Gute Riese!

Merry late Christmas!

I still have to get everything into my suitcase but for the most part I have everything I need ready to go. My dad and I had to make a Christmas trip to his office to get a good backpack for the trip. It's hard to believe that between a trip to Vegas and this trip to Germany that I will only be home for 3 days of this break. While it is a little sad that I won't be seeing my family, I'm very excited about the opportunity that this study abroad trip has given to me. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to travel overseas to Europe and really be immersed in all the history that is present there. Well after 20 years of waiting, I only have a few more hours!

I must admit that my parents are much more worried about things than I am, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I am a little overwhelmed by the 3 weeks that lie ahead. As I was explaining the itinerary to my mom today I was just amazed at how much I am going to see in the program and that's not even including the side trips to Copenhagen and Prague. As someone who has always appreciated architecture, especially that of Europe, the pre-departure highlights for me have to be the churches we will be seeing especially the Cologne Cathedral. I'm also extremely excited about going to Prague as I have heard from many people that it is a beautiful city and their favorite in all of Europe.

In terms of all the trips to the hospitals, museums, and research facilities that we will visit, I am looking forward to learning more about the medical industry that I will soon be working in. From what I understand through Dr. Wasser's lectures, Germany is on the cusp of medical research so I know that what we will be learning will be applicable to both my future courses and my career.

In closing, I am not too worried about the culture shock of being in 4 new countries over a period of 3 weeks. I only know a few German words and phrases but I'm looking forward to picking up some as I go. The German cuisine should be great and I can't wait to interact with the many people we will meet. All in all I can say that these next 3 weeks may be the most exciting of my life to this point. I'm ready.