Hello, my name is Jonathan Brown. I know that it has been a while since I have been on the blog site, but this is my return. I just want to talk about my experience in Europe. I have to say that by far, this was one of the best times of my life. It was so worth the time. I got to meet new people, go on a midnight excursion with a European, and see a new land that I never ever imagined that a poor kid like me would ever be able to see. It was a life changing experience.
First, I would like to talk about my trip back home. This was so messed up. When I got to the airport, I was checking in and the lady said that I “did not exist.” If there is anything that has ever sought me on fire that did. It was absolutely too early in the morning (5 am something in the morning) to be telling a brother that he “did not exist” on a plane ticket that he had proof that was purchased for him by the professor himself. Then, I had to wait for a Lufthansa lady to see what was up with my ticket. Apparently, she didn’t even know either. She told me the same thing. I was just upset at this point. So, I did what a good student who didn’t want to get in trouble and bring embarrassment upon a good program, person, and university. I called the Dr. Not just any doctor, Dr. Wasser. (I learned that wasser means water in German). After a few discussions with the Dr., a calming down talk with Tarah who was so calm that morning it calmed me down, and after a Dr. Wasser phone call to the lady at the Lufthansa desk, I was on my way back to the states. Thanks Dr. Wasser, and Tarah for those long talks that morning cause I was not in the mood for an airport hiccup. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. When I was upset, I almost lost one of my bags at the airport. What happened was that I went to ask one of the guys at the cash register for change so I could call Dr. Wasser; he said he didn’t have change. So I walked off and went to ask the next guy at the next café. In this time period, I left my bag on the bench without knowing it. So, after the nice guy gave me change, I went and made the phone call to Dr. Wasser, and got my confirmed ticket to the United States thanks to the Dr. All this time, I didn’t realize I was missing my bag until I was halfway in the process of getting a ticket to the U.S. I suddenly went looking for my big bags little brother. I backtracked and retraced my steps like a man who had lost a gold nugget in 1905 in the Pike Mountains. I found it and the cops. The cops came looking for me. They asked me what my name was and everything. Unlike me reacting a little nasty to the German cops on the way back from Amsterdam, I just took it easy. I asked him had he seen a purple bag it was about yeah high, draw string, and lonely. He had, and once I found it, I embraced it gladly. The cop looked at me funny. I didn’t realize until 10 minutes later that the cops were looking for me because they thought it was a bomb. Sorry cops, no bomb here. After this, I left Tarah for my plane that I came close to missing. It turned out that I and Sarah actually came on the same plane to Germany and we only sought five rows within each other. That was cool. Anyways, the plane ride home was just relaxing. I could not wait to get home. I wanted to see my mom most of all and my family. I ended up sleeping almost the whole way home. On the way to Germany, I sought between two Lady Longhorns. The ladies weren’t that bad. I actually held a good conversation with them. It was one of my better conversations. The Lady Longhorn by the window and I talked a lot. She knew I was an Aggie, but she was cool with it. She didn’t really care a lot. She talked to me anyways. The lady in the isle seat didn’t say too much to me but she was okay. The lady by the window was a lot friendlier. Once we landed at Bush Airport, I and Sarah went to go get our bags. I got my bag first and I was going to wait for her to get her bag so she wouldn’t be alone there, but she said she was okay, so I left. After this, I meet my scholarship coordinator who brought me to the airport and took me back home. We talked a lot about the trip, President Barack Obama, and my schooling. I was happy to see my scholarship coordinator and I was glad that he remembered to come back and pick me up. For an old guy (I totally have nothing against old people at all and I don’t mean to be offensive at all) he gets around like he is 20 years old. I wouldn’t actually know what it’s like to be a 20 year old because I haven’t lived that long. I must say that when I got back to the airport, it did feel weird. All those people at the gates waiting for their loved ones and the security was all tight like prison security.
Now, to talk about my experience since I have been back in the states. When I got back to the states, all I wanted was chicken strips. I was craving strips. I actually love strips. The first thing I did when I got home was go see my brother to get the car so I could go see my mom. He ended up coming back to my mom’s place to see my mom too. My mom was excited to see me and I was excited to see her too. From here, I went to my brothers’ friend birthday party. It was a cool party. Jet lag hadn’t sought in yet though. The next day, I left and came back to Texas A&M University, got my things for school, and began to get back on the school track again. The things that got me were the wider roads, no more subways, there was no slippery ice on the road, everybody was speaking either English or Spanish, SUV’s were in full force, and I didn’t want to be around a lot of people. I actually didn’t want to be around anybody. I just wanted to get used to the scene again before I actually see anybody. These are just a few things about my re-entry into life in the U.S. It took about a month for me to get over jet lag, getting used to being around large crowds of people, going back to the recreational center and exercing with a lot of people, and seeing so many people in one place. It also took me a while to get used to seeing my friend again. It felt weird being around him for awhile. I actually like him a lot, but I don’t know what it was but I just felt different being around him. I kind of still do because from the trip, I realized that we are so different and moving apart. I actually found out that he might be leaving and it hasn’t quite sunk in, but I just don’t know what I’m going to do since we have been friends since Freshman Year. He’s the first friend I’ve had since elementary school. Anyways, I also felt weird on escalators. In Europe you stand on the right side of the escalator and let the people walking up the escalator walk by on the left side. It got me for a while, but I’m back to normal on that perspective.
This trip has also changed my way of thinking. I used to be one of those people who did not like to think about a lot of stuff because it was so taxing of my energy. Now, I just think about anything that I feel I want to. I don’t hold back on thinking anymore. I see people differently now. I used to think that people were not that interesting, but I found that every person is different and that I should get to know people better before I write them off of my list. I also learned that drinking is not bad if done in moderation and not excess. My favorite drink was the Berliner Kindle. It wasn’t like a mug of beer, but it was very good. My favorite cocktail is the San Francisco. I absolutely love this drink. Another way my thinking has changed is that I like the thought of dating. Before, I seen dating as pointless and not worth my time, but now, I have given it some thought and I just may date. You never know. I have also learned that time is of the essence and must not be waisted at all. Before the trip I used to give myself a lot of leisure time, but I don’t anymore. I have cut my leisure time in half and have devoted my time to studying more. It’s working out so far, but the ware is catching up with me and I will probably need more down time though. I have also found something that I am interested in as far as what I want to be. I have decided that I want to be a Homeopath for animals or a Botanist. I like the Homeopath idea more. Every since that lecture in class in Bonn by the special guest that Dr. Wasser provided the class, I feel like it is what I want to do. It entails everything that I want in a job and I like the idea of me being a Homeopath.
I also look at the world differently. Before I went to Germany, I thought black people and other people who were not white were looked down upon and not wanted in Germany and in Europe. I found out that Europe really doesn’t care what color you are. They are into who you are. They want to know you as a person not your superficial features. I really felt more at home in Europe than here in the U.S. I liked that idea of walking around in Europe and people not looking at me weird. I liked the architecture, operas, the rich culture, history, and the kindness of the people. These things made my experience so much better and gave me a more informed perspective on the world. I had heard stories before I left about Europe that scared me a little, but I found out that Europeans are just like people in the United States. They go about their lives trying to make a living, and they do a lot of the things that Americans do. I used to think that world peace was overrated, but I think that now, maybe it’s something worth trying to establish. I feel that if we can all just get along, which this may never happen, life for people everywhere would be much better. I also see that maybe having friendships with people is worth it. Before I left, I felt that making friends with people was highly overrated and not worth my time really, but I feel that having friends makes life a little bit more interesting and easier for you because you have someone else there who cares about you and who likes you. So far, I have been working on this. So far, I have been trying this out. I have been keeping in touch with a few people from the trip and hanging out with people more instead of the library and my school books which are great friends too. Also, I have decided to visit with other clubs on campus to see how they are and how they work. I feel like I need to learn more about different cultures, people, and lifestyle. So far, I have loved doing this and people on campus have not been shy at all about telling me about them and their culture. They actually don’t mind it. I’m glad for that. I have also decided to be closer to my family than being distant. Before I left to go to Germany that was my first time home in a very long time. Like months long. My mom really missed me and I really didn’t see a point in going home, but since I have came back from Europe, I feel the need to at least try and see them more. I really love them a lot.
Well, as you can see, I am very wordy and long winded about this paper, but I felt that it was necessary to get as much as I could out there to you about how much this trip has changed me. Due to this trip, I have renewed motivation to get through college. I also have a profession that I want to pursue and I feel that I should do everything within my power to get to this goal. True, my goals may change, but at least now, I have a destination. I just have to find a route to it. If it wasn’t for the mercy of Dr. Wasser for letting me go on this trip and the mercy of others I probably wouldn’t have ever gained such rich insight to the big world out there that awaits me, and a major that fits me. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to go on a life changing trip. Thanks.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
"I'm holding onto a fairytale"...
^Those A Day to Remember lyrics describe how I felt just a few days after I got back from this amazing trip. Before we left, I was so nervous/anxious/apprehensive about leaving the country with a group of people I barely knew for 3 weeks, but now I know I didn’t need to worry! I came back with so many great memories and a whole new group of friends, and I am so glad that I decided to step way outside my comfort zone and go.
In regards to the history of medicine aspect of the trip, I found the subjects of Nazi-related medicine and history intriguing, since we visited several places in Germany where various experiments and discoveries took place. Though most of these advances that Nazi physicians made were based on terrible human experiments, they were fascinating to learn about. I really appreciated the fact that we learned about these events, because the history of Nazi Germany is something that we should all know about and remember. The environment in which we learned about all this gave the history and facts more meaning and importance, for me anyway. I came away from this program with a much more educated view on Germany (and Austria) and its past, and I would like to continue learning, on my own, about its history.
Though the trip was mainly for gaining medical knowledge and experiences (the surgery is still the first thing I think about when I remember this trip!), the cultural interactions that I had during the short three weeks are unforgettable. Without getting too long-winded, it would be impossible for me to describe how the drastically different culture of Europe changed how I see things now. However, in a nutshell, Germany changed my outlook on life, people, and priorities. That sounds completely cliché, but it really did. Things that used to be so important to me no longer seem like such a big deal; I no longer stress over every little detail in my life or worry about petty things. Also, after speaking with people my age that were travelling around Europe, I found that they seemed more… for lack of a better word, cultured, which is something that I hope to become after seeing more of the world.
Last but not least, the group that went on this trip was incredible! Despite a series of rather uncomfortable gatherings at the pre-departure meetings (by the way guys, sorry I was so anti-social at ALL of them), we managed to loosen up and become friends as soon as we set foot in Germany! I am so glad that many of us still see each other and talk, and I hope that we will be able to reminisce about our awesome three weeks together for a long time. I am so grateful for much regarding this trip: that I was given this opportunity to see/learn/experience so many incredible things, DR. WASSER, Steffi, Olaf, Dr. Zack, everyone that lectured and gave us tours, and all the lasting friendships that I made during our time in Deutschland. I hope to return in the near future! Farewell.
“It’s time to say goodbye”
In regards to the history of medicine aspect of the trip, I found the subjects of Nazi-related medicine and history intriguing, since we visited several places in Germany where various experiments and discoveries took place. Though most of these advances that Nazi physicians made were based on terrible human experiments, they were fascinating to learn about. I really appreciated the fact that we learned about these events, because the history of Nazi Germany is something that we should all know about and remember. The environment in which we learned about all this gave the history and facts more meaning and importance, for me anyway. I came away from this program with a much more educated view on Germany (and Austria) and its past, and I would like to continue learning, on my own, about its history.
Though the trip was mainly for gaining medical knowledge and experiences (the surgery is still the first thing I think about when I remember this trip!), the cultural interactions that I had during the short three weeks are unforgettable. Without getting too long-winded, it would be impossible for me to describe how the drastically different culture of Europe changed how I see things now. However, in a nutshell, Germany changed my outlook on life, people, and priorities. That sounds completely cliché, but it really did. Things that used to be so important to me no longer seem like such a big deal; I no longer stress over every little detail in my life or worry about petty things. Also, after speaking with people my age that were travelling around Europe, I found that they seemed more… for lack of a better word, cultured, which is something that I hope to become after seeing more of the world.
Last but not least, the group that went on this trip was incredible! Despite a series of rather uncomfortable gatherings at the pre-departure meetings (by the way guys, sorry I was so anti-social at ALL of them), we managed to loosen up and become friends as soon as we set foot in Germany! I am so glad that many of us still see each other and talk, and I hope that we will be able to reminisce about our awesome three weeks together for a long time. I am so grateful for much regarding this trip: that I was given this opportunity to see/learn/experience so many incredible things, DR. WASSER, Steffi, Olaf, Dr. Zack, everyone that lectured and gave us tours, and all the lasting friendships that I made during our time in Deutschland. I hope to return in the near future! Farewell.
“It’s time to say goodbye”
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Curious Case of Brian Gibson
This has truly been the trip of a lifetime. There were so many new experiences, so much fascinating history of medicine, and personal epiphanies. The best part of the trip is what I have taken from it. It has been a very long time since I have been that comfortable around strangers. This was one of my first times to truly enjoy the college experience.
There was never really any culture shock for me because we were there for what seemed like a relatively short time. I still say danke sometimes just for fun and fantasize about the taste of just one more doner. I do not think I will ever taste beer as good as the dunkel beers in Berlin, nor will I ever eat sausage more delicious than the ones in Hannover. This does not make me sad because I will always have the memories of these tastes.
One of the really important things that I did not expect coming out of this trip was the fact that I now have a travel addiction. Because this trip went so smoothly and I learned so much about myself and the history of medicine, I decided to take a trip to Costa Rica for spring break. It is not one of the stereotypical spring beaks because I will be working and learning rural medicine. We will be doing tons of medical work (i.e. vital signs, exams, different tests) under the watchful eye of qualified physicians. This will be a challenge for me because I do not really excel in situations like that but I will be confident and be loose like I was on this trip.
The overwhelming amount of information that was presented over the course of the two weeks would be impossible to absorb. The highlights in my opinion were the unique struggle between medical knowledge and ability to use it throughout the ages. We visited many places where the actual technology and techniques were developed. This has truly inspired me to be more thorough with my studies because I want to be able to make a small scale impact for the greater good of science. The ability to trot on some of the same paths as some of the greatest scientific mind of all time as in Humboldt University and the medical schools we visited were truly humbling. Another thing I really enjoyed was getting to know Dr. Wasser and hearing his stories. It was fun to spend extended amount of time with a professor instead of just listening to a lecture twice a week for a semester.
I cannot express how much this trip has influenced the way I view medicine and the way I view the world. I do sometimes have a quick temper when I hear Americans grumbling about stuff and think that the Germans would do it just a bit better. This trip has inspired me to not jump to conclusions to fast and to value every culture. I will definitely be involved in more trips and maybe even more TAMU led trips because of my incredible experiences.
There was never really any culture shock for me because we were there for what seemed like a relatively short time. I still say danke sometimes just for fun and fantasize about the taste of just one more doner. I do not think I will ever taste beer as good as the dunkel beers in Berlin, nor will I ever eat sausage more delicious than the ones in Hannover. This does not make me sad because I will always have the memories of these tastes.
One of the really important things that I did not expect coming out of this trip was the fact that I now have a travel addiction. Because this trip went so smoothly and I learned so much about myself and the history of medicine, I decided to take a trip to Costa Rica for spring break. It is not one of the stereotypical spring beaks because I will be working and learning rural medicine. We will be doing tons of medical work (i.e. vital signs, exams, different tests) under the watchful eye of qualified physicians. This will be a challenge for me because I do not really excel in situations like that but I will be confident and be loose like I was on this trip.
The overwhelming amount of information that was presented over the course of the two weeks would be impossible to absorb. The highlights in my opinion were the unique struggle between medical knowledge and ability to use it throughout the ages. We visited many places where the actual technology and techniques were developed. This has truly inspired me to be more thorough with my studies because I want to be able to make a small scale impact for the greater good of science. The ability to trot on some of the same paths as some of the greatest scientific mind of all time as in Humboldt University and the medical schools we visited were truly humbling. Another thing I really enjoyed was getting to know Dr. Wasser and hearing his stories. It was fun to spend extended amount of time with a professor instead of just listening to a lecture twice a week for a semester.
