Back to the Norm

I was fortunate enough on my flights back to have Francisco and Brian with me. While we were seated about as far apart as you can get in coach, it was still nice to have someone to talk to during layovers and to keep the feeling that I wasn’t back home just yet. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, I arrived in Houston late on the 17^th and in a matter of days I had to adjust myself back to “normal” and get ready for another semester. I’ve been back for 3 months now and I still think it’s rude when the waiter brings me my check without me asking for it. This is one of the many little things I noticed right away when I returned. One thing I realized immediately is that I love Berlin but I don’t like Houston. There is traffic in Houston and road rage, and the downside is you can’t ever escape it. The first couple of weeks back I felt tired because of the lack of exercise I was now getting. After walking almost everywhere in Germany, I now drove instead to the places I needed to be. I enjoyed my trip to Germany and Austria, but when it was time to leave I was ready to get back home. The irony is now that I am back; I spend most of the time thinking about when I can return. At the time, our pace in Europe seemed rather hectic, but now that I am back I can barely keep my head on straight with everything I have to get done. Everything moves quicker here and it has taken me some time to get back into my routines.

As for the program itself, I could not have asked for more. I know that sounds very fairy tale-ish, but it is true. I enjoyed every minute of our trip and now that I am back, I wish it could have been longer. I learned a great deal before and during our time in Germany; the excursions where well thought out and had a great deal to do with the main topics of the program. Even in my free time I had many chances to learn as much as I could about the country and its people. In all my trips abroad I have never been as satisfied with my time spent as with this one. I don’t feel that, as far as the program goes, we missed out on anything. For my own personal interests, I would have liked to see and learn more but that will have to be done at a later time. I really enjoyed the time spent in Austria, as it is one of the many countries I know nothing about. I also liked visiting the hospitals and getting a chance to see the patients and procedures.

My time spent in Germany and Vienna has not greatly changed my outlook on the world, but I do take advantage of opportunities I would normally pass up. It has helped me to be accepting of other people, cultures and events in my life. Before we left for the trip I did not know how I would interact with the others. I have a quick temper and I was afraid that I would be alienated from the group for something I might say. Fortunately everyone in the group was easy to get along with and accepted me for who I am. Since I have been back I have worked very hard to keep my temper under control and to accept things that are out of my reach to change. So far I have made a little progress but I still have a long way to go. I am grateful that being around the group opened my eyes to the things about me that needed to change to make me a better person. My ambitions toward medicine have also changed with my return to the state. I have recently begun to look into the research side of medicine instead of limiting myself to just being a doctor. Although I really enjoy interacting with patients and solving health problems, I also think that research focused of bettering the procedures/methods used in health care would be an interesting path to take. Only time will be able to tell what I will do, but for now I am keeping my options, and eyes, wide open for any new opportunities that may come along.