I cannot believe our last week in Germany is already over! It was
so amazing to enjoy our fifth and final week of our study abroad in Berlin,
probably the most well-known city in Germany.
We arrived in the city from a miserable train ride from
Switzerland--the duration was ten hours and we had a four hour layover in an
outside train station in the middle of the night. It was so relieving to
finally set our luggage down at Hotel Alex, knowing that we would have a stable
abode again for the next few days. We immediately went into the city to go on
the Fat Bike Tour of Berlin! This bike ride was quite different from the time
we biked along the Rhine River; it was actually a little scary having to maneuver
through crowds of people and moving cars compared to cruising along the Rhine
and enjoying the breeze. Our tour guide took us to some important landmarks in
Berlin, many of which had to do with World War II of course. After the war and
the split/reunion of the Berlin, the city has a lot of history behind itself
and it’s amazing to see it now thrive as Germany’s largest city. Though it is
considered the “New York” of Germany, Berlin wasn’t what I had exactly imagined
in my mind. There weren’t many skyscrapers, or huge “city buildings” as most
Americans are used to seeing in New York; the city itself is actually rather
dirty. But nevertheless it was fun to explore the city and go souvenir shopping
during our free time.
On Tuesday, we toured the Reichstag building, which is used for the
German parliament. From the walls of the building to the infamous glass dome on
top of the building, the Reichstag was so beautifully and artistically made. We
then visited the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a work camp for the
prisoners during the war. Sion guided us through parts of the camp and explained
to us the purpose of each area. One of the rooms in particular was significant
to the execution of soldiers from the Soviet Union because it was surrounded by
an extra layer of brick to muffle the sound of the bullet. It was interesting
to hear about the techniques the Nazi’s used to cover up their intentions to wipe
out the human population. It’s also amazing to see all the historical evidence
kept in the area since the war. Part of the reason why Berlin isn’t completely
modernized is because a lot of the remains from the holocaust were kept as a
reminder of what the human race has done to others, and why we should never do
it again.
On Wednesday, we went to the Charite learning center, which is
used as a training lab for medical students. We had a lecture about how people
got into medical school in Germany and had a hands-on demonstration of some of
the tools the students used to aid them in their studies. We got to use a
stethoscope on a model and listen to different types of heartbeats, and also put
on gloves that simulated uncontrollable hand trembles, goggles that simulated
visual impairment, and weights that simulated old age. I do believe that
interactive tools for learning are the best ways to get students interested and
experience how the area of study is significant in the real world. Afterwards,
we went to the Charite museum where we explored the wax models as well as some
of the organs and fetuses they have obtained throughout the years. The warning
signs about the museum displays at the front office scared me a little bit, but
I found out that this museum was not much different than some of the
wax/anatomical displays we have been to in the past. We ended the day with a
couple lectures by Dr. Wasser and our oral exam at the museum. Later that
night, Olivia took us to a karaoke bar, and I must say that was the most fun I
have ever had at a karaoke!
Thursday was our day trip to Dresden. We woke up early to catch
the train from Berlin, and started our day with a tour at the War Museum. The
museum not only had a lot of interesting technology and items (including
animals) used by the soldier during the war, but also had a unique
architecture. Some of the missiles and other significant war conveyors were
suspended on a tilted wall, in such a way that it seemed as if they were
falling towards us. The top floor of the building was built somewhat unevenly
that we could feel the gravity pulling multiple ways as we were standing,
although the floor itself looked straight. Our next stop was the Hygienic
Museum, where we split up into groups to explain different parts of the museum.
If I were to choose one place I really wished we had more time at, it would be this
museum. There were so many hands-on materials that were quite informative about
the human anatomy and looked a lot of fun to play with. We ended our day with a
guided tour of the city of Dresden. Like many other places in Europe, Dresden’s
city and culture include a lot of history and interesting stories, as they were
wonderfully executed by our tour guide. I was also pleasantly surprised to run
into one of my friends from Texas in the middle of our tour! I knew she was in
Germany during my time of study abroad, but did not think that I would randomly
run into her in Dresden. Haha it was definitely one of the coolest highlights
of my day.
And before we knew it, our last day in Berlin came around the
corner. We started the day at the Dellbruck Center of Molecular Science, where
we learned and explored the different research and technology they use for
their studies. The research center entailed some of the most expensive and
high-tech machines I have ever seen. We then enjoyed our final guided tour at
the Otto Bock Center, where they had much information and displays of tools
used to aid people, especially the disabled, in their physical activity. We
discovered some super high-tech and modern machines that are used by amputees
today. It’s amazing to see that science has increasingly helped people in so
many ways, and giving the physically disabled an opportunity to perform tasks
like any other human being is a miracle that humans have created. It was
surreal to think that this was our last tour in Germany. I wasn’t even sad at
this point because it did not seem like the end quite yet.
Our farewell dinner was at a gorgeous Moroccan restaurant in the
area. From the way the restaurant was decorated to the pot of warm water the
waiter poured on our hands before eating, I was really fascinated by the
culture and style of the restaurant. The food was delicious, like almost every
other meal I have eaten in Europe. And it was bittersweet to hear Olivia and Dr.
Wasser say their final words for the trip. We exchanged gifts, and then ended
our study abroad adventure with a final night out in celebration of Mario’s
birthday!
Thank you to everyone who has made this trip so amazing: Dr.
Wasser for being such a knowledgeable professor and tour guide for us
throughout our adventures in Europe, for Olivia for being such a sweet and
helpful coordinator to all of us, and for all of my classmates for making this
trip a million times more fun than it already was. There are no words and not
enough cheese for me to describe how incredible this journey has been and how
much I have learned and experienced from the last five weeks I have spent in
Europe! Keep in touch, everyone! Tschuss and thanks for a great summer J
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