’ve come close to as far as cultural immersion goes is my grandfather telling stories of Sweden and the endless string of Lena and Ole jokes, which quite frankly doesn’t compare to seeing and hearing firsthand what countless generations of people have built up and accomplished so that Germany can be the intriguing and beautiful country it is today. Forty-nine hours!

Hallo Deutschland!

Our big trip is finally almost here! It seems like the build up to this day has been monumental; purchasing of plane tickets, attending numerous pre-departure lectures, shopping for necessary winter gear, and planning what to do on our free weekend to name a few. And now we are less than a week out. For me atleast there is still much to be done, packing my bag and rechecking all my luggage to make sure I have everything that is needed. But, even with the daunting tasks that remain, the only thing I can think about is boarding my plane and finally being on my way. This will be my first time to be in Europe and I think it will be a great experience; I am looking forward to be exposed to a different society and areas that are very atypical of the common US city. I think the excursion I am most looking forward to is trip to the Otto Bock Science Center in Berlin. Touring this excellent facility will allow me to see first hand what cutting edge products are in the Biomedical Engineering profession. I think this production institution will be amazing to tour and learn about. Honestly though, I think every tour on this Study Abroad trip will be something to remember and will contribute to my overall experience on this trip. I'm participating in this trip mainly to be able to travel Europe and experience some of the excellent cities that it has to over while learning about historical aspects of medicine; I think doing this through Study Abroad will be advantageous to me because I won't have to plan every aspect of the trip. Its nice that the hotels are booked, train tickets purchased, and meals planned without any stress from me. This is a great feature of this trip. I can't wait to begin this trip and start living the excursions I've seen planned out on paper.

Only Five Days Away!

There’s packing to do, travel to plan, and things to read, and the big day is just around the corner! After months of planning, the reality of the big Germany trip and how close it is seems to have just occurred to me today. I’ve been collecting everything I’ll need for Germany over the past few weeks, I’ve tested out my winter clothes against the not-quite-cold-enough Texan winter night, and I’ve studied the exciting schedule laid out for us over the next three weeks. Yet, there’s an endless stream of things that still need to be done: must buy train tickets from Berlin to Prague, must make sure my debit card arrives in the mail tomorrow, must officially pack everything and check it all thrice, just to name a few. But even as this list grows, I think the pre-departure jitters are one of the most exciting parts of trips. So much of the trip is still undetermined: Will I learn more about medicine or German culture? How much will I miss tap water? How will our group dynamic play out? In any case, I’m sure the excitement of this phase of the journey will be soon surpassed by the events of the trip itself, and I’ve compiled a short list of things I hope to have accomplished by the time our three weeks in Germany are up: first, I hope to experience Germany from more than a tourist’s perspective, second, I hope to understand the state of medicine in the US better by learning about medicine and medical history in Europe, third, I hope to make some pretty awesome friends, fourth, I hope to make the absolute most of every opportunity we are given to further explore the culture and history of Germany, and fifth, I hope to bring at least a bit of all that I gain through this experience back home. I’m really looking forward to the melding of the historical, cultural, and medical knowledge that we’ll gain in Europe and this chance to learn more about the world around as and ourselves as well.

Can’t wait to see everyone in Frankfurt!

Germany, here we come!

As our trip to Germany approaches, there is a lot to be doing and thinking about! I have just about gotten everything packed (I hope) and I'm checking it twice. I am trying to study up on a little German, but languages are not my strong suit!
I am very excited to see medical museums and facilities and by the look of our schedule, we will see a lot of awesome places. The history of medicine is such a unique context for experiencing Europe. I have been to Europe once before, the Champe Fitzhugh seminar with A&M in Italy, and I am very excited to experience Germany and Austria. I have been reading some of the articles that Dr. Wasser posted on our Elearning site and I have to say I am intrigued by the history, culture, and strength that binds Germans together. Learning some of the the German perspectives on world events has been eye-opening.
I am already feeling that blend of anxiety and excitement that tends to happen when I am asked to try something new, or moved outside my comfort zone. I'm slightly worried about the cold and the jet lag and the culture shock. I'm more than excited for the sights and sounds and tastes and smells of Germany!

My Adventures in Germany: Six days and counting!

Wow! It seems like just yesterday I was begging and pleading to my parents to let me apply for the amazing study abroad program I discovered to Germany, and now it's a mere 6 days away. I can't believe how fast time flies when you're looking forward to such an amazing trip such as this one. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me, "Are you excited?". What do you think my response is going to be? "No I really hate the fact that I have to go to Germany over Christmas and tour all of these fabulous museums and medical facilities. It's going to be awful". OF COURSE NOT. I'm so excited, it's really hard to put into words. I've been abroad twice before, both times with my family. Traveling has always been something I've grown up with. Every year my family would take a vacation somewhere in the United States, and once I turned 16, I was given the opportunity to travel to Europe for the first time. I was lucky enough to get to travel to the beautiful cities of Paris, Vienna, and my favorite, Budapest. My second trip to Southern France and Barcelona was during the month before I went to Texas A&M. And ever since then I have been yearning to go back.

I'm especially excited to go to Germany this winter because of all the wonderful trips and adventures I'll get to take part in. I've never had an opportunity to tour the major medical facilities and museums of the United States, so being able to do this in Germany is just amazing. Seeing how a different country views medicine and how their medical system operates sounds extremely fascinating to me. Go ahead, call me a nerd. And not only is Germany rich in science and education, but it's also rich in history. History has always been a love of mine, but I've never been able to pursue it as much as I would have liked to due to my degree. In high school, my favorite class was European History, especially German history. It's amazing how so much can happen to a country in a span of twenty to thirty years. And I can't wait to witness this first hand.
I'm a little apprehensive about being in a country where I don't know the language and without my parents. Yes, I know I'm 21 years old, but I've never been to Europe without my family so this is new to me. But I think that is what will make this experience all the more significant.

