I entered the last week of the program excited for Berlin, yet also a little depressed that the program was coming to an end so quickly. We had a direct flight into Berlin, which was nice. However it was a little hectic trying to get to the hotel from the airport. But it all worked out in the end, we dropped off our stuff and headed out for the bike tour! I was a little nervous going into the tour, because I had an image in my head of weaving in and out of tourists on sidewalks. However, it was much more relaxed than that. Sion was wonderful and really made everything very interesting! I thought the statue he showed us of the mother holding her dying son was extremely powerful. After the tour, some of us went and had an authentic German dinner (which we were all craving after a weekend full of Italian food).
Tuesday, we started off in the Reichstag. I was a little intimidated by the security measures we had to go through, but it was worth it! I really liked the architecture of the buildings, the juxtaposition of old and modern styles. Then we went to Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp. That was a really strange experience, to stand on that ground and imagine what all those people went through. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but I'm glad that I saw the camp.
Wednesday, we went to the Charite learning center. We met with two current medical students, and they explained the program they participate in, where older students assist younger ones in learning important medical procedures. It sounds like a great program to me, and I believe it's really important to have hands on experience. The simulators they had were very interesting. We were able to experience hand tremors and what it feels like to be old, which i think would really help you sympathize with your patients. Then we auscultated a dummy and performed an intubation. As a 'House' fan, I have seen countless intubations before, so it was exciting to actually be able to perform one, even if it was just on a dummy. We then went to the Charite museum. It was pretty small, but the enthusiasm of our tour guide more than made up for that!
Thursday, we went to Leipzig, which might have been my least favorite place we visited as part of the program. The kidney center was interesting since our device design project for the previous semester had been to design an artificial kidney. Next we went to the pharmacy museum. I enjoyed getting to interject with some of the older tools. After that we took a city tour. I had no idea that Bach was buried inLeipzig, so it was a bit of a surprise to walk into a church and see his burial place.
Friday, we took a trip to the Ottobock center, which was incredibly cool. Even from the outside, the place was impressive, and once you entered, it was full of interactive exhibits. As a biomedical engineer, prosthetics are really intriguing to me, and it was amazing to see the technology that they are developing. We ended our final day in Germany with a delicious Moroccan meal! I can't believe that the five and a half weeks are already over. I have had such an amazing experience. I've seen things I will never forget, learned things about myself, and met some wonderful people! I am so grateful that I took the plunge and came on this study abroad program, and it is an experience that I will highly recommend to anyone who will listen!
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