Only one Week Left :(

It's unreal how fast this program has gone. Things are starting to slow down and I'm very sad to leave, although I am ready to see my loved ones from back home. This week we had to catch up on class a little bit. I don't mind since it's because of the extended excursion to all the wonderful places we just got back from.

I spent another day in Cologne. First we went to the zoo to see the animals. Zoo's normally aren't really my thing. I just feel like its blistering hot and the animals just sleep. The weather was nice and we got a special tour so it was awesome! I loved going behind the scenes and feeding the elephants. I got to feed them and pet them with the other hand. I don't know what I was expecting elephant skin to feel like. I knew it was rough but you just can't explain it until you actually feel it. probably 6 or 7 elephants came up to say hello. It was very very cool! Their trunks were slimy from I guess putting food in their mouth and feeling them suck the bread out of my hand was something I never though would happen. We went to see the gorillas as well. Our guide had a very special relationship with a few of the monkeys so things got a little lively! This one monkey he raised since birth so she ran up and was blowing kisses and putting her hand on the glass where his hand was. It was really adorable. She also tries to give him a branch to rub his scent on and give it back to her. The other male monkey would get upset and try to I guess protect his mate and kept running into the glass to attack the guy. Another monkey was showing off and grabbed a huge branch and started running around with it. That is for sure the most entertainment I have ever gotten out of a zoo!

We went to uniclinics this week as well. I got to see prostate removal. It was all done endoscopically and was neat to watch on the screen. It took two and a half hours which to me seemed like a long time. It honestly wasn't the most exciting surgery in the world but the experience of getting to stand in an OR room was incredible. Being and engineer that wasn't something I was very actively pursuing but maybe I should have. It would be interesting to see a doctor implant one of the possible devices I could be working with in the future.

Today we hiked up to a castle. The castle was really cool and my favorite part of the day for sure. I thought it was kinda funny that our tour guide had us go underground and into this very short, skinny, slippery, and dark hallway all just for fun. I was expecting there to be something really neat waiting for us on the other side and to my surprised we resurfaced above ground and were exactly in the same spot we had been previously. We literally went in a circle underground. The views were outstanding and I guess I was surprised how many castles were still left in the whole Rhein area. Everywhere I turned there was another one and then another one.

I absolutely love this trip and am so glad that I made the decision to come abroad! I can't wait for Berlin, but I am very sad that it means our trip is coming to a close.