Traveling to Europe in previous years has opened my eyes to new cultures and experiences, and I know I will learn even more this time. I'm greatly looking forward to getting to know my fellow Aggies on this trip as well as getting to know myself a bit more. Nothing brings a group together quite like being stranded in a foreign country where one word can have five different meanings.

By the time I return from Germany, I hope to achieve these five things
1. To be well versed in the German culture, medical system, and history
2. To be able to say "Auf Wiedersehen" without thinking of Heidi Klum from Project Runway
3. To have made wonderful new friends, both from A&M and from Germany
4. To have fun. Plain and simple.
5. To be a German bier expert and have sung a German drinking song with the locals.

I am extremely excited about this next adventure in my life! Like my wise sister said to me, "No one ever regrets the things they did; they regret the things they didn't do". This will be my mantra while in Germany.

Watch out Germany, I even bought a hipster hat to fit more into your culture.

Auf wiedersehen!

Deutschland in one week!

After eagerly awaiting this trip for the entire semester, the fact that it is just under a week away is difficult to believe. I love traveling, and most of what comes with it, so what makes me nervous isn’t the fact that I’ll be in a different country; I’ve visited the UK, Egypt and India. What I’m worried about is the fact that I know what rounds to no German and I’ve never experienced actual winters, just the ones in Texas. The jacket I bought is probably too much. All but one of my experiences abroad come from elementary school, so I don’t remember them well but my most recent trip to India last year was amazing. Nothing compares to the feeling of seeing structures that are hundreds if not thousands of years old and built by the people you read about in history books. Germany, of course, should have no shortage of these.


While reading Blood and Guts, the advances in the knowledge, treatments and even culture of medicine constantly astound me. Learning about the history and current state of medicine should be a great way to spend three weeks. After shadowing doctors this summer, I found it interesting to see how different physicians have different approaches to and opinions about the same situation. Some even talked about the differences between American and European medical practices. After visiting clinics and hospitals, I hope I’ll have a better understanding of where those differences do and do not exist. Especially when it comes to socialized medicine and if it really is as evil as some tend to think.

This will be my first time abroad without family, but that shouldn’t be a problem, Aggies are great people. Riding the trains should be interesting and how can I not mention the German food and beer? Currywurst sounds pretty good.

Abroad Again

Last summer, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain. The experiences I had there made me that much more interested in being a part of this program. Before studying abroad, I had never left the United States, and I had not even traveled very much within the states. Being abroad made me more open-minded, and I loved seeing life from another side of the world. Emersing myself in a different culture made me that much more secure in my own feelings and beliefs, but I came to realize that areas of the world have different cultures, but we all kind of shape a little culture of our own from our personal backgrounds, beliefs, and new experiences. These new and varied experiences shape us into the stongest, kindest, best version of us, and that is what I am looking forward to. I know that Germany will be different from my previous study abroad experience, and even though my Christmas and time with my family will be cut short this year, I cannot wait to leave.

I am super excited about the context in which we will be in Germany and Austria. I cannot wait to go to the museums, and hospitals, and such and learn about the countries' histories from that viewpoint. It is always nice to get outside of the textbooks and see what all that stuff in the book is really all about. Another thing that will be nice about this program is that I get to go with Aggies, and I love my fellow Aggies. It will be nice to share similar experiences with a group of people somewhat like me.

Secret Confessions: I hate being cold, and I am a little scared about the whole I don't know German thing. The cold thing, I can deal with. I packed so many layers, I just hope they are enough. Going to Spain was pretty easy because I at least understood 90% of what people were telling me, and after about a week I was able to start conversing pretty easily. German? Not going to be that easy. I am comforted by the fact that most Germans know English, but I am still determined to start picking up as many words and phrases as I can. German has always been a language that interested me so I am going to see just how good my language skills really are.

I'm not quite to the hourly countdown yet, but give me a day or two and I'll be there. See ya'll across the ocean!

Pre-Game Throughts on the Wintermester

In less than a week I will be on a plane to the other side of the world.  In less than a week I will be leaving behind Texas, America, friends, family, and going on an adventure of sorts--to a place in some ways familiar and in other ways radically different.

It seems a bit crazy for me to speculate on what lies ahead in Germany.  I'm excited for several things, I suppose.  First, my hope is that in seeing surgeries, medical museums, and the like, I will be inspired to take on biomedical engineering again.  Every semester thus far has been enormously challenging, and a reminder of what all the work is for will refresh my winter-break collapse in motivation.  I'm excited to see how I can really help people with what I'm learning.  That it isn't just countless hours of studying and skimming for exam questions in textbooks--that it's genuinely for the benefit and service of other people.  That is something for which I'm pretty excited.

Also on the list: beer.  And, I don't mean Bud Lite.  I'm talking quality beer.  The chance to take in another culture and worldview in the company of what are sure to become close friends.  I'm excited for a period of constant learning, and to be taken out of my element.

This is a chance that many people don't get, so I'm looking forward to getting to experience so many "new" things.  Which, without sounding presumptive, seems like a guarantee.  Let's go!

Only 1 Week Left

So there's about one week left till I head off to Germany. I still have so much stuff left to get and pack since I've done absolutely nothing since school has ended. I think I've been so thrilled with the idea that I'm actually going to Germany this winter that I haven't actually taken the time to start preparing for the trip. But I guess that's what this next week is going to be for.

I'm super pumped about the trip itself. I've never been to Germany before so I'm looking forward to a unique experience. The country obviously has a very rich history and it should be pretty cool to witness some of it firsthand. I'm also interested in seeing how the "European" culture compares to that of the "American" culture. It'll be fascinating to see if the people there are as amused by us Americans as we are with Europeans here. But with all the excitement do come a few concerns. Naturally, going to a country where I do not speak the language poses an obvious challenge. Also, I realize I will have to make certain adjustments, such as the time difference, which might prove to be frustrating. In addition, the weather during the winter in Germany is not known to be merciful, and being a slender guy, this does not bode well for me.

