Week 2

I absolutely love Germany. I feel like I’ve been here longer than just a week. It feels like home. My host family is amazing. We have sat and talked for hours. My host brother, Jan Philipp, is my age and we talk about all kinds of things. My host mother always calls me “my dear”. The grandmother doesn’t speak any English, but she always smiles when she sees me. I’ve been trying to use the few phrases I know in German everyday.

I like to notice the small differences between here and the US. For example, how the Germans use a comma instead of a decimal point in numbers, putting mayo on French fries, and all of the extensive recycling. The one thing I miss is ice cubes.

I took a day trip to Trier one Saturday to visit Karl Marx’s house. It was an eye opening experience and I learned more about the man behind communism. I was completely unaware that he had an illegitimate child by his house keeper or that he had money problems most of his life from living above his means (sounds a little odd for a communist). The house was beautiful and I was able to take lots of pictures. Then, I wandered around Trier until I found my way back to the central station. I spent the rest of the weekend exploring Bonn and talking with my host family.

Vienna was a beautiful city. The architecture throughout the city gave it an elegant look. I only wish we had more time because some of our tours felt too short. I know this is only because of the time constraint of the program, and I still thoroughly enjoyed everything we were able to do. My favorite place was the Narrenturm because of all the crazy specimens they had, like the femur of the “giant” and the stomach full of nails. Of course, I spent too much money buying souvenir gifts for everyone at home. I’m pleasantly surprised at how comfortable I feel in these different European cities. I have rarely felt out of place or like a tourist (except of course when we travel in our big group of 25). I woke up early one morning and ventured from the hotel down the street about 1 km to find a tobacco store and purchase a pack of cigarettes. Strolling through the city on my own felt so natural, like I was meant to do it. Attending the concert with everyone on the last night in Vienna and then going out for drinks together really allowed me to make friends with the other people on the trip.

Next, a large group of us traveled to Prague. The bus was extremely nice, with large seats and WiFi available. The drive was quite beautiful as well. We arrived rather late, so we went straight to the Air BnB and had to buy snacks at a gas station for dinner. There was a language barrier between the cashiers and us, but it is always fun to circumvent that by using hand gestures and plenty of smiles.  We started out early the next day with breakfast at a café. I ordered a mimosa, which confused the waiter. Then, we walked through the historic downtown square and stopped to watch the astronomical clock strike noon. We spent most of the day exploring the castle. We walked across a bridge that gave us a good view of Karluv Most, the bridge constructed in the early 15^th century to cross the Vltava River. The hike up to the castle was intense. Once we reached the top, we had to all stop to catch our breath. The view of Prague sprawling out below us was amazing. We took quite a few pictures sitting on the wall with the city in the background. We were able to tour the castle and the Basilica, but the cathedral was closed (probably because it was Pentecost). The castle was not as beautiful inside as the buildings in Vienna, but that’s probably due to its age. It is the largest ancient castle in the world. It was medieval looking inside, and rather sparse. Most of the items and collections of the rulers of Bohemia were kept in a separate museum. It was also the most crowded place I have visited so far on my trip. We ate dinner on a restaurant boat on the Vltava River. Later that night, we visited an ice pub where the entire room and the glasses were made of solid ice. The next day we wandered some more around the city until our flight. Being back in Bonn is nice because I have time to relax and catch up on sleep before our next adventure. The whole trip has been amazing so far and I can’t wait until the next excursion!

A Gelato a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

This week was somewhat of a whirlwind week. After getting back from Munich quite late on Sunday, then waking up at 7 for class, having class all day, and going home to pack to leave bright and early the next morning, I was definitely sleep-deprived. In fact, I definitely think I cried a little bit inside when they told us on Monday at our pre-departure meeting that we would need to meet at Hbf no later than 7:15. That is incredibly early. Tuesday morning, when I woke up to head to Hbf to meet everyone, I’ll admit, I was less than psyched about being awake so early to head to Vienna, as expected. Sleeping hasn’t necessarily been high on my list while I’ve been here and the sleep-deprivation was beginning to catch up to me. The trip started off a little rocky. I found it comical that of course, as I’m sure everyone expected, someone was late. Typical college kids ;). Then at the airport, our gate number on our boarding pass was different than the one posted on the boards, and we realized this just in the nick of time. Luckily though, everyone made it on the plane, and we were off like a herd of turtles.

              Immediately after we arrived in Vienna, we began conquering our giant list of activities. Our walking tour with “Dr. Schnabel” was definitely not what I expected. I thought we would be meeting up with a professor who taught in Vienna and was legitimately a friend of Dr. Wasser's. I just about died laughing when Dr. Schnabel walked up to us in full on plague doctor get up. I quickly realized after he spoke that Dr. Schnabel was not a real person, but in fact he was none other than Dr. Wasser!!! That was definitely a twist I was not expecting. He stayed in character incredibly well the whole time though. Also, I’m not quite sure how he didn’t melt because it was about 92 degrees outside, and he was in all black from head to toe. I know I definitely would have melted, or maybe died of heat stroke, either way it would have been bad. The looks that we got from people during the tour were priceless! There was one old man who I actually thought was going to come up to us and ask what on Earth was going on. He was so incredibly confused, and it was hilarious. We actually ran into this guy twice, and none of the confusion faded the second time we saw him. If anything he was more perplexed than before. After the tour, we headed to the Freud house for a tour with Dr. Wasser. This tour was actually very cool, and I was impressed with all of the knowledge that Dr. Wasser had regarding Freud. I am convinced at this point that he is a bottomless pit of information. We then were treated to dinner at the Goulash Museum (shout out to AIB for covering our dinner!) I had the beef goulash and it was probably one of the best meals I may have ever consumed in my life. Definitely the best meal on the trip so far. Their desserts were also not too shabby. I finally got to have some of my highly coveted apple strudel! I had been wanting some so badly, but just never had the right opportunity. Luckily, my craving was cured that night.

