The Final Week in Bonn (Another Bonn Adventure)

Guys, we are almost done with our last week in Bonn! I cannot believe how fast this adventure has been going. This week was full of interesting classes and epic adventures. On Monday, we had some lectures and visited the Organ Factory. The Organ Factory showed us the many steps that went into creating an organ and I didn't realize how much wood actually makes up the organ. I personally thought there was going to be more metal in the construction, but I was wrong there. I thought the organs were beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the different steps in the organ production line.

On Tuesday, I was in the first group of students to go shadow surgeries at the hospital. This wasn't my first time watching surgeries, but this was my first time watching one in a foreign country. I was the last person placed in a room, so I was by myself which at first was a bit scary. However, it turned out just fine. The Anesthesiologist I watched during the surgery was actually married to a Texan, so you never know who you run into. The surgery I watched was about placing a cage-like device around one of the vertebrates in the lumbar section. The cage was connected to a pump to help with the patient's pain and the patient was able to control the pump, so the patient could control their pain levels. I haven't seen a surgery quite like this so it was an interesting experience. I also had a medical student with me who spoke excellent English and he was able to translate a lot of the information. He even showed me some of the medical cabinets filled with equipment and explained their purpose. I didn't do much in the surgery compared to other people, but I was able to help move the patient from beds, so I was a bit helpful. I learned a lot that day and I was truly an exciting day. On Wednesday, we had our Rhine river excursion. I personally enjoyed the lazy river cruise because it was relaxing and we had beautiful scenery. I liked how some people took their shoes off and enjoyed the ride. I can see why this is popular because I can see myself doing this again. It is nice to enjoy the view, but also travel to different spots on the Rhine. We also visited a museum and castle that day. The castle itself beautiful and I loved how we traveled through small tunnels in the castle.

I was extremely happy that I brought a fan with me since it was very hot that day and I fanned myself and many other people. I think at least three people called me a saint that day. On Thursday, I had some lectures and I was very lazy that afternoon. I guess I got tired from all of the traveling we had and wanted a bit of a break. On Friday, we had some lectures again and traveled to the Cologne Zoo. A lot of people were excited about this because we were told we could pet elephants. This excursion did not disappoint us. We had an excellent tour around the zoo and visited many creatures like camels, meerkats, and even raccoons. I was surprised there was raccoons in the zoo, but they told us it was for education purposes since many people do not know raccoons like we do back in the States. The big final on our tour was the elephant house. We visited with some zoo keepers and they explained some of the daily routines they have to do with the elephants. Later on, we formed a "line" and fed an elephant some bread. During the elephant feeding time, a baby elephant came up to the side and looked so sad. I think half of the group went "aw" during that moment. To be honest, I was one of those people. After our time with the elephants, our tour was finished. However, several of us decided to stay and look at more parts of the zoo. We were able to see the seals and they were quite adorable. After that, we all heading back to Bonn to start our last full weekend in Germany. I hope everyone had a fun week like I did and have a fantastic weekend.