"A Change In Me": Back to Texas...

In a stupid sort of way, choosing the song that I wanted to pair with this post was interesting in itself: "though what I used to be, I still depend on".

That sums up my feelings towards the Germany trip well. I had a ton of eye-opening experiences in Germany, some due to being abroad, and some due to the independence that I had during our free weekends. I found that not only did I have to adjust to the new countries, but that I had to grow socially and as a leader. I'm still who I was before I went on the trip, but with a little more experience in, well, life.

I always envisioned a leader as someone who had their stuff on lock, who had things planned and could run an event or an organization smoothly, but it turned out to be much more than that. The people that I looked up to adapted to changes and integrated them into a plan, whether it was getting lost and not letting the group on about it, having sick students, dealing with a giant group with divided interests, or working with a hostel on a lost reservation. Of all the leadership positions that I've held, you'd think I'd have learned that. I guess I have to be beat over the head with repeat experiences before I learn anything.

Returning to Texas was a strange experience. We got off the plane in a semi-unified fashion and made it to the baggage claim together. I'd say that was where the trip ended: when we parted ways. The people on the trip with me, above all else, made this trip unique. No matter what we do, we can’t recreate the conditions and relive the experience – it’s gone. Even if we could all afford the time and money to go again in the exact same group, it would be a different experience. It should not be something that is missed, but something that will be treasured by all of us who share memories of the trip.

Readjusting to life in the States was not hard, but the differences stand out more now. The lack of a transit system, the water fountains, the giant supermarkets and superstores – even the differences in the educational systems. In a major full of pre-med students, it’s hard to believe that somewhere else in the world, med school doesn’t cost a dime.

I read my pre-departure blog to try and determine if the trip “met my expectations”. I guess in not really knowing what to expect, it did. It certainly didn’t disappoint. I survived the hostel, I got to know great people in my major that I may never have met otherwise, and I got that valuable reminder that complacency is rarely a state to be envied.

Thank you...

Kate & Katie, for putting up with me

Luis, for making sure I don’t die

Daniel & Evan, for your appreciation of fine beverages

Kelli, for team babysitting a foreign five year old with me

Chris, for showing me that cool trick with a coin and reciting the alphabet backwards

Nathan & David, for your comic relief

Sarah & Vazanny, for your refreshing optimism and patience

Gus & Andy, for listening without judgment

Michael, for impressing us all with the closest almost-fall I’ve ever seen in my life

Paul, for your zealous pursuit of all things German

Dr. Wasser, for continuing to inspire me

Nils, for being the best program coordinator we could have asked for

“There's been a change in me

A kind of moving on

Though what I used to be

I still depend on”

- “A Change in Me”, Beauty and the Beast

Wait we get credit for this?-Vienna

Wednesday-Once we arrived in Vienna we met up with Rainer, and made our way to the hotel we would be staying at for the remainder of the trip. We had a short hour break at the hotel. That short hour was an amazing rest time for me as I took a small nap, showered, ate breakfast and drank coffee, getting myself ready for the day. After the short break it was off to our medical history tour of Vienna. We made our way to the city square and surrounding areas, and had an onsite lecture of all medical things Viennese. We even visited Mozart’s old home, now turned into a ritzy department store. After the city tour, we headed off to lunch were I got to experience a real Viennese Wienerschnitzel. Food in Austria did not disappoint, as it would wonderful. Unfortunately for me, I was still feeling the effects of the night before and could not enjoy lunch as much as I would have wanted to. After lunch, we made our back to the city square and went to tour St. Stephens’s cathedral. Just another cathedral tour right? Except for the fact that we got to visit the catacombs under the cathedral. The catacombs were just like you’d expect catacombs to be. Dark, claustrophobic, cold, and piles of bones lining the walls of the inner cells of the catacombs. After our cathedral tour, it was time to visit Café Demel. Café Demel was an awesome café as they had tons of desserts and drinks to choose from. I ended up getting a hot chocolate and a very unique tasting chocolate cake. After the visit to the café, it was free time, so we headed back to the hotel to rest up a little bit, before heading out to get dinner at a place near by our hotel.

