Week One

First week in Germany and so far it's been amazing. Gelato is 1 euro, there are castles at every turn, and I am lucky enough to have a great group of friends to explore this country with. There have been a few bumps in the road, like forgetting when the trains stop running, getting on the wrong bus or not getting off the train at all but all in all its been an adventure.

It is different being somewhere that has so much history, it's different than being in the US which is a young country in comparison. Learning about the history and the people that lived here is one of the best things about being on this trip.

Living with a host family has also been an asset. Getting to know them means that I get a different view point to look through. It is refreshing to get to know their country through their views. Why they love it, what they wish was different, and what the US looks like to them. Germany and the United States are similar in the way that they are both Western civilizations, but the way that the people actually live has many differences. Walking everywhere, using public transportation, and being surrounded by multiple different languages is something that you don't experience in the US, especially in Texas.

Another thing that stands out as different is that in Europe you have the opportunity to hop on a train and be in a different country within hours. For the first weekend I was with a group that went to Switzerland. It was a short trip but I could not have imagined a better one. I almost regret going there first because it will be almost impossible to top. Interlaken was, without a doubt, the most beautiful, breath taking place that I have ever seen. I was in awe of where I was and the place that surrounded me.

For me, one of the most memorable moments on this trip was when we went to the lookout point on top of one of the mountains. We were there enjoying the view when a man at the table next to us asked us where we were from. His name was Michael, he was 88 years old and he was originally from Greece but moved to the United States when he was young. He talked to us about his life and his journey. He moved to the Unites States after he went there to visit when he was younger. He said that he immediately fell in love with the country and that there is no better country that one could possibly live in. Even so, he said that coming to Europe, to Switzerland was something that was important and that it was a good thing that we were here. He told us that we had a remarkable opportunity being in Europe and on this study abroad;  that he could tell every one of us was going to go on to do great and amazing things, and that he could tell because we were brave enough to step outside of our own, safe corner of the world.

"You may not know what it is yet, but when you go back there will be something from this trip that will change you. You will never be the same, and that is a good thing." - Michael

Week Ein

As you can clearly see, I learned how to count in German this week. Evidently that is not a huge deal, especially when my host family heard the news and laughed. But learning German is not the peak of this week for me. The peak, both literally and figuratively, would have to be that of Jungfrau: one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring mountains on the earth. To look into the distance and see the picturesque snowcap of Jungfrau and the Swiss Alps above and the breathtakingly blue Lake Brienz below, is something I will never forget.

The group that went to Interlaken, Switzerland was comprised of Mary-Cate, Cassidy, Kylie, Kathryn, Bryan, Robert, and myself. We kayaked the lake, ate amazing food (especially fondue), and went to the top of Harder Kulm. It may have only been the first trip, but I think we can all agree that it will be very difficult for the other weekends to compete with the sheer beauty and majesty that is Switzerland. To know that the two days we spent in Interlaken can never be replicated is something I may never get over. The last two days were some of the most enjoyable and rewarding days-from walking one hour to kayak to pigging out on amazing Swiss chocolate. I would be lying if I said I won't miss it for the world.

Despite a few mishaps, the trip was an overwhelming success. Not only was this week and weekend about the trip to Switzerland-it was about the friendships that are being formed and the memories we are all making. So shoutout to those who went to Switzerland for making this trip one to remember for the rest of my life!

Until Dublin,
Matthew

The Reasons I Haven't Slept

The day before I flew out of Houston, I probably slept 3 hours. The excitement of FINALLY coming to Bonn was definitely getting to me. I boarded my flight alone to Philly and slept about 2 hours on that flight, so around 5 total hours. After waiting in the Philly airport for what seemed like forever, Stone finally lands and I'm not alone anymore, and luckily we got seats next to each other on the plane! While many people around me tried to sleep, I was too engrossed in the fantastic movies, (If you haven't seen Coco you need to stop everything and watch it) talking to Stone, eating my airplane food and the idea of what was going to be in store this week.

The first day was the longest day of my life.

We sat in the airport talking for around 5 hours and we all agreed that the day felt like it was 3 days bundled into one. It was great hearing what everyone was excited about and finally putting a face to the name that had been popping up in groupme so many times, I was ready for bed. Five hours on a day that felt like 3 wasn't a great feeling.

