Week 1 - Hallo from Bonn!

Hallo from Bonn!

Adapting to Change

I have been in Bonn nearly one week. So far, I have learned lots about Germany, others, and myself. The first few days were challenging in dealing with jet lag and adjusting to a new schedule. In the past, I have had trouble adapting to change, but this time was a bit easier. It is so nice having Trinity and my fellow host home sisters to figure things out with! Our first challenges included adapting to our host home, learning to use public transportation (in German of course), ordering food and making purchases, and scheduling free time. All of these mundane, daily tasks took on a greater meaning this week. Humility is crucial, and it is essential to rely on others and ask for help!

Our Host Home Familie!

Trinity, Grace, Lily, and myself live with Mutter (our host home mom) in her neighborhood of Hozlar, which is across the Rhein from the university. Her house is huge! Trinity and I share a room upstairs, while Lily and Grace share a room in the basement. Mutter has really eclectic decorations and lots of natural light in the home. There is no AC here - the windows are always open unless it is cold at night. This reminded me of California homes. Trinity and I share a bathroom, and it is quite different from the bathrooms in the states! Germans are very conscious of how much energy they use (this has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine), so the shower consists of one handheld nozzel. Mutter rents out one room in the basement to a woman and one room upstairs to a man named Jonas (we have not met either of them - we jokingly refer to them as 'the man upstairs' and 'the woman in the basement'). 

Mutter is so sweet and helpful. She makes us dinner every night after class, and all five of us sit at the table for hours and chat. She does not like to waste food at all, so we have to stuff our faces with German staples such as spätzle, schnitzel, and fresh ederberries (strawberries). She used to be a German teacher and teaches us common phrases and words. We quickly realized that Mutter knows best - all of her recommendations are the best! She knows all the best bus stops for our travels, bakeries to get fresh bread and coffee, and biergartens to relax at on the Rhein. 

Living with Trinity has been so fun. I feel relaxed and calm navigating a new place alongside her and our other Schwestern (sisters), Lily and Grace. We have had limited cell service, so each time we go out in Bonn, all we end up doing is drinking a Kolsch and talking. I have been enjoying all of our funny, deep, and bonding conversations immensely. 

Classes

So far we have had four History of Medicine lectures from Dr. Wasser. They have been extremely thought-provoking and informative. Particularly, I find it intriguing that the entirety of the history of medicine is deeply intertwined with religion. It was not until the modern times that experimentation and secular medicine dominated the practice. Either way, the lectures have been wonderful. Trinity and I immediately dissect the philosophical, theological, and moral implications of all that we learn after class as we walk through Bonn looking for lunch. Additionally, Dr. Wasser loves Tai Chi, so we have been learning that practice as well. He also brings his golden retriever to class. She is sooo cute and reminds me so much of Roux. We have had one German class to learn basic sayings, and next week we begin Applied Pharmacology with Dr. Fajt. I cannot wait to keep learning!

Some of our Adventures!

This week has been the week of trying all the foods and drinks of Germany. Each class day lends us an hour for lunch, so we have been eating at new places in town each day. We've tried pasta, bakeries, currywurst, and gelato. We have also had many beers at Pendal (our favorite spot) and sangrias on the Rhein. 

In addition to getting settled in our new host home, we have explored a lot! We went to the Bonn Street Food Festival and got yummy sandwiches (followed by gelato at Teatro), and we went hiking in the middle of nowhere (some town that is named something along the lines of Margaritaville lol). The hike was SO much fun - we went with lots of the girls from our program. The nature was peaceful and divine. 

Trinity and I have been spending lots of time praying at Bonn Münster, the cathedral in Bonn. There is a crypt with perpetual adoration right next to our university. I love that I can practice my faith even in the most random place across the world. This Sunday, we went to mass at noon and celebrated Pentecost. The mass was all in German, but it was incredibly beautiful. During the psalm, rose petals were released from the ceiling! I felt so in awe of our faith.

Danke!

I cannot wait to see what the next days have in store! This upcoming week, we are going to an opera, travelling to Cologne, going on a Pub Crawl, and of course spending more time getting to know each other and ourselves better.