Today we spent some time at the Charite museum. We got a lecture about Virchow first, then went to see the collection of preserved body parts, organs, and fetuses. It was really neat seeing some of the diseases and deformities that I have heard of before in real life. Then there were some that I had not heard of before, such as the mega colon. It was enormous! Hard to believe that something that big could come out of a man that was apparently not so big. That must have been awful for him. Once I got to the end where all the fetuses were, though, I had had enough. You can only look at that kind of stuff for so long no matter how interesting it is.
The rest of the day we had off, something that I think everyone appreaciated. We have been on the go for five weeks, so it was nice to have time to take it easy for a while. I went with a group to the zoo. We saw Knut! He's not a little cub anymore but was still super cute. There were a lot of baby animals actually, like a baby rhino and a baby hippo. I was surprised how small they could be.
Tomorrow is our last day. It's hard to believe. I am not ready to go home yet. Sure I miss some things, like free refills, free water, free bathrooms, ice, and ceiling fans, but I think I have actually adjusted quite well and have learned to live without all those little comodities that I used to take for granted. I guess it will be nice to have them again though.
I am going to miss the culture here that I have grown to love. It's going to be weird hearing english everywhere and having people smile and say hello to me on the streets. I never really liked that, mainly because I always feel obligated to smile and say hi back, which makes me feel so... Fake? Superficial? I think you understand what I am trying to say. You don't have to put on a mask here in Germany. If you chose not to go around with a bright cheery smile on your face all the time, people aren't going to bother you and ask you if anything's wrong with you or think you are cold.
I am also going to miss the train system here! And the backeries! And the wonderful wonderful eis!
I will be back, though. Hopefully sooner than I think.