We get to Bonnox completely overwhelmed and instead of being able to instantly lay down, we had to go to the grocery store! It was an interesting experience picking up meat we hoped was chicken. We also decided venturing into our new found home would be a great idea so we wouldn't be lost in the morning and ate some of the BEST food I've ever tried. (shout out to Bonnsch Brahaus) We got back to the hotel around midnight, and had to be up bright and early to meet at the Hauptbahnhof so only about 7 hours of sleep. Im glad we woke up as early as we did, because if we wouldn't have the extremely long wait for the trains to pass (30 minutes!!!) could have made us even more late.

The rest of the week was spent going to super cool restaurants at night (Patatas Bravas from Mojito are to die for), trying to cook for ourselves and venturing around Bonn. Who knew that sitting at a Biergarten with new friends could be one of the greatest things you've done?

After semi catching up on my lack of sleep during the week, the weekend took ALL of my energy plus more. Friday afternoon, we boarded what we thought would be an easy journey to the Köln/Bonn airport. One train, one bus ticket with no idea where the bus met, one train ticket with a cancelled train, one taxi and 75 euros later, we made it to the bus station. The bus shows up 15 minutes late and after making friends with a guy from New Zealand we were on our way to Paris! Sadly, the stress of the trip to the bus, the ac, and not being in a bed got to me, so I only slept about 3 hours. 

We make it to Paris at 6am and walk to meet one of my best friends from home for a fulfilled day in Paris!! We saw SO many things (we actually walked 16 miles), got lost in the worst area we could imagine and almost got scammed by some locals, but the sheer beauty of the city makes up for it! I could have spent hours wandering around Montmatre! After getting to our airbnb at 11pm, we had to wake up again at the crack of dawn (5:45 AM) for another day in Paris. Getting back on the bus this time was an adventure. The bus was packed and it made sleeping even worse. 5 hours of sleep later, we arrived back in Bonn, figured the bus system out and took a quick nap before class started. 

Even with getting around 40 hours of sleep for a whole week, I would trade the beauty, German beer, baguettes and new friends for anything!

Here's to catching up on sleep in summer 2!!!

 P.S. Isn't Bonn beautiful??

It's Already Been A Week?

     So, it's been a whole week already and I'm not sure if it was the shortest or longest week of my life.  It feels short looking at the amount of days we've been here but also I feel like we got here a month ago. So much has happened in this weekend alone! Every day during this first week, we did something different so I think that's what's made it feel longer.  I had lots of new, fun experiences and just about ate my weight in bread.  I think what's also made the week feel longer is getting to know everyone.  Not in a bad way, but I'm finally able to put names to faces.  The weekend trip also brought me a lot closer to people than I probably would normally get in the first week of knowing them.  Speaking of this weekend, I had so much fun visiting Brussels and Bruges with some rad girlies but oh my gosh, have I never been so happy to see that green glowing ox in front of our hotel in Bonn! I've gotten pretty comfortable riding the trams around Bonn so I thought riding the train out of the country would be a breeze, who knew it wasn't? (haha) I've learned that the train arrival times aren't always accurate and to NEVER get off the train unless you know for sure that's your stop.  Besides the adventure of getting back to Germany, Brussels was a blast and way too many waffles were consumed. But is there really such a thing as too many waffles with Nutella? Anyway, I can't wait to see what's going to happen this week and spend all my euros on gelato!

woo germany week one

One week as already gone past and WOW what a week it was. Getting here was such a shock, when we finally made it to Bonn, three other girls and I were dropped of at Bonnox, a dorm/hotel we would be staying at for the duration of the trip. One of the people staying here with me described it as "being dropped off at college again only this time no one speaks english." Since there were not enough host families we had been assigned to this, a more independent housing. Although at first it was honestly so terrifying, a week in I can say its a cool place to be and I think I will really enjoy the independent housing.

Although its only been a week, its crazy how comfortable everything has become. Classes at the AIB, taking the tram everywhere, all of it has become easy breezy. Our classes have been really interesting so far, History of Medicine is such a cool and diverse subject I am very excited to keep learning about it. Hilda, or german prof is the cutest most hilarious lady, and now thanks to her I can successfully count to 10 in german. Thanks Hilda.