But despite these concerns, I wouldn't have signed up to go if I did not feel that the pros outweighed the cons. The trip should provide a different kind of excitement in my life that I have not experienced before. As an aspiring physician, I think it will be pretty cool to see how medicine is practiced and has evolved in Europe. I'm hoping this experience will be able to show me another side of medicine that will in someway shape my future. I'm really looking forward to meeting and getting to know a lot of new people. I'm sure I will become close with the people I travel with, but in addition, I want to interact with the locals and really get to know more about German culture. The free weekend in Prague should also be exciting. I always see these iconic images of the Prague Castle so it's going to be pretty cool to be able to visit the city it's in and maybe even visit the castle itself.

Hopefully, the whole trip will be an awesome experience and I'll have stories to tell for a long time.

Munich, Part Zwei

[July 31] Having done very little in Munich last week, I took a train back there on Friday evening. As usual, it took me nearly an hour to find the place I’d booked to leave my things, and still I headed out to meet a friend at midnight, when nothing was open. But with a bit of optimism, it can be an adventure in itself to search the city at night to find a place to sit!

I slept later than I had in weeks, then walked the English Gardens all day. That evening I took a brewery tour and met an amusing assortment of people from all over the world; if I were to do it all over again, I would definitely take more of those tours and meet more of those people. On Sunday I found another coffee shop and wrote most of the entries you’ll see below, as well as a bit of personal writing.

I cannot believe it has been four weeks. I’m sure all of the other posts around me share similar sentiments, but maybe it bears repeating. These days have gone by so fast, I don’t know what to do with myself. All I know is I haven’t nearly seen as much as I would like. It’s really impossible, even with a month to do it in. I’ll just have to come back and tour the country again, I guess, when I’m rich and have another month to spare.

Coffee Shop Corners

[July 30] Vienna, though it was not entirely deprived of the reach of the Nazis and subsequent cultural angst, seems a lot more composed than the German cities in my experience. It is classic, conservative, and beautiful, despite the amount of construction it had to undergo while we were there. We took two tours of it, saw all of the large buildings and unique architecture as well as the tucked-away alleys where the greatest medical minds once walked.

Possibly the most interesting lecture to date was the one on Sigmund Freud. I haven’t studied psychology at all, and I was looking forward to at least becoming acquainted with the classic terms used in essays and conversation alike. It definitely lived up to my expectations, and the tour of his life history in his old home and office was similarly enlightening. That evening we went to the opera; later review saw a lot of different opinions on it, but I thought it was alright. Certainly entertaining, but not my favorite to date. The atmosphere—the outdoors, the people, the novelty—was more worthwhile than the performance itself.

Maybe because we have all been taking it easy after so many weeks of fast-paced tourism, half of the week’s afternoons left us free to see Vienna as we pleased. I did a bit of wandering and souvenir shopping and I feel like I know the streets of Vienna’s downtown better than I ever knew Bonn. I especially loved the coffee shops, where a goblet of half-cream latte came with an overpriced and infinitely rich slice of cake. This city is the kind of main attraction where a person should spend more than four days, just seeing and eating!

Take It Easy

[July 25] This was my first time travelling on the weekends with other people; while it was certainly more fun than being alone, the downside is inevitably the amount of time it takes to come to a compromise about the day’s events. After a Friday spent catching up on sleep at a comfortable Holiday Inn, Saturday was a long stroll through the Munich Zoo. While generally the same as the one in Cologne, it seemed a lot more fluid and natural. Each of the exhibits (at least the terrestrial ones) sort of blended with each other and the path. You had to look for the seam between the people and the other animals. There was even a sort of outcast medley of peculiar looking animals that didn’t seem to have any relationship to each other, but that in itself made the enclosure the most endearing.

We ended the day with a night at the Hofbräuhaus, but not before walking around the city. Munich, the capital of the American sector when Germany was split in quarters, is a city of boisterous pride and liter-large mugs. It was a feat to find your way to the most famous brewery in the country; after all the twists and turns you really felt like you accomplished something. And though it is still perfect place to buy a stein or some lederhosen, its people were surprisingly down to earth. You have to be, to find patience with the throngs of tourists that consume the city, come October.

The following morning I departed for Salzburg. There I took a four-hour tour of all things Sound of Music with another group of students. Among other things, we saw the trees where the curtain-clad children greeted their appalled captain-father, the gazebo where Rolf and Liesl danced, and the church where Maria got married. It was nice to be able to watch the countryside and learn something new while in the comfort of a bus seat, since I feel like I have spent the last two weeks constantly walking. I might be biased because of the tour, but this city seemed to me to have achieved a level of quaint modesty that most large cities outgrow. We had Melange at a warm coffee house, then walked around until dusk over close buildings and cobblestones. I bought a scarf.

This weekend taught me the the good it can do to take it easy on such a long trip. While it may be important to see a lot of history and experience the culture with whatever time we have here, it shouldn’t be at the expense of your health and comfort. I had fun this weekend and honestly, I didn’t do much. Sometimes the best way to have a good time is to take your time.

History + Wildlife

[July 22] Following the making of some hasty weekend plans after Monday’s class, I was taken by an AIB coordinator to the UN headquarters in Bonn to learn about the logistics of international migratory bird laws. We spoke on the topmost floor of the building, with a breathtaking floor-to-ceiling view of the Rhine; if you have any excuse to somehow get into the UN in Bonn... do it.

The Convention for Migratory Species meets annually to discuss the funding of conservation projects in countries all over Europe and Africa. Proposals are submitted by participating countries (mainly requests that other countries take certain measures to protect a specific species from hunting, pollution, or other human threats) and voted on by the others. While this project does eventually get a lot of legislation passed, it cannot make any of its ruling mandatory, due to the fragility of many nations’ economies.