I cannot express how much this trip has influenced the way I view medicine and the way I view the world. I do sometimes have a quick temper when I hear Americans grumbling about stuff and think that the Germans would do it just a bit better. This trip has inspired me to not jump to conclusions to fast and to value every culture. I will definitely be involved in more trips and maybe even more TAMU led trips because of my incredible experiences.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Concluding Thoughts...
I struggled with writers block for a while before beginning this final blog. I am not sure if I should attribute that to the fact that as an engineer I am rarely required to put more than two sentences together or because it is difficult to condense all of the memories and emotions of the Germany trip into a single coherent thought. (Realistically, I think I am suffering from the latter.) But I can easily begin by saying that The History of Medicine- Winter Abroad program was with out a doubt the best time of my life and an invaluable educational opportunity.
To catch you up to speed, my trip did not end at my last blog. I concluded my European excursion with a four-day trip to Paris, which was absolutely amazing, complete with a trip up the Eiffel Tower, a walk around the Louvre, a breathe taking church service in Notre Dame, and a stroll down the Champs Elysees! But after nearly of month of constant travel I was exhausted and ready to return home. In all consideration my travel method back to the United States might not have been the best idea, but it was an adventure nonetheless. I spent my last day in Paris alone, because my travel buddy, Tarah, departed early that morning. I remember enjoying the sunshine and the considerably warm weather very much that day, while lounging in the Jardin de Tuileries until it began to down pour. However, a little rain didn’t ruin my day. I devoured the BEST chocolate, banana crepe in the history of the world, then lost track of time in the most adorable bookstore, and did some last minute souvenir shopping. My last day in Paris could not have ended more suitably; I enjoyed a glass of red wine and crème brulee, tucked in the corner window seat of the restaurant watching people, traffic, and the drizzling rain. Then the journey began…
I did not really consider timing or scheduling prior to boarding the train that would take me back to Koln, Germany and ultimately to Houston, Texas. About six hours after leaving Paris, I arrived at the Koln train station around 1:00 am. It felt great to be back in familiar territory, but my mood deteriorated a little when I realized that the next train to the Airport didn’t leave until 3:00 am. (But, problem solved; I chilled in BK for two hours watching Germany Music Videos!) I have no clue what I had anticipated doing for 5 hours in a desolate airport in the wee hours of the morning, but the situation did not present the many good ways to kill time, except sleep, which was evading me. So when I finally sat down on my one hour flight from Koln to Munich, I knew I would pass out immediately, but such was not the case. My seat neighbor, David, had the most amiable disposition and instantly struck up a conversation with me. He was a native Kolner, and travels to Munich every Tuesday and Thursday for business. We shared a love for nature and outdoor activities; David is a huge bike enthusiast, and I am an avid trail runner. We exchanged notes on our future travels. He told me about his dream to ride a motorcycle with his best friend, from California to Alaska and I shared my hopes to backpack from Ireland to Greece. Despite my exhaustion, I enjoyed our conversation very much, and it fully confirmed that Germans are the nicest people in the entire world! (I was excited to read a Yahoo new article the other day that ranked Germany second among all the countries in the world for the most friendly to foreigners. But I already knew that!)
There is still more to tell about my final adventure home…I had a layover in Washington D.C. for a couple hours on Inauguration Day!!!!!!!! This was very cool, because I got to talk to so many people who witnessed the historic event first hand.
One of the best things about the entire trip was that it reaffirmed my desire to pursue a career in the medical field. In the months prior to the trip I was really struggling with whether or not medical school was for me. Becoming a surgeon has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. And, although I have done a lot in recent years to help prepare me for such a career, I was beginning to doubt if I was willing to endure the long and hard road that lay ahead. The study abroad program did the best job of acknowledging the breadth and depth of the medical field and introduced me to areas of medicine that I knew relatively little about. This was extremely encouraging because it reminded me that medicine extends much farther than surgery (although watching open heart surgery was definitely a highlight of the trip) and that the important thing to keep in mind is my love for medicine and my desire to help people, which makes the road ahead so much more approachable.
The second thing that this trip affirmed was my love for travel!!! I live for adventure, and there is nothing that compares to the excitement of new discoveries and the ultimate freedom found in the unfamiliar. I am really missing the all of the opportunities for spontaneous excursions and adventures that were available while traveling around Europe. I am struggling to find Viennese coffee, Parisian crepes, German Pubs, breathtaking cathedrals, and unparalleled art museums in College Station, Texas. I guess that only means that I need to continue my worldly travels!
Before I say “Auf Wiedersehen” I want to reinforce how grateful I am to have been given such a wonderful opportunity. To everyone who participated in the program, I had so much fun getting to know all of you and look forward to continuing our friendships. Dr. Wasser, thank you a million times over! You did the best job of organizing the trip, putting up with 15 college students, and I really valued all of the insight and knowledge you passed along. And to anyone else who reads this, if you are presented with a similar opportunity, all I can say is DO IT!
To catch you up to speed, my trip did not end at my last blog. I concluded my European excursion with a four-day trip to Paris, which was absolutely amazing, complete with a trip up the Eiffel Tower, a walk around the Louvre, a breathe taking church service in Notre Dame, and a stroll down the Champs Elysees! But after nearly of month of constant travel I was exhausted and ready to return home. In all consideration my travel method back to the United States might not have been the best idea, but it was an adventure nonetheless. I spent my last day in Paris alone, because my travel buddy, Tarah, departed early that morning. I remember enjoying the sunshine and the considerably warm weather very much that day, while lounging in the Jardin de Tuileries until it began to down pour. However, a little rain didn’t ruin my day. I devoured the BEST chocolate, banana crepe in the history of the world, then lost track of time in the most adorable bookstore, and did some last minute souvenir shopping. My last day in Paris could not have ended more suitably; I enjoyed a glass of red wine and crème brulee, tucked in the corner window seat of the restaurant watching people, traffic, and the drizzling rain. Then the journey began…
I did not really consider timing or scheduling prior to boarding the train that would take me back to Koln, Germany and ultimately to Houston, Texas. About six hours after leaving Paris, I arrived at the Koln train station around 1:00 am. It felt great to be back in familiar territory, but my mood deteriorated a little when I realized that the next train to the Airport didn’t leave until 3:00 am. (But, problem solved; I chilled in BK for two hours watching Germany Music Videos!) I have no clue what I had anticipated doing for 5 hours in a desolate airport in the wee hours of the morning, but the situation did not present the many good ways to kill time, except sleep, which was evading me. So when I finally sat down on my one hour flight from Koln to Munich, I knew I would pass out immediately, but such was not the case. My seat neighbor, David, had the most amiable disposition and instantly struck up a conversation with me. He was a native Kolner, and travels to Munich every Tuesday and Thursday for business. We shared a love for nature and outdoor activities; David is a huge bike enthusiast, and I am an avid trail runner. We exchanged notes on our future travels. He told me about his dream to ride a motorcycle with his best friend, from California to Alaska and I shared my hopes to backpack from Ireland to Greece. Despite my exhaustion, I enjoyed our conversation very much, and it fully confirmed that Germans are the nicest people in the entire world! (I was excited to read a Yahoo new article the other day that ranked Germany second among all the countries in the world for the most friendly to foreigners. But I already knew that!)
There is still more to tell about my final adventure home…I had a layover in Washington D.C. for a couple hours on Inauguration Day!!!!!!!! This was very cool, because I got to talk to so many people who witnessed the historic event first hand.
One of the best things about the entire trip was that it reaffirmed my desire to pursue a career in the medical field. In the months prior to the trip I was really struggling with whether or not medical school was for me. Becoming a surgeon has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. And, although I have done a lot in recent years to help prepare me for such a career, I was beginning to doubt if I was willing to endure the long and hard road that lay ahead. The study abroad program did the best job of acknowledging the breadth and depth of the medical field and introduced me to areas of medicine that I knew relatively little about. This was extremely encouraging because it reminded me that medicine extends much farther than surgery (although watching open heart surgery was definitely a highlight of the trip) and that the important thing to keep in mind is my love for medicine and my desire to help people, which makes the road ahead so much more approachable.
The second thing that this trip affirmed was my love for travel!!! I live for adventure, and there is nothing that compares to the excitement of new discoveries and the ultimate freedom found in the unfamiliar. I am really missing the all of the opportunities for spontaneous excursions and adventures that were available while traveling around Europe. I am struggling to find Viennese coffee, Parisian crepes, German Pubs, breathtaking cathedrals, and unparalleled art museums in College Station, Texas. I guess that only means that I need to continue my worldly travels!
Before I say “Auf Wiedersehen” I want to reinforce how grateful I am to have been given such a wonderful opportunity. To everyone who participated in the program, I had so much fun getting to know all of you and look forward to continuing our friendships. Dr. Wasser, thank you a million times over! You did the best job of organizing the trip, putting up with 15 college students, and I really valued all of the insight and knowledge you passed along. And to anyone else who reads this, if you are presented with a similar opportunity, all I can say is DO IT!
Final Blog
The Germany trip was unlike anything I have had the opportunity to experience before. I haven’t lived in a bubble my whole life by any means, but my cultural experiences have almost always been those people who come here to the US. Never have I been immersed into a culture where I am the one who is the foreigner. It was an enlightening experience. There is so much the world has to offer. We grow up knowing and hearing about other cultures, but it never really sinks in how people can live in such a different lifestyle from one you’ve known your whole life till you see it firsthand. Most people have a deep attachment to their country that they refuse to loosen. I will always feel at home in the US, but after this trip I see the world is where my attachment lies. Meeting and conversing with people from around the world makes us all seem closer, and many of the perceived differences melted away. I hope to travel a lot more during my life and experience all the world has to offer. Before this trip traveling may never have been a priority, but that has easily changed.
Upon returning I didn’t have any type of reverse culture shock. I never lost myself in the cultures I visited, despite the amount I enjoyed it, but things did seem a bit stale compared to all the excitement there was to be had in Germany compared to College Station. Going back to classes wasn’t much fun to say the least either, but it’s been a month now and I’m finally back In the swing of things, enjoying myself between test weeks when I can, continuing on my degree path to becoming a doctor. The medical experiences on the trip only cemented my desire to be a doctor, especially after watching the open heart surgery. Learning of other types of medical systems was a definite plus as it gives me another perspective on how things could be handled instead of the one I have known all my life. It’s always good to get a different point of view. Just experiencing another culture will have a great impact on my future career. It is important for a doctor to be able to handle patients with different backgrounds in a respectable manner. All the experiences on this trip will help me to be a better doctor both with the information I learned and the cultural experiences I shared.
I can’t wait to travel again. Who knows what I will learn next time. Italy Summer ’09 here I come!
Upon returning I didn’t have any type of reverse culture shock. I never lost myself in the cultures I visited, despite the amount I enjoyed it, but things did seem a bit stale compared to all the excitement there was to be had in Germany compared to College Station. Going back to classes wasn’t much fun to say the least either, but it’s been a month now and I’m finally back In the swing of things, enjoying myself between test weeks when I can, continuing on my degree path to becoming a doctor. The medical experiences on the trip only cemented my desire to be a doctor, especially after watching the open heart surgery. Learning of other types of medical systems was a definite plus as it gives me another perspective on how things could be handled instead of the one I have known all my life. It’s always good to get a different point of view. Just experiencing another culture will have a great impact on my future career. It is important for a doctor to be able to handle patients with different backgrounds in a respectable manner. All the experiences on this trip will help me to be a better doctor both with the information I learned and the cultural experiences I shared.
I can’t wait to travel again. Who knows what I will learn next time. Italy Summer ’09 here I come!
But if you left it up to me, everyday would be a holiday From real
I can’t believe that we’ve been back from Germany for one month already. Getting back was probably my most adventurous part of the trip. After missing a flight in Paris and then missing another flight in Atlanta, I finally made it home. If anyone needs advice on how to kill time when missing flights, I’m definitely an expert now. I will admit my first two meals back in Texas were fajitas and ribs. It was sooooo good. Although the donners and Italian gelato were amazing, nothing compares to my Tex-mex. It took about a week for me to feel my toes again, but since then I have taken full advantage of flip flops and shorts. When I first left for Germany I was nervous about being away from my family and boyfriend for what seemed so long. But once we got there time just flew by. We made it to Vienna and I couldn’t believe that we only had a few days left together. I was also surprised that I did not miss my family as much as I thought I would, but don’t tell them that. It took awhile to get back into studying from a textbook and not just experiencing firsthand, and my first round of test grades can attest to that.
Participating in this study abroad program has been by far the best experience of my life. We all had access to opportunities that would be hard to come by in the US. Germany had so much history that we all learned throughout our academic careers, but seeing it up-close and firsthand could never compare to textbook pictures. The same goes for the massive cathedrals in Europe. I wish here in the United States, well mainly in the South, we had churches that looked as grand and majestic. I had never traveled by train before this trip. Then it basically became all I knew after those three weeks. I always complain that it takes an hour to drive from my house to downtown Houston (yet its only 30 miles), and I am convinced if they installed a direct train it would cut the time to at least half an hour. The sizes of the Hauptbonhoffs still blows my mind, they were the size of small airports. The timeliness of all their trains was awesome. I cannot stand being late to anything, so those trains made life a bit easier. The motion activated escalators were probably my favorite.
I was the most impressed with their socialized system of government. I volunteer in a clinic in Bryan for the underinsured and uninsured. I’ve witnessed firsthand how frustrated these people get trying to jump through hoops so they can get medical attention. Seeing the patients in Germany who had no insurance and had been in the hospital for several months would be inconceivable here at home. Germany is so advanced in their technology and methods of medicine. Last summer I spent a week and a half in El Salvador shadowing my mom’s cousin who is a doctor there. All of the equipment was from the ’80’s and by the end of my first day I was running the EKG machine on patients. So it was a HUUUUUGE difference, and thoroughly educational.
While I have enjoyed not having to dehydrate myself so I won’t pay for carbonated water or the restroom, I miss Germany..and Austria…and Prague…and Amsterdam. I’m so glad everyone on the trip was really easy to get along with. It’s safe to say the Karaoke night was a great way to spend our last real night together. It has been the best experience of my life, and I would like to thank Dr. Wasser for really knowing his stuff and being so prepared, the trip would not have been anywhere near the same otherwise. In the years to come, after I pay off endless amounts of future loans and start actually making money, I fully intend to return to Europe (preferably in the summer). I would like to see Spain, more of Paris than just the airport, and more of Germany.
Participating in this study abroad program has been by far the best experience of my life. We all had access to opportunities that would be hard to come by in the US. Germany had so much history that we all learned throughout our academic careers, but seeing it up-close and firsthand could never compare to textbook pictures. The same goes for the massive cathedrals in Europe. I wish here in the United States, well mainly in the South, we had churches that looked as grand and majestic. I had never traveled by train before this trip. Then it basically became all I knew after those three weeks. I always complain that it takes an hour to drive from my house to downtown Houston (yet its only 30 miles), and I am convinced if they installed a direct train it would cut the time to at least half an hour. The sizes of the Hauptbonhoffs still blows my mind, they were the size of small airports. The timeliness of all their trains was awesome. I cannot stand being late to anything, so those trains made life a bit easier. The motion activated escalators were probably my favorite.
I was the most impressed with their socialized system of government. I volunteer in a clinic in Bryan for the underinsured and uninsured. I’ve witnessed firsthand how frustrated these people get trying to jump through hoops so they can get medical attention. Seeing the patients in Germany who had no insurance and had been in the hospital for several months would be inconceivable here at home. Germany is so advanced in their technology and methods of medicine. Last summer I spent a week and a half in El Salvador shadowing my mom’s cousin who is a doctor there. All of the equipment was from the ’80’s and by the end of my first day I was running the EKG machine on patients. So it was a HUUUUUGE difference, and thoroughly educational.
While I have enjoyed not having to dehydrate myself so I won’t pay for carbonated water or the restroom, I miss Germany..and Austria…and Prague…and Amsterdam. I’m so glad everyone on the trip was really easy to get along with. It’s safe to say the Karaoke night was a great way to spend our last real night together. It has been the best experience of my life, and I would like to thank Dr. Wasser for really knowing his stuff and being so prepared, the trip would not have been anywhere near the same otherwise. In the years to come, after I pay off endless amounts of future loans and start actually making money, I fully intend to return to Europe (preferably in the summer). I would like to see Spain, more of Paris than just the airport, and more of Germany.
