A Week Gone By

I can't believe I've already spent an entire week in a foreign country. Sometimes it feels like I've been here much longer, but at others, it seems like I've just set foot in Germany for the first time. Every once in a while, I'll look at Victorian-era building or see something written in German and the fact that I'm over 5000 miles from home will hit me so hard I just have to take a moment to let it sink in again.

Many of those moments occur when I'm sitting at the breakfast table at my host family's house and notice the milk isn't milk--it's milch. Either way though, it still comes from cows, and I'm grateful to Family Schuck for housing and providing me with it amd many other delicious foods. The family all speak English incredibly well, so communication is usually very easy. They're always checking up on me and making sure I'm making it from place to place without problems, that I slept alright, or that I have enough food. They are very considerate and caring, and their experience with other study abroad students definitely shines through.

Being a study abroad student traveling across Germany and the bordering countries is definitely different than just being a tourist on summer vacation. When we go places, we're going to learn things, not just point, look, and take pictures, although there's certainly plenty of that going on, too. We've had historical tours of each of the three main cities we've visited so far: Bonn, Köln (Cologne), and even München (Munich), where we went on our free weekend. We've also visited museums, including the Haus der Geschichte (House of History) in Bonn where we followed the progress of Germany from immediately after World War II to present day, and Elde House, the former Gestapo headquarters and prison where we were able to see the inscriptions left on the walls by the prisoners and learn some of their personal stories. In Köln, we were also fortunate to go on two spectacular tours--one of the zoo where we went behind the scenes and fed an elephant, and one of the Köln Dom, Cologne's magnificant cathedral where we ventured 70 meters high and experienced an incredible view of practically the entire city. Both tours were also educational--we learned some of the zoo's history and how they care for dorm of the animals, and at the cathedral we learned much about its construction and how they are continuing to repair it today.

Learning has definitely been the central theme of this trip, along with incredible of course. We've only had a short time in the classroom so far, but every class has certainly been worth while. With Fenja, we learned much more of he German language, including other useful sayings, verbs and how to conjugate them, and many other words we just wanted to know. We also learned about the culture of Germany from a German's point of view, not the stereotypes applied by us ignorant Americans. With Dr. Wasser, we've only had two class times, but in that short amount of time we've learned much about the different health care systems around the world, and how the US health care system is a sort of mixture of many of those models.

After a week spent learning, traveling, and thoroughly enjoying myself, I can safely say that my feelings of anxious-nervousness were completely unnecessary, and that I'm still anxious-excited for the rest of my trip. I can't wait for Week Two, this time spent in Vienna--the city of music, Siegmund Freud, and, my favorite, the Spanish Riding School.

~Daily Blogs Posted Below Break~

Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7, 2012

Alright, so its two days, but I’m counting it as one because the “sleep” I got on the plane was really only a nap. Besides, the plane took off around 7pm central time on Friday, so it was 2am in Germany on Saturday, meaning this blog really only covers Saturday.

Anyways, after eating my last Tex-Mex meal for who knows how long, I said goodbye to most of my family and my sister Vickie, mother, and I headed to Bush Intercontinental Airport. Mom and Vickie actually got security passes so they could walk me to the gate…I felt loved ;) After they left, I only waited about 45minutes until the plane started to load.

I was seated next to a very nice German gentleman returning home after a 3 week excursion across the western US, spent visiting national parks like Yosemite and Bryce Canyon. The plane was supposed to leave at 6:25, but our departure was delayed because we had to wait for passengers whose previous flights had been delayed due to weather. This meant we didn’t actually take off until almost 7:00.  The captain also announced that our flight would be further delayed due to the same weather systems because we would be flying farther north than normal.

However, I still enjoyed the flight. There were touch-screens on the back of everyone’s chair that could be used to watch movies or TV shows, play games, listen to music, or look at the flight map and information. We were allowed to use them the entire flight for free, so guess what I did instead of reading my textbooks? I did sleep for some of the flight, mostly while were over the Atlantic and it was dark.