              The next day, I was up bright and early when the sun came streaming through the blinds around 5 am. We didn’t have to be ready until 10:15. Luckily, I was at least able to fall back asleep for an hour or two. Breakfast was pretty good! The eggs were kind of cold, which made me sad, but their bread was awesome, and they had my new favorite unidentified cereal!! Therefore, breakfast was a 7/10. We visited the Josephinum, and this was probably one of my favorite parts of Vienna. The Josephinum was built in 1785 by Emperor Joseph II. We were able to see one of the oldest collections of wax models in the world used to train medical students during those times. The anatomical accuracy was astounding, especially when you consider how long ago those models were created. There was so much detail put into every object, and you could tell they took an immense amount of time and energy to create. After our tour there, we realized there was no room in the schedule for lunch *upside-down smiley face*. So, we headed to the Haus Der Musik, without getting anything to eat. Needless to say, a few of us were quite hungry, maybe even hangry. But hey, we survived. Our tour at the Haus Der Musik was actually a lot cooler than I honestly expected it to be. Our tour guide was awesome. One of the coolest things that I think they had there were the pocket violins! Who knew there was such a thing? They were so small and portable. I can only imagine what the sound from one of those instruments would have sounded like compared to a full-sized violin. I actually wish we had had more time at the Haus Der Musik because I think there was a lot more to be seen, and I would have loved to learn more from our tour guide. But, sadly, it was on to the next thing as soon as we were done. Thankfully, Henning was feeling merciful and gave us some time to grab a quick snack. Admittedly, due to the short time frame, we had planned to go to McDonald’s, boo. But God saved us from that atrocious place, and we came across a small little hole in the wall place that had kebap boxes. In all honesty I had no clue what I ordered when I ordered it, but it was like Chipotle on steroids. This guy could start an empire in America because his kebap boxes are the bomb. After devouring our delicious meal, we had a few extra minutes, so naturally, we got some gelato. When in Vienna, am I right? Then, we had a tour of the Imperial Crypt. There are about 150 members of the Habsburg line buried within this crypt, with Maria Theresia being the highlight of the tour. Her sarcophagus was massive. It was like 5 times the size of any other coffin in that place. She even helped design it, and she went all out. The amount of time and effort it must have taken to build that ornate sarcophagus was likely huge. It was also kind of cool to be able to walk through the history of the family from the 1600s all the way to 2011, which is when the most recent familial death was. There’s only one place left in the crypt, and apparently she’s not too keen on being buried there. According to our tour guide though, she may not really have a choice, and that is pretty savage. Around five 0’clock, we headed back to the Freud house for our lecture on Sigmund Freud. I was actually really looking forward to this lecture, but apparently, my body disagreed with me. Almost immediately after we sat down I started to get SUPER tired. Unfortunately, I for sure nodded off during the lecture a few times despite my valiant attempts to remain alert and awake. Even my handwriting was indicative of my quick little naps mid-lecture. Hopefully, Dr. Wasser will forgive me. Afterwards though, he took us to get some gelato!!!! And he even paid for it!!!! At this point, I decided he was the greatest professor in the world. I ate gelato then for the second time that day, unashamedly, because let’s be real here, who passes up free gelato? No one does. That would be ridiculous. We then had to figure out somewhere to eat dinner on our own, and let me tell you, with our group, this is never an easy task. I think we walked around for about an hour, in a circle, before finally deciding to eat dinner at a place that was literally one block from the hotel. Go us. For what it’s worth though, the food was awesome, and their mustard that they served with their sausages was incredible, so it all worked out in the end.

