Better Late Than Never?

Despite that title sounding like a potential synopsis of my life so far (and a possible front-runner for my autobiography's title), it's actually a reference to the fact that I haven't written anything about the week preceding Vienna. Sorry about the delay, but maybe this post will have aged like fine wine thanks to it's extra marinating time.

Working in backwards order for no particular reason and not because I don't really remember what has happened because it's been such a blur, I spent the corresponding weekend in Amsterdam. Sunday was a great time, even the train ride home. In the park before leaving, Maddie Willer read some of Anne Frank's diary out loud near her hiding place. It was a unique way to experience such a powerful and important part of history. The middle of the day featured a physical and Virtual Reality of a VOC (Dutch East India Company) pirate ship, the Amsterdam. Breakfast was a stack of delicious pancakes that came recommended by the students who had visited the city prior to our small group. Saturday made me remember why I prefer to spend my time where I can see the sky between trees and not buildings. With four dead phones, no map, and just recovering from losing Blake on the way to the Netherlands, our small group took a wrong turn on the way to the Royal Palace. The day became a catastrophe very quickly, and after 9 miles of walking the wrong way down alleys, we finally found it. We called it a night by 10 so we could make the most of the next day, and it turned out to be a good decision.

The matters of the week were equally compelling. Starting the week with shadowing German surgeons throughout the day was interesting. It also led to the revelation that I might just be a cannibal. As the lymph nodes of one patient were removed to prevent the spread of cancer, I found  the removed tissue mass reminiscent of a burger, and became quite hungry. The same was true of watching a procedure performed on a gentleman's small intestine. When the pangs of hunger for a nice bratwurst began, I found myself wondering if Hannibal Lecter was really that crazy.

The lectures and excursions given by Dr. Wasser from this week were interesting as well. The topic of health care from around the world was fascinating, and learning about the peculiarities of the US was especially effective after seeing how superior systems were run. The anesthesia museum was also very interesting, from its special place in history to its degree of uniqueness in the world. The organ museum Dr. Waltz took us to was cool as well. Seeing how these various "kings of instruments" were assembled, repaired, and distributed was interesting, particularly due to the amazing facilities that the craftsmen had at their disposal.