Oh you know... Just taking a dip in the North Sea.

We were barely into the first week of the program and we were already off on our first excursion. On Wednesday we took an early train to Hannover and arrived before lunch time. We checked into the hotel and then headed to the hospital where we ate lunch and were spoken to about dialysis. After the hospital we headed off to the Axolotl Research Lab. Visiting this research lab was one of my favorite and hands down one of the most interesting things that we did in our first week. The Axolotls were so cute and you couldn't help but smile when you looked at them. In this lab the Axolotls were being studied for their unique regenerative trait. Throughout their lifetime Axolotls can regenerate limbs, jaws, tails, spinal cords, skin, and even portions of their brain. Axolotls are the only vertebrates that can regenerate multiple structures and although this has been known for a long time, little is still known about the mechanism behind these regenerations. We were told that this research lab was trying to unlock the method of the Axolotls regeneration feature and see if it could somehow be applied to humans. Humans, unfortunately, like all mammals are unable to regenerate body parts. The ability to regenerate tissues without scarring would greatly benefit people suffering from organ damage, amputations, and burns. I think that the research that this lab is doing could be ground breaking and hopefully it will eventually be able to be applied to human medicine.

On thursday we took a train from Hannover to Norddeich-Mole. Once in Norddeich-Mole we took a ferry to the island of Norderney. The ferry ride was really fun and relaxing and we even got to see some seals on a sand bar. Thursday afternoon after we got settled into our hostle we walked to IfR-Norderney where we spent the afternoon. That evening when we were walking back to the hostle we decided to make a stop at the beach. Everyone changed into their bathing suits and we took a dip in the North Sea. The water was FREEZING when we first jumped in and I was wondering what the heck we were all thinking. We were the only people from what I could see that were crazy enough to swim in the North Sea at this time of day. I was the only person with a waterproof camera so I took it with me into the water to document this event. We all had so much fun out there in the North Sea and we must have taken 20 group pictures. Once we were out there for awhile I could barely tell how cold the water was anymore. My body just felt numb. Swimming in the North Sea was definitely one of the craziest things that I did on this trip.