This weekend me and some girls went on an adventure to Belgium and boy an adventure it was. We walked around and saw all the top sights, basically eating our way through the city. Belgian waffles and chocolate are all they are made out to be... DELICIOUS!!! It was a great time getting to know the people I went with better, everyone is really so sweet. The way home hit a few bumps in the road but we made it home!! Pro tip, if your traveling somewhere by train and all the announcements are main in Flemish, you should really try and figure out what is going on....

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

Week one abroad has been a success.

Although I expected differences between life in Germany and life in America, I was not fully mentally prepared to soak in the awe and quirks which make the countries so different. First off, bravo Germany for your local markets. Grabbing fresh fruit and warm pastries has been a delight. Want something quick and cheap to eat? No problem! It's fresh (what a relief that fast food isn't the primary option here).

Public transportation has been awesome. At first, it was pretty terrifying and stressful (especially before you have data for you phone), but after somewhat getting the hang of it, it's been incredible. I love being able to walk from class to a variety of shops and restaurants every day; it's impossible to walk from place to place back home in Texas.

My host family has been incredibly welcoming and pleasant; I couldn't ask for more. My "brothers" have been kind and goofy (typical boys), and the parents have been super helpful. There is a lot of laughter and fun conversation over dinnertime, and meals are never rushed. It is definitely a time to relax and enjoy each others' company.

That is the best part about being here. Life just seems simpler. People seem kinder to each other and are not in a rush. They take their time, enjoy the company they're with, and enjoy their day. People seem to be have little to no stressed, while in America, you can feel the stress of everyone around you and become stressed yourself.

After adjusting the first few days, I have found myself relaxing more and enjoying the area greatly. The weather is beautiful, and walking around town is pleasant. Plus, ice cream (gelato) cones are available for one euro... Rock on. Here's to the weeks where I will both eat and walk more than ever.

Until next time,
Mikayla O'Leary

An Uncomfortably Comfortable First Week

The first week is in the books! This time last week, I had just gotten to Bonn and was running on less than 4 hours of sleep. Now, I am writing this running on two hours of sleep, because we got back to Bonn from Paris on an overnight bus that was extremely crowded.

On the morning I left, I did not expect to feel so anxious before I got on my flight to Philadelphia. I was definitely feeling some intense emotions during that 3 hour flight. When I landed, I was very glad to see a friend (Megyn) waiting at our terminal in Philly. The flight to Frankfurt was extremely comfortable, but I did not sleep for any more than an hour. Shoutout to Geostorm, Star Wars, and Easy A for keeping me entertained for 8 hours. When we landed in Frankfurt, Megyn and I went to the wrong meeting point and had to walk completely to the other end of the airport. We found the group and travelled to Bonn, and I finally got to sleep for a bit on the bus.

Megyn and I on the Plane!

The first night, my host family took me to their grandparents house to have a barbecue. We had German sausage, grilled chicken, potato salad, and lots of bread. It was the perfect first meal you could have in Germany. The next day, we had our first German class, and I learned that my name translates to "Stein" in German, so maybe I'll have a new name for the next 5 weeks! After that, I had sushi as my first German lunch. That afternoon we went to the Haus der Geschichte, where we learned about the history of Germany since the end of World War 2. That trip made me very excited to visit Berlin to further examine the city's unique history of being separated and reunified.

On Friday, we had an excursion to Bingen and Marksburg. Bingen was a very beautiful town on the bank of the Rhine. We visited the Hildegard von Bingen museum where we learned all about Hildegard. She was a very interesting person and became one of the few women of that era that made a mark on our History of Medicine course (Whoop to Women in medicine!!!). The view at lunch in Bingen was incredible, as there was a massive vineyard on the other bank of the Rhine. The Marksburg castle was the best I have ever seen (although I've only seen like 4). The views from the top were incredible, and the castle was extremely well preserved.

The view from the Marksburg

Buckle up, because it's Paris time. Going to France has been so high on my list of places to visit for as long as I can remember. I took French in high school, even though it has virtually no use in Texas. We had a horribly stressful commute to the bus station, which happened to be at the Cologne airport. We ended up paying way more than we had to, and had to resort to taking a cab. We finally boarded the bus, and Megyn, Jen, and I each had two seats to ourselves. I still barely slept. I think I was still stressed and excited to see Paris. We got off the bus at 6 am. When we got into the center of Paris, I was able to order my breakfast in French, and seeing a familiar language was definitely a welcome site. 