              On day 3, I had finally slept entirely through the night for the first time since I left Texas on May 21^st, so I knew it was going to be a good day. I got to eat some scrambled eggs for breakfast, which was awesome because they were actually warm this morning unlike the morning prior to this, AND I got to eat this pretty spectacular chocolate cereal that I have come across in two European cities now. I am determined to figure out what it is before I leave so I can buy it when I get home. Day 3 consisted of only one planned site visit which was to the Narrenturm. This old hospital was the very first insane asylum where patients with mental illnesses to be treated. This hospital was also built by Joseph II during his reign. The hospital is now just a museum, which holds a very large collection of wet and dry specimens including many wax representations of an immense amount of illnesses and conditions. The wet specimens were very interesting, but for me, the wax depictions kind of freaked me out. Most of them represented crazy skin conditions, and skin is the one thing I cannot handle. I feel like everyone who wants to be in the medical field has their one thing that they just absolutely could not ever handle. For many, it is teeth or mouths or feet. For me, it’s skin. Therefore, overall, this wasn’t one of my favorite places since everywhere I looked, there were lesions and rashes and tumors and necrotic skin. After this though, things looked up. We had a group lunch together on the grounds of the University of Vienna. I thought it was quite enjoyable, and the food was really good! For our free afternoon, we decided to visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Habsburg Palace, and the old royal bakery. St. Stephen’s Cathedral was so beautiful. The gothic architecture was incredibly elaborate, and it’s crazy to think that they were able to build things of that scale really before they even knew what they were doing. I will say though, the stained glass was not really anything special which surprised me. Overall though, it was beautiful. We then took a tour of the Habsburg Palace, the Sisi Museum, and the Royal Silver Collection. This was maybe the highlight of Vienna for me. I adore history and the history of royalty, so this was right up my alley. It was interesting to learn about Sisi because she was someone who everyone adored, yet she lived a life that she did not like at all. It was quite tragic to hear how unhappy she was for most of her adult life. Getting to see the apartments where the royal family lived was very cool as well. All of the rooms, even the bathrooms, were so ornate, and everything went together. There was one room in which the wallpaper and the chairs were the same material and the same print. It doesn’t get any more coordinated than that. Naturally, after visiting the palace, we felt obliged to make a stop at the former imperial bakery. This was a decision I do not regret. I bought some jams that look pretty delicious, and I cannot wait to try them. Unfortunately, we had to get back to get ready for the concert, so we did not get to try any of their delicious looking tortes. Sad day. The concert was a pretty awesome experience though, and I’m so glad we did it. The music was beautiful, except for some minor out of tune notes, or movements (haha). The fact that the celloist was playing on a cello built in the 1750s was unreal to me. Hearing an instrument that old is an opportunity most people don’t get. The sound of the instrument was so pure and rich, and somehow different from the sound of today’s instruments. I know some people didn’t enjoy it as much as I did, but it was one of my favorite things we did in Vienna. Professor Waltz took us to an Irish Pub afterwards! I had my first white Russian (I know I should have drank beer but it’s just so bad) and it was SO good. I think I have found my favorite nighttime drink. I enjoyed getting to visit with Professor Waltz for a while along with everyone else! It ended up being a good way to end our excursion in Vienna.

              Our last morning there was very short. We quickly visited the Natural History Museum, and had time to hit some of the high points, one of them being a figurine from 36,000 years ago. That amount of time is practically incomprehensible to me. I sometimes even forget there were humans that long ago (not really, but sort of), so it’s incredible to me that we have an artifact from the time that these primitive humans were living. You don’t get to see stuff like that every day, or ever in most people’s cases. After this, we had lunch at a cute little restaurant across the street before heading to the bus station. Alana and I had planned to grab some gelato at the bus station before we headed off to Prague, per our usual afternoon routine. Sadly, after investigating our surroundings, we realized there was no gelato at the bus station, and it was quite tragic. Overall, Vienna was a beautiful city in which I very much enjoyed my time. In fact, I actually wish we had more time there, but there are only so many days. Such is life. Vienna was definitely one of my favorite Europeans cities I have visited. I can't decide which one takes the cake between Vienna and Prague, so we'll say they tie for now. For the record, they do however win the award for best Stracciatella gelato. We will see if they can maintain first place throughout the rest of my travels though. Game on. 

