Back Home

I’ve put off writing this for a really long time because I want to make sure that I include everything that I want to say and I don’t forget anything important. Unfortunately, I currently can’t think of anything coherent to start off with, so I’m just going to make a list of all the things I can think of and say whatever comes to mind first. So here it goes:

• I loved the Hygiene Museum in Dresden. I was just telling my family about it yesterday so I’ve been thinking about how cool it was recently. I wish that more museums had interactive exhibits like that one did and I definitely wish that we had got to spend more time there. I think it’s funny that even though everything was written in German, I still feel like I learned from the exhibits and displays.
• Watching surgery was a really great experience too. It was cool that Katie and I got to see both cardiac and orthopedic surgery and get a feel for the differences between the two types. I wasn’t even really that interested in that kind of thing before, but after talking to the surgeons and seeing how organized and professional the operating rooms were, I’ve kind of been thinking about what it would be like to be a surgeon. Who knows, maybe I’ll have to start considering medical school now too.
• I also really, really like riding on trains. As long as they’re not incredibly crowded, they were a really great way to get around. It was nice to be able to relax and read or listen to music and not have to worry about getting lost or taking a wrong turn.

Also, since I know that it was really helpful for me to read the blogs from previous trips before I left for Germany, I want say a few things to the people who are going on the trip this summer or even next year. And I know that you will probably hear a lot of this stuff from Dr. Wasser, but sometimes, it’s easier to listen to advice when it comes from another student. So, here are my words of wisdom to future generations of globe-trotting Aggies.

• Make sure that you know how to work your phones before you go wandering of in the European wilderness. Okay, so we weren’t exactly lost in the woods or something like that, but it is a little nerve-wracking getting lost in a hospital when all the signs are in German and realizing you can’t get a hold of anybody because someone doesn’t know how to work a phone (yes, I’m looking at you, Katherine Elizabeth Wright.) The numbers that you have to dial are different whether you’re in Germany of another country, so I suggest you figure out what they are before you go, especially if you’re about to leave for one of your free weekends. (By the way, we eventually figured out how to work my phone when we were lost in the hospital and it turned out that we were right around the corner from where we were supposed to be. So, that was a little embarrassing.)
• Invest in SmartWool Socks. I’m serious here, you won’t regret it. If you go on the winter trip, you will be walking through a lot of slush and snow and I don’t care how nice your boots are, you will get wet feet at some point in time. (https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm#/Womens/Socks/_/_/227/)
• Pack light. Or else you will suffer. I had the distinct disadvantage of not being able to go home between the trip and going back to A&M, so I had to carry around a lot of stuff that I didn’t need for the trip but I needed for class this semester. Unless you absolutely have to bring something, don’t pack it. I had a chance to do laundry three times on the trip (twice for free in Bonn) so don’t worry about bringing enough clothes for every single day of the trip. Just don’t forget to pack a few really important things: lots of socks (see above comment), extra camera batteries, a water bottle (it’s really hard to get non-carbonated water so I usually just filled a bottle up at the hotel each morning), and you’re A&M student ID (it will get you discounts getting into museums.)

Overall, I think that this trip was a whole lot of fun and definitely worth it. We got to do so many amazing things and learned so much. Thank you so much, Dr. Wasser, Dr. Zack, and Nils; I know you guys all put in so much work and the trip wouldn’t have been the same without you! I really miss being in Germany already and I definitely hope that I’ll get to go back to Europe again soon!

Reflexionen

Location: College Station, Texas

So... it has been some time since my last posting; but it has certainly not been some time since I last thought about the journey through Germany and Austria. So many wondrous things seen, so much knowledge gained. I will do my best to put my varied thoughts into words (perhaps I should have done a better job of organizing when I unpacked).

This study abroad trip was everything that I expected it to be, and then some! Currently, I am using my experiences to help me write a paper for my Animal Science Seminar class, I was able to use my time at the Hanover Cattle Center in my interviews for Texas A&M's Vet School, and the emotions that I felt there have stayed with me, rising to the top of my thoughts while situations play out here in the States. The only negative from this trip is that for the past two weeks I have had a strange craving for a German-style donor kebab. As soon as I get my own kitchen, I will find some lamb and make one.