We finally touched down in Frankfurt at 12:00pm local time. I’m not sure if it was because we were late, but we didn’t pull in to a regular terminal. They brought stairs out to the plane, and then we walked across the tarmac to waiting busses that took us to the main terminal. From there we had our passports stamped, passed through customs, and collected our baggage. From there I was able to find the rest of the TAMU group (I was accidentally stopped by another person from A&M wondering if I was part of the group going to Africa). To my relief, I wasn’t the last one to the meeting area, making everyone else wait. Unfortunately for Jooy and Mario, their flight was delayed even more.

After everyone was gathered and equipped with Euros, we followed Olivia out to the waiting charter bus to take us to the old AIB building in Bonn. The 2-hour journey was quite spacious compared to the plane, and most everyone slept for some of the way. Everyone woke up when we entered Bonn and crossed the river Rhine. We got off the bus and walked to the old AIB building where snacks and a phone to call home were waiting. Olivia handed out our updated schedule, maps for the railways, and our phones to use in country, and then we went downstairs to the computer lab to contact home. I first tried using the computer, but after no one could figure out how to enter the at sign (@), I gave up and just called home.

With contact made, we all went our separate ways with our host families as they came pick us up (by then it was 4pm). Jooy and I took a cab to my Host family’s house because Jooy’s family wasn’t available until Sunday. Once we were at the house, I unpacked all my junk, then spent some time talking with my host mother and one of the other tenants living here. After that Jooy, another student, and I ate a delicious dinner of chicken, rice, pasta, and some sort of tomato sauce. We also had chocolate ice cream for dessert ;).

After dinner, my host father set up Jooy’s and my computers for internet access (who knew T-mobile was German?). I was able to text my family and check my messages after 19 hours without Wi-Fi. After I’m done with this blog, I’m going to take a shower (it’s been that long since I’ve been clean, too) and head to bead (although the official sunset isn’t until 9:44, and it’ll be light for at least another half hour after that). Then it’ll be time for breakfast at 10:30 tomorrow morning; Jooy’ll leave with her host family around noon; and then my host father is planning on taking me on a tour of the city. Can’t wait!!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

My first full day in Bonn was wonderful. I had breakfast with Brian, a German-American student also living here, and then went out to tour Bonn with Werner, my host father. We walked to all the important sites I need to know how to get to for my stay here.

First we went to the nearest tram stop. Only about five minutes away, it’s easy to reach. There are also nearby shops, like a grocery store, pharmacy, and bakeries. Next we walked to Kaiserplatz, where the main train and bus stations are located. On the way we passed a Deutsch Bank, where one can exchange currency or withdraw Euros.

Next we walked to Münsterplatz, where many stores as well as the post office are located. The plaza is like the marketplace next to Munster, a large cathedral with a gold cross on top that serves as an excellent orientation point.

From there walked to the University, through the park, and to the old AIB building. I found out from Werner that the red telephone booth outside the building is an actually English and is there because of the Oxford Society also within the building.

For our return trip, we walked down Adenauerallee, which parallels the Rhine. We passed the schools Werner’s children currently attend, which were right across the street from each other and within sight of the old AIB. We turned right on Weberstraβe and made it back to the house just before it started raining again.

I got to spend a few hours relaxing after our journey, then joined the family for a snack of a delicious coffee cake around 5pm. Afterwards, my host mother, Annemarie, walked me via a different, but nonetheless simple route back to the old AIB to meet the rest of the group for dinner.

Once we were all gathered, many of the other students’ host families also stayed, we walked to a restaurant on the Rhine for dinner. Olivia very helpfully translated the all-German menu, and she, Temo, we students, many of the host families, and Dr. Wasser had a lovely dinner.

After dinner, we walked back through Bonn to Munsterplatz, the host families and Dr. Wasser heading home on their own at some point or another. We each had a scoop of gelato, thanks to Olivia, and it was delicious.

We continued on to the main bus station, and Olivia went over how to read the bus schedules. You have to know which bus number, its direction, and your stop to get anywhere successfully. From there, we all went our separate ways—either the bus, the tram, or by foot.

I was able to successfully navigate my way back to the house by foot; all I had to do was follow the tram track. Once home I answered my family’s plea for contact and pictures. Somehow I think they’re missing me more than I’m missing them… ;)

Monday, July 9, 2012

Today started with meeting the group and Olivia at the main train station and walking together to the old AIB. After she gave us a quick tour of the building, our first day of actual class began.