all shook up

week one

What a week. I'm just going to start from the very beginning. Brace yourself.
So after I finished up posting my first blog post, not long after I headed to the airport with all of my things. I was actually much more nervous than I anticipated, but I said my goodbyes and headed to security, after which I almost immediately met Dae (it was the A&M backpack and t-shirt that tipped me off). It was nice to have a friendly face, so we walked with each other to the gate and I soon met more new friends before boarding the plane on which I had mY OWN ROW. Talk about amazing. There's nothing better when you're 5'11" and have horrible knees and no one sits next to you on a 9 hour flight. You better believe I spent that whole flight sprawled (probably not super gracefully) across all three seats. Quick shoutout to my mother for making me bring a neck pillow even though I said I wouldn't use it--it made a perfect normal pillow. Going on, the food was horrible and I didn't sleep much but after some waiting and traveling (i.e. a 2.5 hour bus ride that ended up taking 4) we made it to the AIB. After a short wait, I met my host family and they are wonderful! Maike, my host mom, is a nursery school teacher that grew up in Kenya before moving back to Germany for university. Noura, her daughter, is 17 years old and is really good at English and also really cool, but shy at first. She and I rode the bus home where I met Gabriel, Maike's boyfriend. He doesn't speak much English, but is very kind and smiles a lot, so we get along just peachy. Maike was so kind (actually, is always so kind) and showed me around her house and was super accommodating; she even walked me to the bus stop so I knew where to go. I'm not gonna lie, but in the original email from Maike when she said that my room was their "spacious attic," I was a little apprehensive. However, my room is great! It really is quite spacious and I have room for all of my things. Because it's the attic, it's also pretty funny how many times I hit my head on the sloped ceilings, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. For dinner, we had a roasted vegetable mixture that was really quite delicious and I went to bed soon after. 
(That was just the first night)
The second day I awoke to the sunlight at 6:45am. Lol what. Anyway, I was able to get to central station by myself (!!!) and Henning, the program coordinator, lead us to the AIB where we had a little orientation. Afterward, we had our first German lesson with Hilde. I am not good at German but I do love Hilde. Then they said "go" and set us free for lunch. I actually really liked that they just let us go, but I was also hoping that they would've given us some tips on where to eat. Literally all of us eventually settled on one restaurant--with English menus--and I had a pan of sausage, potatoes, and cooked onions, which was quite delicious. Once we got back from lunch, Henning lead a tour around Bonn, but because I had no sense of direction, I remember most of what he said, but not where anything is. That night, I went home to dinner with my host family, and we had some pasta and salad. We got gradually more familiar and some of the awkwardness fell away. 
The third day was a little bit earlier. We had lecture straight from 8:45am-1:00pm, which was comprised of German, the neurophysiology of music, and history of medicine. I find all of the classes very interesting, particularly NOM because of my musical background. It's quite fun to think back to all of the piano theory I know in high school and know that it's actually coming in handy. Although, I currently have NO idea how I'm going to tackle this class. I've been playing Bach and Mozart and Haydn and Beethoven for as long as I remember, but I've never really thought about what their specific "sound" was. This is going to be a learning experience. We had the rest of the afternoon off, and while a lot of people went back to their homes to take a nap, Alana, Drake, and I decided to do some exploring. We walked around, popped into the church, pretended to be students at the university, and went to a biergarten overlooking the Rhine. Afterward, we had a welcome dinner that was put on by AIB, complete with (I'm assuming) traditional German dishes and barbecue (no, not brisket). It was a little awkward, as most of the programs kept to themselves, but the weather was nice, the decorations were cute, and the introductions were funny. We took Dr. Wasser's hero story and made it the Aggie story. We won. 
Thursday was actually a public holiday, so my host family (being oh so wonderful) took me on a trip to Drachenfels, which is a mountain with both the ruins of and a restored castle. Imagine my surprise when we go to get on the train, the doors open, & I'm staring at half of the people in my program! It was pretty awesome. I also thought it was pretty awesome how my host family was the only one there. I think Maike thought it was a little awkward, but I was so grateful that they were willing to do that. Now, let me tell you about the climb. To give you some idea of how steep it was in places, there were donkeys available for you to ride. It was so much fun, but very difficult in some places. We first hiked all the way up the mountain to the ruins at the very top, and the view was definitely worth it. Hiking back down, we stopped at the restored castle and Noura and I went in to take a look around. At one point, we definitely ended up in the rooms behind the plexiglass and may have gotten in some slight trouble. The rooms were very cool, and the views were grand. Afterward, we sat a cafe right on the Rhine for a snack, so naturally I got strawberry cake. It was amazing. We headed back home and had a nice evening with dinner that was some make your own noodles. 
On Friday, after class in the morning, I got a train to Munich. It was my first experience traveling by train on this trip, so it was interesting to say the least. After a little confusion we got on our train and made it to Munich pretty late at night. We decided it was in our best interest to take a taxi to our Airbnb. After a little more confusion, Marissa and I ended up in a taxi together going approximately 110 mph on the Autobahn in the backseat of a Mercedes. Even though we were the last taxi to leave, we were the first to make it to the Airbnb, which was in Dachau approximately 30 minutes away. The second taxi to leave then made it to the Airbnb, but the first taxi to leave, with Kathryn, Carter, Dae, and Hailey was nowhere in sight. Turns out, their cab driver had taken them to the wrong place, not once, not twice, but three times, and finally dropped them off about a 40 minute walk away from the Airbnb. While they were dealing with all of this, everyone else walked down the street to pick up some pizzas. Finally, they made it to the Airbnb, we all hung out over some pizza, and went to bed. 
On Saturday, we woke up rather early to go to the Dachau concentration camp and what an incredible experience. There really are no words to describe something like that. I have been learning for almost my entire life about the Holocaust, but it's always been at a distance. To actually be in a concentration camp was overwhelming and difficult to grasp at first. We first looked at the International Monument standing in front of the maintenance building and what a sight. It was gruesome and eerie and absolutely chilling. The artist did such a good job at conveying the turmoil and utter desperation and agony of the Holocaust victims. You really just have to see it in person. 
We then walked through the roll call area and down the camp road to the back where the places of worship were, one of which was Catholic. Next was the hard part. When we made it to the crematorium, I was glad that I split off from the group. Actually seeing the furnaces and walking through a gas chamber and standing in front of where the bodies were disposed of in mass quantities was heart wrenching. It finally hit me exactly what was done in those places. I then walked through the bunker back at the front of the concentration camp and was horrified that bunkers built for 200 people were forced to fit 2000 and that everyday they would have to make sure everything had to be spotless and even then, if a soldier was in a bad mood, they could be punished mercilessly anyway. I headed into the museum next, which was housed in the old maintenance building. It was here that I met back up with the group. This museum was incredibly lengthy due to the large amount of reading, but well worth it. It told the entire history of how the Hitler and the Nazis rose to power, how Dachau came to be, how it functioned, what was going on in the rest of the world at the time, the experiments the Nazis performed, and how the camp was liberated (to name a few). We spent a very long time in there but it was extremely educational and necessary. Afterward, we did a quick walkthrough of the bunker, which was basically the prison for either the more troublesome prisoners or those of higher prestige. Conditions varied vastly between one prisoner having two cells to himself to one prisoner being forced to stand due to lack of room. Overall, I am VERY satisfied with our decision to go there and spend as much time as we did, and I truly believe it's an experience that every person needs to have at least once. We finally left Dachau and headed back to downtown Munich, where we were able to meet up with my boyfriend, Jared, who was currently on an ID Study Abroad program. He showed us the Glockenspiel and a few churches that we poked our heads into before having to leave. We then sat at a Starbucks eating gelato until we made our way to Augustiner-Keller for dinner. Augustiner Keller  was somewhere that I probably could've spent the entire evening. It was a HUGE biergarten that served giant half liter beers. I may or may not have cheated and gotten mine with half lemonade... But regardless, the atmosphere of the place was just amazing. It was good natured and fun and the weather was perfect and people were being loud and boisterous, but not too rowdy. It was a perfect balance and I was very content in that moment. I wish we could've stayed longer, but many of us were tired so back we went to our Airbnb. 
On Sunday, we wanted to head back into town again, except there were no busses running. So, the woman who ran the hotel who also happened to be the sweetest person ever was kind enough to find us a cab that fit all nine of us!! Amazing. Once we were back in Munich and had our luggage stored away at the main station, Marissa, Dae, Anne Marie and I went to the Deutsches Museum, which is the world's largest museum of science and technology. I found it super interesting and fun to look at, particularly the interactive physics part except for the fact that everything was in German. I still had a great time. Then we went to lunch at a burger restaurant that is actually a chain (they have a location in Bonn that I walk by pretty much everyday) but still quite good and met up with everyone else at the train station. Our train back to Bonn was quite a fun time. What was supposed to only take about five hours ended up taking seven due to delays, but thank goodness we had no changes because we would have for sure missed our connection. For the most part I just read my book, but there were times when we were all just talking and laughing and having a great time. Finally, we made it back to Bonn and I chatted with Maike about my trip before heading to bed. 
On Monday, I had to wake up on the earlier side, as I had German at 8:45am. It ended up taking about half the time allotted though, so we all had a really nice long break to just walk around and stretch our legs. We came back for our predeparture meeting for Vienna, followed by a lunch break where we ate an Asian restaurant, and then returned for a HOM lecture that ended at 3:30pm. I was originally hoping that after class, we would be able to plan our Prague weekend and I'd be home before 4:30pm. That was not the case. It took us SUCH a long time to figure everything out, particularly because there were literally 15 people trying got get on the same busses/flights, and it fell upon me to book the Airbnb. I ended up on the later bus and the same flight as everyone but everything was pretty reasonably priced, so I'm not complaining. I went home, ate a good meal with my host family, who I'm actually getting quite closed to and loving it (our meals stretch into several hours because of how we sit around and talk afterward), showered, packed, and went to bed very late as my Vienna trip started the next day, but more on that later. 
I really enjoyed Munich more than I thought I would. The city had a good vibe and was more touristy than Bonn, so I felt like I fit in a little more. It had huge streets with shopping and many more people, giving me the first real "city" vibe on the trip. At the same time, it showed me just how homey Bonn had become in such a short period and it occurred to me that perhaps Bonn is the perfect size for a trip such as this. It's big enough that we don't get too bored, but still small enough that it's easy to navigate and get you on your feet quickly. All in all, Europe's got me a little bit shook up, what with the time change and the traveling and lack of routine and I am truly loving every minute of it. This is exactly what I was hoping to experience thus far and coupled with the people I have met, I'm having the time of my life. 

