My first week in Bonn has been absolutely amazing. It's nothing like what I imagined but in the best way possible. When we all first met up at the Frankfurt airport and had to push our suitcases to the bus I quickly realized that I was significantly overpacked (hauling a 20-pound carry-on, 50-pound suitcase and a backpack that was completely stuffed). The excessive packing was noted by my host mom when we were loading the luggage into her car when she said: "this is all for six weeks, right?". It was a little embarrassing but oh well!
The host family that Arianna and I are staying with is a very cute couple who live in a small village just across the Rhine and a little south of Bonn. When we first arrived, our host mom took us on a walk of the village and showed us some of the houses that dated back to 17th century. Overall, it is such a wonderful place to stay for the summer and I have an awesome view from my bedroom window.
The first time riding the tram to and from class was slightly chaotic because when we arrived into Bonn Hbf for the first time we couldn't figure out how to get out of the underground portion of the station up to the floor level where we were supposed to meet the group, but we figured it out thanks to Google Maps and Arianna's willingness to use her data to help us navigate our way out of our subterranean surroundings. Then on our way back home that evening, I wanted to make sure we were headed the correct direction so I asked the information desk which train we would take back to our stop. I told the two ladies at the desk the name of the stop and they insisted that there were no trains that went to our stop. When told her I remembered the route being called 66 as well she said "Oh no no, no train it is a tram". Also, side note, I have noticed that when you ask if someone speaks English, like a store worker, etc., they always say "a little" and then speak perfect English which is honestly really impressive.
The first week of History of Medicine class has been really interesting and I know that I have already learned so much. In my opinion, taking a class abroad has been much more interactive than any of the other classes I have taken in college which has made me become more interested and invested in truly learning new things for more than the sole purpose of being tested.
After class on Thursday, a small group of us took a short tram ride to Kongswinter and hiked to the top of a mountain where the Schloss Drachenburg is located. It was a pretty steep incline but the views from the top were worth every step. On that same note, one of my favorite things about Europe thus far is how much the European society is constructed around walking. It has been so nice to get to walk around Bonn, and the other cities we have visited, during the days and just enjoy being outside.
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| Schloss Drachenburg |
The trip to Bingen was stunning. Germany is tremendously rich in centuries-old history which provides an amazing location to study abroad and an environment in which there is so much to learn. My favorite part of our day trip on Friday was to Marksbrug. I have never visited a castle as old as Marksburg so the experience was definitely a unique one.
Over the weekend a group of us ventured to Brussels and Bruges, Belgium. On Saturday we walked all around Brussels looking at all of the tourist places including the Grand Place, Galeries Royales, Parc de Bruxelles, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Manneken Pis (the peeing boy) and I'm sure I have forgotten a few others. Also, while in Brussels, I ate a Belgian waffle that is comparable to a small slice of heaven. I would describe Brussels as a modern city with an obvious French influence. On Sunday we went to Bruges which had such a small town feel and was slightly reminiscent of Venice (with the canals and such). We actually ended up taking a boat tour which was very relaxing and a nice way to see the town.
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A panorama of the Grand Place in Brussels
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| THE Belgian waffle |
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| The canals in Bruges |
On our way back from our Belgian adventure we took a few different trains. This led to some minor complications during our 5-hour expedition but made for some pretty hilarious stories. See the picture below of 2 people in our group still on the train while 3 of us got off the train (oops).
Overall, my first week of studying abroad has been full of adventure, laughter, amazement, and a whole lot of gelato.
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