Monday, February 23, 2009
I left that road far behind
It’s been well over a month since we’ve been back in the states, and I still get sad every time I have to say “thank you” instead of “danke schön”. In the three weeks we spent in Germany (and Austria) I grew accustomed to adventure. Every day was a new city, a new place, and strange people. I loved it. It was quite a shock to go back to the same routine the first week home, but then two weeks, three weeks, and now a month later I’d say normal life feels normal again. I look back on our trip and I am amazed at all that we learned, all the material that we covered in a way that felt, ounce for ounce, far easier to take in than material presented in a more traditional manner. The formal and informal curriculums both have made a great impression on me and my perspective. I have gained a deep appreciation for the men and women who were pioneers in modern science and medicine. Their fruits, our benefits, were the result of hard work, ingenuity and, for many who challenged the conventional wisdom of their time, courage. I also have a newfound appreciation for inexpensive beverages (har har). A meal in Texas is a coffee in Europe.
I find myself looking at the world differently since we’ve returned. I keep asking myself: Who discovered this? How did they discover this? Was this discovered intentionally and through brute force research or was this discovered by the fortune of the right mind being in the right place? My perspective has shifted in ways beyond science, as well. This trip made me appreciate more fully that the center of civilization is always moving. The United States was not always the center, and we will not be the center forever. The places around, the places far away from, the places that were once, and the places that will be the center are of great importance even now. They are sources of culture and knowledge that we benefit from having, and they are homes to people who are doing the same working and living and dying that we’re doing here, to paraphrase Jimmy Stuart.
If I had to be anything other than a proud black-Irish American, I’d be a proud black-Irish German hands down. Perhaps chance will bring us together again, Deutschland. Until that day, I wish you and all the Germany trippers a herzlichen auf Wiedersehen.
I find myself looking at the world differently since we’ve returned. I keep asking myself: Who discovered this? How did they discover this? Was this discovered intentionally and through brute force research or was this discovered by the fortune of the right mind being in the right place? My perspective has shifted in ways beyond science, as well. This trip made me appreciate more fully that the center of civilization is always moving. The United States was not always the center, and we will not be the center forever. The places around, the places far away from, the places that were once, and the places that will be the center are of great importance even now. They are sources of culture and knowledge that we benefit from having, and they are homes to people who are doing the same working and living and dying that we’re doing here, to paraphrase Jimmy Stuart.
If I had to be anything other than a proud black-Irish American, I’d be a proud black-Irish German hands down. Perhaps chance will bring us together again, Deutschland. Until that day, I wish you and all the Germany trippers a herzlichen auf Wiedersehen.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Back to the Real Life in the US...Unfortunately
To be honest, I didn't have much of a chance to adjust being back in the United States before my life started to get incredibly busy as normal. The three days that I had before school started went by way to fast, though I was proud of myself for staying up all day when I returned home, which helped me avoid jetlag. I immediately had a ton of things to do to get ready for school and I feel like my life hasn't slowed down at all since I've been back. I'm a co-chair in Impact, working as a Teacher's Assistant at Becky Gate's Children's Center, taking a full load of classes, studying for the MCAT, and working on internship and medical school applications....talk about hitting the real world of school fast and hard. Since I have been so busy and haven't had much time to really slow down and think about much besides school and everything else that I have going on, I feel like I did not really suffer from reverse culture shock. Granted, there were several things that I had to readjust to back home, but overall I feel like I handled the transition of life back in the United States very well, I just wish I had more time to soak in everything that I had learned and seen while I was abroad before having to dive back into school.
At the end of the program I have to honestly say that I was very ready to go back home. I had missed my family, friends, and boyfriend a great deal and I was very much looking forward to seeing them. However, I was also slightly sad to be going home. There is still so much that I want to see in Europe and I know that it will be awhile before I have an opportunity to go back because of financial reasons. I remember that it was really weird riding in a taxi to the airport because I had not been in a vehicle in a long time and I was so used to subways and trains. I loved the public transportation system in Europe and that has definitely been something that I have missed since I’ve been back home. It was very clean and nice and extremely convenient. I loved that everything was very prompt there also (unlike our Aggie bus system at times). As soon as I left Vienna, I knew that there were several things that I would miss about Europe. One of the biggest things that I miss is seeing many incredibly beautiful and old, historical buildings everywhere I go. Everything is so new and plain here in America, particularly in College Station. I still think there are many pretty areas of the country, both that I have visited and have just heard about, but I also think that many of them are nothing in comparison to the things while I was in Europe, both architecturally and just the land and cities in general. I also really miss being able to walk around easily in all of the cities. I know there are several cities that are walker-friendly in America also, but College Station is not really one of those cities. People give you funny looks or just don’t really expect to see anyone walking around besides on campus. In Europe I loved being outside all the time (well, most of the time, when I wasn’t completely frozen) and just being able to enjoy the scenery and fresh air as we walked around; I felt like there was always something to see. I definitely dreaded having to make the three hour drive to College Station soon after I returned and I like driving less than I used to before I went to Europe. I also noticed that when I came back to A&M I did not mind walking around campus nearly as much as I had before I went to Germany. Nothing is as far as the walks that we took around the cities in Germany and I just enjoy it much more than I used to, as lame as that may sound. I also miss our group that went to Europe too. It was very weird not spending every hour of the day with these 14 people when I came back home. I’m very glad for the friendships I made while on the trip and I hope that we continue to stay in touch. I also really miss the people that I met on the trip, Steffi and Olaf, and I am very appreciative of everything that they did for us. It made the experience so much better than it could have been by having guides that were so helpful and fun to spend time with.
There were several things that I was looking forward to in the United States, most of which are trivial, but still things that I was excited about. Number one is definitely seeing my family, boyfriend and his family, and my friends. It was a great experience travelling to Europe with people that I did not know previously and making friends and I wouldn’t change that for anything because I love meeting new people. However, next time I travel to Europe I would like to go with close friends or family. I was definitely very excited by the fact that I would get free refills (and unlimited refills) the next time I went out to eat at a restaurant. I think I let myself near dehydration several times throughout the trip because I did not want to spend my money on more drinks. I am so used to drinking much more water than I did on the trip so I was also very excited that water is free at restaurants here. I had always wanted to spend time where it snowed a lot because I had never gotten the opportunity to do so, but after three weeks I was ready to be somewhere that had no snow and no slush to walk through everywhere I went. I was very excited to sleep in my own bed because the hotel beds had been killing my back (though I am very excited about this after any trip I return from.) Another trivial thing that I was happy about was free bathrooms, though I have definitely missed the cleanliness of the bathrooms in Europe, it is nice to not have to worry about having a supply of change. Being able to understand everything that is being said around me is also nice, though I do enjoy listening to people speaking other languages, so I enjoyed being exposed to this on a daily basis in Germany and Austria. I am also a very picky eater and although the food turned out to be better than I had expected, I was ready to come home and eat Tex-Mex and cheeseburgers!
Absolutely incredible! That is the only way that I can describe my overall experience in the study abroad program. It was easily one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t think of a way that I would’ve preferred to spend my winter break. I had fairly high expectations for the program, in terms of what we would be able to see and do while abroad though I wasn’t sure exactly what it would be like. The study abroad experience far surpassed my expectations. I learned so much and saw more fascinating things than I can remember off the top of my head. The only complaint that I had during the trip was the cold weather, but that was because I had never been exposed to it for an extended period of time. I am glad that I can now say I have experienced what it’s like to be somewhere that has a real winter though. I am also very glad that my view of Germany just as the place where Nazis persecuted Jews, which I know is a very naive view of Germany, has been completely changed. I am glad to know much more about the country that my family came from and just to have more knowledge of the world in general. The one thing that I know for sure is that I would absolutely love to go back to Europe in the future as soon as I have money to do so. I have always wanted to travel around the United States and Europe, but now my desire to travel is stronger than ever. I realize just how much there is to see in the world and how little I know about places other than where I live. Being in Europe was definitely an eye-opening experience, mostly just by being submerged in a culture much different, yet very similar in certain ways, to our culture. I never knew that I would enjoy learning about other cultures and lifestyles and just experiencing all of those things for myself as much as I did. I have always been open-minded, but the study abroad experience made me appreciate and understand other cultures better than I had before. Learning about the medical system in Europe was particularly interesting to me since the socialized medical system had never been fully explained to me and I had never taken the time to learn about it. This opened my eyes to other ways of thinking also and taught me not to be afraid of change that may occur in our country. I have learned to embrace other cultures and other perspectives because of my experiences abroad. I feel like I have a much closer relationship to the world, if this makes any sense at all. I know that we only travelled to four countries during the three weeks and that there is so much of the world that I still have left to see, but I was exposed to more in these three weeks than I ever had been on trips that I have taken before. My mission trip to Mexico a few years ago was a huge eye-opening experience because I was exposed to the deep poverty that people lived in there, but the study abroad program was a different kind of eye-opening experience for me--just having the chance to see how people in other first world countries spend their everyday lives and learning about their way of doing things. It was just a really neat experience for me and I had gone in with an expectation of just seeing historical sites and learning a lot about medicine, but I came back with so much more than that—having experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be exposed to other cultures in a unique way and having a new perspective on a variety of things.
I have known since high school that I want to go to medical school and become a pediatrician. However, I have also had my doubts along the way, especially when people question whether I really want to go through that much school and spend time paying off school debts after graduating. After returning from abroad, all of these doubts have been removed. I now am certain that I want to go to medical school and that it will be worth the time and effort that I put into it. There is not one particular part of the study abroad experience that made me realize this, but a combination of several things that we saw and did while we were there. The open heart surgery in which the patient underwent quadruple bypass and a mitral valve replacement, the wide range of fascinating exhibits in the Deutsches Hygiene Museum, the many wax models at the Medical History Museum at the Josephinum, learning about the history of medicine in Germany and Vienna from Dr. Wasser, the lectures given by the doctors at the Heart and Diabetes Clinic in Bad Oeynhausen and the artificial hearts that we had the opportunity to see and learn about, were all highlights of the trip and definitely impacted my view of my chosen profession, but the entire trip in general had an impact on me. There was never a dull moment for me when we were visiting these and other places and learning about the history of medicine. I was absolutely fascinated by everything and felt like I could devote entire days to the museums we went to and would not be bored at all. The study abroad program also gave me a more open perspective on working as a doctor abroad and a desire to go on medical mission trips. I know we didn’t really discuss this or anything on the trip, but I never had an interest in working in the medical field anywhere but in the United States until going to Germany and Austria.
The two major things that I got out of the study abroad experience were a desire to travel to Europe and just around the world in general and a higher level of confidence that I want to pursue a career as a physician, both of which I am very happy about. I also feel much more prepared to travel in Europe than I did before and I have confidence that I would be able to survive on a trip just fine if I went with a few friends or family who had no clue what they were doing. The experience was absolutely amazing and I would go back to Germany, Austria, or almost any other place in Europe in a heartbeat if I were given the opportunity to do so.
At the end of the program I have to honestly say that I was very ready to go back home. I had missed my family, friends, and boyfriend a great deal and I was very much looking forward to seeing them. However, I was also slightly sad to be going home. There is still so much that I want to see in Europe and I know that it will be awhile before I have an opportunity to go back because of financial reasons. I remember that it was really weird riding in a taxi to the airport because I had not been in a vehicle in a long time and I was so used to subways and trains. I loved the public transportation system in Europe and that has definitely been something that I have missed since I’ve been back home. It was very clean and nice and extremely convenient. I loved that everything was very prompt there also (unlike our Aggie bus system at times). As soon as I left Vienna, I knew that there were several things that I would miss about Europe. One of the biggest things that I miss is seeing many incredibly beautiful and old, historical buildings everywhere I go. Everything is so new and plain here in America, particularly in College Station. I still think there are many pretty areas of the country, both that I have visited and have just heard about, but I also think that many of them are nothing in comparison to the things while I was in Europe, both architecturally and just the land and cities in general. I also really miss being able to walk around easily in all of the cities. I know there are several cities that are walker-friendly in America also, but College Station is not really one of those cities. People give you funny looks or just don’t really expect to see anyone walking around besides on campus. In Europe I loved being outside all the time (well, most of the time, when I wasn’t completely frozen) and just being able to enjoy the scenery and fresh air as we walked around; I felt like there was always something to see. I definitely dreaded having to make the three hour drive to College Station soon after I returned and I like driving less than I used to before I went to Europe. I also noticed that when I came back to A&M I did not mind walking around campus nearly as much as I had before I went to Germany. Nothing is as far as the walks that we took around the cities in Germany and I just enjoy it much more than I used to, as lame as that may sound. I also miss our group that went to Europe too. It was very weird not spending every hour of the day with these 14 people when I came back home. I’m very glad for the friendships I made while on the trip and I hope that we continue to stay in touch. I also really miss the people that I met on the trip, Steffi and Olaf, and I am very appreciative of everything that they did for us. It made the experience so much better than it could have been by having guides that were so helpful and fun to spend time with.
There were several things that I was looking forward to in the United States, most of which are trivial, but still things that I was excited about. Number one is definitely seeing my family, boyfriend and his family, and my friends. It was a great experience travelling to Europe with people that I did not know previously and making friends and I wouldn’t change that for anything because I love meeting new people. However, next time I travel to Europe I would like to go with close friends or family. I was definitely very excited by the fact that I would get free refills (and unlimited refills) the next time I went out to eat at a restaurant. I think I let myself near dehydration several times throughout the trip because I did not want to spend my money on more drinks. I am so used to drinking much more water than I did on the trip so I was also very excited that water is free at restaurants here. I had always wanted to spend time where it snowed a lot because I had never gotten the opportunity to do so, but after three weeks I was ready to be somewhere that had no snow and no slush to walk through everywhere I went. I was very excited to sleep in my own bed because the hotel beds had been killing my back (though I am very excited about this after any trip I return from.) Another trivial thing that I was happy about was free bathrooms, though I have definitely missed the cleanliness of the bathrooms in Europe, it is nice to not have to worry about having a supply of change. Being able to understand everything that is being said around me is also nice, though I do enjoy listening to people speaking other languages, so I enjoyed being exposed to this on a daily basis in Germany and Austria. I am also a very picky eater and although the food turned out to be better than I had expected, I was ready to come home and eat Tex-Mex and cheeseburgers!
Absolutely incredible! That is the only way that I can describe my overall experience in the study abroad program. It was easily one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t think of a way that I would’ve preferred to spend my winter break. I had fairly high expectations for the program, in terms of what we would be able to see and do while abroad though I wasn’t sure exactly what it would be like. The study abroad experience far surpassed my expectations. I learned so much and saw more fascinating things than I can remember off the top of my head. The only complaint that I had during the trip was the cold weather, but that was because I had never been exposed to it for an extended period of time. I am glad that I can now say I have experienced what it’s like to be somewhere that has a real winter though. I am also very glad that my view of Germany just as the place where Nazis persecuted Jews, which I know is a very naive view of Germany, has been completely changed. I am glad to know much more about the country that my family came from and just to have more knowledge of the world in general. The one thing that I know for sure is that I would absolutely love to go back to Europe in the future as soon as I have money to do so. I have always wanted to travel around the United States and Europe, but now my desire to travel is stronger than ever. I realize just how much there is to see in the world and how little I know about places other than where I live. Being in Europe was definitely an eye-opening experience, mostly just by being submerged in a culture much different, yet very similar in certain ways, to our culture. I never knew that I would enjoy learning about other cultures and lifestyles and just experiencing all of those things for myself as much as I did. I have always been open-minded, but the study abroad experience made me appreciate and understand other cultures better than I had before. Learning about the medical system in Europe was particularly interesting to me since the socialized medical system had never been fully explained to me and I had never taken the time to learn about it. This opened my eyes to other ways of thinking also and taught me not to be afraid of change that may occur in our country. I have learned to embrace other cultures and other perspectives because of my experiences abroad. I feel like I have a much closer relationship to the world, if this makes any sense at all. I know that we only travelled to four countries during the three weeks and that there is so much of the world that I still have left to see, but I was exposed to more in these three weeks than I ever had been on trips that I have taken before. My mission trip to Mexico a few years ago was a huge eye-opening experience because I was exposed to the deep poverty that people lived in there, but the study abroad program was a different kind of eye-opening experience for me--just having the chance to see how people in other first world countries spend their everyday lives and learning about their way of doing things. It was just a really neat experience for me and I had gone in with an expectation of just seeing historical sites and learning a lot about medicine, but I came back with so much more than that—having experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be exposed to other cultures in a unique way and having a new perspective on a variety of things.
