week 5 berlin

Wed August 3, 2011

Today we woke up around 615. The showers are becoming a problem when you have 5 guys who need to shower in the morning. It worked out ok because we made it to breakfast and out on time. We went to the molecular research institute. This was wonderful because I got to see what I have learned in biochem and micro put into use. We first got a lecture about the history of cellular biology from a guy from texas. We then got a tour from a triathlete who got his start in the USA which was cool to me. We saw how neutrophils kill and trap bacterial cells with DNA nets. This was cutting edge and cool research which was exciting. After that we learned about how muscles heal. This research could be used to cure a form of MD. After this we got to see state of the art MRI machines. We saw a 3, 7, and 9 tesla version. These were able to get a better image than the standard 1.5T used clinically. I couldn’t go see them on the inside because of my shoulder implant. We then went to otto bach to view the new prothetic devices used clinically. It was great to learn about them. I had a good time riding around in the wheelchair. After this we went to the east side gallery which is part of the berlin wall which people painted on. I didn’t care for it but it was great to see that the germans have come far enough that they can used the wall for art. I ate at the thai place again because it seems healthy and cheap. I actually like eating the veggies I guess my tastes are broadening. We attempted to go out to karaoke but we couldn’t get in. I was very surprised by a woman which I thought was a gay man. Anyway she helped us try to find another place to go but we ended up getting lost. So we ended up getting home early around 12:30.

Thursday august 4th

Today we went to Dresden. This was a great town. I enjoyed all of the architecture and how it was all located very centrally. The city walk was informative but it started to seem like all of the other city walks. They are starting to all blur together for me. I decided to try and get something good for lunch so I headed to Augustiner. I was surprised that they had a place in Dresden so I was excited to eat there. When I got there I found out that they wouldn’t open for another few days so my hopes of getting a schnitzel and a munich beer were shattered. I have been on a roll of wanting munich style beers. It is probably because it is harder to find them here. So I decided to go get Mcdonalds which wasn’t a great choice but it was the first mcdonals I have been to which had extremely good looking cashiers. They were all blonde and very good looking. It was good to eat something quick because then I was able to walk around by myself. After lunch we headed to the hygiene museum which was awesome. It was very interactive and interesting. We all got split up into groups and had to give a guided tour through a part of the museum. Our group got the room about Sexuality in Germany. This section housed some really funny thing and also some interesting things. It amazes me how open germans are with sex and nudity. There were also some cool things like a leg extention test which showed your leg strength. My strength is much less than when I was lifting so I wonder what it would have been back in the day. I feel like I have gained at least 5 pounds on this trip from over eating and beer. After the hygiene museum we had a 2 hour train ride back which was enjoyable. I rode with wasser and niles. We all had some beers and talked about random things. I then sat with another group for a little bit to stretch my legs etc. When we got back we started to pregame a bit and then headed out to hackasher markt. We stayed at an irish pub which had good mixed drinks and Guinness so I was happy. I had a mojito which was enjoyable and tried a little bit of a mai thai which was interesting. We then started on our way home when two bums started to bother our group. One was drunk and tried to pick a fight with niles but he quickly defused the situation. I was ready to fight and I am glad nothing happened. Once we got back I stayed down stairs with niles, bailey, and Kristin till 2:30 am. We just talked about random things like the differences between german dating and American dating. Also how german parents are different from American parents. Some of the things seem good but I am undecided if they are truly good things. Things such as being able to talk to your parents about your sex life etc. Once I laid down around 2:45 I passed out super-fast.