That first day, we walked 16 miles. We started by getting a baguette, cheese, ham, and a bottle of wine for a breakfast in front of the Eiffel Tower. I had pictured this moment for so long and seeing it actually happen was truly surreal. We walked to the other basic Parisian sites and I was just trying to soak everything in without worrying about the pain my feet were in (thanks Converse!). We did have some sketchy events happen on the Metro, we got lost in a rough neighborhood outside of the city, and there were some close encounters with scammers at Sacre-Coeur. A man grabbed my arm and tried to put a yarn bracelet on my wrist and would not let go of me. When we finally got away from the men, the views from the top of the basilica made up for the struggles on the way to the top. 

Paris, Je t'aime. 

The next day in Paris was much more chill. We went to the Louvre and sped by the Mona Lisa. It was definitely underwhelming, but still worth seeing. The other paintings and exhibits in the Louvre were truly breathtaking. I think we walked nearly 4 miles in the Louvre building alone. The Greco-Roman statues were definitely my favorite part. We spent quite a bit of time relaxing in the Luxembourg Gardens, eating the Macarons we bought from Lauderee, and people watching. Overall, Paris lived up to the hype that I built up in my mind, and I am already hoping for a return trip where I can sit under the Eiffel Tower. 

Macaron from Lauderee

This was a successful first week in Europe. There are definitely some American conveniences that I miss, like air conditioning, my own phone plan, and the freedom of driving a car anywhere I want, but the atmosphere and feeling of being in Europe have more than made up for those. The local Germans here in Bonn have been so hospitable, and no one has given any trouble when they learn that we don't speak German. I would like to learn more German throughout these next weeks, I can be more respectful to the locals that live here. I did have a moment of reality when I was on the bus to class. I saw a golden retriever and was reminded of my dogs back home. I got a little sad, but quickly reminded myself of the adventure I am currently on. As Dr. Wasser would say, the hero's journey has just begun, and it is now my job to absorb as much as possible to bring back new experiences to Texas. From sitting with new friends in a Biergarten on the bank of the Rhine to learning course material that actually relates to my future career path, this first week has been the beginnings of a dream come true. 

A Week Without Clothes- Week 1

Sitting here looking back at our first week I am already amazed by how much we have been through. From getting off the plane in Frankfurt, then going through the process of losing luggage and trying to figure out how to get it back, and getting to Bonn, along with meeting our host families, and going on weekend trips, it is all so incredible. Our first weekend trip was to Brussels, Belgium. I have never been to a town like Brussels and immediately fell in love with it. On previous trips, I have been the person who likes to have an idea of what the day is going to contain. But when we arrived in Brussels there wasn't a set plan in mind. It honestly turned out to be the perfect thing for our group. Every time we would walk around a corner we would find something new that was even more fascinating than the last. After experiencing the things that Belgium is known for; waffles, chocolate, beer, and french fries (all of which were amazing), we were ready to return to Bonn to continue our journey here.

Even before our weekend trip to Brussels I was fascinated by the European cities we already went to. It amazes me how old the history is here compared to the United States. Seeing the Marksburg castle on Thursday just proves this. I cannot even imagine someone living in such a place, let alone hundreds of years ago. Going to Bingen was another experience that was so incredible to me. Getting to learn about the history of the clergies, Hildegard and how they affected medicine at this time is mind boggling. Getting to see surgical instruments that were hundreds of years old is insane. I never expected to see anything like that nor did I know medicine that intricate existed at this time.

So far my experience in Germany has been so amazing. I am learning and seeing new things every day. My host family has been great about teaching us the German ways, and even some german itself.

Savana

Week One Can’t Be Done

   So far Germany has been great! The first day went by very quickly. Once we arrived in Bonn our host families picked us up from the old AIB and our true study abroad adventure began. 

The second day was a little confusing getting around. Thank goodness my host mom wrote me step by step directions to get to the bus stop and Bonn Hbf bus stop. Once I made it to the stop I realized I had no idea how to get into the station. It was at this moment that I realized having very little service in a foreign place was not the best idea. After a quick panic attack, I recognized Andrea Poters backpack. I caught up to her and she fortunately knew where to go. Thank you Andrea! We had a great day meeting Dr. Wasser, listening to Henning, and then ending the school day with a tour around Bonn. 