I have known since high school that I want to go to medical school and become a pediatrician. However, I have also had my doubts along the way, especially when people question whether I really want to go through that much school and spend time paying off school debts after graduating. After returning from abroad, all of these doubts have been removed. I now am certain that I want to go to medical school and that it will be worth the time and effort that I put into it. There is not one particular part of the study abroad experience that made me realize this, but a combination of several things that we saw and did while we were there. The open heart surgery in which the patient underwent quadruple bypass and a mitral valve replacement, the wide range of fascinating exhibits in the Deutsches Hygiene Museum, the many wax models at the Medical History Museum at the Josephinum, learning about the history of medicine in Germany and Vienna from Dr. Wasser, the lectures given by the doctors at the Heart and Diabetes Clinic in Bad Oeynhausen and the artificial hearts that we had the opportunity to see and learn about, were all highlights of the trip and definitely impacted my view of my chosen profession, but the entire trip in general had an impact on me. There was never a dull moment for me when we were visiting these and other places and learning about the history of medicine. I was absolutely fascinated by everything and felt like I could devote entire days to the museums we went to and would not be bored at all. The study abroad program also gave me a more open perspective on working as a doctor abroad and a desire to go on medical mission trips. I know we didn’t really discuss this or anything on the trip, but I never had an interest in working in the medical field anywhere but in the United States until going to Germany and Austria.
The two major things that I got out of the study abroad experience were a desire to travel to Europe and just around the world in general and a higher level of confidence that I want to pursue a career as a physician, both of which I am very happy about. I also feel much more prepared to travel in Europe than I did before and I have confidence that I would be able to survive on a trip just fine if I went with a few friends or family who had no clue what they were doing. The experience was absolutely amazing and I would go back to Germany, Austria, or almost any other place in Europe in a heartbeat if I were given the opportunity to do so.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
(Cultural) Shock Wars: Episode VI - The Return from Europe
It is a critical time in our lives at Texas A&M. Classes have descended over the peaceful world of College Station and its people (students). The homework, exams, and projects are taking over. The semester has begun and there is no stopping now...
Well, I tried, I can't write as much as George Lucas and I lack imagination to do a full Star Wars-like scrolling dialogue.
Anyhow, it has been a month since we all came back from Europe. It truly seems it hasn't been that long to me. At the same time, since we are busy with classes, exams, and homework, time seems to go by slowly for us as students… well at least for me. The interesting thing about experiencing other cultures is that the more one experiences, the less “reverse culture shock” one gets! Upon returning to the US, I expected to be critical and compare my experiences in Europe with my life in the US. The truth is that I did not. I understand that the world has different cultures and that we have to learn to live in unison with each other.
Understanding a culture means just that; understanding, accepting, and not trying to constantly compare what one is used to with what others do. Sure, in Germany they wait until you ask for the check, and here they don’t but otherwise we are similar in many other ways. Before leaving on this trip I expressed some anxieties about this trip. To be honest, all of them turned out to be nothing more than anxieties. There really was a very small language barrier, and I overcame that tiny percentage with my three week super basic German “course” (ok, I bought a book with lots of pictures and vocabulary). There were no pickpockets, not even in Prague or Amsterdam and we always felt secure, especially since we traveled together. Distance was not a problem, I had communication with my family every once in a while, and I just plain enjoyed the entire trip!
My views of Germany and Europe in general changed quite a bit thanks to this trip. The orientation helped, but being there made all preconceptions go away. Truly, Germany is much more that the Nazi era instigator. It was very important for me to experience Germany to allow me to dissipate all notions of this. Though the Nazi era and the Holocaust and the T4 program all happened, Germany has changed a lot since 1945. Germany today is art, architecture, history everywhere you go, nice people, beer, technology, and medical advances and medical technology. I am very happy I could experience all this. In addition, traveling thorough Europe was an amazing experience. The opportunities to travel to Prague and Amsterdam, to get to experience history, beauty and, yes why not, liberalism, were eye-opening. This trip helped me grow in my cultural experiences and helped me form a better world view. What can I say? If I had any expectations about this trip, now that I am back I realize that being there blew them all out of the water. It was in one short, sweet word, AMAZING.
The experiences I lived during these three weeks have reshaped my world view; they have opened my eyes to a new fascinating culture. Though I did not get into medical school this time around I found that there are many opportunities. They say that for every one door that closes, two more open. Well, I applied for the Study and Internship Program (SIP) in Germany. I loved being in Europe, I loved learning a little bit about German culture, I loved the language and I hope I can go back and immerse myself in it! I realized that there is really no point in learning a language unless you get to experience it (that’s why I will go to Japan and Italy someday and live these cultures as well!). Yes, I changed, this trip changed me. It opened my eyes. I loved observing the surgery, I realize that Germany has a lot to offer in the medical field, and I want to go back and learn more. This will impact my career because the more I learn and experience, the better my chances are of getting into a good medical school next time I apply. I think the trip to Germany and learning about the history of medicine were meant to happen and happened just at the right time in my life. It was awesome and I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to have gone on this trip.
Now I am back in the United States, working hard, learning more. I have experienced a new culture and I did not suffer a reverse cultural shock. I am back, I am here… but who knows, maybe this summer I will be back in Germany studying!!!
Bis dann!
Well, I tried, I can't write as much as George Lucas and I lack imagination to do a full Star Wars-like scrolling dialogue.
Anyhow, it has been a month since we all came back from Europe. It truly seems it hasn't been that long to me. At the same time, since we are busy with classes, exams, and homework, time seems to go by slowly for us as students… well at least for me. The interesting thing about experiencing other cultures is that the more one experiences, the less “reverse culture shock” one gets! Upon returning to the US, I expected to be critical and compare my experiences in Europe with my life in the US. The truth is that I did not. I understand that the world has different cultures and that we have to learn to live in unison with each other.
Understanding a culture means just that; understanding, accepting, and not trying to constantly compare what one is used to with what others do. Sure, in Germany they wait until you ask for the check, and here they don’t but otherwise we are similar in many other ways. Before leaving on this trip I expressed some anxieties about this trip. To be honest, all of them turned out to be nothing more than anxieties. There really was a very small language barrier, and I overcame that tiny percentage with my three week super basic German “course” (ok, I bought a book with lots of pictures and vocabulary). There were no pickpockets, not even in Prague or Amsterdam and we always felt secure, especially since we traveled together. Distance was not a problem, I had communication with my family every once in a while, and I just plain enjoyed the entire trip!
My views of Germany and Europe in general changed quite a bit thanks to this trip. The orientation helped, but being there made all preconceptions go away. Truly, Germany is much more that the Nazi era instigator. It was very important for me to experience Germany to allow me to dissipate all notions of this. Though the Nazi era and the Holocaust and the T4 program all happened, Germany has changed a lot since 1945. Germany today is art, architecture, history everywhere you go, nice people, beer, technology, and medical advances and medical technology. I am very happy I could experience all this. In addition, traveling thorough Europe was an amazing experience. The opportunities to travel to Prague and Amsterdam, to get to experience history, beauty and, yes why not, liberalism, were eye-opening. This trip helped me grow in my cultural experiences and helped me form a better world view. What can I say? If I had any expectations about this trip, now that I am back I realize that being there blew them all out of the water. It was in one short, sweet word, AMAZING.
The experiences I lived during these three weeks have reshaped my world view; they have opened my eyes to a new fascinating culture. Though I did not get into medical school this time around I found that there are many opportunities. They say that for every one door that closes, two more open. Well, I applied for the Study and Internship Program (SIP) in Germany. I loved being in Europe, I loved learning a little bit about German culture, I loved the language and I hope I can go back and immerse myself in it! I realized that there is really no point in learning a language unless you get to experience it (that’s why I will go to Japan and Italy someday and live these cultures as well!). Yes, I changed, this trip changed me. It opened my eyes. I loved observing the surgery, I realize that Germany has a lot to offer in the medical field, and I want to go back and learn more. This will impact my career because the more I learn and experience, the better my chances are of getting into a good medical school next time I apply. I think the trip to Germany and learning about the history of medicine were meant to happen and happened just at the right time in my life. It was awesome and I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to have gone on this trip.
Now I am back in the United States, working hard, learning more. I have experienced a new culture and I did not suffer a reverse cultural shock. I am back, I am here… but who knows, maybe this summer I will be back in Germany studying!!!
Bis dann!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
So back to normal life.
After the program ended on January 16, I went to Paris straight afterwards on the 17th. That night, Amanda and I went to visit the Eifel Tower! It was so beautiful during the night. I was so glad we went during the night instead of during the day, I thought it was a much better experience. The next day, which was my 20th birthday, we first went to Notre Dam Church, where we actually attended mass, and I even had communion, in the Notre Dam. It was so cool. Then we went to the Louvre and saw a bunch of famous paintings, then the Tuilieries (spelling?), then shopping, then the famous gate where the Tour de France ends, and finally, the next day, I went back to the States.
I must say it feels really weird being back here. Everything is in English, I'm using American dollars, I get free refills in restaurants, and I get to sleep in my own bed. I miss Germany already, but at the same time I am glad to see my friends again as well. This experience was absolutely amazing and I'm thankful that I went through with it. I think everyone should travel overseas somewhere once in their lives, and there is no better time to do it than in college. My memories in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Holland, and France are priceless!!! Maybe one day, I'll return to Europe and have another adventure... But for now, I enjoy being back home in College Station.
I must say it feels really weird being back here. Everything is in English, I'm using American dollars, I get free refills in restaurants, and I get to sleep in my own bed. I miss Germany already, but at the same time I am glad to see my friends again as well. This experience was absolutely amazing and I'm thankful that I went through with it. I think everyone should travel overseas somewhere once in their lives, and there is no better time to do it than in college. My memories in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Holland, and France are priceless!!! Maybe one day, I'll return to Europe and have another adventure... But for now, I enjoy being back home in College Station.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The hills are alive with the sound of music...
So amidst the chaos that was unpacking, I found my "blog draft" (aka scattered notes) that I wrote the last day in Vienna. It goes a little something like this:
[Children:]
There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"
[Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:]
Cuckoo, cuckoo
[Children: Marta, Gretl, Brigitta: ]
Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo
To say goodbye . . .
[Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:]
Cuckoo!
[Children:]
. . . to you
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
[Marta:]
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
[Friedrich:]
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu
[Children:]
So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
[Liesl:]
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
[Kurt:]
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!
[Brigitta:]
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
[Louisa:]
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly
[Gretl:]
The sun has gone to bed and so must I
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
[Guests:]
Goodbye!
I felt like this was the most appropriate ending to a wonderful journey and farewell to an amazing city. Vienna has such rich medical and cultural history, beautiful architecture, and glamorous lifestyle that I have made a vow to return....sometime in the summer. I would have to say my favorites were the catacombs, the Freud museum, and the Belvedere Palace, but to be honest, there wasn't one thing I didn't enjoy.
I hope this blog finds everyone safe and well rested in "good 'ol" College Station. I am already working on a final blog draft and for that I might even find a good graphic to post so get ready. Good luck on your first days of class!
[Children:]
There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"
[Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:]
Cuckoo, cuckoo
[Children: Marta, Gretl, Brigitta: ]
Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo
To say goodbye . . .
[Marta, Gretl, Brigitta:]
Cuckoo!
[Children:]
. . . to you
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
[Marta:]
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
[Friedrich:]
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu
[Children:]
So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
[Liesl:]
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
[Kurt:]
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!
[Brigitta:]
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
[Louisa:]
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly
[Gretl:]
The sun has gone to bed and so must I
[Children:]
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
[Guests:]
Goodbye!
I felt like this was the most appropriate ending to a wonderful journey and farewell to an amazing city. Vienna has such rich medical and cultural history, beautiful architecture, and glamorous lifestyle that I have made a vow to return....sometime in the summer. I would have to say my favorites were the catacombs, the Freud museum, and the Belvedere Palace, but to be honest, there wasn't one thing I didn't enjoy.
I hope this blog finds everyone safe and well rested in "good 'ol" College Station. I am already working on a final blog draft and for that I might even find a good graphic to post so get ready. Good luck on your first days of class!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bubble Bath & Chicken-Ex
I can’t believe it is already over. The amount of preparation and money that went into this class was completely worth it. The people were some of the coolest people I have ever met. I am currently on a huge train ride to my flight to USA because I messed up on scheduling. To say that traveling alone is boring is the understatement of the year. I just spent 75 minutes next to a lady who knew no personal space. I would like to take this time to reflect on the past week in Vienna.
I was not really looking forward to going to Vienna because of the amount of things I still wanted to do in Berlin. Besides the fact that the doners in the city had a different kind of flavor, the city itself was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The streets were incredibly clean and the feel of the city was comparable to some stereotypical shopping centers in the United States.
My favorite group of things to see in our travels has to be the cathedrals. These architectural masterpieces are so grand and large I am considering Catholicism. I wish that we would pull our resources in America and make some structural giants equal to the technology and luxury we live in today. The Saint Stephens Cathedral in particular was my second favorite cathedral (first being the cathedral in Cologne) because of its size and location. I do feel it lacked the history of the Cologne cathedral. Every single detail in Cologne was masterfully carved and thought out. Saint Stephens is a beautiful church but I feel they did not put everything they could into it.
The doners. The doners. The doners. Without a doubt my favorite food of the trip was the doners. The textbook synergistic flavor of the onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mystery meat and ranch dressing-esque sauce hit the palette in a way that cannot be duplicated. After I messed up on my plane ticket and wasted a good 350 dollars, I decided the only thing I would eat from then on was the delicious doners. The doners in Berlin were good but lacked the spice that the Viennese utilized to perfection. I am tempted to drop out of TAMU and become the prince of doners.
The people in this class defiantly made this a trip to remember. When we started this trip I thought everyone was super quiet and this worried me. I am very quiet in real life but when I get comfortable I talk way too much. I was not expecting to make friends on this trip so I brought 4 large books and multiple ipods . To my surprise everyone ended up being friendly and welcoming. It was also great to get to know Dr. Wasser and learn from him. This has been a trip of a lifetime and I am so glad that I took a blind leap and went to a foreign country with people I did not know.
PROUST!
Sir Brian Gibson
I was not really looking forward to going to Vienna because of the amount of things I still wanted to do in Berlin. Besides the fact that the doners in the city had a different kind of flavor, the city itself was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The streets were incredibly clean and the feel of the city was comparable to some stereotypical shopping centers in the United States.
My favorite group of things to see in our travels has to be the cathedrals. These architectural masterpieces are so grand and large I am considering Catholicism. I wish that we would pull our resources in America and make some structural giants equal to the technology and luxury we live in today. The Saint Stephens Cathedral in particular was my second favorite cathedral (first being the cathedral in Cologne) because of its size and location. I do feel it lacked the history of the Cologne cathedral. Every single detail in Cologne was masterfully carved and thought out. Saint Stephens is a beautiful church but I feel they did not put everything they could into it.
The doners. The doners. The doners. Without a doubt my favorite food of the trip was the doners. The textbook synergistic flavor of the onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mystery meat and ranch dressing-esque sauce hit the palette in a way that cannot be duplicated. After I messed up on my plane ticket and wasted a good 350 dollars, I decided the only thing I would eat from then on was the delicious doners. The doners in Berlin were good but lacked the spice that the Viennese utilized to perfection. I am tempted to drop out of TAMU and become the prince of doners.
The people in this class defiantly made this a trip to remember. When we started this trip I thought everyone was super quiet and this worried me. I am very quiet in real life but when I get comfortable I talk way too much. I was not expecting to make friends on this trip so I brought 4 large books and multiple ipods . To my surprise everyone ended up being friendly and welcoming. It was also great to get to know Dr. Wasser and learn from him. This has been a trip of a lifetime and I am so glad that I took a blind leap and went to a foreign country with people I did not know.
PROUST!
