Experiences from the 'Civilized' side of the Rhine

I've now been in Germany for 4 days and I must say that aside from the fact that I don't usually know what people are saying or what any writing says, this country is amazing. The people are very friendly and most know enough English to help us get what we need. I must say that the food here is incredible and I've really enjoyed being introduced to famous German dishes such as schnitzel and sauerkraut. The portions are huge and the flavor is so rich that I'm not sure how the U.S. survives on a culture of fast food. I will say that I prefer the McDonald's back home, but the Pizza Huts here are way better (except when I try to order pepperoni and mushrooms, but get peppers instead). Finally, I must address the beer. As someone who's not a huge beer drinker, I wasn't sure what to expect. After 4 days of trying some of the native beers, I must say that I have no idea how I will ever go back to American beer. The quality and taste here is just amazing.

Now, on to the actual program: it has been great. Our first evening in Bonn after we arrived from the airport was spent exploring the town and discovering the German way of life. On a side note, the plane ride wasn't that bad as the food and service were great. The only issue was the temperature and the fact that I couldn't sleep no matter what I tried to do. Maybe I should upgrade to business class for the return trip. For dinner our first evening, we went to a traditional Rheinish restaurant with Dr. Wasser and Nils (the program coordinator). It was a great way to finish of the first day and really start to bond as a class. On that topic, everybody gets along very well and I'm excited to spend another 2 weks with this group of Aggies. The first night I only got 6 hours of sleep and was up at 430 and couldn't force myself to go back to sleep so I waited for breakfast, which was very good once again. The second day we took a tour of the city, guided by the head of AIB Dr. Rainer, and got to see many of the points of interest in the city, including the University and large church in the center of town. That afternoon we went to the House of German History museum which chronicled the history of West Germany after the Second World War. It was very interesting to see the development of West Germany but even more interesting when it was compared to the relative lack of development in East Germany. After the museum we returned to AIB and Dr. Wasser lectured on euthanasia in Nazi Germany, a topic that I found very interesting especially considering those being targeted were not Jews but "unfit" Germans themselves. After the lecture we went ice skating and then to dinner, thus completing our 2nd day. The 3rd day involved a trip to the University of Bonn's medical facilities. We put on scrubs and got to watch various surgeries. My group observed ENT based surgeries and we got to see a brain leak patched up through the nose and a tumor search/ partial removal from under a woman's jawbone. The doctors were very friendly and explained to us in detail what they were doing. That afternoon we traveled back to the university to visit the anesthesiology museum. Although just one floor in size, the museum was full of hundreds of items related to the development of anesthesia from 1846-the present as well as certain drugs and patient monitoring systems. The tour was given by the curator of the museum who himself was a real pioneer in the field. Listening to him speak about his museum was such a treat because the passion he had for his work was undeniable. After the museum trip, we returned to AIB where Nils treated us to a German tradition of hot malt wine and we watched a couple classic German sketches.

Yesterday, we traveled to Cologne. When exciting the train station I was amazed to see that the Cathedral, or the Dom as they call it, was right there. I can honestly say that I have seen very few things if anything more amazing than that church. It was simply awe inspiring to see the sheer size of it. We met up with our guide, a native citizen of Cologne, and he took us around and showed us the city hall, some medieval ruins of a Jewish ghetto, a medieval banquet hall, and a restored part of the city modeled after 18th century Cologne. After this walking tour, we were finally able to enter the church. Inside was incredible as your eyes were drawn up hundreds of feet. The stained glass was beautiful and we were able to see the reliquary that contained the bones of the Three Wise Men. I only wish that I could have attended a service in this Gothic masterpiece although with no heating it was pretty cold. After lunch, we went to a museum that chronicled the Roman history of the city and were able to see many pieces from that time period including a almost completely intact mosaic from a wealthy Roman's villa around which the musuem was built. It was interesting to see how well the German's planned the city of Cologne. After the museum, I purchased a few souvenirs including the original "eau de cologne". Once back in Bonn, I passed out in the dorm, exhausted from the long day.

Today we will travel to Berlin to celebrate New Year's at the Brandenburg gate with tens of thousands of people. I am very excited for the chance to experience that as well as our upcoming weekend trip to Prague. If I survive the cold (which hasn't been too terrible so far), I will be back with more next week.