Olivia started us off by going through many of the handouts she gave us, including the schedule and important phone numbers. Dr. Wasser was also there, giving occasional comments about what is to come. After a short break, Fenja came in to give us our first German lesson. Most of the phrases were similar to or the same as ones Olivia had taught us back at A&M during our orientation meetings. We did learn some new things, like numbers and phrases like “I’m sorry (Es tut mir Leid)” and the response when someone asks if you speak German:  “Ein Bisschen” (A little bit).

After class, Olivia took us to the cafeteria at the court house where we ate outside on the roof with a magnificent view of the city. Unfortunately, due to security, we weren’t allowed phones or cameras, so no pictures :(. The elevator rides up and down were interesting, though, because all 11 of us fit into one car meant for a maximum of 13. When got off at the ground floor, someone was waiting to get on the lift, and she started laughing because we just kept coming. During lunch we also discussed our plans for the free weekends, many of us still undecided between France or BeNeLux for the third weekend.

When we were finished with lunch, we returned to the AIB and Maggie helped us find times for trains for our first two weekends. Once we’d done as much with that as we could, she took us on a tour of the city, pointing out all the practical places like grocery stores, places to buy credits for our phones, pharmacies, restaurants, and many other places. Finally we went to the Deutsch Bahn center at the main train station to book our trains. Unfortunately, our ideal trains were already full, but we were able to find seats on trains that still took us where we needed to be when we needed to be there…even if one leaves at 3:30 in the morning.

After that was settled, we all went shopping, splitting off into smaller groups along the way. I ended up going to H&M and Sports Arena before heading back to my host house for the evening.

I was able to write the dialogue Fenja requested before dinner, and start reading the article about Oscar Pistorius (“the fastest man on no legs”) before dinner. Afterwards, I went to meet the rest of the group at the central train station so we could walk together to the Irish pub owned by Maggie’s brother. Most of us were running, and Mario never made it, but we all had a good time.

Finally, I walked back home, in the dark (bad Katharine), but all was well. I just have to finish reading about Oscar and then I’ll head to bed…It’s almost 12:30am…

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Today started with our first actual History of Medicine class with Dr. Wasser. We talked about health care models around the world and their advantages and disadvantages. Today we mainly talked about the German health care model developed by Bismark.

Afterwards we were given a historical tour of Bonn by AIB director Dr. Zäck. He knew so much about all the old structures across the city; the tour was amazing. He explained the difference in architecture between the buildings built before 1900 and those reconstructed after WWII. We also learned about the many additions made to the Münster church. We walked along part of the old city wall, and saw one of the gates that had been moved 100 meters from its original position along the wall to improve traffic flow. Our tour ended near the old mayor’s house next to which stands, according to Dr. Zäck, the oldest building in Bonn—a pub in which Ludwig van Beethoven is said to have danced.

After lunch (I had a slice of pizza for only €0,50) we had class with Fenja. We started by reviewing our German and learning a bit more, like foods and how to say our favorite (lieblings) thing. Once we’d done enough German language studies, we watch a short children’s film about the history of Germany. It covered many things from the beginning of German history to today. We also learned that Germany vies with China each year to be the top exporter of technology.

We ended the day with a tour of the House of History (Haus der Geschichte). It covers German, mainly Western German, history from the end of WWII to present day. Dr. Wasser served as our tour guide, explaining the significance of the many, many artifacts displayed throughout the museum. He also told us what many of the exhibits were supposed to represent, like the picture-time line of the persecution of the Jews during the Nazi era. He was a great wealth of knowledge, and I’m sure we would have been lost without him because although most of the larger placards had English translations, the more common, smaller ones did not.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

We started the day at 8:45 this morning with Fenja in German class. This time we went over family members and ages, and learned about conjugating verbs.

After class we took multiple trams to reach the Köln Zoo. We had a guide lead us throughout the park, telling us about the animals and information about how they put together the exhibits and manage the animals. We saw many animals, from lemurs to tarpans to giraffes to Przewalski’s horses to hippos to flamingos and many others in between.