The next day was spent mostly on the Rhine. A tiring trek through Bacharach’s wine country was a small price to pay for a few long hours relaxing on a boat. We saw Lorelei Rock, responsible for many a shipwreck at a particularly sharp bend in the river, and countless castles that sent everyone running to one side of the boat with their cameras in the air. We disembarked to tour Marksburg castle and learn about the dreary lives of old lords. Some of the doors were remarkably short, but none of them were too short for me! The day ended with a (rather educational) wine-tasting at Mayschoss and a more than entertaining bus ride back to Bonn.

This week seemed to be a lot more class than usual, with the break of a cruise stuck somewhere in the middle. Between movies/documentaries about Berlin’s recent history and lectures about the country’s last century, we visited the Haus der Geschichte, a modern history museum. We went through twice; once with a tour guide, and another time so that Dr. Wasser could include the interesting parts that the guide... forgot.

The day before we departed from Bonn, we went on a long-awaited trip to the Cologne Zoo, where they have ditches to keep animals in their places instead of bars. I thought it was kind of amusing that they kept raccoons on display, but my favorite were the elephants and their babies. Their enclosure took up ten percent of the whole park, and it was both natural-looking and aesthetically original. Then I slept my last night at the Nipkow Family Residence and headed to Munich in the morning with a ton of gift-snacks at the top of my bag.

Nothing will stand in my way of getting to Paris!!!!

It only took 8 hours and 6 different trains, but we made it to Paris! I definitely learned my lesson that you need to book trains in advance instead of waiting until the night before you are suppose to leave. Out of the 15 people that were originally suppose to be going to Paris, only 8 of us made it. Once we made it on the first train we were fortunate enough not to have any delays on the next five trains. On the fourth train that we road on we met two guys from Norway. Their names were Peter and Karl. They were a blast! I think they were the only other people in Europe that were crazy enough to take such a roundabout way of getting to Paris like us. We did not arrive into the train station in Paris until nearly midnight and we all went to our hotels and got some sleep.

Some of my favorite things in Paris:

Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame

Eiffle Tower

One of my other favorite things about Paris was the food!! I think i probably ate about five crepes during my weekend in Paris. It was probably so unhealthy but I really did not care about that at the time. Someone should really think about opening a crepe place in College Station. I would spend all of my time there! I also loved the shopping!!! Although I could not afford anything from the majority of the stores that we saw, I was perfectly content with just walking through them. Paris was probably my favorite free weekend! Drew's cousin lives in Paris so it was really neat to be shown around by a local. We were able to see a lot of things that we otherwise would not have seen.

So this is a beautiful palace but we have to GO!!!

Our second week began a lot like the first. Monday we had class in the morning and then visited the Museum of Anesthesiology in the afternoon. The museum was very interesting but I think I would have enjoyed it a little more had it not been 100 degrees in the building. On Tuesday we made our first trip by train to Cologne! The first thing that I saw when I exited the train station was the huge structure of the Cologne Cathedral towering over everything else in the city. It was magnificent!! I had seen pictures of the cathedral online but that was nothing compared to seeing it in person.
The first thing on our agenda for the day was a walking city tour. I could tell immediately that Cologne was much larger and more populated than Bonn. After our city tour it was lunch time. I grabbed food at a bakery. I think that bakeries became one of my new favorite things since I arrived in Germany. Bakeries were on every corner; it was like Starbucks in the states. Next stop after lunch was the Elde Haus. The Elde Haus is the former headquarters of the secret police, the Gestapo, and now a museum documenting the Third Reich. Walking through the lowest level of the building where all of the prison cells were was kind of unsettling. There is still to this day writing on the walls from prisoners who were kept in the cells during World War II.

After the Elde Haus tour we had free time for shopping. Drew and I looked all over for a wine store to buy ice wine. We finally found one that was owned by an older couple that helped us out immensely. The wife lead us right to the section of the store where the ice wine was and gave us recommendations on which ones she thought were the best. I bought one bottle and Drew bought two bottles and then we were on our way to meet the others by the Cologne Cathedral. We were suppose to have a rooftop tour at 5:45 but our tour guide never showed so instead we just headed back to Bonn and called it a day.
Wednesday was our day to go to the University Clinics in Bonn to observe surgeries. In my OR room there was Michelle, Josh, Matt, Carrie, and I. We were lucky enough to observe a spinal disk fusion surgery. I had only ever seen surgery done on animals up to this point so I was a little worried that I may get dizzy or even sick when I saw a human surgery. Luckily neither of these things happened. I rather enjoyed the surgery and wanted to get as close as I possibly could to see what was going on. I don’t know if I could ever by a surgeon. I was tired after being in surgery for only four hours; I cannot imagine how I would feel after an eight hour or even longer surgery.
Wednesday night we had the opportunity to go to the Women’s World Cup Soccer game against France. I had never been to a professional sports game before, especially one in another country. The game was a lot of fun! We won 3 to1!! It was cold and kind of drizzly throughout the entire game but I did not let that stop me from enjoying the game. When we won everyone in our group went crazy and no one could settle down for the bus ride back to Bonn.
Friday morning we took a bus to the DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine. We were shown a scaled down model of the International Space Station and our tour guide explained everything about it. We also got to see where the astronauts train before being allowed to go into space. Friday afternoon we went to Schloss Bruhl. It was a gorgeous palace; more beautiful than anything I had ever seen. Our tour started at 2:00 p.m. and it was really hard for me to pay attention to the tour guide because all I could think about was catching our train to Paris. There were only eight of us left out of the original 15 people that were going to Paris. The train that we needed to catch from the train station in Bruhl left at 3:07 p.m. and our tour was not supposed to end until 3:00 p.m. Nil’s spoke to the tour guide before the tour and asked if there was any way possible for her to speed the tour up a little bit so that those of us going to Paris could catch our train. During the tour, those of us going to Paris kept staring at our watches and when the tour ended we all sprinted as quickly as we could down the long entrance into the palace to the bus to grab our bags we had already packed for the weekend. Then we all sprinted to our platform at the train station and made it there two minutes before our train left. Whoop… we were off to Paris!!!