You did it!!! You reached the end!!! Congratulations!!!

JMD

Week Two

This past week has felt more like a month with the amount of things we were able to pack in. Monday was all about getting everything ready for Vienna and desperately trying to cram a weeks worth of clothing in a weekend bag. Tuesday started bright and early to make our flight to Vienna. The second we landed we hit the ground running and, after checking into our hotel, headed off for our first tour of the city. The best part was that it was done by Dr. Schnabel--we all got a kick out of the awesome plague doctor outfit and I think everyone else we passed by on the street did, too. Next was the Freud House, which was something I was already very excited about since Psychology is one of my favorite subjects. The house definitely didn't disappoint and it made the lecture on Freud the following day more interesting since we could really picture some of the things Dr. Wasser was talking about. Finally, we ended the first night at the Gulasch Museum. This was definitely one of the highlights of this trip for me because I got to get close to more people on the trip that I wasn't very familiar with. The gulasch tasted a lot like stew and I loved getting to try something new.

The second day we visited the Josephinum, Haus der Musik, and Kapuzinergruft. All three were very different from one another, which I was pleased about because it wasn't an overload of one subject. The Josephinum was mostly about the merging of the book part of medicine with the actual practice of medicine and my favorite part was getting to see the artificial heart machines. It was also crazy to find out that the first artificial valves were so loud that the people around the person with the valve could hear the person's heartbeat. The Haus der Musik was great for reinforcing Professor Waltz's lectures. It was helpful to be able to hear some of the same information over again while also throwing in new facts. Lastly, the Kapuzinergruft was definitely something new for me. I don't think I'd ever seen any casket that ornate prior to the visit, and especially seeing how massive they could be--like Maria Teresia's--was mind boggling for me. I can't picture sitting down and drawing out a design for what I want my casket to look like, or caring that it be bigger than anyone else's, but it was still very interesting to learn more about the history in Vienna and see some great art.

Day three was spent visiting the Narrenturm, having a group lunch, and meeting back up for the concert in the evening. The Narrenturm was extremely interesting and informative because it helped show me a lot about how different diseases affect the body. There was everything from simple rashes to Siamese twins connected at the skull. One in particular that stood out to me was a preserved child that was around four with very dark and ashy skin. I also learned that there was a specific purpose for making the building cylindrical, and that was so that some of the psychiatric patients that were allowed to walk around would always end up back at their room. After the museum we all sat down for a group lunch (another highlight), and one of the people I sat by was Henning. One of the things I've loved most about this trip is that you get to see how your professors and people in charge actually act outside of a professional environment and it makes them a lot more relatable and fun to be around. For our free afternoon a few friends and I went to the big city hall building and explored all the buildings around there. We ended up getting a sneak peak of the Museum of Natural History and seeing just how amazing and huge a lot of the main buildings in Vienna are. That night we all got dressed up and headed to the classical concert at St. Anne's Church. I don't have a very large background in music, so I thought it sounded beautiful but I couldn't decipher the specific parts within each main piece like someone with more knowledge would be able to. We finished off the night at a bar and had a great time relaxing all together.