 At the end of the tour, we got to go behind the scenes of the Elephant house. We got to walk their indoor enclosure and see their stalls and the crush chutes they use on rare occasions. We saw the kitchen where they prepare the elephants’ food, including special nutrient pellets that are specifically prepared for the Köln elephants by a company that makes similar pellets for horses, and an enrichment station where the elephants have to reach with their trunks through a small opening to reach their hay. We also saw the command center they have were they can view every inch of the elephants’ enclosure with cameras that can swivel and zoom. Each camera records for about 24 hours, so they can review any activities of the elephants for the past day.

We also got to see two of the older elephants, a male and female they were trying to breed, up close. 

However, my favorite part of the tour was when we got to see their young 5-year-old male (Moybo?). Dennis, our elephant tour guide, showed us some of the tricks the elephant could do, including pick up his feet for the zookeepers to inspect or work on. Finally, we each got to feed him a piece of hard bread. He’d use his trunk to suck up the piece, or lift up his trunk so you could place it in his mouth; it was awesome! 

After he’d eaten all the bread, we were still standing there talking about him. He was very insistent about getting more food (he kept putting his foot up on the bar of the gate), so Dennis gave him the bucket to play with, after taking off the handle. He crushed the bucket in about 5 seconds and kept playing with it with his trunk. We even saw him playing with it about 10 minutes later on one of the cameras when we went to see the set-up.

After the wonderful zoo tour, we rushed to catch the train for the German Sports University. There visited the biomechanics and orthopedics labs and received lectures about their goals and some of the work they’ve performed in the past. They have many machines to study the way the human body moves, including force plates, ultrasounds, and a 3D whole-body scanner. We also went to one of the gyms where there were students working out and practicing for physical exams. To even be accepted to the school, you have to meet the requirements in 26 different sports.

We then took the tram back to the main part of Köln to eat dinner. We ate at a restaurant near the Köln Dom (cathedral) called Gaffel am Dom. They had delicious traditional German food and plenty of Kölsch, a type of light beer.

The train ride back to Bonn was interesting because we rode on the top level of a double decker tram. We arrived back in Bonn around 9 in the evening, passed out our souvenir Kölsch glasses, and went our separate ways until tomorrow when we return to Köln for more exciting adventures. 

Thursday, July 13, 2012

Today began with the train ride to Cologne. The tram was very crowded, so we were all spread out. We arrived in the Köln Hauptbahnhof around 9:30 and walked to the Dom. We posed for a group picture on the steps in front of the cathedral, including several jumping pictures.

Once our guide for the Köln city tour, Franz, arrived, we went down to the car park (parking garage) below the Dom to see part of the original Roman city wall. Making pit stops indoors to avoid the almost frigid wind surrounding the cathedral, we explored the city center. We learned much about the 600 year long development of the cathedral, the significance of many of the surrounding buildings, the history of Ode De Cologne, and much more. We also saw the bridge with the 1000s of locks placed by lovers, a model of the city, and the place where a wall can be built to stop flood waters reaching any of the buildings.

After the tour the group split up for lunch. I went to McDonald’s; the first time I’ve eaten at a chain restaurant from the US since I’ve been here. To me, the food was very similar except for the American specialty burgers, including the Texas Nacho Burger. We also explored many of the clothing stores and souvenir shops near the Dom.

After our free time, we went to Elde house, the former Gestapo command center and prison. The museum was by far the most personal of all we’ve visited so far. They told many of the stories of the individuals imprisoned there during the Nazi reign. Many of the etchings, drawings, letters, and comments left by the prisoners were still visible in the cells. We also learned that many of the men in leadership roles were actually professors of law, even though no law was followed in the imprisonment, torture, and execution of most of the Gestapo prisoners.

In our short free time between the Elde house visit and our next excursion, Dr. Wasser gave us an excellent impromptu tour of the inside of the Cologne Cathedral, pointing out the different ages of the stained glass windows, some of the more famous monuments, and especially the golden tomb of the three wise men. Someone even joined our group just to hear what he had to say! We then had delicious gelato and again discussed our plans for the third weekend. We also stopped by more gift shops; they seemed to be everywhere.