It seems short, but this just about sums up what I can say about the "History of Medicine in Germany and Austria." This trip was definitely the best thing I have ever done. Anyone out there reading this humble blog post, I most certainly recommend a trip overseas. Seeing a foreign land, an alien people, a distant culture, is an awe-inspiring sight that shows just how much all peoples have in common. Thank you to everyone who was with me in this odyssey, and thank you to everyone who worked behind the scenes. I cannot thank you enough for making this experience possible.

Gute Reise, Freunde!

Ich Bein Ein Berliner

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 2 months, since I got back from Germany. The time has gone by so fast as school and other activities have swamped my mind. I wish I could say that I had had a real time to sit down and reflect on all that I learned and saw, but life is too busy. However, without even trying, I’m always thinking about Germany and comparing it to my life here. At times I’m glad that I live in Texas and go to Texas A&M, but other times I wonder how awesome it would be to live in Germany and be a student there. Life here can be so boring sometimes, but in Germany, everything was new and exciting and it seemed like there was always something to do. In some of the cities we were in, like Berlin and Vienna, I felt like I could spend months there and not see everything that there was to see. One of my recent thoughts on Germany was when I was driving and downtown Houston and looking up at the skyscrapers. I wondered if a German would be awed by these tall structures after being around all of the incredible architecture in Germany. How would the Cologne Cathedral stand up to a towering glass skyscraper? In my mind, I realized after seeing the things I saw in Germany I was less impressed by these 20th century buildings. That’s a huge change for someone who would drive by downtown and see the skyline and be amazed at what he saw as progress. After seeing huge structures that made me wonder how people in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries could have possibly constructed them, I don’t appreciate today’s buildings nearly as much. Will people in 200 or 500 or 1000 years care at all about the huge skyscrapers that one can see in any large American city? My guess, probably not. That’s what made Germany so special to me. After being in America for 20 years, a country that people could say sometimes forgets its past when it comes to progress and expansion, I loved seeing Germany, a country that embraces its past and progresses with it and around it. That by far is what I think about most when I remember my trip.

I would be lying if I said the only interesting thing in Germany were the buildings. The history of medicine program put on by Dr. Wasser, Nils, Dr. Rainer, and AIB was superb. It saddens me to think I may never have the opportunity to do some of the things we did on the trip. Seeing heart surgery was an experience that I will never forget. To have the opportunity to see someone’s heart beating inside of them was truly amazing. It helped that the doctors were so friendly and explained what they were doing during the surgery. I would jump on a chance to see heart surgery again. Aside from the surgery, I was very impressed with the hospitals in Germany. They were very clean, very well run, and very advanced. I wouldn’t mind having to spend time in one of them….kidding. The museums we saw were incredible. I could have spent a day in everyone. I was amazed at the extensiveness of the exhibits and the sheer number of specimens and pieces. I’ve been to some great museums in America, but Germany’s museums definitely rivaled anything I had seen up to this point here. The thing that left the most indelible mark on me, though, had to be the concentration camp. It showed how evil people can be and reminded me how we must always be wary of current events that seem wrong but happen because nobody stands up to stop them.

One thing I really miss about Germany is the transportation. It was so simple to jump on a train or subway and get to your destination comfortably and efficiently. It was also a great way to see the countryside and lay of the land. I love driving around in my car, but the mass transit in Germany was definitely a good experience. Another thing I loved was the beer. There is simply no comparison between German beer and American beer. I miss it very much and have tried to find something equivalent here, but with little luck.

Now it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t talk about the few things that I didn’t like about Germany and Europe in general. First and foremost was the water. I was never able to acquire a taste for the carbonated water and really missed normal water fountains. I also missed being able to get free water at restaurants. I guess German water is worth more than America water. The only other thing that I didn’t like was the prices. I definitely spent more money on food there than I ever would here. However, the cost of the experience was definitely worth it as the food was great there and I miss kebaps very much.