On our final morning we visited the Natural History Museum. I was especially interested in this because we focused a lot on animals, like massive woolly mammoths and tortoise skeletons the size of a small car. We also got to see some ridiculously old trinkets that had lots of detail and ornamentation. Sometimes it's hard to fully appreciate the smaller pieces because, at first glance, it looks unimportant. However, after actually processing how old they are and how much work it must've taken during that time to make them without all of the modern tools and instruments we have now it's crazy to think that someone could just pass over it. After the museum, we raced off in an uber for the airport to start our Florence adventure. Overall, Vienna was amazing and packed with history. I'm so glad I got to experience it with this group of people and, even though it was exhausting, I had the best time.

Woche Zwei

Typing out the title of this blog post made me realize how fast these first two weeks have gone, but at the same time it feels like I have been here for a lot longer with all the things I've learned and the places I've gone. Last week we traveled as a group to Vienna, Austria and hardly stopped to breathe between excursions. I enjoyed learning about the history of medicine in the city and the reforms and changes to medicine that began to shape present day healthcare. My favorite two things were the Josephinum and the old insane asylum pathology exhibit. Seeing the anatomical wax models of every system in the human body was incredible, and I was shocked how something like that could be completed hundreds of years ago. In the pathology exhibit, I couldn't help but feel a bit infected myself leaving there with all of the gruesome diseases on display there. Also, having a lecture in Sigmund Freud's old house was really cool and made the material even more real for me. I really enjoyed the Vienna excursion and all of the history of medicine and music we learned there from Dr. Wasser and Dr. Waltz. When we travel on our own, I really miss all the insight and history lessons they give about seemingly every building, plaque, and statue we encounter. Here are some pictures from Vienna and of our Plague Doctor, Dr. Schnabel!

After the Vienna excursion during the week, about 20 or so of us traveled to Prague and all I can say is wow. So far I think Prague was the coolest city I have visited thus far and the 200 pictures I took there can back it up. It was quite a challenge sleeping 8 people in one room in our Airbnb, but we made it work and became a lot closer to each other in the process. In Prague, we visited the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Astronomical Clock, Prague Castle and Cathedral, and many more. Contrary to the rushed Amsterdam trip I took the weekend before, I was glad we were able to fit so many things into such a short weekend. We were able to hike all the way up to the Prague Castle with gorgeous views overlooking the river and Old Town and finished the Saturday with a nice river tour that came with complementary drinks and ice cream. The next day, we ran for cover in a rain/wind storm on the Charles Bridge. Once it cleared up a few of us were able to make our own chocolate at the Museum of Chocolate! The sights and food have been amazing everywhere but I think Prague might have secured the title of being my favorite city in Europe so far.

My favorite thing about this past week though on top of the traveling, sights, and food has got to be the strengthening friendships I have made with people I didn't even know before May 21st. Whether it's all of us having a nice dinner at the Goulash Museum and talking and laughing so loud you could hear us from the city center, to stressing and sprinting across foreign cities trying to make a bus or a tram I feel like we are all getting so much closer, and it makes our excursions and classes that much more fun. I am so pumped to continue on this journey with everyone and cannot wait to see what the next week has in store for us.

Prague, Czech Republic

It's been a day since I left Prague, yet I am still astounded by its beauty. The architecture, the history, the castles, the people, I miss it all. Prague was different from the other countries in its own unique way. The atmosphere was different. Not the atmosphere as in the ozone layers, but the people and the culture really stood apart. Everyone there was having a good time in their own ways whether it was indulging themselves in the history, finding good food, watching the astronomical clock, or merely just walking around enjoying the aesthetically pleasing scenery that surrounded them. The stores and shops were so different from the standard and it was interesting to see various museums and exhibits. We visited a few such as the Charles Bridge Museum and the Museum of Chocolate where one could make their own chocolate. There was so much to learn and I feel like two days wasn't enough. Lastly, I enjoyed the livelihood of Prague. It was so upbeat and fast-paced, in a way that makes you feel like you are a part of it all. From the hundreds of wedding parties to people just having a good time, it had a warm feeling to it. Prague has definitely been one of my favorite spots in Europe and I would like to eventually go back.