Our final event in Köln was the rooftop tour of the Dom. First we rode a, what I would call free-standing, elevator 20 meters up (about 65 feet). We walked inside on top of one of the shorter walls and saw the medieval drainage system still in place and in working order. We also saw the inside of the cathedral from above, giving us a spectacular view of the stained glass windows. We again rode the elevator up another 20 meters, and walked along an outdoor scaffolding to the higher walls. Inside we saw the iron replacement rafters for the wooden of the original design that were added in the 19^th century. 

We then walked through a very small door (Hobbit sized!) to a narrow walkway around the Choir of the church. The stone wall and roof on either side were very comforting, but the narrow and thin metal floor that sometimes flexed under your weight was not. The view was very incredible though. Finally we ascended as high as we could to a total height of 70 meters. The viewing area was almost like a gazebo, but with a much more impressive view than your general garden. We could see just about all of Cologne and even the seven hills (siebengebirge) in the far distance, from which the stone for the cathedral was taken. We had an awesome time taking as many pictures as we could; it was difficult to leave.

We ended our day with a delicious traditional German dinner in one of the pubs in Bonn. We had a blast, and the waiter was very tolerant of our ignorant American ways.

Friday, July 13, 2012

This morning I finally learned how to use the washer and dryer to clean my clothes. The standard wash cycle takes over two hours, much greater than the wait time I’m used to. I’m not sure how long the dryer took, but the process to start it was different. Instead of the usual one lint screen to clean, there were two—one in the usual spot at the bottom of the door opening, but it didn’t go down like normal, and another that looked more similar to US lint screens but was located in the door itself. The strangest part of doing laundry was that I had to empty a container of water from below the water. Apparently the water from the wet clothes collects there rather than draining outside like American dryers.

The rest of the morning was spent in class. First we had our last German lesson with Fenja. We practiced conjugating verbs some more and learned how to ask and answer many general questions. Then we had a double-session with Dr. Wasser. We concluded our discussion of the health care models around the world, including the UK, Canada, and Cambodia, and compared them to the United States health care plans. Eventually we made it to the off-topic discussion of physician assisted suicide legality, meaning we were unable to start the Sigmund Freud lecture, but I know we’ll get to it next time.

For lunch we went to a small Italian restaurant recommended by Dr. Wasser. Coincidentally, another student from A&M working with the AIB was also there. The pasta, pizza, and sandwiches were all delicious.

After lunch we had our pre-departure meeting for Vienna. Olivia went over some of things Vienna is well known for as well as where our Hotel is, and how to get there from the train station we arrive in from Munich. Dr. Wasser then gave us a short lecture about the Vienna Natural History Museum, including an overview of Venus figurines complete with music. Vienna is, after all, the city of music.

After a short break during which most of us packed for the next week away from our host families, six of us braved the rain to meet Ben, another AIB student worker, for a tour of Old City (Altstadt). This mostly consisted of him pointing out all the pubs around the block, but he did give us some of their history as well as some Roman history of the area. Supposedly, the original Roman city from which Bonn grew started on the same land as Altstadt. Also, the main road, Heerstraiβe, was the road built and used by the Roman army.

We spent a short time in one of the pubs, Painless, but then went home to finish packing and rest before our very early train to Munich on Saturday.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Today started out incredibly early with a train to Munich with a switch at Cologne leaving at 3:31 am. We all braved the dark, cold, and rain to meet at the hauptbahnhof early to take the tram on the half-hour trip to Cologne. Then we changed trains, very easily, to ride an ICE train to Munich. We actually had two 6-seat cabins to ourselves on this faster train. It was very nice, but since it was 4:30 in the morning, most of us just slept.

When we finally made it to Munich, it was about 9:30am. We bought passes for the Munich tram system and headed to our hostel. We checked in, but had to put our bags in a storage room because we couldn't go to our rooms until that afternoon.

Once we were all situated, we took the tram to the city center. We walked around a while, eventually stopping at a coffee shop. There we decided some of us would take a bike tour while others preferred a walking tour.

I choose the walking tour, so I and the others with me had some free time before the tour started. We visited a few of the shops near the plaza where we were supposed to meet.
In the square a huge celebration, Christopher Street Day, was occurring. There were tons of people everywhere, carts, and even a parade. After a struggle to find our guide through all the chaos, we finally started the tour.