All in all, I can honestly look back and say that the trip to Germany and the other countries I went to was a life changing experience. I truly gained a new perspective on the world and enjoyed the chance to see other cultures in action. I have to thank Dr. Wasser, Nils, Dr. Rainer and all the rest of AIB for making the trip possible and providing guidance and information that not even the best tour guide could have given. I only hope that I will enjoy myself as much as I did the next time I go to Europe. The one thing I can promise is that I’ll be back.

So now it's really over

I guess us writing these posts means the class and trip are really over. As I sit here at 3:30 in the morning, with 2 tests tomorrow and an assignment due, I can't help but think back to our trip. I read through a lot of the posts already and I can say that I echo the feeling of relief that many felt in Germany. It was a great break from the constant stress of being in biomedical engineering, and looking to even more difficult things in the future. I think that all of us are going to look back at college as kind of a big blur of school and stress, with a nice little break in the middle where we went to Europe. That is definitely one thing I was hoping to get out of the trip, and I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.

To say the least, all of the trip activities exceeded my expectations. I had no idea so many different activities could be planned so intricately to fit into three weeks. I feel like we really got a look at a lot of different things. I had no idea that observing the surgeries was going to be so thrilling. I had figured that we'd be up in a gallery like in House, kind of watching but not experiencing. The fact that we got to put on the masks, scrubs, and the weird rubber shoes and stand literally right there was amazing. I think we got a good taste of the thrill that surgeons say they get when performing surgery. The idea of stopping the heart, putting it on bypass, fixing it up, and starting it back up again is just amazing. The surgeries were definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

The places I visited and the things I saw were great, but all of it would have been nothing without the people that were there with me. I honestly did not expect to become such good friends with the people on the trip. Once we all opened up and started to get to know each other, it felt like we were all old friends out having a good time. I cannot thank Nils and Dr. Wasser enough for all of the hard work and planning that went into making the trip happen as smoothly as it did. They really made it a unique and memorable experience.

Thank you everyone for a great time, and such good memories. I hope we continue to have reunions and keep up with each other.

Nicole ended with Disney, so I guess I will too. This one's for Luis.

We must be swift as
the coursing river
With all the force
of a great typhoon
With all the strength
of a raging fire
Mysterious as the
dark side of the moon

Looking Back at the History of Medicine

My life has been a whirl wind since I have returned from Germany. Between classes starting back up, taking the MCAT, running the Houston half marathon and planning a running a retreat for fifty high school students I haven’t had had much free time. So when my cousin sent me a message a couple of days ago asking about my trip to Germany I had to stop and process everything we did.

The first memory that came to me was observing the surgeries. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute from studying a heart beat inside a man’s chest while the surgeons performed a triple bypass to watching the surgeon suture up a girl’s arm after repairing a fracture. Then I began to remember the cities we visited, like Berlin, Vienna, Hannover, Copenhagen, Dresden and Bonn. The New Year’s Eve celebration in Berlin is one of my favorite memories. I usually don’t like large parties and lots of noise, but celebrating the New Year with thousands of people from around the world is quite the experience. If I were to return to Germany I would like to visit Dresden again and spend time along the Elbe River. I would also head back to Copenhagen in the spring or summer time. It was nice in the winter, but I could tell that it would be outstanding when there wasn’t snow and slush on the ground. And as the memories continued to flow, I remembered the people we met through AIB, in the hospitals, and the museums.

I’m very fond of all theses memories; however, I feel that the most important idea I took away from the trip was not a memory of a particular place, event or person. Instead the trip left me pondering the impact my generation of doctors and biomedical engineers will make in the medical field.

Before going on this trip I only ever considered the current state of the medical world. I was focused on all the state-of-the-art medical care we have. But the history of medicine museums that we visited in Germany made me realized that the term ‘state-of-the-art’ is relative. At the Charite History of Medicine museum in Berlin we learned about the barbers and laughed at the technique they used to preform amputations. We laughed because it seemed ridiculously obvious to us that using unsterile tools in an unsterile environment would lead to infections, but 200 years ago the procedures were the best they had because germs had not been discovered. Which of our ‘state of the art’ medical equipment will be laughed at by the new ‘future of medicine’ some 200 years form now? I don’t say this to disclaim or belittle the discoveries we will make, but make a point that there is much will change both during and after our time.