   Next I joined Savana and Lauren on their adventure to get SIM card. After going to T-Mobile and the Bonn tourist information desk (who had no clue what we were talking about), we found some kind of electronic store with SIM cards. Once they successfully had SIM cards we ventured around a little then went back to the train station. I walk alone to the bus stop. After asking several people, if they spoke English in broken German and if they had heard of the bus number I finally found my way home. 

    The rest of the week went pretty well with only a few little hiccups. I tried lots of new food, but still no traditional German food. My host family is vegan so I have learned several new recipes for different vegetable dishes. One of my favorites was sweet potatoes, carrots, and tomato sauce. 

    On Friday we traveled to Beigen and Markberg Castle. Both were incredible. Beigen looked like a painting it was hard to believe it was real. We then were given a tour of the museum by a monk! We learned about the clergy and Hildagarden’s influence of medicine hundreds of years ago. The best part of the whole day was touring the castle. As we walked around it was hard for me to believe that anyone actually lived there. 

   Once we made it back to Bonn, a group of us rushed to the train station to catch the train to Brussels. The train ride went really well until we reached our transfer in Cologne in which our train was delayed by an hour. We eventually did make it to Brussels which was already beautiful at night. The next day we went to the Grand Palace...there are no words that can describe what I felt when I saw all of the buildings. After taking in the amazing views we got waffles. They were so so so sweet! 

   We had no plan when it came to adventuring around the city; yet we somehow were able to see almost everything. We also managed to find a parade celebrating a Christian Spanish holiday. Coming back to Bonn our bus got searched by customs. Everyone was asked to get off the bus, stand in a line, and leave their bags in front of them. The customs officer then had a drug dog sniff all of our bags. Eventually we made it back on the bus and back to Bonn. 

Cannot wait to see what happens next week! 

I Think I'll Stay Another Week - Week 1

Today marks one official week in Europe and I could not be happier with the experiences I have had. Classes are very interesting and our host family is amazing. I thoroughly have enjoyed sitting around after dinner and just talking about the differences between Europe and America and learning about our host family’s day to day life. The first excursion to Bingen was amazing and a great way to start! The views from the Marksburg castle were amazing and I loved listening to our guide and his comical stories about what life was like in the castle.

The first weekend of travel we decided to travel to the city of Brussels. I personally had no idea what to expect about the culture or infrastructure of the city because it is not something that we often learned of in history class. I only had one agenda, which was to consume a Belgian waffle. The trip completely blew my mind and exceeded expectations, not only was the food amazing but the town itself was beautiful. We made absolutely no plans of where to go and decided to start at the Grand Place and just wander around from there. The Grand Place was very intricate and breathtaking, and as we walked around the city it only got better. It seemed that every corner we turned there was either a jaw-dropping cathedral or a building coated in gold. In addition to this, I not only got to eat a waffle topped with white chocolate and whipped cream, but we had wonderful chocolate and French fries. I was also very surprised to learn that French fries actually originated in Belgium and I plan on giving proper credit where it is due when I return to the states. 

The return back from Brussels was very hard because I felt like we needed an entire week to see everything there, but it left me in high spirits for the weekend trips that are to come. We also were introduced further to German culture by experiencing a customs check in which German officers stopped the bus and lined us up to search for drugs. Overall, the trip was so much more than I ever expected and I fully hope to someday return to Brussels, Belgium. 

                  Au Revoir,

                             Lauren Baker

One Week and Adventures to Last a Lifetime

This week, we had German class, a lecture at the history museum, history of medicine lecture, and a lecture at a museum in Bingen. I have really enjoyed all of the classes. In German class, Fr. Hilde Koch spoke to us and asked questions in German. Of course, she gave a lot of prompting for answers. I thought this was a very effective way to learn. At the House of History, Dr. Wasser lectured on German history since WWII. I learned a lot about the era and about German life during that period. I never considered how hard it was for the German people to come to terms with what happened in the war and to recover from it. Dr. Wasser explained that the majority of many cities were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. He also explained how amazing it was that Germany has united. He said that he did not think that the Berlin Wall would have come down during his lifetime because the Soviets violently oppressed any revolts. We saw a 3-wheeled car from Western Germany. It was called Snow White’s Coffin because it was so small and covered in glass. 

