Berlin

*This post was written on Tuesday, August 5th*

Tomorrow I will be flying back home to Texas. I just typed that sentence, said it out loud, and it still hasn't sunk in. These past 5 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity and usually when I've gone on extended trips, at the end I feel like it was "just yesterday" that I had arrived. However, with this program, I haven't felt any "just yesterdays" all that much. We've had so many experiences, met so many people, and have walked so many miles that I've felt like I've spent a couple months or even a year here. I've tried my hardest to live in each moment and remember all of these experiences so that I don't live with the regret that I didn't do this or that while here. And now, the day is here to pack up my bags and return home and I've got to say that I'm happy that it didn't feel like these weeks went by in the blink of an eye because they were truly savored.

Cooking in our hotel room!

Since Saturday morning we have been in Berlin and as usual, each day has been packed with activity. On Saturday afternoon, I went on a double-decker bus tour of the city and made mental notes of places I wanted to see in person and spend time at whether it be in the next few days or in the future if I were to return to the city since we truly would have a short time here. Ultimately I saw the wall, the parliament building, and the largest department store in Europe. Next time, I want to visit the House of Terror and smaller monuments around the city. On Saturday evening, Katherine, Nishah, and I went grocery shopping and cooked fajitas in the kitchen of our apartment-style hotel room, which is something we all really needed! I can't wait to return to Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican food back home!

The Brandenburg Gate

We visited the parliament building on Sunday morning, called the Reichstag, and in the afternoon we visited the remains of Sachsenhausen concentration camp for a guided tour. The Sachsenhausen tour was emotionally taxing, especially because of the connections I made to my research on Nazi medical experiments and the interviews I watched of Holocaust survivors. 

On Sunday evening, Nishah and I visited my mom's cousin and his family in a village just outside of Berlin for a lovely home-cooked meal. I learned that he had lived there since the 80s and experienced the fall of the Wall and got to poke his mind about various topics such as safety in the modern city and the Stasi's activities thirty years ago, since I had just watched The Lives of Others at an AIB movie night. Afterwards, he dropped Nishah and me back off at the hotel and along the way he basically gave us his own tour of the city, which was quite nice. When I travel outside of the States again, I want to stay with locals and experience their hometowns through their eyes.

"Marly" cake at the KaDeWe

Yesterday morning we toured the Otto Bock exhibition center and learned about advances in medical protheses through interactive galleries. During our free afternoon, some of us visited the largest department store in Europe, the KaDeWe, and had desserts at the gourmet grocery store near the top of the tower. This was hands down the second best cake I've had in my life, the first being that at the chocolate factory in Cologne. Afterwards, we visited the East Side Gallery and saw some pretty amazing artwork by commissioned artists along the remaining wall. The girls and I then went shopping for the last souvenirs and returned to the hotel to study for today's final exam.

Practicing my intubation skills at the Charité

This morning we visited the Charité Learning Center at the Medical University of Berlin and got to play around with some of the equipment they use to tutor medical students such as simulation mannequins and suturing kits. In the afternoon, we toured the Medical History Museum of Berlin and had our final exams. The museum is now on my list of favorite museums to visit along with the Fool's Tower in Vienna. The collections were pretty interesting including a large collection of gall stones and preserved anatomical specimens. After the final exams, we had a little bit of downtime before dinner. I just got back from an amazing group dinner at a Moroccan restaurant called Kasbah. I had a chicken tajine stuffed with dates and spices as well as plenty of appetizers and dessert. I'm surprised to have found Moroccan food to be my favorite cuisine over here of all places!

Now I am preparing to return home and so many emotions are coursing through me. I am more glad than I have ever been about a decision in my life that I went on this study abroad trip because I have learned so much about myself and my interests. When I return home, I will undoubtedly be gushing about this program for a very, very long time.

And now, my official Auf Wiedersehen to Deutschland and Thanks and Gig 'em to the AIB, Dr. Wasser, and my classmates for making this trip amazing!

Elisa Vengalil '16