Last Week in Bonn

            Sadly, this week was the last I had in Bonn. Monday started off like a normal school day with a couple classes and a trip to the Organ Factory in the evening. Before this trip I wasn’t very interested in organs, but after seeing all the work that goes into making one I realized how cool they really are. It’s crazy to think about how long the wood is dried and aged and then even when work starts it still takes about 2 years to finish making and installing the organ. I also didn’t realize that organs are custom-made for the space they are going to—I always just assumed there were standard kinds of organs you get. The only thing I wish we could’ve been able to add to the trip was seeing the finished product and hearing it.

            Tuesday was one of my favorite days of the whole trip because we got to go to the Uniklinikum in Bonn and observe surgeries! I was placed with an anesthesiologist, Dr. Achilles Delis, who made it incredibly interactive and was quizzing me the whole time. We were working on ENT cases, so the actual surgeries weren’t as interesting as finding out about the methods of anesthesia. In fact, at one point he let me collect a vial of blood from the patient’s arm. I, of course, managed to make a fool out of myself by accidentally pulling out the line causing blood to pool everywhere, but it was still a great experience and I gave the doctor a good laugh. I’ve observed multiple surgeries but I’d never had an experience that included me so much and, consequently, that I learned so much from. I wish I had more time to go back and shadow again with him, but I’m grateful for the time I got.

            On Wednesday we went on a cruise of the Rhine. The weather was perfect, so we all piled onto the top deck and sunbathed while watching the scenery. The boat dropped us off at the base of the Rheinfels Castle, so we spent the next 30 minutes climbing up to the top. There we got to see all of the tunnels and some cool sections of the castle. Apparently one of their modes of defense was to collect urine and feces and drop it on intruders as they tried to take over the castle, so I watched what I touched pretty closely after that. There was also an observation deck that we hiked up to get a great view. We’ve seen some breathtaking views just about everywhere we’ve visited and it never gets old.

            Thursday was a more relaxed day just going to class and taking my host mother, Marita, out to dinner. She’s been incredibly hospitable and I really couldn’t have asked for a better host mom for this trip, so buying dinner for her felt good. That night I went for one last walk in the forest area behind our house and watched the sunset. I love how peaceful and cool it is at night in Bonn.

            Lastly, Friday we visited the Cologne Zoo! Being an animal science major, I could hardly contain my excitement. Unfortunately we were in a time crunch because we got there late and had to leave right after our tour ended, but it was still a great time. It was definitely a little strange that they had a raccoon exhibit but I guess to Germans they’re exotic. Hands down the best part, though, was getting to feed the elephants. We got a private tour of the back of the exhibit and then all took turns feeding and petting the elephants that would come up to the side of the exhibit. It’s interesting that they can be trained to do things like lift their legs and hold still, because I never thought about that being someone’s job at a zoo. I know how rare it was that we were given the opportunity to touch them, though, and I absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to stay in Germany and see the beautiful Black Forest this weekend!