Vienna, Austria

I meant to post this earlier, however time and internet connection got the best of me, so I'm posting now. While this excursion has come to an end, the memories and lessons will last forever. The vast amounts of knowledge that I have acquired from this trip were not only facts about medicinal history but about the culture of Vienna and the people involved. This excursion was best described as fast-paced. The moment we landed in Vienna, we were off on a tour guided by a plague doctor. The plague doctor made the experience much more vivid and I could picture myself in the past centuries in ways that really enlighten me. Next, we ventured across Vienna to the Freud house where we literally breathed in the cigar residues. This really impacted me because not many people get to first-handedly experience an educational milestone such as breathing in the cigar residues of a pivotal figure in not only European, but global history. Lastly, we sealed our night with a wine and dine at the Gulasch museum which was arguably one of the best dishes I have ever had in my life. The atmosphere of the restaurant was excellent and the conversations were great. The next day, was kicked off at the Josephinum site where the collections of the medical-university of Vienna were displayed. I was blown away by the realistic wax figures of various anatomical parts displayed in three different rooms which were accessible with the help of a tour guide. The details of it all were spectacular and I didn't want to leave. Next we visited the Haus der Musik which displayed wonderful exhibits of classical composers of past centuries. The exhibits were displayed in such creative ways such as even having a forest in one room to mark characteristics of a specific composer. It really made me want to look at music at a deeper level to understand the culture and societies of past generations through the emphasis of sound and composition. In the last site visit of the day, we visited the Capuchin Crypt. The tombs were so beautiful and the artistic details that went into each of them cannot be put into words. It was crazy to think that the dead bodies were right in front of us listing to our conversations. It was a very educational experience in that our tour guide was very descriptive and knowledgeable in the topics. Lastly, we finished our educational day in the Sigmund Freud house once again, but this time with a lecture about Sigmund Freud in his own house. It was a once in a lifetime experience to learn about such an influential person in his own house and I will remember it for a lifetime. Lastly, the third day, we visited the asylum which was probably my favorite out of everything. It was eerie, yet it made me appreciate the works of the people who prepared all of the models and specimen in the rooms. I constantly kept imagining the patients in each room and it was just an overall amazing experience. I wish we could've seen the rest of the floors, but the first floor sufficed. Overall, Vienna was a place I will miss and hold dearly to my heart. Until next time, peace out Vienna!

Two Weeks In

We're two weeks into the program now, with our first set of excursions having taken place this second week in Vienna, Austria. We arrived by plane on Tuesday the 30th of May, and proceeded to get settled at the Deutschmeister hotel (which was very nice by the way). Immediately after that we went on our first excursion into town with "Dr. Schnabel", where we got a tour of some of the highlights and history of the central area of Vienna. We then visited Sigmund Freud's house and had a tour of the place, as well as a lecture on Freud and his work. We ended the day with a nice dinner at the "Gulasch Museum" where I had one of the best meals I've had since our arrival to Germany. I also tried horse meat for the first time after some hesitation, which turned out to be unfortunately delicious.

The remainder of our week in Vienna consisted of site visits and tours of the medical history museum in the "Josephinum", the "Haus der Musik" (House of Music), the "Kapuzinergruft" (Capuchin Crypt), the Federal Pathological Anatomical Museum of "Narrenturm", and the "Naturhistorisches Museum" (Natural History Museum) of Vienna. We also attended a beautifully performed classical music concert at St. Anne's Church. These excursions were full of amazing and intriguing stories and events dating back to hundreds of years ago (and even thousands in the case of the Natural History Museum). I personally found the visits to the Josephinum and Narrenturm particularly interesting since they showed a lot of the misconceptions people had regarding medicine and disease not too long ago, putting into perspective how quickly new discoveries and improvements are being made in health care. I was also able to see how much they had right, despite limitations in technology, which was quite amazing.

A group of us ended the week with a trip to Prague in the Czech Republic, where we spent our second free weekend. We left Vienna on Friday evening so by the time we arrived to Prague that night we were all so tired that we just went straight to bed. The following day however, we took advantage of our free time and visited the gallery of art which contained amazing works from artists like Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, then went over to the Prague Castle and checked out some of the various buildings and history there, including that of medieval times which I really enjoyed. We ended the day with a nice dinner and a great view of the river, and then a visit to the "Ice Pub" after that, which is bar completely made out of ice, including the cups, in which you get to be under a -4oC temperature for 15 minutes and have a free drink. Finally, on Sunday which was our last day in Prague, we headed to town for brunch and then visited the chocolate museum there, were they showed us a bit of the history of chocolate, as well as how different types of chocolate are made. The best part of course being the free samples of chocolate we were given throughout the tour. We then walked around town for a bit before heading over to the airport for our flight back to Bonn. It is now Monday morning and we have officially completed our second week in the History of Medicine program!

Two cities in Two weeks

Week two was a very long but fun week. Tuesday we flew to Vienna and did not waste a single minute. I don't think I have ever walked that much in my life but it was worth it! Vienna is much bigger than Bonn and a lot harder to navigate. Almost everyday we were there we had to take multiple trains, buses, or trams. I would like to say that I am better at public transportation, but if I was the person leading us I would have been lost every time. I am actually not the biggest fan of Vienna. It is a beautiful city with a lot of history, but the people are pretty mean. They shove you if you are walking too slow and look very bothered if you ask for directions. They say people in Bonn are very friendly and I have definitely been taking advantage of that. My favorite part of Vienna was the Natural History Museum. They have over 30 million artifacts! I had never been to a natural history museum before so I was amazed at all the fossils and stuffed animals they had. My second favorite part of the trip was the finding out about the stolpersteins, or stumbling stones. The time spent in researching for the stones boggles my mind. I like how it is a small, but effective way of remembering the past.

After our trip to Vienna, almost everyone in the program went to Prague. Prague is my favorite European city I have been to in this program by far. It is a very touristy place, but it is absolutely beautiful. My favorite part was the astronomical clock. There are only two in the world I believe and it is absolutely a site to see. Unfortunately there was renovation being done on both sides of the clock so the pictures I took are not very great. I did manage to get some really cool magnets modeled after the clock as souvenirs. While Prague is a very big city, I found it a lot easier to navigate than Vienna. The language, however, is something I will never be able to understand. I am still not able to understand much German besides the numbers. I should probably practice that. Hopefully staying in Germany this week will help with that!

Blog 3: So Many Countries to See!