Amsterdam here I come!!!

We arrived in Amsterdam around midnight Friday July 10th. When we walked out of the train station I was amazed with what I saw. There were people everywhere and the very distinct smell of marijuana. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Matt, Elyzabeth, Kaitlyn, and I were rooming together for the weekend in Amsterdam. The bad part about arriving in the middle of the night in a strange new city is that we had no idea how to get to our hotel. Let alone the fact that this was our first weekend in Europe on our own and none of us were use to taking buses and trams anywhere. The hotel had given us the bus number for the bus that we could take to the hotel but our bus never came. So we waited and waited and finally figured out that maybe the buses weren’t running this late at night so we settled on taking a tram. Now the trick was figuring out which tram to take. We wondered around until we finally found a map and we looked up where our hotel was and found the tram we needed to take. When we finally arrived at our hotel about 30 minutes later we were all exhausted and pretty proud of ourselves for figuring our way around a new city on our own.

Saturday morning we all woke up and met the other groups downtown by the train station. First thing we did was go on a canal cruise. The canals were beautiful. They explained on our tour that there are approximately 2,500 houseboats that line the canals of Amsterdam. The tour guide also said that the government has put restrictions on the number of house boats so that no more may be brought into the canals. Nowadays if you want to live on a houseboat in Amsterdam, that is if you can afford it, you either have to wait for someone to move or sell theirs. After the canal tour a few other students and I had lunch at a bakery downtown and then walked around and shopped for awhile. Saturday afternoon we all took a nap in the huge park by the Van Gogh Museum. We definitely do not have grass in Texas like they did in this park. It was so soft and green. Once we were all done napping and decided to get our butts up we took a tour of the Anne Frank House. By the time we were done with the Anne Frank House it was about 7:00 p.m. and we were all getting pretty hungry. We made our way to a little pancake house for dinner. I ordered a strawberry and whipped cream waffle. It was possibly the best waffle I have ever had!

Sunday morning everyone woke up and met downtown again. Our first stop of the day was the Van Gogh Museum. We tried doing the Van Gogh Museum on Saturday but we ran out of time. I really enjoyed walking around the museum. I spent about two hours walking around and looking at all the beautiful art work. After the museum we all walked around downtown again and shopped until it was time for us to take our train back to Bonn. Overall I have to say that Amsterdam was a very pretty city and different from anywhere I have ever been before. I really liked all of the canals and the houseboats lining the canals. Amsterdam was not my favorite city that I visited on the trip though. I really did not like walking around and having to constantly smell the lingering scent of marijuana. I also did not like all of the advertisements and stores related to sex or the smell of urine that was very apparent in parts of the city. I am glad that I was able to spend one of my free weekends in Amsterdam and experience the city but I do not foresee myself returning there in the future.

One Last Weekend

By the last week of the trip, I had completely worn down the soles of my shoes and the soreness in my feet was getting worse. However, I had one more day of walking ahead of me—a visit to the Berlin Zoo. I didn’t want to spend the whole day on my feet, but I did want to go see the panda and the icebear exhibit where Knut used to live.

In one of the penguin exhibits, the barrier was low enough to reach over and the birds were swimming by close enough to touch. I stuck my arm in the water, and shortly afterward a penguin darted over and started gnawing on my fingers hard enough to break the skin. I suspect I am not the first idiot to try that. Incidentally, the English name for those penguins was translated as “Jackass Penguins,” and a quick bit of googling revealed that while they are commonly called African penguins or Black-Footed penguins, the other name is also used due to the donkey-like bray the birds make. I had assumed it was just a particularly unfortunate translation error.

The Berlin Zoo was a bit of a let-down. I assumed that since it is internationally famous, because of Knut and also because it is featured on Zooborns frequently, that it would be the prettiest zoo I’d ever seen in my life with expansive, natural-looking habitats and nary a square cage with a concrete floor in sight. I was wrong. It is obvious that many of the habitats were built decades ago before new ideas about designing exhibits with the animal’s comfort in mind became the norm.

However, several moments during the visit were very cool. The fossa, the squeaking pile of Asian small-clawed otters, and the mother-baby pair of sea lions that were sunbathing in tandem made my day.

That evening, we went to the Berlin Beer Mile.

The next day, we went to the Berlin Beer Mile.

Monday, we had a long train ride to Frankfurt. Our hotel was near the airport, but far from anything to do or anywhere to eat, so we ate our last dinner in Germany at a doner restaurant and fretted about the air traffic controllers’ strike.

Viva Vienna

The first thing I noticed about Vienna was the graffiti. Apparently professional urban artists were allowed to go to work on all the vertical surfaces in the city, as all the bridges and walls by the river were adorned with evil clowns, steampunk gasmask-wearing figures, tits, and rabbits.

Vienna isn’t the prettiest city we visited, but I am basing that on the fact that they have rats like most places at home have squirrels. See a small critter dart across the street as you go jogging? Yup, it was a big, nasty rat. See a flattened former critter pancaked in the gutter? Notice the rat tail sticking out of it. Not surprisingly, rats have caused huge problems for Vienna in the past, as attested to by the Plague Column that stands towards the center of the city, and the catacombs full of plague victims below the Stephensdom.

The Catacombs in Vienna, much like the ones in Paris, served as a depository for bones of the dead in a city that was running short on space for cemeteries. Also like Paris, the Catacombs under the Stephensdom are nightmarishly dark in places and the air has a certain mustiness caused by breathing in the dust from old bones. Unlike Paris, the ossuary in Vienna contains mostly plague victims, the piles of their moldering bones visible through metal grates in the stones walls and floors.

If you were lucky enough to be a Hapsburg in Vienna, your earthly remains received much nicer accommodations. The royals were entombed in copper sarcophaguses which are melodramatic enough to pass as set pieces for The Phantom of the Opera. The organs of the royals were also sealed into ornate jars so the soft tissues couldn’t rot their precious desiccating corpses.