Thursday: Today was going to be a busy day. We started off our program events by taking a visit to the Vienna Medical School, where we got a lecture about the Austrian medical school system and how it differed from our own. The system here was very similar to the system in Germany, consisting of 6 years post high school training. The curriculum here seemed to hover around early clinical exposure and problem based learning. After having talks about both systems, I’m still not sure what to think about them compared to our own back in the States. After the talk, we spent a little more time in the school/hospital and went up to the roof and looked out on to the city. Weather today had continued to be good to us as it was much warmer than it had been past weeks. We made our way to the Josephinum, where we had a small crash course in Viennese medical history. At the Josephinum we also had the opportunity to look at the anatomical wax models that had been there for decades. For being things made centuries prior, it was remarkable how well made they were and how “accurate” they were to a degree. Lunch afterwards was an interesting experience. We made our way to a popular restaurant that was a “pay as you like”, a very progressive idea. The food was Pakistani and was delicious. After lunch we made our way to the Narrenturm, which was basically an old insane asylum converted into a museum dedicated to pathology .The displays here ranged from wax models of the pathology to preserved remains of the person afflicted with the sickness. It was very similar to the Charite museum; however the sheer amount of items here dedicated to illnesses made it more impressive. After the visit to the Narrenturm, it was time for a short break back at the hotel before we headed off to the opera house to see the Count of Luxemburg. The majority of us grabbed a quick bite to eat at the McDonalds near the hotel. We dressed up appropriately and took a quick subway train to the opera house. Once we arrived and checked in our coats, Dr. Wasser and Rainer gave us a quick overview of the plot and setting of the play. The play started with a grand musical number, in a very Broadway like way. The operetta was in German, so an immediate understanding of the operetta was missing. However, from context clues throughout the play and prior knowledge of the plot, most of the play was understandable. I will admit I feel ashamed I could only point our 10 words I knew during the play. The operetta overall ended up being a great experience. It seemed more like a musical than a “happy” opera. After a long day, a little music, relaxation, and comedy is just what I needed. After the play ended, we headed out to a restaurant near our hotel were we had a post play dessert. A genuine apple strudel and chocolate cake really is a great way to end a day.

Friday-Today would be one of the more relaxing days on the trip. The day started off with a visit to the Spanish Riding School, which was a riding school for Lipizzaner horses. Rainer and Dr. Wasser gave us our ticket and we sat to enjoy the horse riding show. Unfortunately the constant drone of ¾ waltz time, and the same classical pieces being played over and over again, gave way for some listening exhaustion. When it was time to leave, we headed to a little café nearby and had a quick lunch. After lunch we headed back near towards the area where we had lunch we had the day prior to visit the Sigmund Freud museum. This had to have been one of the more enjoyable visits on the trip because Dr. Wasser gave a very interesting on site lecture on Freud and Freud’s ideals, and then we took an on-site tour of the museum which was remade to have parts that looked like Freud’s House and office. After the Freud museum, we headed off to the Wien museum, which was very similar to the German history museum we visited in Berlin, and had much of the same information, except from an Austrian and Hapsburg perspective. The tour was not nearly as long as the tour in Berlin and was less concise. After the museum was free time, so we went back to the hotel and rested up, before heading out to eat at the Italian restaurant next to our hotel. The service was a little slow; however none of us were in a big rush, so we did not mind too much. It was nice to just have a nice relaxing dinner. Tomorrow would be the last full day we would be in Europe, and it was time to prepare for that day.

Saturday-If I thought the day before was a relaxing day, this day was twice as relaxing. We started off the day by taking a trip to the Natural History Museum. This had to have been the best museum in our visit abroad. Seeing all the dinosaur bones, animals and animal Body Works exhibits made me feel like a kid again. The majority of the others also acted like kids and fully enjoyed themselves. One thing that was surprising about this visit was that Dr. Wasser acted as our tour guide. Boy did he know a lot about almost everything in the museum. He did a better and more concise job than a tour guide would have. After the museum it was our last free time in Europe, so the majority of us spent it going back to the city square to do some last minute souvenir shopping. For lunch we ended up going to a little “English” café. It was a tiny bit expensive, but for our last lunch abroad, it was nice. I ended up spending the majority of my remaining Euros on souvenirs for my family. After that was all done, we headed back to the hotel to pack up for the trip back, and rest up before dinner. Dinner today would be at the 7 Stern Brau, a brauhaus with great food and drinks. I ordered the full rack of spare ribs along with fried potatoes and French fries. Wow, just wow, what a meal. No matter how much I ate out of it, there was still a great amount of food left. Definitely one of my favorite food places we went to in Europe. Time flew by here, because before we knew it, it was time to leave. Our time in Europe was drawing to a close and I couldn’t think of a better way to end it.