Then, when we discussed the invention of the stethoscope on the Medical History Walk in Vienna, I began to ponder our acceptance to these new innovations. The stethoscope is a staple of a doctor. If you were to dress up as a Doctor for Halloween you would put on a pair of scrubs and hang a stethoscope around your neck. Today doctors rely on them to diagnose patients. But, when the stethoscope was first discovered, the doctors of the time thought the idea was worthless. What incredible medical invention is sitting right in front of us that we refuse to accept as important?

These two thoughts have floated around in my head since we returned to Texas. In high school history we were taught that history was important because we needed to learn from our mistakes in order to have a successful future, but until this trip I had not considered applying this idea medicine. Our generation is capable of advancing the medical world relative to where it is today as long as we study the developments that have occurred, find the weaknesses, and integrate new knowledge and technology as it advances.

El Fin

Since coming back to the U.S., I have thought about Germany several times. It occurred a lot more in the first few weeks back. This was probably because classes had just started again, and were (and still are) a lot less fun then what we did in Germany. It took me almost a week to get my sleep cycle back on track. I feel asleep at 9:30 PM a couple nights and woke up at 6 AM without an alarm. I have since gotten back on track.

The main thing that I want to talk about in my final post is the differences between the U.S. and Europe, and what I like about each side of the ball. First and foremost is my final opinion on the contrasting healthcare systems. I do not feel that either system is the “right” system. My belief is that both systems work in their respective countries, and therefore each country should follow the old addage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Changing either system would cause confusion and anger amongst almost half of the nation, so staying with the status quo is the best thing to do.

Moving on from the topic of the class to the culture of each area. I love the Euro and the way prices are listed for everything, everywhere in Europe. The tax is included and the numbers are mostly round (ie end in a 0 or a 5). I don’t like pennies and Europe has mostly done away with one cent increments, at least form what I experienced. Now to what people wear, although this will be partially biased since I was only able to see the summer fashion. I saw a man wearing white Uggs in Prague. I really, really, really hope that this does not become the norm here.

I really miss the food. I have gone back into my college cycle of me cooking plus campus and fast food, and obviously these are no comparison to big time restaurants. I really liked the little sandwhich and pizza shacks that were in most of the train stations in Europe. Also the kabobs in Berlin were amazing. I feel that a shop like Ali Baba’s could make a killing on northgate at 2 AM.

I really enjoyed my time in Germany and Europe and I would love to go back ASAP. I would like to do a couple different things on my return trip. First I would like to go in the summer. I know many people complained about Copenhagen, but I liked it on the trip and think I would love it in the summertime. Second, I want to go to Bavaria. I would really like to go to Munich. Third, I have now put Octoberfest on my bucket list, but hopefully I will have more than just one opportunity to experience this for the first time, and the rest of Europe again.

There and Back Again

Thinking back to the very beginning and the whole process of signing up to go study abroad in Europe, I realize that I really did something pretty out of the ordinary by my standards. I’m a kind of timid person in a way, but then again I’m not. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m a bit afraid of the unknown, because I’m very bad with directions, and I have this constant fear of getting lost. But by the same token, I always think ahead and say to myself, a well, if I get lost then I’ll just have to find my way back. It’s comforting to me in a way that probably makes no sense. I remember feeling terrified as I saw the email saying I had been approved for the trip, and then I remember another wave of fear when I purchased my plane ticket, and then a while later it all sunk in that I had pretty much hit the point of no return. Now thinking back on all of those feeling that I was experiencing, I feel like I was being overly dramatic because this study abroad experience was well worth it.

This study abroad experience broadened my view of medicine, not just veterinary medicine, but also human medicine. To me now that I’ve had time to look back and process things, I realize that I have had the opportunity to do something pretty darn awesome.

I got to visit historical museums where I got to get closer to all of the things that I have been taught throughout my education. Being able to visit these places and see what they have to offer makes me look at history in a whole new light. And it makes me marvel at how society has advanced so rapidly, and how even now we are advancing. A great example of this is the anesthesiology museum, where I was amused by how primitive early anesthesiology techniques where, but then as we kept walking through the exhibits and the years, my amusement rapidly turned into awe as I no longer understood the techniques being used, for that ,I would need to probably study extensively.