Sir Brian Gibson
Friday, January 16, 2009
Auf Wiedersehen Wien, auf Wiedersehen Europa! (じゃまたウィエン、じゃまたヨローパ、ね！)
January 16th, 2009 - The day this trip comes to an end.
It is sad, yet exciting to go back to the US, though I will miss all the places I visited a lot. No problem, I will do my best to be back and see them again!
Our last day in Vienna. What a better way to close than with a visit to the Spanishe Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) where the Lipizzaner horses are kept, trained, and exhibited. We took a tour, where we learned a great deal about the school. For instance, it is the oldest riding school that practices the High School of Riding. This type of riding focuses on the natural movements of the stallion (sorry, no girls allowed, well mares) and uses them to create a beautiful dressage. It was founded by Ferdinand I, a Spanish Habsburg who had Spanish horses brought to Lipizzer where he bred them with other horses ultimately creating what we now know as the Lipizzaner horse. The town of Lipizzer is now in Slovenia, so the horses are bred in Piber, a town in southern Austria. The school has 20 riders of different ranks: élèves, assistant riders, riders, and chief riders. They have morning excercises every day, and during the winter they use the Winter Hofreitschule (Winter Riding School) Building. In this building, in the past, the royal family used to have balls, piano recitals and other such parties. In the Summer ring, which is surrounded by a trotting track that moves around and fits 20 horses, the stallions can trot alone. The rink was used to hold reenactments of sea battles at times. All Lipizzaners are white, but the ones that remain black or dark brown are considered lucky, and they say every Lipizzaner stable should have at least one dark horse for luck!
We then met the horses! Most majestic and beautiful animals I have ever seen! They have girl names because their names are actually a combination of the mother and the father. They retire at around 25 years of age, some older, return to Piber and die naturally at age 35 or so.
The saddles used are handmade in Switzerland from white deerskin and are about 20kg each. It was simply beautiful to have the opportunity to see these famous animals live.
Our farewell dinner was very good. I had cordon bleu chicken and Almdudler, an exquisite lemon soda with herbs typical of Vienna. Now the time has come to say "Auf Wiedersehen Europa" (『じゃまたヨローパ』) and to hope I can be on this land some time in the near future!
So:
Auf wiedersehen Europa!
¡Nos vemos Europa!
Ci vediamo Europa!
Au revoir Europe!
Until next time Europe!
じゃまたヨローパ、ね！
Bis nächste monat!
It is sad, yet exciting to go back to the US, though I will miss all the places I visited a lot. No problem, I will do my best to be back and see them again!
Our last day in Vienna. What a better way to close than with a visit to the Spanishe Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) where the Lipizzaner horses are kept, trained, and exhibited. We took a tour, where we learned a great deal about the school. For instance, it is the oldest riding school that practices the High School of Riding. This type of riding focuses on the natural movements of the stallion (sorry, no girls allowed, well mares) and uses them to create a beautiful dressage. It was founded by Ferdinand I, a Spanish Habsburg who had Spanish horses brought to Lipizzer where he bred them with other horses ultimately creating what we now know as the Lipizzaner horse. The town of Lipizzer is now in Slovenia, so the horses are bred in Piber, a town in southern Austria. The school has 20 riders of different ranks: élèves, assistant riders, riders, and chief riders. They have morning excercises every day, and during the winter they use the Winter Hofreitschule (Winter Riding School) Building. In this building, in the past, the royal family used to have balls, piano recitals and other such parties. In the Summer ring, which is surrounded by a trotting track that moves around and fits 20 horses, the stallions can trot alone. The rink was used to hold reenactments of sea battles at times. All Lipizzaners are white, but the ones that remain black or dark brown are considered lucky, and they say every Lipizzaner stable should have at least one dark horse for luck!
We then met the horses! Most majestic and beautiful animals I have ever seen! They have girl names because their names are actually a combination of the mother and the father. They retire at around 25 years of age, some older, return to Piber and die naturally at age 35 or so.
The saddles used are handmade in Switzerland from white deerskin and are about 20kg each. It was simply beautiful to have the opportunity to see these famous animals live.
Our farewell dinner was very good. I had cordon bleu chicken and Almdudler, an exquisite lemon soda with herbs typical of Vienna. Now the time has come to say "Auf Wiedersehen Europa" (『じゃまたヨローパ』) and to hope I can be on this land some time in the near future!
So:
Auf wiedersehen Europa!
¡Nos vemos Europa!
Ci vediamo Europa!
Au revoir Europe!
Until next time Europe!
じゃまたヨローパ、ね！
Bis nächste monat!
A little Geschichte der Medizin made with wax!
Today in Vienna, mostly cloudy, a bit cold, no more snow. Lucky for us we had to be indoors, and what a better place than Museum des Instituts für Geschichte der Medizin der Universität Wien in the Josephinum... yup long name. Well, a few posts back I wrote about Joseph II and the Allgemeines Krankenhaus. This museum, actually the medical school that this museum is now a part of, was founded by him. It was called the Josephinum Akademie.
We started our rounds with an old friend, Leopold Auenbrugger. He was the man responsible for the first use of percussion. He took this idea from his father who tapped on wine barrels to see if they were empty or full. But, no one paid attention to him and his book Inventum Novum was forgotten until many years later. The museum held a vast collection of medical instruments used back in the day. This included heatable cups for bloodletting, saws for fast amputation, even homeopathic kits! They also had the "Medical kits" that students bought, or received to practice medicine. The next area of the exhibit had pictures of a medical hero, Dr. Sammelweiß, the "savior of mothers." With his hygienic rules, he reduced mother mortality from puerpereal feverby an enormous margin. He also practiced antiseptic techniques during operations. He is, in some ways, the father of antisepsis. We saw pictures of the old anatomic theaters where dissections took place and a specimen of the stomach of a lady. This stomach had sutures on it, because Theodore Bilroth performed an operation and removed a cancerous growth from it. The patient survived for three months. Throughout this exhibit we saw pictures of important medical figures such as Gustav Riehl, dermatologist, Wilhelm Winternitz, father of scientific hydrotherapy, and Karl Koller, who discovered the anesthetic properties of cocaine (Coca Cola = Cocaine Koller, if you think about it).
The second half of the exhibit was a little bit more anatomical. We walked through halls full of old instruments, shelves full of them from top to bottom: Prostheses, new and old, scalpels, microscopes, percussion hammers, everything and anything ever used in medicine. We finally got to a room full of 'cadavers.' These, however, were actually Venetian wax models especially designed for the medical school. They were crafted in traditional Venetian poses and had real hair (blonde for German-speaking countries). Each model, depending on size and intricacy took anywhere from 2-4 months to complete. They have been at the university since 1785 and have seen countless generations of medical students. They had the lymph vessel body, which portrayed this newly discovered body system, though perhaps not accurately. They also had the first ever gynecology section. Here we saw how a baby is carried and how it is born, including a birth by forceps. We also saw possible pregnancy complications and siamese twins. The story says siamese twins were often aborted along with any baby that put the mother's life at risk.
After our museum journey we once again went around Vienna, especially Stephansplatz until 7PM when we met at the hotel to go celebrate Krystynas Birthday at a local restaurant, and end the night at a karaoke bar... it was fun, though I did not sing.
We started our rounds with an old friend, Leopold Auenbrugger. He was the man responsible for the first use of percussion. He took this idea from his father who tapped on wine barrels to see if they were empty or full. But, no one paid attention to him and his book Inventum Novum was forgotten until many years later. The museum held a vast collection of medical instruments used back in the day. This included heatable cups for bloodletting, saws for fast amputation, even homeopathic kits! They also had the "Medical kits" that students bought, or received to practice medicine. The next area of the exhibit had pictures of a medical hero, Dr. Sammelweiß, the "savior of mothers." With his hygienic rules, he reduced mother mortality from puerpereal feverby an enormous margin. He also practiced antiseptic techniques during operations. He is, in some ways, the father of antisepsis. We saw pictures of the old anatomic theaters where dissections took place and a specimen of the stomach of a lady. This stomach had sutures on it, because Theodore Bilroth performed an operation and removed a cancerous growth from it. The patient survived for three months. Throughout this exhibit we saw pictures of important medical figures such as Gustav Riehl, dermatologist, Wilhelm Winternitz, father of scientific hydrotherapy, and Karl Koller, who discovered the anesthetic properties of cocaine (Coca Cola = Cocaine Koller, if you think about it).
The second half of the exhibit was a little bit more anatomical. We walked through halls full of old instruments, shelves full of them from top to bottom: Prostheses, new and old, scalpels, microscopes, percussion hammers, everything and anything ever used in medicine. We finally got to a room full of 'cadavers.' These, however, were actually Venetian wax models especially designed for the medical school. They were crafted in traditional Venetian poses and had real hair (blonde for German-speaking countries). Each model, depending on size and intricacy took anywhere from 2-4 months to complete. They have been at the university since 1785 and have seen countless generations of medical students. They had the lymph vessel body, which portrayed this newly discovered body system, though perhaps not accurately. They also had the first ever gynecology section. Here we saw how a baby is carried and how it is born, including a birth by forceps. We also saw possible pregnancy complications and siamese twins. The story says siamese twins were often aborted along with any baby that put the mother's life at risk.
After our museum journey we once again went around Vienna, especially Stephansplatz until 7PM when we met at the hotel to go celebrate Krystynas Birthday at a local restaurant, and end the night at a karaoke bar... it was fun, though I did not sing.
Jus Jon 12
Hello. Sorry about the first Jus Jon 12 being empty. I pushed the enter key before I began writting. Today, is the day everybody gets ready to leave for home. When I first thought about it, I didn't think it would be to much of a big deal, but I realize it is. Some of the group has already left and I feel really sad because I mis them a lot. I didn't think we had gotten that close at all. To reflect on this trip, I have had the time of my life here in Europe. I have found what I want to do with myself, who I want to be, and alot more stuff that I had in question when in the states. I am absolutely thankful for having the opportunity to come on this trip. I have meet some nice people and learned a lot from each one. I know we have a blog in a month, but for what it is worth, everybody together made the trip what it was. Well, until next time, peace.
and I can be on the last train home
Just a short blog before most of us leave tomorrow :(... Although I will be extremely happy to be back in familiar old Texas, I am a little sad to be leaving Europe. I know everyone is saying this, but it did not feel like 3 weeks to me! I have had so many fantastic experiences on this trip, and I have 3 weeks' worth of memories that will, pardon the cliche, last me a lifetime. I think I am finally used to the German keyboard, and going back to QWERTY will be odd... I am looking forward to tonight's farewell dinner, although we will be missing Brian and Will. One last authentic European meal for me! Today was a great last day, mostly because we had the chance to relax for most of it. This program had so many visits and activities packed into it that it was nice to be able to sleep late and eat a nice leisurely brunch with friends. I really liked the Spanish riding school; seeing how much attention is paid to every little detail for the horses and riders was crazy! But the pictures of them performing were spectacular. If I ever have a chance to come back to Vienna in the spring (cross my fingers), I will definitely want to catch one of their morning exercises or performances. And I'd like to see a Mozart/Strauss concert (sad face to Lauren Lewis because we missed out). Also, if I ever come back, I would like to go back to Hannover and Prague. Until then, Auf Wiedersehen Europe!
A Boy Named Sue
It's almost over, what a trip. Probably the longest and most physically taxing of my life, but most definitely the most eye-opening and educational. Our time in Vienna has been fantastic, I love the city, as does everyone else, and have had some of the best times of the trip here. I realized I didn't fill you in on our first day here so I'll start there. We took a tour of the Vienna Museum and St. Stephen's Cathedral including the catacombs underneath. Vienna is actually an extremely important city historically, moreso for religion, as the two Ottoman seiges against the city in the 16th and 17th centuries which failed and prevented a possible global Muslim present. St. Stephen's is a beautiful gothic cathedral in the middle of the city, which is an interesting location since the middle of the city contains the major shopping district of Vienna. But it was great, not quite as breath-taking as the Dom Cologne but close. The catacombs were the coolest part though. The huge mass graves with bones stacked like firewood and the multiple tombs of the Hapsburgs and modern-day Bishops were awesome.
The next day, after a lot of sleep, we took a walking tour of the medical history of Vienna led by Dr. Wasser and saw a few very interesting sites. After lunch, we headed to the Freud Museum where we had our last lecture from Dr. Wasser on the man, myth, and legend himself. Freud is an extremely interesting character, mainly because his theories on psychoanalysis can agruably be traced back to his own childhood. This is still being debated according to Dr. Wasser, but some believe that only Freud and a few others, because of their situations in their childhood and early adulthood, could have formulated the ideas and theories that eventually became the first descriptions of the human psyche. After the lecture, we toured his old apartment where he lived and practiced. Although a lot of it was originally furnished, the famous couch resides in London, where he died. Freud, with his wife and daughter Anna, had fled Austria one year before his death as the Nazis began their campaign on Eastern Europe.
That night, we were treated to an operetta at a nearby theater. The title was Die Fledermaus (I think that's right) which means "The Bat". It was a pretty interesting, comedic story that we were all able to understand due to the synopsis we read beforehand and the subtitles given during the performance. Along with the story, the music and singing were impeccable. I can't remember the last time I heard someone sing in perfect pitch like that for 2 hours. Yesterday was an easier day, we went to the medical history museum that housed rooms and rooms of wax models showing different anatomical structures. Having just recently finished anatomy, I was eager to compare humans and dogs anatomically. I'll just say they are surprisingly similar, with a few exceptions.
We had free time for the rest of the day, which I used mainly to sleep some more and ponder my medical school choices. The deadline for the Texas Medical School match was on the horizon and to be honest I'm still weighing my options, but will most likely accept my offer at UTMB. Anyway, last night was maybe the most fun night of the trip. Right across the street from our hotel was a karaoke bar, which combined with college students equals attemps at singing to great songs for hours on end. At this point in the trip, everyone is getting pretty close, so for our last night we enjoyed each other's company, sang some great songs, and celebrated Krystyna's birthday. Today we had the morning off, which we all used to sleep in. Jared and I saw Brian off early as he's taking a train to Bonn where his flight leaves from tomorrow. We just took a tour of the Spanish Riding School, the oldest riding school in the world I believe, and are about to head to the final banquet.
All in all, this trip has been a much needed leave of absence from the United States. I think all of us have become at least a little more knowledgeable, a little more grateful, and much more independent. It's impossible not to do so over here. I feel that I've come to understand the German culture pretty well with the help of Dr. Wasser and AIB, who have been fantastic. Hopefully, now I'll be able to navigate my way around Europe on my own someday, preferably sooner than later. But this trip has shown me, if anything, the importance of going through difficult and uncomfortable experiences, and the importance of being on your own and discovering a different culture that questions your own beliefs and feelings. I feel I've accomplished that to some extent here. I've wrestled with a few things here, but feel I have come to a more personal understanding and acceptance of the relationship between myself and the rest of the world that I believe is more mature, well-rounded, and confident.
So for that, I thank everyone: AIB and Dr. Wasser for this incredible experience, the rest of the students on the trip for growing with me during these last 3 weeks (y'all are awesome), and my family and friends for supporting me heavily during this trip. I miss and love everyone back home, and I'll see you all very soon.
PEACE
Asher
The next day, after a lot of sleep, we took a walking tour of the medical history of Vienna led by Dr. Wasser and saw a few very interesting sites. After lunch, we headed to the Freud Museum where we had our last lecture from Dr. Wasser on the man, myth, and legend himself. Freud is an extremely interesting character, mainly because his theories on psychoanalysis can agruably be traced back to his own childhood. This is still being debated according to Dr. Wasser, but some believe that only Freud and a few others, because of their situations in their childhood and early adulthood, could have formulated the ideas and theories that eventually became the first descriptions of the human psyche. After the lecture, we toured his old apartment where he lived and practiced. Although a lot of it was originally furnished, the famous couch resides in London, where he died. Freud, with his wife and daughter Anna, had fled Austria one year before his death as the Nazis began their campaign on Eastern Europe.
That night, we were treated to an operetta at a nearby theater. The title was Die Fledermaus (I think that's right) which means "The Bat". It was a pretty interesting, comedic story that we were all able to understand due to the synopsis we read beforehand and the subtitles given during the performance. Along with the story, the music and singing were impeccable. I can't remember the last time I heard someone sing in perfect pitch like that for 2 hours. Yesterday was an easier day, we went to the medical history museum that housed rooms and rooms of wax models showing different anatomical structures. Having just recently finished anatomy, I was eager to compare humans and dogs anatomically. I'll just say they are surprisingly similar, with a few exceptions.
