Let the good times roll.....in America

The return from Vienna was a very very long one. We were awake at five in the morning to grab the train back to the airport (Thank god I did not get us lost....I think I may not have survived the ridicule lol). We then flew for a good 24hrs.  Once we arrived home I was able to see my family the first time since Thanksgiving.  After going to bed a little after midnight I awoke at 3 am, the time change really did a number on me, but by the end of the first week I was finally able to sleep in my own bed again.

Over the past few weeks it has been hard readjusting to real life.  I have literally never felt so alive, and now altering returning to the United states I realize just how different and boring the culture is in the United states compared to the rest of the world.  I know that I was not in Germany long, but I feel as though a piece of me is missing and I can not wait to return to Germany, Europe, or anywhere besides here.

I would say the thing I miss most about Europe is the being able to walk and use the public transpiration.  It was really hard to get back to using my bike and just riding the bus around campus.  I felt like I was exercising everyday while we were in Europe and we were always eating somewhat healthy, but when I got back to the states and got back to work with school it was junk food here and there as well as being lazy and just riding the bus around campus. Another thing that I miss dearly about Europe is the culture here in college station all you have is the aggie spirit and while it is something that I hold dear to my heart I miss being able to walk down the street and see a beautiful church or an awesome museum ( to even come close to one here you would have to drive an hour to Houston).  The last thing that I would say I miss is being able to hear Dr. Wasser lecture.  He is one of those people that love what they do and it really comes across in his lectures and teaching. I miss his little tie bits of information like his story of the seal that has 7 tears to signify the tears of 50,000 virgins.  The story was just so cool and right after I got home I told my friends about it because the history behind the places we went was just so amazing.

I would just like to thank Dr. Wasser and Olaf for everything they did, if they had not had the patience they had with us we would not have been able to learn all the things we did and I would not be the person I am today.  I would also like to thank them because after learning everything that I did, I am now completely sure that medicine is the field I want to go into, I had been wavering and deciding whether or not it was actually what  I wanted to do, but now I know without a doubt it is what I will spend my life doing.

As for traveling in the future I will be going to Columbia for Spring Break 2015!!! So I hope you know the drill, but if not let the good times roll till next time Germany!!!!

Novice world traveler here

The transition from living it up abroad to the daily routine of college life was mind boggling. I remember the first day of class looking over at Jessica and saying, “Can you believe we were in Vienna 24 hours ago?” I didn’t even begin to realize how much our adventure impacted me until I first started to notice little things. I had to stop myself from saying danke instead of thank you, or driving to class I found myself wondering where the train to ETB was (or should I be walking, it’s probably only takes 10 minutes) or realizing I wasn’t craving sprite, I wanted “Lift”! Even In casual conversations I would find myself saying something along the lines of, “Oh that reminds me about this time in Germany when...” And I’m not going to lie, saying that made me feel prettyyyy cool. Don’t mind me, just a world traveler over here!

But it wasn’t just a cool thing to brag about or a check off my bucket list. Studying abroad honestly was a life changing experience for me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I took away from this amazing experience but I tried to pick out 3 thing that really stuck with me...

First of all, who knew how awesome Germany is? Whenever I hear people talk about where they want to travel it’s generally countries like France, Spain, or Italy. But traveling through Germany was amazing. There is history literally everywhere whether its cities that survived the war, a house that used to be a gestapo prison, a cathedral that was built over a 600 year time frame, or Roman ruins, seemily under ever road and building. Dr. Wasser led us on a tour through the History Museum that was so interesting and detailed we had Germans tagging along to get a little of the knowledge downpour.  And I can’t say how great Germany was without mentioning our favorite German and program coordinator, Olaf. The trip would not have been as memorable without him.

Secondly, let’s be real, the US is not all that great. That sounds so unpatriotic but that’s not the point! There is so much American pride, not to mention Texan pride, but now I know we don’t necessarily have the best and only way of doing things. My favorite lecture of Dr. Wasser’s had to be the one about the American healthcare system compared to those in different European countries. There can be a hundred different perspectives and it’s important to try and consider them all. I want to say I am better about keeping an open mind since being back.

Lastly, our trip has been such an eye opener to me about how rewarding traveling is! This was my first time out of the continent. I knew I would have a good time but there’s no way I could have anticipated the actual experience. Now I have five countries down, how many more can I visit? I have been inspired and have made a point to make traveling a goal in my life. There is so to learn and so much to see and I want to experience it all! I am so grateful for this amazing experience, the great friends I made along the way, and Dr. Wasser and Olaf for making it possible.

So with that being said, who’s ready to go back to Europe with me?