Predeparture Post

Merry Christmas everyone.

I'm finally sitting down to do my blog post about 12 hours before I leave for the airport. I've been on many trips to Canada before as I have family there, but never anywhere outside the continent. I really enjoy colder weather, so this trip will be a nice break from the Texas winters. I haven't really packed yet, but I think all my clothes are finally clean, so I guess that's a start. I'm hoping the backpack is big enough and the clothes are warm enough. I'm very excited to finally see more of the world and to experience new cultures.

I feel like this trip will perfectly combine what many of us students are looking for in a study abroad experience. The tours of hospitals, museums, and listening to all the guest lecturers are going to be great, as we are all interested in medicine in some way. Cardiac surgery is one of the most amazing things there is to witness in medicine. I'm very excited to be seeing one, as I've never seen any kind of surgery before. It will be exciting to see the differences between the way things are done in European medicine and in the United States. In addition, learning the history of medicine will help give more perspective on some of the things we do in class and are likely to do in the future. In particular, seeing how prosthetics have evolved and where they are going in the future will be particularly interesting, as we have discussed some of them in our engineering classes.

In addition to medical facilities, all of the local cultural attractions, such as the cathedrals, castles, and the opera house will be a new and exciting experience; and I know we're all looking forward to the part on New Year's Eve in Berlin. Having some German and Czech ancestry, and having already tasted some of the foods from Eastern Europe, I can also say that I'm looking forward to the different foods and the different atmosphere of the restaurants. I've always found that some of the smallest and obscure restaurants make the best food.

It's great to have an opportunity to go on a trip that will offer lots of different and exciting experiences. I'm looking forward to everything, from the plane and train rides to the tours and the free time. Just 12 more hours...