Duesseldorf Digest and Bonn Blog: Tschüss Deutschland, bis später!

I never could have imagined how impactful my six weeks in Germany would be. I was able to discover a new side of myself, form the strongest friendships, and engulf myself in many different cultures. Every single day was a new and exciting adventure, whether we were relaxing at the biergarten in Bonn or walking 12 miles through Paris. I had some of the happiest moments of my life during my time abroad and I cannot fathom how fast it went by. Before I knew it, we were at our farewell dinner in Berlin and sharing our last night out together.

Living in a foreign country and being away from home for two months came with many obstacles. I had to overcome a significant language barrier, adapt myself to the lack of air conditioning, learn how to work public transportation, and handle situations that I had never faced before. My roommate Madison and I were placed with a host mom who spoke very little English and I often found myself feeling frustrated or helpless due to our only actual conversations being “danke” or “guten morgen”. However, this allowed us to find other ways for communication and learn how to interact with individuals that come from a completely different background than ourselves. The German everyday lifestyle was also an adjustment for myself. I am the person who likes to have a detailed schedule for each day and can't stand sitting around, however this was not what happened in Bonn. I had to learn to be okay with just lounging around and not knowing what's next on our agenda. My first week indeed came with many unforeseen struggles, but that is exactly what contributed to the most rewarding experiences.

I arrived to the Frankfurt airport to meet up with 29 other students that I knew little to nothing about. I remember being intimidated and worried that it would be difficult to form friendships in such a short time. But I was so incredibly wrong. Each and every person was caring, genuine, and shared a mutual passion for medicine. Several of these people became who I leaned on, shared countless laughs with, cried with, and traveled all over Europe with. I believe that the strengths of these friendships are due to all of the memories we shared; whether that was dancing through Dublin pubs, our canal cruise in Amsterdam, or sharing countless wine bottles in front of the Eiffel tower. Not one of these experiences would have been the same without my people. During these six weeks, I learned so much about each of them and they became some of the closest relationships in my life.

While abroad it was hard to pause and realize how truly grateful I was for each day. I was able to travel to 10 different countries (Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, U.A.E., and Luxemburg) and see parts of the world that I never expected to see this young. Aside from my travels, I also had the opportunity to take courses from the most influential professors, Dr. Wasser and Dr. Fajt. Thank you both taking time to get to know us, teaching us about the diversity within medicine, and being making a foreign place seem much less foreign. Lastly, my time at AIB wouldn’t have been the same with Henning and Alexa. Both of y’all made each day and trip more memorable and I cannot thank you enough. Bonn is a city that I will forever consider my second home, even if it’s 5000 miles away.

Dr. Wasser, I can now say that I have truly seen the transformations of The Hero’s Journey. I have grown in my independence, become more culturally competent, and have developed new perspectives for my life here in America.

To prospective students: GO ABROAD, change the world, and have the world change you.

Tschüss Deutschland, bis später!