This weekend I got to travel to both Brussels, Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands! I greatly enjoyed the time I spent in both of these cities. They each very clearly felt like different countries. Brussels had far more impressive, grand architecture, but Amsterdam had a younger more laid-back vibe.
I realized this weekend that I only really know stereotypes about Europe. In Brussels I expected to see chocolate all over the place, because of the phrase "Belgian chocolate". Also it probably goes with out saying the first two things I thought of when it came to Amsterdam were "red light district" and "Mary Jane". Although I did manage to see the presence of some of these associations, each city definitely had more to offer. I was a little disappointed we only got to spend a few hours in each of these cities. There were so many parks and shops and other points of interest that I would have loved to explore.
Brussels was our Friday night destination. This was the first central station outside of Germany that I had to navigate. Thankfully it wasn't too different from the Hauptbahnhof back in Bonn. Ultimately, considering our limited time, our group decided to Uber to our hostel. We actually ended up ubering the whole trip in Brussels, which was pricey, but less time consuming, and more straight forward than trying to figure out the local public transportation system. When we made our way to the city center we discovered a free outdoor music festival in the middle of all the shops and restaurants. We wanted to find a place to eat nearby but everything was full. We eventually found a nice restaurant just a few blocks away from the city center where we were able to sit and relax and admire the decades old buildings all around us.
The next morning we made our way to Amsterdam. I learned an important lesson that morning. If you plan on taking a train in the morning either 1) get lots of sleep the night before or 2) have a direct train. Hopping on and off trains was extra stress that would of been nice to do without. Thankfully between the 4 of us we managed to get to Amsterdam around noon, As soon as we left the central station I was reminded of home. Women dressed as lady bugs, advertisements for an techno Forrest concert, this city was a larger European version of ATX. We didn't get to do too many day time activities but, even just walking around Amsterdam was an experience. Sunday we did get the opportunity to visit the Rijksmuseum, It was massive and had simply too much to see and learn about than we had time for.
Today is Monday, and we just had our pre-departure meeting for Vienna. I'm excited to be able to experience a city with the whole class. Everyone has a different perspective, and enjoy sharing with my fellow Aggies!
- May 29

Blog 2: Figuring out what to do

Its only been a week but I've learned so much, and so much a has happened that it feels like its been a month. Arriving in FRA a day early was an interesting experience. I did have Karen, but we had no guide, no real adult, to guide us or help us through our first moments abroad. I don’t think I was ever really scared for a situation like that. I knew far in advanced we would be on our own for good portions of the trip. What happened before the start of the program was essentially what I expected, that I would obviously appear to be a foreigner, but wouldn’t let the reactions of the locals dampen my spirits. Examples of this include weird looks that we received at a local FRA restaurant or getting stopped by the police and almost ticketed for crossing the street when the pedestrian light was red, even though there were no cars in sight. Also, inevitably, this week has been filled with transportation troubles. From getting trapped on a train in FRA to missing a bus by less than 2 min on multiple occasions. Other things like getting to know the environment seemed impossible at first, but after Wednesday were a piece of cake, which surprised me.

I already am recognizing a problem with my spending. We've only been in Bonn but the way I spend on food and snacks, and going out has been way over my budget. That’s definitely something I'm going to need to work on in the upcoming weeks, otherwise I'll be hungry for something other than adventure.

Meeting and living with my host family has been a generally good experience. Both Ursula and Lynn are so kind. We're always teaching each other about our languages and home countries. in my host families home I live in the basement, which sounds kind of odd but is actually quite nice because it’s the coolest room in the house. Natural chill is a blessing in this world with out AC.

I didn’t realize we would be taking a German course, but I'm glad we are. I try my best to speak the local language as often as possible, but no previous course in the subject has made this a difficult task. Our other two courses I've found extraordinarily interesting as well. I picked my major because i found the listed course to be genuinely interesting, and i have a similar attitude for this summer as well!

- May 26

I can {Czech} Prague off my bucket list!

PRAGUE! I can't believe that I actually spent this past weekend in Prague! I have always wanted to visit this beautiful city ever since I heard stories about its charm from my aunt and uncle who have spent a lot of time there. Old Town was definitely my favorite, and we hiked up to the castle and were able to have the best view of the city. We also took a ridiculous amount of photos... but those will just be memories to look back on.

I know I said that it would be hard to top Vienna, but Prague is absolutely amazing in its own way. The two cities are different, but have the same old charm. Vienna is larger and has more to see and do, and Prague is just full of beautiful sights. I don't know which I like better, but this past week has definitely been my favorite week of the trip so far. I am absolutely captivated by this part of the world, and I cannot wait to explore it more. Soon we will be going to Cologne and Koblenz and then to Norderney. I'm excited for more adventures with the wonderful new friends I have come to know. 

Alana Carrasco

No Kangaroos in Austria

So, this past week, we spent four days in Vienna, Austria--not Australia. As one of Austria's sayings goes, "no kangaroos in Austria." In fact, I believe it is one of Austria's bestsellers because I found it in many shops, whether it be on T-shirts, mugs, bags, magnets, and so on.

So Vienna. I greatly enjoyed my time there! Its very European architecture was one of my favorite things to see there. It has been my goal to visit a cathedral, preferably the main cathedral, of every European city I visit. I like looking at the architecture, sculptures, and style of each cathedral. I find it very intriguing how they can be built in different styles--whether it be gothic, baroque, etc--and still be filled with awe every time I visit one. As a result, I visited St. Peter's Cathedral in Munich and St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna. And they did not disappoint (although I could have done without the construction in Vienna). I have to go now! But I will talk more about the cathedrals and Vienna soon!