Only Five Days Away!

There’s packing to do, travel to plan, and things to read, and the big day is just around the corner! After months of planning, the reality of the big Germany trip and how close it is seems to have just occurred to me today. I’ve been collecting everything I’ll need for Germany over the past few weeks, I’ve tested out my winter clothes against the not-quite-cold-enough Texan winter night, and I’ve studied the exciting schedule laid out for us over the next three weeks. Yet, there’s an endless stream of things that still need to be done: must buy train tickets from Berlin to Prague, must make sure my debit card arrives in the mail tomorrow, must officially pack everything and check it all thrice, just to name a few. But even as this list grows, I think the pre-departure jitters are one of the most exciting parts of trips. So much of the trip is still undetermined: Will I learn more about medicine or German culture? How much will I miss tap water? How will our group dynamic play out? In any case, I’m sure the excitement of this phase of the journey will be soon surpassed by the events of the trip itself, and I’ve compiled a short list of things I hope to have accomplished by the time our three weeks in Germany are up: first, I hope to experience Germany from more than a tourist’s perspective, second, I hope to understand the state of medicine in the US better by learning about medicine and medical history in Europe, third, I hope to make some pretty awesome friends, fourth, I hope to make the absolute most of every opportunity we are given to further explore the culture and history of Germany, and fifth, I hope to bring at least a bit of all that I gain through this experience back home. I’m really looking forward to the melding of the historical, cultural, and medical knowledge that we’ll gain in Europe and this chance to learn more about the world around as and ourselves as well.

Can’t wait to see everyone in Frankfurt!