It has finally come; this is my
last blog from Germany. We just recently had our last dinner together and now
have gone our separate ways. Most of us will go home, but a few will stay for a
few more days on our own. I’m part of the second group and I still have mixed
feelings about it. This week for the most part was a very interesting one. For
our last week we were in Berlin, which was a great city to end our program on.
Monday we arrived midday from Rome.
It was definitely a great relief to be back in Germany because Italy was
terrible. The Italian people were rude and unhelpful. To start off our final
week we had our traditional city tour, which was the best one out of all of
them. I think it was mostly interesting because Sion was a great tour guide who
actually tried to make his tour enjoyable. Also, the fact that we were in
Berlin and had significant things to see helped a lot too.
Tuesday was split in half, as far
as fun and interesting went. The Reichstag tour for the most part was extremely
boring. The only thing that saved it was the Parliament room and the glass
dome. Our tour guide spoke too softly and only showed us three main things. The
rest of her tour was about how things used to be and not what changed and
physically left behind. However, the Sachsenhausen concentration camp was very
insightful and interesting. It was amazing to hear and see what the Nazis did
to people in those camps. Most of the stuff was terrible to the point of being
overly morally wrong. I don’t know how some of the guards and soldiers could
live with themselves after the stuff they did to other people. I think the
worse thing I saw was in the basement of the medical barracks. There was a room
used as a dissecting area, which was later changed into a kitchen. Just the thought
of that is horrible. When I first heard everything it was astonishing, but when
I left it finally hit me and became a little depressing realizing what they put
the people through.
Wednesday was another fun day. We
visited the Medical Learning Center and got to play with some of the simulators
they had and actually learn. After leaving the center I now know what it feels
like to have a tremor and how to intubation on a model. If I decide to go to
medical school I hope a center like that exists at my school because it seemed
to be very useful and practical. After the learning center we moved down the
street to the museum, which was small. However, again the guide added to the
experience by being a well-spoken and interesting person. You could tell he enjoyed
his job by how he explained the information to us. At one point I think he was
a little too happy about his job. He was too excited to tell us about the
bladder stone removal than he should have been. The last thing of the day was a
lecture by Dr. Wasser over Rudolf Virschow. It was rough getting through that last lecture because we
knew how close to the end we were, but the information itself was fascinating
as usual.
Thursday was probably the biggest
waste of time every. I did not enjoy this day at all. I would have rather had a
free day in Berlin then go back there. The kidney center was more of a tour of
the buildings then it was of the clinics themselves. I think that was the worst
designed hospital I’ve seen. They had rolling beds traveling between buildings
and through basement tunnels. Just the kidney center was in three buildings
connected by tunnels and other poorly designed walkways. Then came the pharmacy
museum. I thought the Beethoven house was small until I went to this place. The
entire museum was in three small rooms with a couple cases in each. I think the
highlight of the museum was when we go to make tea and play with the pill
press. I’m almost entirely sure I didn’t retain anything worthwhile from that
place. The final nail in the coffin was the city tour. Taking a tour of Leipzig
is like taking a tour of Bryan. There was about four main buildings to see and
all in a one mile, if that far, radius of the center. At the end of the day
Leipzig had no chance in my book because of the lack of worthwhile things.
Friday was our last day of program
and for some the last day in Germany. However, it ended on a great note thanks
to the Otto Bock center. It was a beautiful and futuristic place. Otto Bock is
the leading manufacture of prosthetic limbs, which is exactly the type of
business I want to get into. The museum was only three stores, but it had an
artistic feel to it so that its sparse layout didn’t matter. It was just beyond
words to explain for me, that’s how much I liked and enjoyed it. When
dinnertime came around we all dressed up for our last meal together. We all had
a delicious Moroccan dish, talked about how we first met, and everything we
liked on the program. It was a wonderful and sad time for all of us. We knew it
was time to go back home to the States, but we also knew we would miss our
second home in Germany.
It truly has been a wonderful time
studying abroad, learning about Germany medical history, and visiting many
historical places. It has been a life changing experience for me and it’s
thanks to a great professor and program coordinator. Dr. Wasser and Olivia did
a fantastic job being our mentors for the last six weeks. Without them this
program wouldn’t exist, so they deserve a lot of credit for all the things we
did. Dr. Wasser, you are an amazing professor, role model, mentor, and
encyclopedia. Thank you for everything you have done. Olivia, thank you for
being the worlds best scheduler and coordinator because without you we
definitely would’ve been lost multiple times, as well as not have tickets for
anything.
Well, Germany I’ve had a great time
and I hope some day I get to come back and experience even more that you have
to offer. However, the States are calling me back and it’s about time I answer
and head back home. Thanks for the great life experience…
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