We had free time for the rest of the day, which I used mainly to sleep some more and ponder my medical school choices. The deadline for the Texas Medical School match was on the horizon and to be honest I'm still weighing my options, but will most likely accept my offer at UTMB. Anyway, last night was maybe the most fun night of the trip. Right across the street from our hotel was a karaoke bar, which combined with college students equals attemps at singing to great songs for hours on end. At this point in the trip, everyone is getting pretty close, so for our last night we enjoyed each other's company, sang some great songs, and celebrated Krystyna's birthday. Today we had the morning off, which we all used to sleep in. Jared and I saw Brian off early as he's taking a train to Bonn where his flight leaves from tomorrow. We just took a tour of the Spanish Riding School, the oldest riding school in the world I believe, and are about to head to the final banquet.
All in all, this trip has been a much needed leave of absence from the United States. I think all of us have become at least a little more knowledgeable, a little more grateful, and much more independent. It's impossible not to do so over here. I feel that I've come to understand the German culture pretty well with the help of Dr. Wasser and AIB, who have been fantastic. Hopefully, now I'll be able to navigate my way around Europe on my own someday, preferably sooner than later. But this trip has shown me, if anything, the importance of going through difficult and uncomfortable experiences, and the importance of being on your own and discovering a different culture that questions your own beliefs and feelings. I feel I've accomplished that to some extent here. I've wrestled with a few things here, but feel I have come to a more personal understanding and acceptance of the relationship between myself and the rest of the world that I believe is more mature, well-rounded, and confident.
So for that, I thank everyone: AIB and Dr. Wasser for this incredible experience, the rest of the students on the trip for growing with me during these last 3 weeks (y'all are awesome), and my family and friends for supporting me heavily during this trip. I miss and love everyone back home, and I'll see you all very soon.
PEACE
Asher
So Long, Farewell
After spending nearly a week in Vienna, all I can say it is absolutely AMAZING!!!! Vienna is my favorite city that we visited on this trip. The architecture is gorgeous, a perfect blend of the modern and the historic, and I find myself very comfortable in this clean and spacious environment. Vienna's style of high society, sophistication and class that give the city its extra appeal. Nevertheless the abundant cafes are quite inviting and cozy, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my diet of chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate crepes, chocolate cakes, bread, and sugar!
Before I continue on with the highlights of Vienna, I must mention the our day trip to Bad Oeynhausen at the begining of the week. I think the opportunity to observe an open heart surgery, might be one of the best way to shake the Monday blues. To begin with, the Heart and Diabetes Center in Bad Oeynhausen was the nicest hospital I have ever been in. The many large windows, contempary paintings and sculpture art spread throughout the hospital gave it a happy upbeat feel; a vibe I generally dont get from a typical hospital. Consistant with all of the other hospital visits/ physician lectures on this program, I was very impressed by the doctors that we met. They were very encouraging and excited for us to learn and experience their trade first hand. But, the best part was definitely watching open heart surgery. Despite the fact that I have seen countless operations, nothing compares to seeing a chest split wide open to expose a beating human heart! The heart was much larger than I expected, and beat in a more violent fashion than I had assumed. While in the OR I thought it was a pretty impressive sight, but my enthusiasm only intensified as the day went on. At the Heart and Diabetes Center I also learned a lot about VADs (Ventricular Assistance Devices). From both a medical and engineering stand point I find these devices fascinating and I am eager to do some follow up research on VADs when I return home.
Back to Vienna...
On our first day here, we went to see St. Stephen's Catherdral. The cathedral is breathtaking in all of its traditional gothic splendor, but the dark and damp catacombs with thousands of dead bodies buried in mass graves, left the largest impression on me!
Highlights from day two would include the Freud museum and the operetta. I am very intrigued by Freud but know less about him than I would like. I am fascinated with dreams (their meaning and interpretation) and the power of the subconsious. I received a good background of information from the museum and Dr. Wasser's lecture, but I am excited to read the book I purchased at the museum on the analysis of the Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" and the history of psychoanalysis.
Since I found out about our planned trip to the Operetta, I have been very excited. But I must admit I was excited for the cultural aspect of it, and I was apprehensive as to whether I would actually enjoy the performance. I loved the comedy and entertainment of the show and am forever grateful for the supertitles!!
Yesterday might have been one of the greatest days of my life...seriously! I went to the Belvedere, to see "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimpt!!! Art history is a true passion of mine and my ABSOLUT'E FAVORITE painting in the world is The Kiss. When I was first introduced to this painting in high school, I wonder if I would ever actually have the opportunity to see it in person, being that its permanent home is in Vienna, and I could not imagine what might bring me to this wonderful city. So when I saw it yesterday, I wasn't quite sure how I should respond, but I can just say it was a very great moment!!!!!
Today I enjoyed Viennese sights and sounds as I wonder through the streets, visitied a large market area that I highly recommended, and browsed in and out of shops in the SUNSHINE!!!! (the first in 2 weeks!)
As my trip comes to a close, I am ready to go home but definitely sad to leave . It has been the most wonderful experience, and I hope to come back in the near future (but hopefully in the summer so I can further enjoy the landscapes and parks in full color!)
Fortunately, I still have a lot to look forward to! In a few hours I board a train for a quick weekend visit to PARIS!!!!
Before I continue on with the highlights of Vienna, I must mention the our day trip to Bad Oeynhausen at the begining of the week. I think the opportunity to observe an open heart surgery, might be one of the best way to shake the Monday blues. To begin with, the Heart and Diabetes Center in Bad Oeynhausen was the nicest hospital I have ever been in. The many large windows, contempary paintings and sculpture art spread throughout the hospital gave it a happy upbeat feel; a vibe I generally dont get from a typical hospital. Consistant with all of the other hospital visits/ physician lectures on this program, I was very impressed by the doctors that we met. They were very encouraging and excited for us to learn and experience their trade first hand. But, the best part was definitely watching open heart surgery. Despite the fact that I have seen countless operations, nothing compares to seeing a chest split wide open to expose a beating human heart! The heart was much larger than I expected, and beat in a more violent fashion than I had assumed. While in the OR I thought it was a pretty impressive sight, but my enthusiasm only intensified as the day went on. At the Heart and Diabetes Center I also learned a lot about VADs (Ventricular Assistance Devices). From both a medical and engineering stand point I find these devices fascinating and I am eager to do some follow up research on VADs when I return home.
Back to Vienna...
On our first day here, we went to see St. Stephen's Catherdral. The cathedral is breathtaking in all of its traditional gothic splendor, but the dark and damp catacombs with thousands of dead bodies buried in mass graves, left the largest impression on me!
Highlights from day two would include the Freud museum and the operetta. I am very intrigued by Freud but know less about him than I would like. I am fascinated with dreams (their meaning and interpretation) and the power of the subconsious. I received a good background of information from the museum and Dr. Wasser's lecture, but I am excited to read the book I purchased at the museum on the analysis of the Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" and the history of psychoanalysis.
Since I found out about our planned trip to the Operetta, I have been very excited. But I must admit I was excited for the cultural aspect of it, and I was apprehensive as to whether I would actually enjoy the performance. I loved the comedy and entertainment of the show and am forever grateful for the supertitles!!
Yesterday might have been one of the greatest days of my life...seriously! I went to the Belvedere, to see "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimpt!!! Art history is a true passion of mine and my ABSOLUT'E FAVORITE painting in the world is The Kiss. When I was first introduced to this painting in high school, I wonder if I would ever actually have the opportunity to see it in person, being that its permanent home is in Vienna, and I could not imagine what might bring me to this wonderful city. So when I saw it yesterday, I wasn't quite sure how I should respond, but I can just say it was a very great moment!!!!!
Today I enjoyed Viennese sights and sounds as I wonder through the streets, visitied a large market area that I highly recommended, and browsed in and out of shops in the SUNSHINE!!!! (the first in 2 weeks!)
As my trip comes to a close, I am ready to go home but definitely sad to leave . It has been the most wonderful experience, and I hope to come back in the near future (but hopefully in the summer so I can further enjoy the landscapes and parks in full color!)
Fortunately, I still have a lot to look forward to! In a few hours I board a train for a quick weekend visit to PARIS!!!!
Snow tour, Freud, "bats and champagne"! all I have to say is "Chacun à son goût!"
A very cold, yet interesting day here in Vienna. We had our second medical walking tour, this time led by non other than Dr. Wasser himself and his guide of "Medical Vienna." As we walked around we discussed that Vienna was the place where in 1549, Matthias Kornaks (or Kornax, can't do much honor to the spelling) performed the first Cesarean Section (Kaiserschnit). The infant was stillborn however. We looked for the Wien Ärtzekammer (Vienna Doctors Chamber), we saw the Franciscaner Platz, a site of the first physicians, Franciscan monks and we wandered into an alleyway until we emerged in front of a house with a plaque that said "This is the place where Mozart died." From the top of this now department store, we had a beautiful view of the rooftops of Vienna. As we continued, we discussed that Maria Theresa, empress of Austria, had a 'chastity commision' replace all the nude statues with clothed ones at the Neuermarkt. We then wandered into yet more catacombs under the Agustinum I believe... Well, all the Habsburgs are buried in these catacombs with impressively ornate coffins. Among the most important Habsburgs and dukes was Archiduke Francis Ferdinand and Kaiserin Elisabeth (aka Sisi, or Sissi), both of them murdered. We talked about the Allgemeines Krankenhaus as the first hospital for the poor established by Joseph II, son of Maria Theresa. Then we concluded the tour at the Pestzoiler, a commemorative column to the victims of the Black Plague.
Our second stop after lunch was the Freud house and museum. Our visit began with a lecture by Dr. Wasser about Sigmund Freud. We had this lecture in one of the rooms of the house, very befitting! Sigmund Freud was born Sigismund Schlomo Freud in Moravia (Now in the Czech Republic). He was born to Jewish parents but he always called himself the "Godless Jew" since he had atheist views. As we know he was the father of psychoanalysis, but he was actually a neurologist; he had a medical degree. He researched the effects of cocaine as an analgesic. in 1884 he worked with biologist, and hypnotist, Jean Martin Charcot. From these experiences and after seeing patients he developed the Seduction Theory, which stated that all patients with neurosis had it because of an abuse in the past. He established that humans pracice sexuality even in the womb and especially at puberty and that any repression is bad for this and causes neurosis. In 1895, on July 23rd, he interprets a dream he had titled "the Dream of Irma's Injection," shortly after he coined the term psychoanalysis. In 1900 he published his famous book The Interpretation of Dreams and tried to state that daily events influence our dreams at night and the way we live in general. Other famous works include The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. As he said himself, he was "born to disturb the dreams of mankind." He had to work in close company to non-Jews so that his work could become acceptable. He worked with Carl Jung, with whom he had differing ideals, and then he broke with him. So did Alfred Adler.
In 1923, he published another famous book, The Ego and the Id, the structural basis of the mind. Freud described the structure of the human mind as having three basic parts that check each other. The Id, is the unconscious not governed by laws. It is the impulse with no morality, ethics or values that aims to obtain satisfaction for instinctual needs. The Ego is the executive of personality. It checks and controls the id and the superego. It is governed by the reality principle. The Superego is the judicial and moral system. It works with the ideal not the real and strives for perfection. It has two branches, the ego-ideal and the conscience. The ego-ideal is the parents' conception of the morally good, whereas the conscience is the morally bad conveyed from parent to child. Freud contracted squamous cell carcinoma from smoking 30-40 cigars a day. He had his right jaw removed and a prosthesis placed in. He emigrated to London during the Nazizeit. At the end of his life, Dr. Schun agreed to administer 3cg of morphine to ease his passing. Freud was euthanized by these high doses on morphine and left this world at 3:00AM on September 23rd, 1939 at age 83.
In the museum, we saw a few pieces of original furniture and part of Freud's antique collection (60 of his total 3500 pieces) donated by his daughter Anna. "The Couch" is in London, so we could not see it. In the waiting room, every Wednesday the Wednesday Evening Psychological Society met to discuss relevant issues on psychology. Freud also loved traveling, and when he met Martha, he became an avid letter writer, cranking out almost 1,400 letters in 4 years and averaging 12 pages a letter... yeah, and I thought I wrote a lot for these blogs. Lastly, we saw portraits by Ferdinand Schmutzer, who drew portraits of important people who held correspondence or some relation to Freud. The last part was very funny, however some words are not apt for this blog.
We ended our day at the Volksoper where we saw "Die Fledermaus" ("The bat") an Operetta by Johann Strauß (The younger). It was a very complex plot that revolved around a 'revenge' for an old joke and the effects of champagne on the events that took place. The music was amazing and though the operetta was in German, the subtitles (yes, subtitles) helped enormously. I think that the trip to the Opera was a great way to begin saying goodbye to Europe.
Our second stop after lunch was the Freud house and museum. Our visit began with a lecture by Dr. Wasser about Sigmund Freud. We had this lecture in one of the rooms of the house, very befitting! Sigmund Freud was born Sigismund Schlomo Freud in Moravia (Now in the Czech Republic). He was born to Jewish parents but he always called himself the "Godless Jew" since he had atheist views. As we know he was the father of psychoanalysis, but he was actually a neurologist; he had a medical degree. He researched the effects of cocaine as an analgesic. in 1884 he worked with biologist, and hypnotist, Jean Martin Charcot. From these experiences and after seeing patients he developed the Seduction Theory, which stated that all patients with neurosis had it because of an abuse in the past. He established that humans pracice sexuality even in the womb and especially at puberty and that any repression is bad for this and causes neurosis. In 1895, on July 23rd, he interprets a dream he had titled "the Dream of Irma's Injection," shortly after he coined the term psychoanalysis. In 1900 he published his famous book The Interpretation of Dreams and tried to state that daily events influence our dreams at night and the way we live in general. Other famous works include The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. As he said himself, he was "born to disturb the dreams of mankind." He had to work in close company to non-Jews so that his work could become acceptable. He worked with Carl Jung, with whom he had differing ideals, and then he broke with him. So did Alfred Adler.
In 1923, he published another famous book, The Ego and the Id, the structural basis of the mind. Freud described the structure of the human mind as having three basic parts that check each other. The Id, is the unconscious not governed by laws. It is the impulse with no morality, ethics or values that aims to obtain satisfaction for instinctual needs. The Ego is the executive of personality. It checks and controls the id and the superego. It is governed by the reality principle. The Superego is the judicial and moral system. It works with the ideal not the real and strives for perfection. It has two branches, the ego-ideal and the conscience. The ego-ideal is the parents' conception of the morally good, whereas the conscience is the morally bad conveyed from parent to child. Freud contracted squamous cell carcinoma from smoking 30-40 cigars a day. He had his right jaw removed and a prosthesis placed in. He emigrated to London during the Nazizeit. At the end of his life, Dr. Schun agreed to administer 3cg of morphine to ease his passing. Freud was euthanized by these high doses on morphine and left this world at 3:00AM on September 23rd, 1939 at age 83.
In the museum, we saw a few pieces of original furniture and part of Freud's antique collection (60 of his total 3500 pieces) donated by his daughter Anna. "The Couch" is in London, so we could not see it. In the waiting room, every Wednesday the Wednesday Evening Psychological Society met to discuss relevant issues on psychology. Freud also loved traveling, and when he met Martha, he became an avid letter writer, cranking out almost 1,400 letters in 4 years and averaging 12 pages a letter... yeah, and I thought I wrote a lot for these blogs. Lastly, we saw portraits by Ferdinand Schmutzer, who drew portraits of important people who held correspondence or some relation to Freud. The last part was very funny, however some words are not apt for this blog.
We ended our day at the Volksoper where we saw "Die Fledermaus" ("The bat") an Operetta by Johann Strauß (The younger). It was a very complex plot that revolved around a 'revenge' for an old joke and the effects of champagne on the events that took place. The music was amazing and though the operetta was in German, the subtitles (yes, subtitles) helped enormously. I think that the trip to the Opera was a great way to begin saying goodbye to Europe.