Our guide, Marcin, was incredible. He told us about many of the most popular buildings and shops, a lot of obscure facts about the city and its history, and he made it enjoyable for the whole four hours. We saw the bell that was rung to signal the prostitutes and witches to attend mass and the cannonball still stuck in St. Peter's church, a sign for dog parking, Maxamillionstraße where all the "Shicky-Mickies" shop, many lion statues, the royal palace, and much more.

After the tour we five walked around some of the shops we'd seen on our way and made a reservation for dinner at Augustiner am Platzl for the whole group. Then we rested on couches in a Starbucks.
Dinner at the Augustiner was just as great as both Dr. Wasser and Marcin had told us. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed, the waiter was very nice, going very helpful suggestions, and the food was great. I also tried apfelschorle for the first time--the sparking apple juice was great, and I'm definitely getting more.

After dinner we journeyed to the Hofbrauhaus, home of the famous liter beer mugs. Although I don't drink, I had a great time. The atmosphere there was much louder and more exciting; they even had a traditional Bavarian band playing.

After much beer, an apple strudel, and a heated discussion about where to go next, we finally made the trip back to the hostel safely. After some time on the free Wi-Fi in the lobby, we all headed to bed so some of us could wake up early in the morning for the train ride to Neuschwanstein.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Today started with a frantic rush to get to the hauptbahnhof in time for the train to Neuschwanstein. I forgot to grab my Eurail pass, so four of the six of us going only made it to the train station with 10 minutes until the train left. Then we had some trouble coordinating a meeting place and finding the platform. Luckily, we all made it on the train with a few minutes to spare. The almost 2-hour trip was very beautiful traveling through the German countryside, even if there was a momentary scare when Mario realized he forgot his pass. In an amazing stroke of luck, even though they checked tickets, he was skipped and not penalized.

Once we made it to Füssen, the train stop closest to Neuschwanstein, we walked the very adorable Bavarian town. There was a small market with shops selling all kinds of handmade things like clay figurines, pottery, wood sculptures, and even brushes made with real hair.

We ate an early lunch at a lovely cafe where they had a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet. The Bavarian pretzels there were amazing--warm, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, salted, and not too thick or heavy.

After that we took a bus closer to the castles. After a trek and twenty minute wait, we had tickets to both castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. While we waited for our tour time, we looked around the various gift shops and took numerous pictures of the castles, mountains, and lake.

We walked the scenic route up to Hohenschwangau, taking even more pictures. The tour inside allowed us to view many of the extravagant gifts given to the Bavarian royalty between about 1860 and 1900. Almost everything was plated in gold and hand crafted in excruciating detail. There were also romanticist murals covering just about every wall.

To get to Neuschwanstein, we trekked up the mountain for about 30 minutes. The journey was tiring, but the views along the way were amazing. Although half of the castle was being renovated and was covered in scaffolding and plastic, the parts we could see, with the mountain background, were beautiful. On the tour inside the castle, we only saw a few rooms, because only those few were ever finished. König Ludwig, responsible for ordering the construction of the two castles, died "under mysterious circumstances" (our guide yesterday said he drowned in 50 centimeters of water with his doctor). The rooms that were completed, though, were magnificent. There were detailed murals everywhere, elaborate golden chandeliers, marble columns with stone carvings, and intricately carved wood furniture. Even though Ludwig only lived in the castle for 167 days, he lived in style.

The trip back down the mountain was much easier than the way up. We even took a shortcut through the woods. While we waited for the bus back to Füssen, we met two guys backpacking across Europe; one was from Massachusetts.

Once back in Füssen, Mario bought his ticket for the return train, and we all spent the hour we had to wait for said train playing on the local playground.

The first train we rode back toward Munich was rather disgusting, but the beautiful view made up for it in spades. The second train was much nicer,but, unfortunately, only half of us were able to find seats. Mario, Michelle, and I made the way back standing, but we had a nice time chatting.

After finally reaching Munich, we took the tram back to the hostel where everyone rushed to use the wifi and meet the four that stayed in Munich. We split up after that; some going to bed and others sticking to the Internet before heading up to the rooms. Hopefully we all get enough rest tonight so we can make our train to Vienna tomorrow morning at 7:27.