Another Week in Bonn!

So, our first full week in Bonn is complete!! We did a lot, including lectures, a day in Cologne, the Olde Town walking tour, and Beethoven's house.  I'm slowly learning the layout of Bonn and not getting lost so often, and finally have my train numbers and times memorized!

This week we started our German classes with Hilde, what a lady!  She did such a good job of introducing us to a lot of German in a small amount of time.  We also learned a lot in our History of Medicine course.  I enjoy learning about the origins of modern medicine and understanding that the way the Greeks and Romans practiced medicine still has a monumental effect on the profession today.

We did alot of things outside of class as well this week.  First thing was a tour of the House of History with Dr. Wasser.  It was really neat to see some of Germany's post war history.  All we learn about in school is World War II and that Germany was divided up between the Allied Powers.  My classes have always simply skimmed over the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany.  I liked learning more details about what life was like in a divided Germany, and what some of the repercussions have been.  On Wednesday, we went to the birthplace of Beethoven.  Although I admit I'm not a follower of classical music, it was humbling to see the birthplace of someone who has made such a significant impact on society and the world of music.  I am constantly amazed how old some of the buildings are in Europe.  I am in awe of how cathedrals and buildings that have been standing for centuries are still in use today.

On Thursday, we took a day trip to Cologne as a class.  We started out with a walking tour of the city.  There is always so much history hidden in these cities, and I love getting to hear about the significance of things I often wouldn't even notice.  We also toured the Gestapo prison of Cologne.  This was quite humbling and eery.  It touched me to read the personal stories and see the hand written notes on the walls of the cells.  We read about these things in books, but these were real people and it is sometimes hard to wrap your mind around that.  Then we went and had a private tour of the Cologne Cathedral!  We rode up in a construction elevator, which was quite frightening, then got to tour the behind the scenes part of the cathedral.  From walking around the outside of the cathedral to seeing the bells chime to getting a close up look at the stained glass windows, it was a truly once in a lifetime experience.

Overall, this week was extremely busy, and absolutely flew by!  I'm getting more comfortable with my host family, and conversation is getting easier and easier.  We are headed to Switzerland for the weekend, so see you in Vienna!