Wilkommen in Austria, the land of Edelweiß.
Well, 4:00 AM... definitely not fun to wake up so early. The plane ride was nice though, I got to catch up on sleep for an hour or so; there is really not a lot to see at 4AM anyhow. Arriving in Vienna meant two things, first, we left Germany and got to Austria, and second this was the end of the trip :-(
We had a great breakfast at the Café der Provinz, close to the Hotel Zipser. Best crêpes I have ever had! Then we took the subway to Karlsplatz and went to the Wien Museum. Here we met with our tour guide who took us back 2000 years to Vindobona, the Roman outpost that was to become the modern city of Vienna. Vindobona was a military camp to fend off against Germanic tribes from the northeast. Eventually it became a city and as such received fortifications during medieval times. The wall was completed by the end of the 12th century with funds obtained from the ransom of Richard the Lionheart... yes, the Richard the Lionheart from the Crusades. Then St. Stephen's (Stephansdom) was also completed, with only one spire. The roof burned down during WWII so the church that stands today is reconstructed. Vienna survived two Turkish raids, and story says that during the first siege, the cathedral had a symbol that resembled that of the Turkish flag. The Turks actually retreated due to winter the first time and did break through the wall the second time. The wall the second time was better built and was finished barely in time to try to repel the Ottoman empire. The use of tunneling and gunpowder, however, allowed the Turks to break through it. In the end the king of Poland and other allies helped the Viennese drive the Turks back.
We then went to St. Stephen's, where we visited the cathedral and the catacombs. This was a very interesting tour. Most bishops and cardinals are buried underneath the church and a few Habsburgs and Dukes are buried there, with their bodies mummyfied and their organs in vases. But, there were also the 'new' catacombs, which actually look a lot older that the 'old' ones (confusing, huh?). These were used as mass graves and as a public cemetery. In essence you can see EVERYTHING, including the mass graves used during the Plague. Here around 41,000 people were buried. We were prompted to imagine the nice smell on a hot summer day at that time. There was a plaque commemorating Mozart there, but he was actually buried in a mass grave because he was poor.
Our first day in Vienna ended with free time, and many of us decided to rest up from the trip, while others, like myself, went shopping and walking around. For now, that is all.
We had a great breakfast at the Café der Provinz, close to the Hotel Zipser. Best crêpes I have ever had! Then we took the subway to Karlsplatz and went to the Wien Museum. Here we met with our tour guide who took us back 2000 years to Vindobona, the Roman outpost that was to become the modern city of Vienna. Vindobona was a military camp to fend off against Germanic tribes from the northeast. Eventually it became a city and as such received fortifications during medieval times. The wall was completed by the end of the 12th century with funds obtained from the ransom of Richard the Lionheart... yes, the Richard the Lionheart from the Crusades. Then St. Stephen's (Stephansdom) was also completed, with only one spire. The roof burned down during WWII so the church that stands today is reconstructed. Vienna survived two Turkish raids, and story says that during the first siege, the cathedral had a symbol that resembled that of the Turkish flag. The Turks actually retreated due to winter the first time and did break through the wall the second time. The wall the second time was better built and was finished barely in time to try to repel the Ottoman empire. The use of tunneling and gunpowder, however, allowed the Turks to break through it. In the end the king of Poland and other allies helped the Viennese drive the Turks back.
We then went to St. Stephen's, where we visited the cathedral and the catacombs. This was a very interesting tour. Most bishops and cardinals are buried underneath the church and a few Habsburgs and Dukes are buried there, with their bodies mummyfied and their organs in vases. But, there were also the 'new' catacombs, which actually look a lot older that the 'old' ones (confusing, huh?). These were used as mass graves and as a public cemetery. In essence you can see EVERYTHING, including the mass graves used during the Plague. Here around 41,000 people were buried. We were prompted to imagine the nice smell on a hot summer day at that time. There was a plaque commemorating Mozart there, but he was actually buried in a mass grave because he was poor.
Our first day in Vienna ended with free time, and many of us decided to rest up from the trip, while others, like myself, went shopping and walking around. For now, that is all.
Post 7
So the trip is coming to a close, unfortunately, with today being our last day. We spent the past several days in Vienna and it was as amazing as the rest of the trip. We first learned about the history of Vienna and visited the cathedral in the center of town. It was all really interesting, and the crypts of the cathedral was what I had wanted to see at the previous crypt visited. There were rooms filled from top to bottom with bones. It's unlike anything I've seen before. Of course, we didn't just learn about history, as we are on a trip aimed towards medicine. We visited Freud's house and the History of Medicine museum, which were incredible. The detail of the wax figures in the medicine museum were something else, and the size and variability of their antique medical tools was impressive. Some people have already had to leave which is why we celebrated our last night all together yesterday at a karyoke bar. Needless to say everyone there had a blast. It was one of the best nights of the trip, and a great note to end on together. We still have the official farewell tonight at the banquet dinner, which will mark the end of a winter break spent having one amazing time!
... Und vor mir, ein schlagendes Herz! - ... And in front of me, a beating heart!
The most awaited visit yet, perhaps the most amazing experience during this entire trip! We visited the Herz und Diabetes Zentrum Nord-Rhein Westphalia (HDZ-NRW) in Bad Oeynhausen and we did a lot that day! I think our day trip was about much more than just being in one of the most prominent cardiovascular and diabetes centers in Germany, it was an experience we will hardly ever forget.
Our day began with our arrival by train to Bad Oeynhausen and our bus trip to the HDZ, a part of Rühr Universität, Bochum. This center is about 100 miles from the university but nontheless it is a center for research and surgery unrivaled by others. Our visit began in a conference room where we were introduced to the basics of the hospital.
First and foremost it is a 500 bed specialty hospital. The departments handled are thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, cardiology, and congenital heart disease (formerly the children's hospital). It is a not-for-profit organization owned both by the state as well as by private individuals (50/50). It was founded in 1984 and appointed a university hospital five years later. Today, it alone performs around 6000 operations a year, an impressive number for a hospital in Europe. The main focus of the hospital is ventricular assist devices (VADs) with about 60 implants a year. These devices prolong the lives of patients with cardiac insuficiency or failure until a heart can be transplanted. By consequence, orthotopic heart transplantations are also numerous (n=1679). There are 6 ORs equipped to perform open-heart surgeries and one room for pacemakers and smaller surgeries.
Once we were introduced to the hospital we were taken to see a surgery. Oh yes, a surgery... Once again I felt the same excitement I felt when I went to see one in Mexico, except this time, I was not prepared for what I was about to experience. In our group of 12 pre-meds (Well, 10 pre-med, 1 pre-pharm, and 1 undecided) we had the option of watching 6 different surgeries, 2 students per operating theater. Dr. Mirow, gave us a brief introduction to each procedure and showed us angiograms... then we chose.
Theater 1- Bypass (revascularization) due to coronary stenosis
Theater 2- (The one I chose) Aortic -- and mitral -- valve replacement with the possibility of removal and revascularization of the ascending aorta.
Theater 3- Mitral valve replacement and coronary bypass on a pacemaker patient.
Theater 4- Double bypass of the Left Anterior Descending artery and Right Coronary a.
Theater 5- Aortic valve replacement and coronary bypass
Theater 6- Bypasses of the Left Anterior Descending artery and Right Coronary a.
I chose theater number 2. We dressed and walked into the anesthesia room. There we 'met' the patient, and older man who was already under anesthesia and ready to go in. So we walked into the OR, stood to the side and waited. Then the anesthesiologist came and told us "you will be watching the surgery where I am standing at." Wow! It was like a little stage where all the machines for anesthesia and monitoring were! We had the clearest view of the patient anyone could have ever imagined, and it was THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE EVER. When the chest was opened and the heart exposed, we saw that the diameter of the aorta was almost double its normal size. Dr. Murshuis, the surgeon, told us that maybe he would replace the aorta, but that it was a very dangerous procedure for a 70 year old man. This is because circulation needs to be completely arrested (stopped) in addition to the cardioplesia for at least 10 minutes while the aorta is dissected and the anastomosis done. So he began with the repacement of the aortic valve, finished all the guide sutures and then moved on to and fully completed the replacement of the mitral valve... Sadly, this is all we had time to see, so I don't know how the aortic valve fit and if he decided to do the aortic dissection. Nevertheless, it was amazing and exciting to be so close to the patient and observing every single move the surgeon made.
After lunch, we toured the ICU. It sees almost 36 post-op patients per day and around 4000 per year. There are usually 2 people per bedroom unless there is risk of infection (like MRSa... ok Methicillin Resistant Staphilococcus aureus) or unless they are transplant patients. We say patients that have VADs, including a woman with both a left and right VAD - of course, she was confined to her bed. We then saw the different, newer devices that are implanted and talked to several patients about what it felt to have their devices in them. Examples include the Duraheart LVAD, worn by Herr Schaffer, and an Australian-made LVAD.
The last stop of our daytrip was in the MRI labs. We were given a brief introduction of how imaging helps doctors better understand the heart and how it works. We saw several examples of images to detect anything from insufficiency, to scarring, to malformations! Then we talked to the expert, Dr. H. Köperich, who gave us a brief lecture on the physico-chemical basis of MRI. MRI is useful because it provides high soft tissue contrast, it can be used with multiple paremeters (proton density, T1, T2), you can orient in any direction, there is no ionizing or damaging radiation, and you can create stacks for functional acquisitions and even angiographies without catheters! We had a little fun with the 1.5T magnet used, and it was a powerful magnet... just thet the one used in MRI spectroscopy (to detect metabolism and metabolytes) is 21T! For MRI to work you need three simple things: the magnet (0.2T up to 3T, or 21T as explained above), a similar radiofrequency (~64Hz), a detector, and comparison gradients. It was an amazing experience and I learned quite a bit about how MRI may revolutionize cardiology.
After leaving the amazing HDZ, came the sad part of the trip. We said goodbye to our guide Steffi, and we took the train back to Hannover and prepared to fly at 4:15 AM.
Our day began with our arrival by train to Bad Oeynhausen and our bus trip to the HDZ, a part of Rühr Universität, Bochum. This center is about 100 miles from the university but nontheless it is a center for research and surgery unrivaled by others. Our visit began in a conference room where we were introduced to the basics of the hospital.
First and foremost it is a 500 bed specialty hospital. The departments handled are thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, cardiology, and congenital heart disease (formerly the children's hospital). It is a not-for-profit organization owned both by the state as well as by private individuals (50/50). It was founded in 1984 and appointed a university hospital five years later. Today, it alone performs around 6000 operations a year, an impressive number for a hospital in Europe. The main focus of the hospital is ventricular assist devices (VADs) with about 60 implants a year. These devices prolong the lives of patients with cardiac insuficiency or failure until a heart can be transplanted. By consequence, orthotopic heart transplantations are also numerous (n=1679). There are 6 ORs equipped to perform open-heart surgeries and one room for pacemakers and smaller surgeries.
Once we were introduced to the hospital we were taken to see a surgery. Oh yes, a surgery... Once again I felt the same excitement I felt when I went to see one in Mexico, except this time, I was not prepared for what I was about to experience. In our group of 12 pre-meds (Well, 10 pre-med, 1 pre-pharm, and 1 undecided) we had the option of watching 6 different surgeries, 2 students per operating theater. Dr. Mirow, gave us a brief introduction to each procedure and showed us angiograms... then we chose.
Theater 1- Bypass (revascularization) due to coronary stenosis
Theater 2- (The one I chose) Aortic -- and mitral -- valve replacement with the possibility of removal and revascularization of the ascending aorta.
Theater 3- Mitral valve replacement and coronary bypass on a pacemaker patient.
Theater 4- Double bypass of the Left Anterior Descending artery and Right Coronary a.
Theater 5- Aortic valve replacement and coronary bypass
Theater 6- Bypasses of the Left Anterior Descending artery and Right Coronary a.
I chose theater number 2. We dressed and walked into the anesthesia room. There we 'met' the patient, and older man who was already under anesthesia and ready to go in. So we walked into the OR, stood to the side and waited. Then the anesthesiologist came and told us "you will be watching the surgery where I am standing at." Wow! It was like a little stage where all the machines for anesthesia and monitoring were! We had the clearest view of the patient anyone could have ever imagined, and it was THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE EVER. When the chest was opened and the heart exposed, we saw that the diameter of the aorta was almost double its normal size. Dr. Murshuis, the surgeon, told us that maybe he would replace the aorta, but that it was a very dangerous procedure for a 70 year old man. This is because circulation needs to be completely arrested (stopped) in addition to the cardioplesia for at least 10 minutes while the aorta is dissected and the anastomosis done. So he began with the repacement of the aortic valve, finished all the guide sutures and then moved on to and fully completed the replacement of the mitral valve... Sadly, this is all we had time to see, so I don't know how the aortic valve fit and if he decided to do the aortic dissection. Nevertheless, it was amazing and exciting to be so close to the patient and observing every single move the surgeon made.
After lunch, we toured the ICU. It sees almost 36 post-op patients per day and around 4000 per year. There are usually 2 people per bedroom unless there is risk of infection (like MRSa... ok Methicillin Resistant Staphilococcus aureus) or unless they are transplant patients. We say patients that have VADs, including a woman with both a left and right VAD - of course, she was confined to her bed. We then saw the different, newer devices that are implanted and talked to several patients about what it felt to have their devices in them. Examples include the Duraheart LVAD, worn by Herr Schaffer, and an Australian-made LVAD.
The last stop of our daytrip was in the MRI labs. We were given a brief introduction of how imaging helps doctors better understand the heart and how it works. We saw several examples of images to detect anything from insufficiency, to scarring, to malformations! Then we talked to the expert, Dr. H. Köperich, who gave us a brief lecture on the physico-chemical basis of MRI. MRI is useful because it provides high soft tissue contrast, it can be used with multiple paremeters (proton density, T1, T2), you can orient in any direction, there is no ionizing or damaging radiation, and you can create stacks for functional acquisitions and even angiographies without catheters! We had a little fun with the 1.5T magnet used, and it was a powerful magnet... just thet the one used in MRI spectroscopy (to detect metabolism and metabolytes) is 21T! For MRI to work you need three simple things: the magnet (0.2T up to 3T, or 21T as explained above), a similar radiofrequency (~64Hz), a detector, and comparison gradients. It was an amazing experience and I learned quite a bit about how MRI may revolutionize cardiology.
After leaving the amazing HDZ, came the sad part of the trip. We said goodbye to our guide Steffi, and we took the train back to Hannover and prepared to fly at 4:15 AM.
The last day!
Today is my last day on this trip, and I am sorry to say that I have spent most of the morning sleeping. I will say that my birthday yesterday was celebrated splendidly and I want to thank everyone for making it one of the best birthdays I've had in awhile. Dinner was delicious and the karaoke was a blast!
Reflecting back on this trip and comparing it to others I have had, I would have to say that by far this is the best one I have ever been on. The things we have seen and learned have been amazing. And we are still not done! Today we are going to visit the Spanish Riding School, home of the famous Lipizzaner stallions. I am very excited about this because I have heard great things about the facilties and the horses themselves. I really hope we get a chance to see them in action, but I'm not sure that we will. This evening we will be givin a farewell banquet and I am going to miss seeing everyone when I get back home. Hopefully we can all stay in touch in College Station. I am glad that I got to share all of the experiences on this trip with everyone who came. I really enjoyed my time with the people on the trip, which is more than I can say for any of my other trips abroad. I am going to miss Germany and Austria and I hope that I will get another oppurtunity to visit both countries in the near future.
Reflecting back on this trip and comparing it to others I have had, I would have to say that by far this is the best one I have ever been on. The things we have seen and learned have been amazing. And we are still not done! Today we are going to visit the Spanish Riding School, home of the famous Lipizzaner stallions. I am very excited about this because I have heard great things about the facilties and the horses themselves. I really hope we get a chance to see them in action, but I'm not sure that we will. This evening we will be givin a farewell banquet and I am going to miss seeing everyone when I get back home. Hopefully we can all stay in touch in College Station. I am glad that I got to share all of the experiences on this trip with everyone who came. I really enjoyed my time with the people on the trip, which is more than I can say for any of my other trips abroad. I am going to miss Germany and Austria and I hope that I will get another oppurtunity to visit both countries in the near future.