Now a little bit of insight from my point of view on people and how I relate to them. I met and hung out with amazing people. Truly everybody was a blast to be around. I usually never let loose and just have fun with people that I have not know for over a year or so, but being on this trip really helped me open up to strangers, and I found out that it’s ok. European people no longer seem as intimidating in my mind anymore. Well this is based on my experiences with the instructors, tour guides AIB staff, and the random people on the plane and bus rides. Overall, I think I’ve gained a new skill and I will treasure it, because being able to communicate with the world around us is very important. Well this is what I think on the matter.

Overall, this trip for me was a much needed break from the pressures of college life and stress, even though the trip brought with it a different kind of stress, but none the less being abroad was a breath of fresh air. I’m glad I got over the whole fear phase, and went for it because studying abroad was truly an amazing experience. I didn’t really know what to expect but I went with an optimistic view on things, and I came back feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new semester.

Only in my Dreams

While it was been over two months since we arrived back home, the whole trip still feels like a dream. I cannot believe that I actually went to not only one foreign country, but FOUR countries and had one of the best experiences of my life. Since the day we arrived in Houston, life has been filled with projects, tests, studying, and stress. I yearn for those “long” Germany days filled with adventure, new experiences, amazing food, and fun. This study abroad experience, I can say, was truly unique. From the people who went, to the surgeries observed, to all the museum and city tours, this was truly an experience that I could only imagine in my wildest dreams.

Dr. Wasser and Nils helped make our program become what it was. I’m sure it was not the easiest thing in the world to plan a wonderful three week trip for sixteen American college students. We all have a wide variety of interests, but I am certain that every one of our expectations were met due to the exquisite planning done by Dr. Wasser, Nils, Joy, and the rest of the AIB family. Every little detail of our day was thoroughly planned out. It became very obvious to me how difficult it actually was when we began planning our two free weekends. The first weekend, when we arrived in Prague, I think we must have sat in the train station for nearly an hour trying to plan our day out so that everyone was happy. Needless to say, we went our separate ways.

As I sit in class, I catch myself daydreaming of our adventures in Deutschland and new adventures that I will have in the future. A long time ago I made myself a promise that I would travel as much as I possibly could. I would not let money, fear, or anything else get in the way of me living my life to the fullest. This trip was the beginning of that adventure. I know that I will return to German some day. However, the new experienced that I encounter will be far below my experiences from this trip. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to share this with.

Thanks Papa Penguin, Papa Duck, Papa Bear, and the rest of the crazy animals in our zoo for making this an experience of a lifetime.

Bittersweet

So, it's been a month and a half since we got back from the Fatherland. Time has flown like crazy since then, and I hardly even remember February. College life is so fast-paced, and even though we never really caught a break in Germany, the whole trip felt like one huge roller coaster ride. And I love roller coasters.

Before I left for the trip, I mentioned that I was a little nervous about going. I didn't know what to expect, or what the people would be like, or what the food would be like. I only had one of my weekends planned and didn't know what I would be doing the second weekend, and also wasn't sure if I had enough money for food and souvenirs and such.

But now that I've been there, I can't wait to go back, and I wouldn't be nervous at all. We all learned how to navigate a train station quite effectively, which is almost a skill unto itself. I now know what to expect at hotels, hostels, restaurants, museums, reisezentrums, hauptbanhofs, and new year's eve bathrooms. I am so glad I went on the trip, and I can definitely say that going to all the trouble of obtaining old medical records so that I could get a new social security card and taking an online drivers ed class so I could get a Texas driver's license so that I could get my passport was well worth it.

