The Odyssey Begins

In just over a week, I will begin what could be described as an odyssey through the Fatherland; a journey that fills nearly every wish that I could want.

For those of you who don't know me, allow me to introduce my self. Howdy! My name is Paul Goetze, and I am a proud citizen of Texas as well as the loudest and proudest member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2012. I am an Animal Science major keen on entering into Texas A&M's Veterinary Medicine Program. I am a practitioner of the Protestant sect of Christianity known as Lutheranism. My interests are extremely varied and include agriculture, video games (RPGs being my favorite), photography, metal music (mostly along the lines of Neue Deutsche Härte, Nu-Metal and J-Metal/Rock), science (all branches except for chemistry *shudder*), geekdom in general, history (particularly the turn of the 20th Century and World War I), politics (don't ask), Hereford cattle, and cartooning.

I have been facinated with Germany since I was little. I'm talking, age 2 little. My father's family heralds Germany, specifically Saxony, as the land of our ancestors, and I have always felt an attraction to that distant land.

I found this Study Abroad trip from Texas A&M while wandering aimlessly though the booths at Overseas Day my freshman year. I almost couldn't contain my excitement when I saw a banner reading "History of German Medicine." When I inquired further and found out that Pre-Vet and Animal Science students were not only allowed but encouraged, I almost started singing and dancing. This trip has everything I wanted: Germany, veterinary science, New Year's in Berlin, a trip to the Spanish Riding School with the oh-so-beautiful Lippizzaners, and time off that I can use to go to Wittenberg.

Don't think that I'm only going there for the culture. I hope to have a great time, but I also hope to learn how German and Austrian veterinarians practice their medicine differently from those in the U.S. I have had the privilage to work under several different veterinarians in Texas. In spite of the fact that most went to Texas A&M University's Veterinary College to learn, their approaches to the same problem can be quite different. This sparked a curiosity about foreign veternarians and how they approach problems.

This will be my first trip outside of the North American continent and the first time that I have ever flown. I have been to Canada and Mexico and across the United States but always by car. I kind of wanted to take a boat to Europe, just to be different, but that gets expensive and time consuming quick. Now that I think about it, this is also my first blogging experience. This trip just continues to expose me to new and exciting things!

With that, I'll sign off. My next post will be from Deutschsland. LET THE ODYSSEY BEGIN!!