If you weren’t a royal, your organs might also get preserved for posterity for completely different reasons. The Museum of Anatomy and Pathology at the Narrenturm made me very uncomfortable. While the wax castes and the organs in jars were created for the education of medical students and therefore the improvement of medical care, they felt side-showish. The freakish specimens were completely disconnected from the fact that they were from made from real people who were living with terrible diseases and probably suffering great mental and physical pain because of it. If the people inhabiting those bodies could afford to see a doctor for whatever passed as medicine in those days, they were curiosities first and people a distant second.

I realize that medical ethics as we know them are a very recent invention, but it still felt wrong not to mention that angle of the history of medicine instead of treating the specimens like a sideshow.

Luckily, most of the excursions weren’t squicky. There were several truly cool things in the Natural History Museum, but my favorite was the oarfish. When I was little, I wanted to be super-rich so I could afford to have a ginormous aquarium in my basement and be the only person in the world who owned an oarfish. I’m sure they make terrible pets, as is typical among things which are over forty feet long, but they look so glamorous with their silvery eel-like bodies and pink crests.

The collection of preserved critters was so extensive, I recognized only a fraction of the species represented, and that isn’t even counting invertebrates or fishes, about which I know practically nothing. Ganges gavials for instance—how come I’ve never heard of them? They’re huge and they look like the unloved bastard child of a swordfish and a crocodile, with a little squarggly thing on the end of their snout for good measure. Something so prehistoric and nightmarish shouldn’t exist, and if it does exist, I should at least know about it. On the other hand, I discovered kakapos. Kakapos are wonderful. I feel like the world is a better place now that I know it has hefty sad-eyed tunnel parrots in it.

I also visited the Spanish Riding School. While I didn’t get a chance to the stallions perform, I did see the in their stalls, and I got to jostle a pack of six year-olds out of the way to play with some Lipizzaner foals. Baby Lipizzaners are born liver chestnut, not greying out until four or five, so they were the scruffiest little foals I’ve ever seen.

Weekend 5

Saturday we went to a fair in downtown Berlin, we ate Berliners (jelly filled doughnuts) and bought leather bracelets. We went shopping for a little bit and then all sat out at a park nearby and laid in the grass and journaled or slept =]. The park was by our hotel and had a big, beautiful fountain in it that reminded of the bath houses in Greece. It definitely the place to be on such a sunny day and it was fun to just people watch for a while. We ate some lunch and then went back to fair and got Crepes! We watched a street performance where a guy and girl acrobat did all of these crazy stunts on a really tall pole. There was an international beer festival going on that weekend in Berlin and we checked it out for a while. On Sunday we went back because they were planning on attempting to break the record for the world’s longest beer garden! They had beer from all over the world there and we all decided we liked the flavored African beer the best, the coconut in particular for me! We were sitting at one of the tables when they walked by with the official measuring stick to record how long it was so technically we were a part of the longest beer garden in the world! It was so much fun; I don’t think we have anything like it in the US. Two other girls and I eventually had to go back to the hotel and grab our suitcases to start the journey home. Luckily they were with me because it was a long one. We took an 8pm train from Berlin to the Frankfurt Airport that got in around 1am. And then we had 10 hours to kill in the airport before our 11am flight! Luckily the terminal was open and we took turns sleeping and watching the luggage. I felt like such a backpacker. We got some last minute souvenirs and finally boarded the plane for our 10 hour flight! I was really sad to leave Germany; I definitely could have stayed longer. But it was an amazing experience and I’m so happy I did it. And now I know a bunch of people in my major a lot better than last year!

