Hannover/Paris

The visit to the Max Delbruck Center proved quite interesting. I especially loved the discussion we had about the stem cell research that was currently going on, including both the political and medical sides of the topic. It's also quite impressive how young these German doctors have been that have given us these lectures and learning experiences. I was really expecting people much older to be in this program, but I've come to find (with appreciation and much liking) that most are quite recent graduates of medicine.
Hannover, however, has proven to be really different from the other cities we've visited. There seems to be no important history in any of the buildings or monuments, but maybe that's because we really haven't taken a tour of the city. The veterinary clinic, however, has been anything but dull. Although the clinic had a few instances where I did a thing or two that I otherwise would never have done (e.g. stick an arm up a cow's ass), I found everything to be interesting. I especially like how nearly everything there was a hands-on learning experience instead of lectures. Though I probably won't end up becoming a vet, I can definitely see the applicability in learning about animals and how they're anatomy and physiology can relate to a human's.
Taking a break this weekend from the lectures and tours, however, wasn't quite as relaxing as I had hoped. The trip to Paris was a long one and we continually felt obligated to try to get as many experiences into 24 hours as possible, but I regret none of it. The city was beautiful and its history proved to be one that lived up to the expectations. The amount of art that could be found in the city, from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, continually amazing me. Everything seemed to tell a different story of the city and the country, none of which were dull in any way. I'm really glad I got to spend time in the city, though it may not have been as long as I would have wanted.