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.