Week 5

Monday we got up and took a train to Berlin for the last week of study abroad! When we got there we all went on a bike tour which was a blast, I wish every walking tour we’ve done had been a bike tour instead! Except right around ten minutes after we started it decided to rain the hardest it had our whole trip. It was pouring! The tour guide kept trying to stop under overhangs to keep us dry but there was no use, we were all soaked to the bone. But the rain was honestly a lot of fun to ride in, and it was hilarious when we stopped to go into a museum; there’s no rule saying you can’t go in if you’re wet but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve changed it since we visited. I was surprised to see how many really pretty buildings there are Berlin, this city is pretty awesome. My favorite place we saw was the Jewish Memorial for the Holocaust. It was a bunch of cement stones that were rectangles rising from the ground at different heights and getting taller the closer to the middle we got. But they were all in a grid, so no matter where I was I could see the outside like I was looking down a tunnel. Walking through, people would seem to dart every which way when they were walking by and it got really eerily quiet. It was really cool and a nice place to think. And of course it was awesome to see the Brandenburg Gate, I had seen it in so many movies and documentaries that to see it right there in front of me was a little unreal. Tuesday we went to Sachsenhausen to see the concentration camp there. We got off the train and walking the same path that the prisoners would have walked which was eery, especially when we got closer to camp and saw how close people had lived to it. Our tour guide was fantastic, probably the best we’ve had and he pointed out that the houses closest to the camp used to be owned by members of the SS and now they are lived in by regular people, I wonder if they know the history of their houses and what they were used for, or maybe they do and just bought it because it was cheap. When we got to the camp it was a little confusing because no one is really sure which parts of it are original and which have been reconstructed. One cabin that had been rebuilt caught fire a while ago due to an arson-attempt by some neo-Nazis. The site left it there, glassed in as a sign that the same prejudice that caused the Holocaust to happen still exists. Afterward we went to get currywurst which I had never tried before but was really good and then we were off to tour the German Parliament building. It was much more interesting than I had expected, There were some soviet style artworks that had been recently added covering a wall. I really like the style, it was kind of cartoony but the point across that in communism it is not about the individual but their role in society. And then there was a part of the building that included bricks from the old building with some graffiti on it that looked really cool. There was a memorial to the new socialistic parliament that was made of a bunch of boxes that look like what you would store photos in stacked up to the ceiling in two rows you could walk between and on each box was the name of a member of the parliament and the years they served. I thought it was odd how Angela Merckel’s box looked roughed up and bent in, because she’s the current chancellor, but then again that’s probably why it was given special attention. We went to the roof of the Parliament building where they have a huge transparent globe that you can walk inside and see a great view of the whole city of Berlin. Wednesday we visited the Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine. We toured their Ultrahigh-Field Magnetic Resonance Facility where they were doing research to develop better MRI’s and other imaging tools and got to go in and play by one of the MRI’s, I could feel the bobby-pins in my hair start to move when I got too close! Then we went on a tour of the ECRC Lab where Adrian Schreiber was doing research on ‘Neutrophil Biology in Health and Disease.’ They were studying a specific disease that affects neutrophils and we were shown one part of their research in particular where they introduced some kind of inducer to neutrophils and observed how they exploded and started to form nets to see if it had any useful application for a treatment. We listened to another researcher talk about her attempts to find a treatment for muscular dystrophy and her English was hard to follow but what I got was that she was looking at a protein that was thought to be involved in repairing muscles and testing its effectiveness. Afterward we ate lunch and then visited the Otto-Bock Science Center! Otto-Bock is one of the leading prosthetic companies in the world. We got to see some of the first developed prosthetics and how they were developed into what they are today. It was incredible to see all of these top-notch prosthetics, I hope that if for some reason I find myself without a limb one day I’m lucky to have access to one of those prosthetics! Afterward we had free time and a few of us went to the East Berlin Art Gallery, definitely one of my favorite things of the whole trip, it’s a section of the Berlin Wall that was painted after the wall fell by artists who had been repressed in East Berlin. In 2009 Berlin got the original artists to come back and re-do their murals. It was incredible, just walking down the wall and seeing mural after mural filled with so much mush passion for freedom both physically and the freedom to express themselves again. Some were filled with anger and frustration and in others there was peace of mind and just happiness to be free. We all tried falafel for dinner which is basically chick peas mashed up and fried into a patty and it was pretty good! Thursday we took a train to Dresden and went on a walking tour. We started the the Frauen Kirche, the Church of the Lady and I’m not sure what architectural style it was but it was absolutely gorgeous, definitely a favorite. The original church actually had a bomb fall right through it’s dome during WWII and destroy most of it. They left it as a memorial for a while and then some people got together and decided to rebuild it. They got like 100 million Euros in donations and if cost over 200 million to build! They tried to save as much of the original stones as possible and put them back in their original place when they rebuilt it. It made for a really cool effect to have a new, fresh church with sections or just random scorched stones from the old church, very old merging with new artsy feel. Going along the tour we saw a lot of really impressive buildings, but oddly the most of them had been recently rebuilt. I had never seen the point of trying so hard to preserve historical buildings in the original state, but knowing they were all mostly new in Dresden made it feel like we were walking around a Dresden Disney Park or something. It was still really pretty and if they hadn’t rebuilt then the city would be practically non-functional. We ate lunch and then Went to the Hygiene Museum which I had been dreading just because it sounded so incredibly boring, but it was awesome!! Apparently Hygiene in old German means science so it was actually a science museum. There was a temporary exhibit on the brain that was unique because it had a lot of artwork associated with the brain but also a lot of factual historical information. It showed how people’s view of how the brain and soul/sub-conscious are connected has changed over the years and as netter imaging techniques have come about. Then we toured the museum and there were so many cool interactive things, my favorite being this machine that let people compete to see who was more ‘chill.’ It basically measured brain activity and a silver ball would roll in the direction of the person whose brain activity was higher, and if the ball reached you then you lost. I lost, big time haha. And then there was an apparatus that consisted of two wires, one that slightly warm and the other slightly cold, that had been twisted together. The thing was actually room temperature but when I touched it, it either felt like my hand was freezing to the point of frost bite or so hot that it was about to melt of, pretty crazy. We were all having so much fun that the museum staff had to kick us out at closing time, oh engineers =]. Friday was the last day of study abroad class! We went the Charite Museum; the Charite is the Medical School of Merlin. The physiology room in the museum was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. There were rows and rows of specimens organized by organ system and then within the subunit they went from healthy to diseased organs and the last case in every row focused on one major medical condition associated with the organ system. I saw hearts that still had LVADs connected and ones that had artificial valves implanted and others that had had a coronary artery bypass, SO COOL. There were some joints that still had joint replacements in them, and then one row was devoted to babies that had died due to different birth defects. It was strange because they had been preserved in fluid and still had skin and everything but still really interesting. We had our last lecture by Dr. Wasser in the museum and then we went to the actual Charite. We got a tour of the Medical School and a short presentation on how the teaching structure is. Because it’s free there, the structure that best suits the teacher is chosen instead of the one that best suits the student as it generally works in America. Walking around we passed a group of first years just getting out of their end of year exams, they looked like babies! I forgot they start Medical School right out of High School so they were all actually two years younger than me! We got to go to one of their skills lab a practice suturing, I absolutely love it. We went to a Moroccan restaurant for a farewell dinner and the food was delicious and full of spices I’ve never tasted before. Afterward we said our goodbye’s to Dr. Wasser and Nils and some of the students that were leaving in the morning, it was really kind of sad! But we’d all see each other again back at school.

