Week 4-Part 2

I have mixed feelings about trains. As convenient as it is to hop on a train or bus and relax while it takes you to your destination, it sure is a bummer when they don’t go according to plan. We just left Norderney to start our second to last weekend in Europe. This week was definitely my favorite so far. Our week began with a visit to the Haribo outlet store. I never really appreciated the term “like a kid in a candy shop” until fifteen college students were turned loose in a store full of every kind of Haribo under the sun. All of my friends and family back home have a whole lot of delicious gummy bear treats to look forward to. On Tuesday we visited the anesthesiology museum with Dr. Stoeckl. As a surgery technician I found many of the items in the collection interesting. Since I mostly experience surgery as it applies to the equine world, I thought many of the machines we encountered seemed rather small compared to what I am used to. Though the tour was a little long and tedious, Dr. Stoeckl was a charming gentleman and had a lot of interesting personal insight into everything we encountered since he was the reason for the museum’s existence.

In phase two of this week we made our way to Hannover. Our visit to the MHH and Axolotl research center was by far my favorite activity so far. At the MHH we met with a cardiac surgery resident who taught us about heart assistance pumps. She explained that these pumps allow blood to bypass a part of the heart that is no longer accomplishing what it needs to because of disease, trauma, etc. I find it incredible that modern medicine has the ability to use these devices as well as heart transplants to improve and save people’s lives. We even had the opportunity to talk with some of the patients there. The first man we met had a great outlook on the whole situation; he even named his machine “Maria.” He let us listen to the pump, which makes a continual soft whirling sound instead of the characteristic “lub dub” that we are accustomed to. Another fascinating feature of this machine is that the person has no readable pulse since the pump provides a consistent instead of pulsing flow. After the MHH, we visited the axolotl research center. Axolotls have an amazing ability to regenerate limbs, spinal tissue, and several other regions of their bodies which makes them useful for research in trying to accomplish the same result in humans. It would be quite a feat to be able to regenerate the skin of a burn victim or the lost limb of a traumatic accident. It is also worth mentioning that the axolotls are absolutely adorable; they look like smiling aliens. I will definitely be looking into a pet axolotl when I return home.

On Thursday we headed to Norderney for some nature-filled excursions. This time around I was happy to be on a bike instead of on foot for the amount of travel we did. The highlight of the day was mudfluthiking. After shedding our shoes we trudged into the tidal flats, which at first glance looked like just a bunch of mud.  It didn’t take long with Mr. Rahmel to realize the amount of life below our feet and above our heads. We observed crabs of several varieties, worms, mussels and all kinds of birds. The tidal flats and salt marshes were truly unique ecosystems to experience. This morning we continued to experience the natural flora and fauna of Norderney. We learned about the development of the island and the incredible biodiversity that needs to be preserved on the island. We even saw one of only a few mating pairs of a very rare bird species on our adventure. Finally, we visited the IFR clinic. When we talked about these types of clinics in class, I was a bit dubious about the effectiveness of what I viewed as a spa. After learning more about the clinic, doing some rock climbing, and experiencing the benefits that the natural healing powers of the island itself have to offer I can see why this unique type of clinic has a place in modern medicine. I keep thinking I just might have to give it a try!

Right now I am on a train bound for Bonn since I made the stupid mistake of leaving my Eurail pass behind. I am bummed to be missing Amsterdam but I am looking forward to the adventures to come. Until next week, tschüss!