The end is near!
Yesterday was very fun! We started off by having a guided tour through the Medical History Museum at the Josephinum, where there was quite an extended collection of wax models of, well, everything in the human body! Plus more deformed babies, which was, once again, sort of disturbing to look at, but nevertheless interesting. After that we had free time, and I went to see the Bellvedere, an art museum/palace, and it was absolutely beautiful. All the rooms either had a chic, modern, artsy design to it, or it was a room of pure magnificence, with statues, heavenly painted ceilings, and the whole nine yards. Which with artwork from significant artists back in the day, including Klimts most famous piece of artwork, the Kiss. I have seen it before in pictures and such but seeing it in person is a whole nother story. In person you can just see the emotions in the painting, and if I of all people can see it (the not so artsy type) then I can't even imagine how other artists and art-lovers fell about it. It was made with real gold in the painting too. Anyways, at the palace there were also these beautiful gardens with statues everywhere! It would have been much more impressive during the summer, but it was still stunning in the winter as well. There was a maze garden also that I thought was awesome!
After Belvedere we visited the Natural History Museum. My favorite part was the aquarium! But thats only because I'm obsessed with marine life. I also saw dinosaurs, lots of bones, fossils, rocks, snakes, and other 'natural' things. And most importantly, I saw the Venus von Willendorf!!! That little tiny model with so much significance. Its amazing that it was that old and still intact. It was in pretty good shape for a twenty thousand year old or so artifact.
After that, we ate at Cafe der Provinz again, and then had some fun at a kareoke (spelling?) bar to celebrate a birthday and the end of the trip! It was so much fun haha. Good times. I can't believe this trip is almost over. I have learned so much in such a short time, I can't imagine going home as the same person. And its technically not even over for me-- I still have Paris left! I will get to be in Paris on my birthday (the 18th) and I am so excited!!! Whoop for me!
But really, so glad I did this. This has been an absolutely amazing experience.
After Belvedere we visited the Natural History Museum. My favorite part was the aquarium! But thats only because I'm obsessed with marine life. I also saw dinosaurs, lots of bones, fossils, rocks, snakes, and other 'natural' things. And most importantly, I saw the Venus von Willendorf!!! That little tiny model with so much significance. Its amazing that it was that old and still intact. It was in pretty good shape for a twenty thousand year old or so artifact.
After that, we ate at Cafe der Provinz again, and then had some fun at a kareoke (spelling?) bar to celebrate a birthday and the end of the trip! It was so much fun haha. Good times. I can't believe this trip is almost over. I have learned so much in such a short time, I can't imagine going home as the same person. And its technically not even over for me-- I still have Paris left! I will get to be in Paris on my birthday (the 18th) and I am so excited!!! Whoop for me!
But really, so glad I did this. This has been an absolutely amazing experience.
Jus Jon 11
2 days ago, I awoke to have breakfast at about 8:20 am this morning. After a nice breakfast and some Natalia, we began the morning with a tour of some parts of the city. We seen beautiful breath taking churches, some of Mozarts original work and historz, and a crypt. I'm glad we didn't stay here too long because I felt that I was disturbing the dead a little bit. From here, I took mz lunch time as down time. After this, I went with the group to the Freud Museum and seen where Freud lived. I also seen this sign in a shop that said, "7 more Bush days." I laughed a lot. It was pure unexpected comedy. The lame duck is even dislike around the world. From here, we came back to the hotel. I went on a little adventure and returned a few minutes before the opera departure time. I freshened up in 2 minutes. We made it to the opera and I must say that it was extremely fun. I liked it. Amazingly, I understood the actors, the jokes, and the play. For me, it was the coolest thing that I had been to in Vienna so far. For my first play, it was the stuff. Afterwards, I came back to the room and chilled. I know today was fun, but I just know that even more is to come.
"Cause im hopeful" (An inspiring quote from the song Hopeful by Faith Evans
"Cause im hopeful" (An inspiring quote from the song Hopeful by Faith Evans
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A little art with that medicine?
Today, Amanda, Tara and I spent most of the day in the Belvedere Place after visiting the Josephium. The actual palace and it's grounds were spectacualr and I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer, but the main attraction for our visit was the art. We only puchased tickets for the lower palace which was perfect for the amount of time we had to spend there because we had a list we needed to complete. The exhibit we saw had Amanda's favorite painting "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt along with some other great works. Some of my new favorites include Carl Moll, Wenzel Jäger, Adolf Hözel, and Carl Krenek. If you have time to visit, I highly reccommend it!
After the Belvedere Palace we headed to the Natural History museum. With all the the amazing European architecture, food, and art, I almost forgot how much the natural world facinates me and how many new pets I need to add to my list. Needless to say, I loved the exhibits and can now say that I have seen the Venus of Willendorf...what a woman!
To top off the day, Amanda, Tara and I have "linner" at the crepe cafe around the corner and could not be more content! Do I have to go home?! So...one more day and hopefully one more blog before I'm back in the states. Happy birthdaz Krystyna!
After the Belvedere Palace we headed to the Natural History museum. With all the the amazing European architecture, food, and art, I almost forgot how much the natural world facinates me and how many new pets I need to add to my list. Needless to say, I loved the exhibits and can now say that I have seen the Venus of Willendorf...what a woman!
To top off the day, Amanda, Tara and I have "linner" at the crepe cafe around the corner and could not be more content! Do I have to go home?! So...one more day and hopefully one more blog before I'm back in the states. Happy birthdaz Krystyna!
Singing in Vienna
Vienna is a wonderful city! Yesterday we took a walking medical history tour of the city givin by our own Dr. Wasser (and his guide book). We saw alot of streets and places that belonged to famous doctors. We also visited the sight where Mozart died, it is now a department store but on the 7th floor there is a large bust of Mozart. The last thing we visited was the Pestzoiler, which is a monument to the plague. After a long lunch break we met back at Stephensplatz to visit the Sigmund Freud museum and recieve a lecture of his life and psychoalanysis by Dr. Wasser. It was interesting to learn that he called himself a 'godless' jew and he worked very hard to establish psychoalanysis as a non-jewish science. He was afraid that if was branded as such it would not be accepted by the scientific community. The exhibits where very interesting, even though only one of the rooms was furnished as it had been in Freuds day. This was the waiting room for the patients. Since Freud fled Vienna at the beginning of WWII, he took all his furniture to London with him, including the famous couch. When the museum was started in the 70's, his daughter Anna donated the waiting room furniture to the museum. The other rooms are devoted to the private and public life of Freud and his collleagues.
That evening we where taken to an operetta by Dr. Wasser and Dr. Zäck. It was by F.J. Strauss and is called Die Fledermaus. It had a very confusing plot and I think the only reason I understood what was going on was from reading the synopsis of the operetta givin to us. The music was great and the singers gave me chills. I really did enjoy myself, my only regret about it was the fact that I could not understand the speaking parts because they were in german. Other than that I had a really good time and would love to go again.
The best part about today is that IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! We were able to sleep in today and got finished fairly early. The only thing we did was visit the Medical History Museum at the Josephinum. We where givin a short history of the Josephinum and a tour of the main exhibits. The most interesting part was by far the wax models of the museum. They show various body parts and organs. They where intended for use by the medical students to give them an idea of the human body without having to do dissections. All the models are from around the 18th century and are extemely detailed. I really liked the ones that showed various stages of birth and cessarian sections. Apparently the Josephinum is the only place that had gynecological wax models. The rest of our day was spent souviner shopping and resting up for tonight. Around seven we are all going to go to dinner to celebrate my birthday.
It's really hard for me to believe that we only have one day left in Vienna before it's time to head home. I have had a great time and have learned alot about medical history and medicine in general that I did not know before. I hope tomorrow is a great last day, because I will need that to reflect on my long flight home.
That evening we where taken to an operetta by Dr. Wasser and Dr. Zäck. It was by F.J. Strauss and is called Die Fledermaus. It had a very confusing plot and I think the only reason I understood what was going on was from reading the synopsis of the operetta givin to us. The music was great and the singers gave me chills. I really did enjoy myself, my only regret about it was the fact that I could not understand the speaking parts because they were in german. Other than that I had a really good time and would love to go again.
The best part about today is that IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! We were able to sleep in today and got finished fairly early. The only thing we did was visit the Medical History Museum at the Josephinum. We where givin a short history of the Josephinum and a tour of the main exhibits. The most interesting part was by far the wax models of the museum. They show various body parts and organs. They where intended for use by the medical students to give them an idea of the human body without having to do dissections. All the models are from around the 18th century and are extemely detailed. I really liked the ones that showed various stages of birth and cessarian sections. Apparently the Josephinum is the only place that had gynecological wax models. The rest of our day was spent souviner shopping and resting up for tonight. Around seven we are all going to go to dinner to celebrate my birthday.
It's really hard for me to believe that we only have one day left in Vienna before it's time to head home. I have had a great time and have learned alot about medical history and medicine in general that I did not know before. I hope tomorrow is a great last day, because I will need that to reflect on my long flight home.
Vienna!!!
I have loved Vienna so far!!! It is a beautiful city and there is so much to see here! This is probably one of my favorite cities that we've been to, along with Prague and Berlin. We'll be home in less than two days! Crazy!!
The Sigmund Freud Museum was pretty cool, but I think I enjoyed the lecture that Dr. Wasser gave and what the tour guide had to say more than the actual exhibits in the museum. I felt like there wasn't too much to see, but it was really interesting learning about Freud and his way of thinking. I would really like to read one of the books that he wrote now. I think they would be really interesting, especially his The Interpretation of Dreams. I learned much more than I had known before about Sigmund Freud so I really enjoyed our time at the museum. We just tried looking for souvenir shops during the time between the museum and the opera. I was really surprised how few souvenir shops there are in Vienna, especially considering it is a tourist city. The operetta Die Fledermaus was awesome last night!! I absolutely loved the dancing and all of the singing. Their voices were incredible. There costumes were all really pretty too. The only thing that I did not like about the opera is that I could not understand any of the speaking parts. I was really glad that they had English supertitles for all of the singing and for the basics of what was going on during the operetta. However, I really wish I knew exactly what they were saying, especially since the crowd was laughing alot. It would have been nice to have heard the jokes and when there was alot of speaking going on, such as in the beginning of Act 3, with no supertitles at all it was a little annoying. Some parts were still funny to me, even though I didn't understand what was being said. Despite not being able to understand German I still really enjoyed the operetta overall and I'm really glad that we went.
The Medical History Museum at the Josephinum was awesome!! At first when there were only photographs and medical instruments to see I did not think that I would enjoy the museum much, but the wax models were incredible! I thought that the wooden doll used during the time of the SEmmelweis for learning obstetrics was interesting, but I was unsure what exactly it was used to teach. The prostheses models were also pretty cool, but my favorite thing by far were the wax models. It is amazing that they could make such accurate and detailed models in the 18th century. It's also crazy that the model of the woman with the open chest and abdomen showing all of her organs was made with real human hair and that it had been preserved like that since it was made in 1785! I absolutely loved looking at all of the wax models! I'm not sure that I could really pick out a favorite model because many of them were wonderful. I really liked the full body models though, both the ones showing the muscles and those showing the internal organs, the models of the babies in the wombs, and the models of the hearts. I really enjoyed this museum and even though I was disappointed about not being able to go to the Forensics Museum, I felt like this was a good substitute and I liked it alot.
I know there is still so much that I would like to see in Vienna and several other places in Europe, but for now I think I'm finally at the point where I'm ready to go home. I definitely want to come back to Europe as soon as I get an opportunity to. I can't think of a better way to have spent my Christmas break! It has been an incredible experience!
The Sigmund Freud Museum was pretty cool, but I think I enjoyed the lecture that Dr. Wasser gave and what the tour guide had to say more than the actual exhibits in the museum. I felt like there wasn't too much to see, but it was really interesting learning about Freud and his way of thinking. I would really like to read one of the books that he wrote now. I think they would be really interesting, especially his The Interpretation of Dreams. I learned much more than I had known before about Sigmund Freud so I really enjoyed our time at the museum. We just tried looking for souvenir shops during the time between the museum and the opera. I was really surprised how few souvenir shops there are in Vienna, especially considering it is a tourist city. The operetta Die Fledermaus was awesome last night!! I absolutely loved the dancing and all of the singing. Their voices were incredible. There costumes were all really pretty too. The only thing that I did not like about the opera is that I could not understand any of the speaking parts. I was really glad that they had English supertitles for all of the singing and for the basics of what was going on during the operetta. However, I really wish I knew exactly what they were saying, especially since the crowd was laughing alot. It would have been nice to have heard the jokes and when there was alot of speaking going on, such as in the beginning of Act 3, with no supertitles at all it was a little annoying. Some parts were still funny to me, even though I didn't understand what was being said. Despite not being able to understand German I still really enjoyed the operetta overall and I'm really glad that we went.
The Medical History Museum at the Josephinum was awesome!! At first when there were only photographs and medical instruments to see I did not think that I would enjoy the museum much, but the wax models were incredible! I thought that the wooden doll used during the time of the SEmmelweis for learning obstetrics was interesting, but I was unsure what exactly it was used to teach. The prostheses models were also pretty cool, but my favorite thing by far were the wax models. It is amazing that they could make such accurate and detailed models in the 18th century. It's also crazy that the model of the woman with the open chest and abdomen showing all of her organs was made with real human hair and that it had been preserved like that since it was made in 1785! I absolutely loved looking at all of the wax models! I'm not sure that I could really pick out a favorite model because many of them were wonderful. I really liked the full body models though, both the ones showing the muscles and those showing the internal organs, the models of the babies in the wombs, and the models of the hearts. I really enjoyed this museum and even though I was disappointed about not being able to go to the Forensics Museum, I felt like this was a good substitute and I liked it alot.
I know there is still so much that I would like to see in Vienna and several other places in Europe, but for now I think I'm finally at the point where I'm ready to go home. I definitely want to come back to Europe as soon as I get an opportunity to. I can't think of a better way to have spent my Christmas break! It has been an incredible experience!
Vienna whats up!
This trip has gone by so fast! I can't believe that I only have three days left before we fly back. I've really enjoyed Vienna so far and I especially love the cafe we went to where everything was ''biological'' which translates into orgranic. Back at home, I'm pretty much obsessed with organic foods and love Whole Foods and Central Market, what can I say? I'm a tree hugger in disguise! The cafe also had the most delicious crepes with fresh bananas and honey. Not to forget a life-changing cafe au lait, starbucks in your face!
The ''homemade'' walking tour courtesy of Dr. Wasser and Dr. Zach was cool because we just went at our own pace ( which was still a speedy walk) and explored the city. It felt pretty adventurous because we wandered through a department store looking for Mozart and found him along with a fantastic view of the rooftops of vienna on the seventh floor. Its hard to imagine that all of these modern stores are grounded on the fundamental historical roots of Austria.
Last night we went to the opera and it was Phenominal!!!!! I've seen one french opera, Romeo and Juliet many years ago but i was too young to really appreciate the cultural value of it. This was my first operetta and hopefully not my last. Even though there was a language barrier, the english subtitles really helped and as long as you paid close attention you could follow the plot. The costumes were so detailed and glamourous and it was really neat that the opera incorporated the Vienna ballet company into the party scene. If Dr. Wasser hadnt told me that a person was int he conch shell on stage I would have never known!
Im really excited about going to the riding school tomorrow!
The ''homemade'' walking tour courtesy of Dr. Wasser and Dr. Zach was cool because we just went at our own pace ( which was still a speedy walk) and explored the city. It felt pretty adventurous because we wandered through a department store looking for Mozart and found him along with a fantastic view of the rooftops of vienna on the seventh floor. Its hard to imagine that all of these modern stores are grounded on the fundamental historical roots of Austria.
Last night we went to the opera and it was Phenominal!!!!! I've seen one french opera, Romeo and Juliet many years ago but i was too young to really appreciate the cultural value of it. This was my first operetta and hopefully not my last. Even though there was a language barrier, the english subtitles really helped and as long as you paid close attention you could follow the plot. The costumes were so detailed and glamourous and it was really neat that the opera incorporated the Vienna ballet company into the party scene. If Dr. Wasser hadnt told me that a person was int he conch shell on stage I would have never known!
Im really excited about going to the riding school tomorrow!
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