Goodby Bonn, Hello Berlin!

For the Days Dec 26 - Dec 30
As I write this entry I am watching the rolling green hills that comprise the German landscape from a train headed east to Berlin. The truth is that I have mixed emotions about this part of the trip because it means my days in Bonn are over. I am excited about seeing this nation's capital, but I truly enjoyed my time in Bonn and it seems as though I am leaving too soon. I enjoy small friendly towns, and Bonn is definitely the kind of city I meshed well with. An ironic fact considering how much I hated the town when I first arrived.

My first impression of Bonn was not exactly great. The plane ride was long and the cramped conditions were not suitable for a 6 ' 3'' guy, and the three crying babies certainly did not help. Needless to say, I didn't sleep. Tired and agitated as I was,  the little annoyances of Bonn really got to me. I hated that there was graffiti almost everywhere, and thought the city seemed bleak and depressing. However, after the first night I saw the city in a new light and truly started to enjoy its charm.

Our first real day in Bonn was pretty neat. We shadowed a surgery, which is always fun, and got to take a city tour and learn about a typical German's life. Personally I thought that talking to the doctors about the German medical system was the most interesting part of the day. However, I also liked hearing both Wasser and the German doctors talk about what it means to be a German. You can hear about different cultures in a classroom in America and it seems like it's not real, but in Bonn you could see the differences firsthand. For example, Dr. Wasser had told us that the education system was different in Germany and that it is really difficult to explain our system to a German, a fact I did not believe until stumbling though a half hour conversation with a German doctor about the differences between our systems of medicine. While walking home I noticed how quiet and peaceful the town of Bonn was, and that's when I started to appreciate its history and beauty. I don't know if it was because of the beautiful prince electorate palace that was converted into a University, or because of a simple telephone booth donated by England, but Bonn had a elegant feel that I had never encountered in America.

By the second day, I truly started to feel as though I fit in. I wasn't jet lagged anymore and was able to have more interactions with Germans without the comfort of the full group being with me. I seriously started to feel as though I could survive in Germany if left on my own, and even started to pick up some German. I found this interesting because I was actively trying not to become assimilated and actually came to Germany with no intention of learning any German. I think this day was the day when I started to understand that this experience was different than a normal classroom one, and then I started to embrace my surroundings and started to enjoy myself much more. In fact, I think the tour of the history of Germany museum was one of the most fun tours I have ever been on. I really enjoyed hearing Wasser talk about his theories on the German culture. I watched our German coordinator Susanne as she spoke, and her agreeing with him validated his observations in my mind. It's not that I doubted him, I just struggle to believe things I am told about other people without experiencing them firsthand.  Which is another way of saying that I could have never learned anything about the German culture without coming here.
On the third day after landing we went to Köln for the entire day. Our tour guide was fantastic and her lecture on the city's Roman history was truly fascinating. Honestly though, the thing I will remember the most is the Köln cathedral. Massive is an understatement when describing this cathedral. The guide said it was 148 meters tall with means it's well over 400 feet, and it looked even taller than that because of the wide open landscape. Unlike the Empire State Building or the Eiffel tower, this building was massive in length as well as height, which made it seem like the most incredible building in the world. It took over 300 years to complete because the town ran out of money and had to wait till they were joined with the Prussian kingdom to finish the construction. However, the city people will tell you it took so long because there were magical dwarfs who were angered because a shopkeeper's wife caught them working in the middle of the night and so they stopped working. There's nothing more I can really say about it except that it was equally gorgeous on the inside. Inside it had a golden tomb holding the bones of the three wise men surrounded by stained glass that was over 700 years old. This glass told bible stories in picture form and allowed the common person to understand the Bible without being able to read. Despite its beauty the town did have a dark past, which we explored at the house which used to be the headquarters of the Gestapo in western Germany. It was horrifying to learn how the Gestapo treated people and walking around their prison was very emotionally draining. Learning about how the Nazis manipulated the German people with as few as 100 soldiers was mind-blowing as well. And to learn that most of these Gestapo operatives were not punished for their crimes was just sickening. Honestly I think this was probably the most emotional I have ever gotten on a museum tour. Standing on ground were people actually died was overwhelming and for the first time I think I started to understand the horror of war. Still though I think Köln has been my favorite city I have seen so far, and I cannot wait to see what Berlin is like!