It’s only been a few days here in Deutschland, but my tiny little bedroom in Bonn is already starting to feel like home. When my host mom Anke and her daughter Henriette picked us (Kristen and me) up from AIB on the first day, we were greeted with big smiles and hugs. Our host dad, Peter, made pasta with meat sauce and salad, the perfect meal after a long day of traveling. After dinner, I pretty much went straight to sleep.
The next day, we had our program orientation to review all the rules and important safety measures for the coming weeks. After signing lots of papers, we left on a short tour of Bonn. I’m usually a pretty terrible navigator, but I’m starting to feel more comfortable finding my way around the city, on foot at least. My bus skills still need some polishing. On the way back to our host home, Kristen and I saw a bus stop displaying our bus number, so we figured it would be fine to hop on the bus there. After about 20 minutes on the bus, I realized we were crossing the Rhine (to the side opposite our home). We consulted our trusty DB Navigator app to discover there were over 50 stops between us and our home bus stop. Oops. We made it home eventually, and learned to always make sure the bus is going in the correct direction to reach the desired location in a timely manner. After our long trek home, we were greeted with another hearty dinner: Schnitzel, potatoes, peas and carrots, and a cucumber salad. It was delicious!
On Wednesday, we started the day with our first German lesson. Mats began the lesson by having us play a card game. We split into groups and were given a couple of minutes to read over the rules. After everyone had reviewed them, the rules sheets were taken and we were told we could no longer talk to each other. A little confused on how to play still, each group played first round until there was a winner. After each round, the winner would move to a the next table. As a new person came to the table and the next round began, we all started to realize that each group was playing with a slightly different set of rules. Mats used this game to illustrate how entering a new country with different rules and limited communication can be frustrating for both the visitor and the citizens of the host country. He also taught us that the best solution is to ask questions about rules or other behaviors we don’t understand, rather than just ignoring them or trying to live in the way we’re used to at home. As funny as this silent card game was, I think the message was really important. After our short German lesson, we heard Dr. Wasser’s Hero’s Journey Lecture. This presentation made me even more excited for the next month. After a quick lunch break, we made our way to the Haus der Geschichte museum. Our tour led by Dr. Wasser was packed with tons of information, but it was all very interesting and engaging. I think this was a great activity for our first week, because I know that having knowledge of a country’s history is important for understanding and appreciating their culture and way of life. After the museum, a lot of us went to the biergarten for some refreshments. It was great to enjoy the sunny weather and spend some more time getting to know my classmates.
Finally, Thursday was our first full class day. We started the day with some physics-heavy but still interesting lectures from Dr. Waltz. I’m excited to see the real-life applications of this class when we start our site visits next week. In our History of Medicine class, we reviewed ancient theories of disease and healing along with some of the most notable diseases throughout history. This first week has been great so far and I can’t wait for the other adventures that await us!
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| Schnitzel Dinner |
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| The Rhine |
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| Host Cat Pushkin |
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