I have so many memories from the trip, some wonderful, some sobering, all of which I am incredibly grateful for. Eating fried donuts on the walk back down from Neuschwanstein. The incredible view from the Neuschwanstein. The Hofbrauhaus and the Augustiner Keller. The Euro youth hostel. The Prague Castle and the indoor jousting room. The Jewish quarter in Prague and the synagogue honoring the murdered Czech Jews. The old world feel of Prague. Ali Baba's in Berlin, and his 2.50 Euro Doner and 1 Euro beer. The new year's eve festival and singing the war hymn. The artificial heart implantation. The aortic valve replacement. My first beer in Germany, the Weizen dunkel. Our first dinner in Bonn at the beer garden after we had been up for some 20 hours. The anesthesia museum. The pathologic anatomy museum. The operetta in Vienna. The veal schnitzel and apple strudel in Vienna. Listening to street musicians in Munich. The medical center in Vienna, the Josephimun and its wax figures, and the Pay-as-you-Wish hippie restaurant. The beautiful city of Dresden. The city of Cologne and feeling of awe when I first saw the cathedral there. The chocolate shop in Berlin. The memorial to the Jews in Berlin. Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The gelato in Cologne, henceforth no other gelato will compare. The night train to Vienna. The cool bartender at our hotel in Hannover, I can't remember his name. Running into people from California, Colorado, and Brazil at our first hostel. Listening to Vivaldi at a rip-off concert in Prague. The Charles Bridge. The discussion we had in Berlin at the Charite with one of the doctors about the pros and cons of socialized medicine. Cramming on to the trains in Berlin during workdays like sardines. Following Dr. Wasser and Nils like ducks in a line. The incredible Otto Bock facility and its sorting machine.

I could go on.

But I think I've made my point.

The trip changed my perspective on the world. I thought I had a "big picture" before I went. But it wasn't until I got there that I realized how fully I was wrong. There is a whole other world on the other side of the Atlantic. I always knew it was there, but it always seemed distant and foreign, almost like a fairy tale. But it's so real, and its history is so rich and complex. And yet the people, despite the cultural difference, are really not that much different. We all look up at the same sky, breathe the same air, like to go out and have fun, enjoy good food, enjoy good friendships, and listen to Ke$ha. And David Hasselhoff. I don't know why I was ever nervous about going overseas.

I would like to extend the following thanks:

To Dr. Wasser - There is no faculty member who I'd rather have lead the trip. I am always impressed by your depth of knowledge and wealth of experiences.

To Nils - I couldn't have asked for a better program coordinator. Thanks so much for all the hard work and for ensuring that everything always ran smoothly.

To the 15 students I had the privilege of sharing this experience with - I couldn't have asked for a better group. Y'all are awesome. I didn't know many of you before the trip, but I'm really grateful for the friendships that formed.

To my parents - for helping me finance the trip. I couldn't have done it without you, and I am incredibly grateful for the experience.

Ending this blog is kinda bittersweet. It's the last class assignment for this trip, and it feels like the trip is finally and officially over. It's good being back in the states. Free water is great, HEB is great, Texas is great. But Europe still lingers in my mind daily. I can't wait to go back to Germany, and I really can't wait to go back and see the rest of Europe. I definitely plan to.

Yearning for a Place from the Past

It has been two and a half months since our return from Germany, and not a day goes by that I don't recall events from our time there. While everyday there was filled with adventure and fun experiences, life post study abroad has been nothing but projects, equations, tests, applications and essays. Oh, how I yearn to escape back to our days in Germany. Being back has made me appreciate the study abroad experience much more than when we initially were there and when we initially returned. I will make plans to return one day. Perhaps post graduation or perhaps a time in the distant future. However one thing is for sure,when I return, I will be sure to return with as a great group of people as this last trip. They truly made every moment on the trip 100% enjoyable.

Were my expectations for the trip met? I absolutely think so. The surgeries I witnessed, the food I ate, the experience of each city we visited,the weekend trips, the interactions with the people; all these things went beyond my expectations. I never expected that I would fall in love with a city like I did with Bonn, Cologne, and Prague. I never expected to see a total artificial heart replacement. I didn't expect to see a bypass and a valve replacement surgery in the same surgery. I didn't even expect to become such great friends as I did with most of the people in my group.

I wish to thank the AIB, especially Nihls, along with Dr. Wasser for making this trip a success. If it wasn't for them, we would still be lost in Europe and our trip would have just been a regular trip, not an experience of a lifetime.

Thank you everyone.

I Miss Zee Germans...