The following day was our dreaded departure day. We said our good-byes to Rainer and Dr. Wasser, and anxiously awaited our plane to Frankfurt and home. I enjoyed my time in Europe very much, and hope to return with other friends and family. Three weeks was way too short s time, and if time and conditions permitted, I would have stayed longer. I’m grateful to have been able to take the trip.

Our (short) time in Hannover

Monday-Today was the day to visit the Hannover Medical School. A bit to our dismay though, when we arrived, our planned tour of the nephrology department was put on hold due to circumstances beyond our control. We headed to a conference room inside the hospital and waited until the doctor who we were supposed to meet came. When the doctor arrived, he gave us an in-depth look at the German healthcare system , and showed us how it compared to our in healthcare system in the States. The differences between the two were astounding, in both a positive and negative aspect. All of us in the group took away the message that neither system was perfect . Both systems needed a bit of new thinking. We then ate a quick lunch at the school’s cafeteria and made our way to the Hannover Vet School. The visit was interesting because I had never really visited a vet school, even though I had class inside one for a year. It was an interesting experience, and much different than a medical school. After this visit, we made our way to the city hall and learned some of Hannover’s history, much like we did in Cologne. After this, we had free time and made our way to a hotel restaurant to have some hot chocolate and dessert. When we got back to the hotel, we all made plans to eat dinner at a German restaurant nearby the hotel. Dinner that night was very filling and fitting as our last dinner in Germany.

Tuesday-Today was the day we were visiting the Heart and Diabetes Center of North Westphalia .We took a short train to Bad Oeynhausen. I got selected to be in the group which would see surgeries later in the afternoon, so the morning’s tour was a tour of the research part of the center along with the tele-medicine section of the center. The presentation given to us at the research center was a great way of showing how molecular medicine and physiology worked to help people. Our tour of the telemedicine department was great as well. I had no idea that such practices were being done here and back home in the States. Lunch came and went and it was now time for us to go observe surgery. It had been hinted in the morning that some of the surgeries in the afternoon would be heart transplants. When the director came by and picked up our group and asked who wanted to see the total artificial heart replacement, Daniel and I jumped at the opportunity to see it. During the portion of the surgery we watched, we had the opportunity to see the heart removal, canulation of the vessels and the sewing of the sewing ring. Unfortunately our time was cut short, but this surgery will be one I remember for a long time. Our day in Bad Oeynhausen was drawing to a close, and we headed back to Hannover to grab our last diner with our program coordinator Nils. It was a great dinner, and a nice farewell to our “papa duck”. After dinner we headed back to the train station and waited for our night train to arrive to take us to Vienna. We had arrangements to stay 6 people to a room, and sleep on our way to Vienna. Unfortunately for me, I was plagued with sinus problems and general discomfort, thus did not sleep the whole train ride, making another, long sleepless night/day on a train. 7 hours later, we arrived in Vienna and I was glad to be outside of the 6 x 5 x 8 coffin I had just been in.

