I can't believe I'm finally/actually here in Europe!! It's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. And I think I picked the best country to start my journey with; Germany. It's just beautiful. I live with my host family near the Rhine river and nothing in Bonn is too far away to walk to or take a tram or bus to. That is one of the most contrasting things I've noticed or experienced from America. I've rarely ever had to take a train or long distance bus yet in Texas but here they have an entire road system set up revolving around them! I actually really like the convenience. However, if I lived here I'd probably revert to my old ways and still get one of the cute small cars just because I like the freedom of going where I want when I want to.... and the transportation system can get confusing!
The group discovered the confounding problems with trains when planning the weekends. We know now that we're going to Munich, Germany the first weekend and Prague, Czech Republic on the 2nd weekend (with our scheduled trip to Vienna, Austria for the week between) and I can't wait to see all the new places and really explore Europe! But booking hostels and reserving seats after choosing good train times is getting knit-picky. For instance, we're leaving for Munich at 3am tonight! It will all be worth it though, I knew coming here that I really wanted to become immersed in the culture and this is just part of it!
For the past few days after spending some time with our host families we began to learn German, and can I say, it has really helped a lot! Our host mom only speaks German so having some handouts and practicing the language has been a wonderful experience I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on. I've also learned a lot about the German culture and we toured a History Museum and an old Gestapo prison (in Cologne) which really felt more personal since I am currently living in the country where all this history took place.
I have also learned more about current events occurring in the medical field which I really wish would be stressed more in school. We visited the only Sports University in Europe and learned about Oscar Pistorius "the fastest man with no legs" and have recently been discussing the different health care systems of Germany and other countries and how they differ from America. Being pre-medicine I am really excited for this information so I have the ability to make an informed decision and hold a well educated discussion.
Besides all the educational festivities, our group also took a trip to the Cologne Zoo and Cologne Cathedral (the Dom)!! They we're both amazing and everything I could have asked for when coming on this trip! I am killing my camera battery by taking all these pictures (it died when we got to the top of the Dom yesterday!!) but I am so excited to show everyone back at home all my wonderful adventures =)
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