Physicians, Paris, and Purses

This week was a weird one in Bonn, as it was the marker that we were officially halfway done with our time in Europe. It has felt like the quickest, longest period of time I have ever experienced. I feel like leaving my parents in Frankfurt to start the program was maybe two weeks ago, NOT FOUR!! So, to commemorate this turning point I thought I would compile a Love it or Miss it list from my time in Europe so far!

LOVE IT                                                                    MISS IT

Walking everywhere                                                  Tex-Mex, specifically queso

Learning/Trying out my German                               Being able to fluently communicate

Biergartens                                                                 My friends and Family

$2 Sandwiches from the Market                                FREE WATER

GELATO                                                                    My parents paying for things

Haribo                                                                         ^(@ fellow students- you’re thinking it too)

Visiting a different country every weekend               Sleep, lots of sleep

Delicious tap water                                                    AIR CONDITIONING

Not having to add tax to the listed price                    My crazy doggo

This week in Bonn we had the amazing experience of getting to shadow anesthesiologist at the local teaching hospital. All the students got broken up and sent to different operating rooms, to observe the surgeries that were to happen that day. I was assigned OR number 4, and when I walked in that morning, I was terrified. I had done shadowing before, but never in a German hospital, which is a completely different experience. When I arrived, four nurses were quickly working, speaking to each other in German. They seemed busy, and I didn’t want to distract them from their job, so for 20 minutes I awkwardly stood there, silent. Finally, there seemed to be a pause in their work, and I was able to ask if anyone spoke English. Instantly they all laughed, and responded in perfect English “Why did you not tell us! We couldn’t figure out why you weren’t responding to our questions!! We thought you spoke German!!” (Note to self: speak up early that you don’t speak German)

The first surgery I got to see was a heel reconstruction, being performed by the head orthopedic/trauma surgeon. As students, we were supposed to stay near the anesthesiologist, observing the surgery from a distance, but talking to the surgeon before the surgery I expressed my interest in orthopedics, and he offered to have me stand next to him throughout the surgery. It was a truly amazing experience. I got to watch a four hour reconstruction surgery right over the surgeon’s shoulder, with him explaining what he was doing to me the entire time. The most interesting part of the surgery was how much problem solving had to take place. Going into the surgery the surgeons knew there would be complications, so getting to watch and see how they reacted to the different problems was so interesting. It was a successful surgery and an experience I will never forget.

This weekend we got to go spend some time in Paris, and wow what a beautiful city it is. We

put on our pyscho tourist personas and saw as much as humanly possible- Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame, Louvre and much much more!! I think my favorite area in Paris is the region around Notre Dame. I loved the area, and we visited Shakespeare and Co., a famous bookstore which was truly breathtaking. The amount of crepes I ate was truly astounding, and I have absolutely no regrets. We took a Fat Tire bike tour around Paris, and got to end with a river cruise. It was probably my favorite thing in Paris, a great way to see the sites and so fun.

Unfortunately, our weekend took a tragic turn, when my dumb self left my purse on our train back to Bonn.  (***sorrowful music***)  On the bright side, I had my phone and most importantly my passport on me!!! That did not stop me however from making a panicked, tearful call to my dad freaking out because “OMG MY PURSE IS ON A TRAIN THAT IM NOT ON WHAT DO I DO!!!” (so sorry dad). I am happy to report though, that my purse has been turned in and I will hopefully be reunited with it in the near future.   Shout out to DeutscheBahn, non-stealing fellow passengers and overcoming language barriers.