Munich=A Place with Great Food

Friday-After quickly packing our things the night before, it was now time to say goodbye to Berlin. The last stop today before the weekend free time was a visit to Gottingen/Duderstadt. It was well worth the trip, since we were going to go visit the Otto Bock Fabrication factory. When we arrived to the Otto Boch factory, our first order of business was to take a tour of the different facilities in the factory. This included the feet and hand production sites, as well as the material science testing department. The next part of the tour dealt with the distribution and organization of finished products to market. This part of the tour had to have been the best part, since the automated system running the storage and organization was one of the most high tech things I have ever seen. After the factory tour, we had a short presentation on some of the products and how they came into effect to mimic natural human behavior. The myoelectric limbs and the “acti-gait” products for mobility were some of the more ingenious ideas. It was now time to make our way to our free weekend, so the group made its way back to the Gottingen station and patiently awaited the train to their weekend destination. For my group of six, Munich was our destination, so we grabbed a quick dinner and made our way to the platform early. When our train arrived, it was already quite full, but since we had reserved seats, we made our way to our seats and prepared ourselves for the three hour train ride. Up until this point, most of our train rides had been 3-5 hours, so this 2.5 hour train ride felt like nothing. We arrived in Munich with no problems, and what awaited us was a bustling night city just like Berlin. Luckily for our group, our rooming accommodations were very close to the train station. After helping the other five to their hostel, I made my way to my hotel. I had originally made plans to go to Copenhagen this weekend; however an urge to visit southern Germany hit me, so I made last minute hotel reservations. This day was a tiring day, so I fell right to sleep ready for another adventure.

Saturday-After one of the best nights of sleep I had on the trip, I awoke ready for our day trip to Fussen to visit Neuschwanstein castle. I quickly made my way over to the hostel, and grabbed a quick bite to eat there. We had to move quickly since we had to catch a two hour train to Fussen. For some reason I fell asleep on part of this train ride, even though I felt well rested from the night before. Once we arrived in Fussen, we bought a round trip bus pass and made our way to the Neuschwanstein bus stop. From the bus stop to the castle, the walk was a mile uphill. Any other day of this trip, this would seem a bit much, however, we were blessed with good weather, and the perfect backdrop of the sun shining on the white snow covered mountains. As we walked up the trail, we marveled at the great scenery around us. On one side, Schloss Hohenschwangau blessed us with its view, and on the other side, the forest mountain scenery of the trail to Neuschwanstein. Once we got to the top of the trail, we bought our tour tickets for Neuschwanstein, and admired some of the scenery near the castle before going on our tour. When it came time for our tour, it seemed like it ended as soon as it started. This tour was by far one of the shortest tours, and with the amount of money paid for a ticket, we felt almost somehow ripped off after going through all the other long tours we had been through earlier on the trip. However, we did get to see the inside of the castle due to this. The castle seemed way more modern than I expected to be, which took away from some of the amazingness. However, once we walked away from the castle and stared at it with the backdrop of the forest mountain scenery and the sun still made it an awesome sight to behold.

Hungry and 8 Euro poorer, we headed down back to the bus stop. On our way down, we found a pleasant surprise. 5 minutes down from the castle we came across a family run powdered fried donut stand. They were offering 3 donuts for two Euro. Hungry and tempted by the smell, we gave in and bought some. Wow. Just Wow. These things had to have been the most enjoyable thing I had eaten on the trip, and in a long time. Sure they were probably bad for our health, but the flavor contained in these little morsels was just unbelievable. Just as soon as they came, they were gone, and we continued our walk back down to the bus stop. Unfortunately for us, our little donut side trip made us miss the bus, so we had to wait an hour to catch the next bus to take us back to the train station. The bus finally arrived and we bid adieu to the awesome scenery that had graced us that afternoon. We arrived back to the station with just enough time to take our train back to Munich. We had made plans the night prior to go eat at the Augustiner Keller and try to visit the Hofbrauhaus. We arrived back to Munich, and took a quick pit stop back to the hostel before we headed out to the main town square for our night adventure.

New city, new train system. Fortunately for us, Munich’s train system had to have been one of the most efficient systems we encountered in Germany, so we made our way to the town square with ease. Since we had heard the outdoor market was nearby we decided to try to check it out. Unfortunately, timing was not our friend this day, as the market was closed. Hofbrauhaus was nearby so no time was lost. Once we arrived at Hofbrauhaus, we were greeted with the spectacle that was Hofbrauhaus. Oompa Music, long tables filled with people eating beer, and a room that seemed to stretch back as far as the eye could see. Seeing the crowd, we decided we would have better luck and try coming back the following afternoon. The town square in Munich at night was very lively, which surprised me. I guess I had not realized how big of a city Munich was, and I’m sure if we had spent more time here as we did in Berlin, I would have noticed it sooner. We headed back to the main train station, and made our way to the Augustiner Keller. Dr. Wasser had recommended that we try the Augustiner Keller, as it would have some of the best food in Munich. He did not disappoint. The food here was wonderful, and ranks as some of the best food I had in Germany. My meal of the veal schnitzel and fried potatoes still makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It was a great high note to end the day on.

