I survived week 1

It's been a little over a week since we arrived in Germany. So far, I haven't had a major culture shock and I'm not homesick at all. The biggest struggle is not being able to communicate well when ordering at a restaurant and not having A/C when I sleep at night. The weather has been quite chilly which I was not totally prepared for seeing as how it was super hot in Texas when I left. I love how easy it is to travel basically anywhere I want to go. 

We just finished our first excursion to Hannover and Norderney. I find it strange that you can go straight into med school from high school in Germany. It's amazing how the "artificial heart" works and how long they can last. The old man that we spoke with seems to live such a normal life as if he doesn't have a big metal object pumping blood for him in his chest. Norderney was absolutely stunning. The island was so peaceful and everyone had such a positive energy to them. I was shocked at how many elderly people were biking and much better than me too. The spa was WONDERFUL! It was nice to get to go to a place and completely relax without having to check the time or worry about tests or anything school related. It was the first time in a long time I've been totally carefree with nothing on my mind. The warm salt water was like a comfort blanket as I floated and emptied my mind of school and work. My favorite was the super salty bath in the dark cave. I almost fell asleep as I floated, forgetting about everything. The mud therapy was an interesting experience to say the least. Covering myself in mud and sitting in a steam bath sweating along side my classmates, let's just say we're all a lot closer now. I never thought I'd do anything like that but it was definitely worth it and my skin is super soft now. Thalasso therapy is a great way to relax and cleanse oneself. I was surprised on the mud walk in Norderney at how many different animals inhabited such a small area. It wasn't the prettiest site but once you understand all the different aspects that are involved in the flat, along with the tide rising and lowering, you can see the beauty in the land and appreciate its complexity. 

I spent my first free weekend traveling to Munich and Salzburg. Munich was very busy but had such old beautiful buildings and churches. We spent the day just walking around town, stopping whenever we saw something that looked interesting. There was so much history to the town, I just couldn't read all the information at the museums and churches. Today we were in Salzburg for The Sound of Music tour. It was absolutely wonderful! We got to see many of the sites from the movie as well as some wonderful views of the mountains and lakes. The lakes were so blue since they have boating restrictions on them. They're so clean you can drink straight from the lake. I don't have my computer so I can't post any pictures, but I will post a lot when I get back to Bonn. So far the traveling has been very easy and smooth so fingers crossed it stays that way! Tomorrow we head to Vienna and I can't wait to see that beautiful city!

Until next time