Weekend 4

Friday we got up and went to the natural history museum. The tour guide was great, I was barely every bored. There was a huge animal exhibit that we toured through, seriously every animal imaginable was in there. I mean they were dead and stuffed but it was cool nonetheless. There was one room that just full of all sorts of beetles, I never knew they were no neat! There are millions of them and they’re mostly deep gem colors with loads of different patterns and iridescence, it’s weird to say but dang beetles are pretty. After that our free weekend started and we caught a train to Prague in the Czech Republic!! We made it to our hostel, the Old Prague Hostel and had a room to ourselves! An unexpected luxury! We ended up just chilling in the room for the rest of the evening. The money situation is interesting, 16 Crones are about 1 US Dollar and 23 Crones are about 1 Euro, I’m just going to translate them into Euros when I shop to feel better about my spending =] Saturday we woke up with absolutely no plan as to what we were going to do- it was awesome. After so much tight scheduling during the week it was nice to have time to just move slowly and do whatever. Our hostel turned out to be really close to town so we just walked! It was raining, it would stay raining all day. First we walked to the famous clock tower in time to see it chime on the hour, and then we walked to the bridge which I have always remembered from when I was younger as one of the prettiest sights I’d ever seen. It was still pretty, but the rain made it look abandoned because everyone seemed to be hurriedly scurrying over it where before it had always looked so lively with crowds and sales people and artists enjoying its beauty. Once we got over the bridge we were cold and wet and found refuge in a Starbucks and camped out in there for a while hoping the rain would let up. It didn’t. We finally got up enough nerve to venture outside again and made it about five minutes before ducking into the nearest restaurant for lunch. Afterward we spent a lot of time meandering along the streets and souvenir shopping, I bought a scarf! That night we went out and saw a live dubstep DJ who was insanely good. Sunday we slept in and then went on a free walking tour of Prague, well a free tour where tips are greatly accepted =]. But the guide ended up being hilarious and really interesting. We learned the famous solar clock tower isn’t really good for much because the science behind it is flawed. We went in an old church where some guy had tried to steal a crown or something a long time ago and was caught and his hand was cut off as a punishment and it still hanging in the church. We also passed the Jewish cemetery but didn’t get to go inside. We ate dinner at a local bakery- I’m going to miss those so much!

Week 4

Monday we took the train from Munich to Vienna and met back up with our school group to check into the hotel. It was so nice to be staying so close to everyone else! No having to take 30 minute buses to meet up! And then we took a short walking tour of Vienna and it was gorgeous, I can’t believe I wasn’t more excited to come to this city. I mean I didn’t know anything about it but it turns out it’s so pretty! Walking around downtown was like walking through a marble dream. The only down side was the smell- I’m guessing they don’t have the best sewage system but it was easy enough to ignore. That night we had our welcome dinner and the food was absolutely amazing. We all learned quickly to eat up at the welcome and farewell dinners =]. Tuesday we got up and took a historical walking medical tour of Vienna. It was interesting but just a lot of information, and then we went into a crypt and saw all of the caskets of the old imperial family, one of which was Maria Theresa the only empress ever in Austria. Some of us ate lunch at a really cute café that served coffee and pastries. Oh and by the way Austria is known for their coffee! How I didn’t know that I have no idea, I haven’t gone a day in Europe without drinking it so far so I’m so excited! And at the café I had my first espresso and I am in love, I never realized that coffee was just watered down espresso before. After lunch we went to the Sigmund Freud museum which was located in his old house. We learned that before the Holocaust, when Jewish people were being persecuted the Nazis allowed Jews to leave if they could pay a very high tax. Freud was very well off already but the only reason him and his family were able to leave was because people donated enough money to his cause. Afterward we had a lecture by Dr. Wasser about Freud’s life. And then that night we went to a local operetta! It’s like a mini opera, and opera with dialogue. It was really good, their voices were gorgeous and it was in German but I could understand it for the most part. It was fun to dress up and go out for a night! And then Wednesday we went to the Vienna museum in the morning and saw a bunch of models of how Vienna grew over the years into the city it is today. And then we visited Stephen’s Church, a huge church that seemed to be right in the middle of downtown. It was massive and so pretty, with the gothic architecture of the Koeln cathedral but with a roof that was tiled with yellow, blue and white it was just so unique! After we had free time and some of the other girls and I ate lunch and then headed to the Museum Quarter district to see a Salvador Dahli art exhibit. The quarter was in the back of this artsy square filled with all of these huge, plastic, bright lounge chairs with people chatting, eating and sleeping on them. I wish I could have just spent the whole day there it was so incredibly chill and everyone was there just to enjoy art and have a good time. The Salvador Dahli exhibit was definitely something else. My theory is that he was both an amazing artist and a genius. His earlier paintings were gorgeous and so different than anything else of that time period, but the more recognition he got for his surrealism the more liberties he took with it. I’m convinced that some of his sculptures were random things he just put together and called surrealism to see if someone would buy it, and they did! But that’s just me. Then we met up with the rest of the group to go to a cute little wine garden. Thursday we visited the Viennese Medical School and learned about the differences between medical schools in Vienna and in America. For example research shows that people are worse at selecting good physicians than standardized testing, so in Vienna applicants are admitted solely on how they score on standardized tests. And in Vienna non-clinical and clinical learning is integrated so that students learn skills along with theory studies and then must master them. Afterward we went to a physiology museum located in a building that used to be an insane asylum. It was filled with a bunch of wax models that had been molded off of people who had suffered from all sorts of disgusting diseases and then painted to look just like it. The tour guide was really knowledgeable and interesting and always had something cool to say about anything we asked. The best part was a case that had skeletons of conjoined and Siamese twins who had dies very young. It was insane the way some of them were connected, there was on pair that was attached to where their bodies were facing each other and perpendicularly one face was facing forward and the other one backward, but they were both on one head, super strange. We ate at a Pakistan restraint afterward that was pretty good, it was buffet style so we took however much we wanted and then when we left we were supposed to give how much we thought it was worth. It was a really cool concept I had never heard of a restaurant doing before but they looked like they were doing well so I guess the concept can be successful! Then we went to the old hospital which is a museum now and we toured the old library that was filled with loads of old books, mostly in Latin but some were in German and a lot about medicine! It was fun, I love the smell of old books and the pages had a cool texture because they had had to be printed off of engravings. Then we went to a museum of pharmacology and saw all sorts of things, my favorite being the old hand turned centrifuges and shakers and the old surgeons kit. Then we had our farewell dinner at a restaurant called the 7 Stern Brau because they brew seven kinds of beer! It was an awesome last night in Vienna with great food and even better people =]