Sunday: Our plans this day included a trip to the Hofbrauhaus and a little of city exploration. We checked out of our hotel and hostel, and made our way over to the Hofbrauhaus. It was much less crowded than the day before, however, it was still filled with people. The atmosphere was no different, as the oompa band was still playing and the drinks were plenty. This had to have been one of the more fun experiences in Germany, as the Hofbrauhaus was a great place to hang out and enjoy the company of friends. After enjoying ourselves at Hofbrauhaus, we made our way to explore the city , and made our way to the surrounding areas around the city square. The kind weather still graced us this day, so we enjoyed all we could of the weather. The day seemed to go by quickly, because before we knew it, it was time to head to the train station and catch a train to Hannover to meet up with Dr. Wasser. The train ride to Hannover was very much like the train ride to Munich. Quick, quiet, and filled with memories of the day. When we arrived in Hannover, we had to call Dr. Wasser for directions to the hotel. Unfortunately for us, our phones were out of minutes, and the only working phone had terrible quality. But somehow amidst all that, we followed the directions and made our way to our hotel in Hannover. While this weekend may not have seemed as exciting as the New Year’s Weekend, it was one to remember for years to come. Munich was by far one of the most enjoyable and fun weekend we had while abroad.

Our time in Berlin

Time in Berlin was mostly spent on tours through the city, museums or centers. Most of our learning of the history of medicine Germany came from this week. However, each day had one event that stuck out among the others as one to remember for the rest of the trip and beyond

The first day in Berlin, back from our weekend excursion from Prague, was mostly spent on a city tour of Berlin. However, a short visit to the Charite skill training center and Otto Boch Science Center, were the most memorable events of this day. At the Charite we learned a little more insight into how the German medical school system is compared to the US system. The newer alternative curriculum was something interesting, as it was based on problem solving based learning and earlier clinical exposure. The most memorable part of the Charite visit was the interactive tour of the doctor’s skills training facilities. Here we got to learn how to intubate a person, received some otoscope training, and pulmonary resuscitation training. After our time in the Charite, we took our city tour of Berlin, and ventured through much of the central area of Berlin. During the tour we stopped at a Holocaust memorial site, which consisted of thousands of black stone rectangular monuments aligned in a grid. Seeing the memorial was an experience within itself, however walking through the site was a chilling experience because of the atmosphere it created. After the end of our tour, we were left with our last mandatory stop of the day at the Otto Boch Science Center. The center had to have been one of the most fun places we had visited to date, since it was a bioengineer’s playground with all sorts of different implants, prosthetics and interactive demonstrations. I’m ashamed to say that as a bioengineering student, I hadn’t heard of Otto Boch before, but after this visit, I’m sure it will not be something I will forget easily as I learned a great deal about the implant/prosthetics industry as well as arising technology and innovations in my field of study.

For a day not seeming like much when first looked at on the schedule, our second day trip to Dresden was a day visit filled with lots of walking, learning, and interaction. After the three hour train ride from Berlin to Dresden, we were thrust into another city tour. We got to walk around the”New” –Old Dresden and visit many of the historic sites. The two sites that stuck out the most on the trip were the Church of Our Lady, as it stuck out as one of the most ornate churches we’ve visited, and the visit to the Dresden Royal Palace, as it still gave off a Baroque air. After our tour and lunch, we headed towards the Hygiene Museum, for another tour. However, this tour would be like the Otto Boch tour, were the unconventional interactiveness made it extremely fun, enjoyable, and memorable. The Hygiene Museum was split into different sections of exhibits, each with their own big room filled with displays, models and information. The motor and coordination room at the museum was the most interactive of the rooms, as it had many exhibits that were hands-on as well as filled with many biomedical device displays.

I must confess, Wednesday was the least memorable of the days; however the trip to the natural history museum was one of the more enjoyable visits to in Berlin. Throughout high school, I grew up a world history buff, so what better way to stimulate this old part of me than by visiting a Natural history Museum where I saw German history from its roman roots to its current state. We also took a quick visit to the Robert Koch Institute and received an onsite lecture from Dr. Wasser about the Nuremburg trials.

