First Week in Bonn

Everyone who I spoke to about this trip beforehand warned me that time was going to fly by and it would be over before I knew it. It was hard for me to imagine six weeks in a new place going by that quickly, but as it turns out, they were completely right. Week one has gone by in the blink of an eye. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far, from time with my host family to just wandering through the streets. Once I met my host family, I was taken aback by how welcoming and excited they were to have a total stranger living under their roof! One by one I bet my host mom, Eva, as well as her three daughters, Tamara, Janina, and Alessa. They were all so kind and asked me many different questions over dinner about my college in America and what it was like to grow up in Texas. I've been surprised by some of the differences I have found between us, but what has struck me even more is how similar we are, despite living on opposite sides of the world! I was able to go out to a restaurant with my host family and immediately upon entering, the waitress brought me an English menu, although I still had a hard time understanding what certain foods were...However, my host family introduced me to several new foods including white asparagus that is apparently very popular this time of year. It has been so much fun interacting with them this week and I'm looking forward to more over these next few weeks.

I have also learned a lot already through what limited class time we have had so far, both from History of Medicine and Neurophysiology of Music. The trip to the House of History provided me with years worth of history knowledge that I have never learned before. I really enjoyed getting this broad picture of what has brought Germany to be what it is today, as this has helped me to understand the country's so I can better understand it today. I also loved hearing Dr Wasser's lecture on the Hero's Journey. I have never heard of this popular concept and found it so interesting and inspiring. I was moved by hearing how we as students of Texas A&M do not always do a good job of reaching out towards the "other," and am thinking of what I am do to bridge this gap when I get back home.