Snow White's Coffin

History of Medicine lecture is very interesting. Dr. Wasser talked about medical views in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. I learned that some of the prominent figures in the history of medicine, like Hippocrates and Asclepius, may not have actually existed. The lectures are also a lot of fun because Dr. Wasser makes Harry Potter references and shows videos. In Bingen, we learned about Hildegarde von Bingen. She was quite the lady. Hildegarde was the 10th child in her family, so her parents gave her to the church to be a nun, as was standard. After having a vision from God, Hildegard formed her own monastery. She also composed music, travelled to tell people of her visions and of the Catholic faith, and created a botanical dictionary that listed medical uses of different plants. The museum had a copy of the book where she recorded her visions. The copy was created in 1605. I believe they had another text from the 1200s. The museum also had about 70 medical instruments from Roman times.

This is what I have learned and noticed so far in Germany outside of class. If I smile at strangers, they will know that I am not from Germany. I now know this, but I still have the urge to say “howdy” when I make eye contact with people. Public transit is amazing! But it requires planning and waiting. People seem to really appreciate it when we at least greet them in German before transitioning to English. And on that note, almost everyone I have met has been very friendly. At the end of the line, busses stop and then turn around to return the way they came. At least, my bus does this. And finally, castles are great!

Thus far, I have visited three castles: Schloss Drachenburg, Marksburg, and Burg Eltz. On Thursday afternoon, a group hiked to the Drachenburg Schloss, the Dragon Castle. The castle was built in the late 19th century in the Neo-gothic style.

Schloss Drachenburg

Polar bear rug in Schloss Drachenburg

The whole class visited Marksburg on Friday. The castle was built in the 1200s. It went through a series of owners who made improvements, but it is clearly medieval in style. The doorway was big enough for a horse and rider to enter, and cannons were used to fortify the castle. This castle is one of only two in the area that Napoleon did not destroy. It is thought that perhaps Napoleon wanted to vacation in this castle. Through an easily defensible position and a bit of luck, the castle has remained intact. The history of the castle made visiting it fascinating. The castle had small succulents growing on one wall.

Armor From Marksburg

Foxgloves, or Digitalis, at Marksburg 

Marksburg

Succulents at Marksburg

Finally, on Sunday, I hiked to Burg Eltz from Moselkern with Amanda and Andrea. This is the other castle that Napoleon did not destroy. He simply did not find this one. It is well hidden in the forest despite its size. It had 80 rooms, 40 with fireplaces and 20 toilettes. The toilettes had reservoirs of rainwater, so they could be flushed. The castle had three separate parts for separate families, and one part is still individually owned. In one of the rooms, we saw miniature cannons that were used as models for sales. When a cannon was purchased, it came with the model. The model was fully functional and used to train young boys. We also saw paintings of children that looked really strange. They looked like children’s faces were painted on adult bodies. And that was because they were! Painters would paint bodies before seeing a child and parents would chose which they wanted for their child’s portrait. 

Burg Eltz

View of Burg Eltz from the hike

The trees on the hike were amazing. See that purple speck? It's me.

I am very proud to say that I have successfully communicated my gluten allergy and ordered food, in German, several times this week. My host mother speaks to me in German, and I am beginning to learn more words. I enjoy speaking with her because she is very patient and encouraging. I am trying to learn a few new words and phrases each day. I hope that I will become more familiar with pronunciation this week. 

On Saturday, a few of us visited some museums in Bonn. We started at the Beethoven museum, where we did an audio tour. The tour explained the history of each exhibit and even included samples of Beethoven’s works. I learned that Beethoven had ear trumpets commissioned when he started to go deaf. I also learned that his dad wanted him to be the next Mozart, so he lied about Beethoven’s are at his first concert. Because his father said he was 6 when he was 7, Beethoven was never really sure of his own age. Next, we visited the natural history museum in the afternoon. It had an impressive collection of life-like taxidermies. The biomes were very detailed. For example, the okapi had a bee on its nose. 

 

Fresh produce at the Bonn Market

Beethoven statue in front of the post office

My host home: 202 Meßdorfer Str.

Finally, my mile count for the week is: 37.84 miles