Our last day in Berlin was a day that brought immense value to the study abroad trip, as it gave us a touch of the grim reality of past happenings during Nazi Germany. The beginning of the day was a day riddled with snow. This proved to be the perfect backdrop for trip to the Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen. When we arrived to the camp, the camp was blanketed with a sheet of snow, with all the rooftops covered in snow. The snow would not stop until we left back to berlin for our final museum tour. At the camp we visited many of the different cabins were detainees were kept. Each cabin was dedicated to explaining a part of the life in the camp, from medical history to survival. Reading the stories in the exhibitions of the rooms in the camp, gave me a closer understanding as to what happened in camps such as this one. At the end of our tour of the camp, we went to visit a memorial dedicated to the lost lives. Seeing the remains in which the memorial stood, and the flowers around a monument cast an air of reflectiveness on the already somber atmosphere. We ended our day back at the Charite visiting the museum of medical history. It was one of the more visually memorable museums as the museum had an exhibitions dedicated to preserved body parts and disorders.

Our time in Berlin had finally come to a close, and a new fun weekend excursion was ahead. While Berlin may not hold the same small town comfort close to me as Bonn did, it did give us a feeling of familiarity and additional fun after our New Year’s Weekend.

Peace out my German hommies!

As the semester is in full force, the sweet pace and joys of Germany are no longer on my radar. It is amazing that it has only been about a month since we have returned. I miss Nill's and I didn't think I would say it, but I even miss Chris inappropriatly shouting his name at the top of his lungs.

But for real though. I realized I don't get near as much excercise here as we did in Germany. All the walking to busses, touring cities and museums, and climbing stair cases provided a consistent mild cardio work out. Plus lugging all my bags around was giving me some mean shoulders too. =/ oh well. Back to having to be intentional and disciplined about staying healthy.

I can also tell a big difference in the food. Maybe its my imagination, but the food just seemed healthier there. I miss the brautwurst and sauerkraut, and the huge cherries they would serve at breakfest. The team has been able to go out and eat at this German restraunt since the trip. That was fun, and getting to see everyone back here in the states is nice. Its cool cause we see each other in passing quite a bit now. Nicole gets soo excited when she sees me, she makes me feel special. Thanks Nicole, you make me happy.

I am gratful for the experience and would recommend it to anyone.

Thanks Dr. Wasser and AIB for all the hardwork. Oh, let me not forget Joy. Goodbye German Chicks that we ditched new years eve (Gus and I are sorry, we really mourned you guys), we just didn't wanna get lost in Berlin! Goodbye angry German waitress (Mona I believe), sorry you brought us five pretzels when we really just needed 3. They were delicious though, seriously. Goodbye crazy dude that stole the mug from Haufbrauhouse from our Hostel, and your friend Paula from Brazil. You will be missed. Goodbye Museum tour guide who delighted in grosing out his tourists -- Oh and I, besides Hershey Squirts, I thought of another slang for Diarrea -- green apple two step. Goodbye Ali Baba! DUDE we searched all over Germany and Vienna, and you had the BEST KABABS! I love you man. Peace out Midevil Lady who was defiling that Cathedral in Prague. Your a pretty girl, please find some better work. Bye to all the overpriced souvenir shops and owners who get mad cause we don't speak German. You are a souvenir shop, think about your audience... Just sayin. Deuce to Hotel Alex. I think Gus was right, you are Gay friendly -- and did we ever figure out what the little metal trashcan things were in the bathroom? Later Ernst, thanks for keeping our keys at the desk in Vienna, and for hooking me up with breakfest at 4:00 in the morning before my bus to the airport. You rock and I hope Christ reveals himself to you. To the guys who sold us the Soviet Hats: After thinking about it for a few weeks, its true, you win, 20 euros is ridiculous, but those puppy's were warm and I'd let you rip me off again in a heartbeat. And Lastly, goodbye team, thanks for being awesome and gracious, I had a blast, tons of laughs, some regrets and a lot of grreat memories =)...

So I guess I'm chunkin' the deuce... Peace out for now my German homies!