Berlin's Not Ready!

This trip has been a roller coaster filled with exhaustment, but excitement! Arriving at Frankfurt was so exhilarating, and meeting the rest of the group just made it all that better. Needless to say, Germany has been absolutely outstanding.

Immersing myself into a culture and language was always on my list of things to accomplish, and I now realize how blessed we all are to be doing this together. Never before have I attempted to order food in German, or would I think to watch a classic German holiday film! Of course with my lack paying attention, I almost got lost the first night, or so I thought. As I was taking pictures of the restaurant on our night in Bonn, I realized I couldn't find anyone, even when I went searching inside the building. I asked the waiter if he spoke English, to which he replied no. I squirmed outside into another cafe, thinking I was in the wrong place. Five minutes later, I found the group in the back of the restaurant. Did I get butterflies? Yes. Will I handle that better next time? I hope so.

If there is anything that has surprised on me on this trip, it has been the history. Not necessarily the events that have taken place in the history of Germany, but how it has shaped and influenced the country into what it is today. I personally believe that Germany is one of the few, if not the only country, that has bounced back so quickly from some of its past horrendous events.  .

Köln is incredibly stunning. It is not everyday that you get to attend mass in the Cologne Cathedral! The fact that in Köln people view each other on the opposite side of the Rhine River in different ways interests me so much in how it correlates to the times of the Berlin Wall  (although the two cannot nearly be compared). The most eye opening aspect of our visit to the Köln was the Gestapo Prison. It is one of those indescribable feelings - to know that people suffered and were killed where you stood is humbling, and it forced me to count my blessings numerous times.

Visiting the Medical School in Bonn was outstanding! Although I have observed surgeries before, I had never seen them done on the throat. More interestingly was how similar the operating room was like in the United States. Obviously, science is the same, but I never realized how similar surgical culture was between any countries at all. (Although, I learned that Germany uses some anesthetics that the US doesn't!)

And off tomorrow we go to Berlin! I cannot wait to start another adventure 🚊