What a splendiferous experience it was to go on this trip. I got to thank Dr. Wasser and the crew at AIB for putting together such a freaking awesome trip. The time and effort put into scheduling all the tours, hospital visits, museums, surgeries and all the other junk must have been enormous. But ya’ll should know that it was definitely worth it. Nils, man what a bad-a dude. He has got to win an award for all the trouble we put him through; losing tablets and transportation passes, and doctor visits, plus I’m sure we cramped his style. But seriously Nils thanks for all the trouble you went to to make our experiences abroad the best they could be.

Now that I’m back and in the middle of test week I find myself drifting off into daydreams about sitting in some café in Berlin or Köln blending in with the natives. There would really be nothing more peaceful to me right now than to be back in Germany minding my own, fading into the background of the everyday scene. It’s a good motivator, if I really want to spend some more time abroad I have to get through college and land a solid job. Or maybe ill just be Euro drifter. I could be a professional “blackrider,” and just hop form city to city making my money by kidnapping Liam Neeson’s. (Taken reference) Just kiddin I wouldn’t do that. But speaking about Liam Neeson, I have to recommend his newest movie The Unknown solely on the fact that we pretty much went everywhere he goes in the movie. Its pretty cool to recognize all the landmarks, and to say to the person next to me at the movies “I’ve been there.” They get annoyed quickly when you don’t know them. But if your looking for a cool way to remember Berlin then go see that movie.

I cant wait to go back. There are so many things that I want to do again. After the first time I got to go abroad I thought that I was just going to be a once in a lifetime deal, but I was lucky enough to experience it again. Now I can’t let it stop at just that. The trip opened my eyes and gave me a taste for something new and I can’t believe how much of an impact it has had on me, and how its changed my plans for the future. What I hope to do is get a job outside of the US. I never really had the desire before I went on this program. So once again, thanks Dr. Wasser, AIB, Nils Joy and A&M for putting together a great program!

I put the "man" in Germany

I miss our time in Germany. The hustle and bustle of the school this semester has really shown me that. I miss the people and the friends I made, the places we visited, and just having fun without a care in the world. The past 2 and a half years of pursing biomedical engineering have somewhat worn me out – the stress, the studying, the tests, the pressure. Going to Germany provided me with much needed relief and fun. It rejuvenated my motivation and reinforced the reasoning to why I put myself through such vigorous coursework. Observing the double bypass and ENT surgeries also gave me such a unique opportunity that few people ever get to experience. Seeing someone survive due to our advanced medical research provides me the motivation in pursing my own research. Knowing that I can save lives someday is just such a euphoric and unmatched feeling.

I am mostly thankful for the friendships that developed. Even if one single person had not gone on this trip, it would not have been the same. Everyone brought a unique perspective and a comical image that made our group so interesting. Whether it was Chris drinking an “ice” beverage, Katie waking me up at 3 in the morning to tell me there was a fire (on two separate occasions I might add…Thanks Katie), or Andy’s crazy adventure, there was always something to laugh about. And words cannot even describe the amount of respect I have for Nicole for fighting through her pneumonia to have a good time. In the end, I am just so incredibly happy we are keeping in touch. The frequent Germany reunions are something I always look for. In fact, we went to the Brauhaus restaurant in Bryan several weeks and I must admit they make a pretty mean schnitzel. What was even more awesome was that our waitress, Melli, was from Germany and was in the states to study. So we conversed about our Germany trip for a bit before heading out for the evening. I must admit it is the people you spend your time with, rather than the place you spend your time, that makes an experience memorable. Going to Europe is not the same if you do it with people you don’t love and have fun with. I will never forget all the hilarious times we had together.

The program would not have been NEARLY as successful as it was if it were not led by Dr. Wasser and Nils. You both did an extraordinary job organizing and planning out our itineraries as to make the most of our time there. I am truly thankful for the opportunity you laid before us and what you did to optimize the experience. I cannot wait to tell the summer participants how much fun they are going to have in Germany. I’m even jealous because they are going to be experiencing something while I am stuck in an internship getting coffee (not really, but you know what I mean). But anyways, the main point I am trying to get at is to thank Dr. Wasser for putting together this trip. We all really appreciate it and express our sincerest gratitude.

Oh yeah, and I also really miss Ali Baba and all of his glorious food.