Am I Sunburned? Probably.

The answer is finally here for all you loyal followers on how the surgeries went and I'm pleased to announce that I did not faint, much to the surprise of myself I was completely unaffected which I guess in hindsight is a very good fact considering the profession that I was to pursue. But this is how the lovely week 4 started out for us folk. We started this short week on Tuesday morning with Group A having a bright and early meeting time of 7:15 at the bus station to hop on over to the hospital and watch some surgeries! Everything ran smoothly for the most part and the next thing I knew I was changing into some nice royal blue scrubs and an ever so fashionable hair net. I promise there are pictures of this fit but I'll choose who I share those with wisely. Next we were assigned to a surgery and I hit the jackpot by being assigned cardiology. Yes people, some good ole fashion heart surgery. Once the rooms were figured out me and another student were placed in an OR together and waited on the anesthesiologist to finish setting up before we took our place on the "dirty side" of the operating table. We witnessed the patient being cut open, their sternum being sawn through and the his chest being cranked open so you could not only see the heart but the lungs and diaphragm as well. This was hands down one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed. There were performing a coronary bypass so they had to remove a vein from the inside of this persons leg and reattach it to the heart so the leg also had periodical slits going up it. The head surgeon as well as the anesthesiologist both spoke very good English which we learned when a fly somehow snuck into the OR and we had to help find it. But they were very nice and very willing to teach us and inform us on different parts of the surgery as they happened because after all it was a teaching hospital. They also seemed very interested in where we were from especially once he found out I was from Houston. About 3 hours into this surgery after we had already see the patient cut open, a vein taken from their leg, and their heart being stopped and pumped by machines. We took a little break at this point because this surgery wasn't going to end for another few hours or so. After my break me and a few classmates wondered the halls of the floor getting to see multiple different patients being prepped for all kinds of different surgeries. We also did get to witness the cleaning of a severely infected toe that was enlarged tremendously. One would probably consider it gross but it was weirdly soothing to watch. After this though we had already spend approximately 5 hours at the hospital and the hunger and lack of sleep was starting to kick in. Some of us called it a day and went back to change into our normal clothes before loading up on a bus and heading back. This followed with a short lunch and then a 6 hour period of laundry back at the host house. Laundry was very overdue from multiple trips so it was a miracle that it only took 6 hours to do it all. This night then followed by a home cooked meal of spaghetti bolognese and a good night of sleep.
Wednesday the groups switched so while Group B was at the hospital all day we had our last German class with Hilda which consisted of learned some foods, role playing conversations that we wrote ourselves and even a German version of Guess Who which had the class in fits of competitiveness with us all ending in a tied set of 1-1. After German we had another lecture and Tai Chi class from Dr. Wasser, we're all slowly getting the hang of this Tai Chi thing too which makes us look like cool ninjas. After classes were done we did a trip to an Organ factory where no human organs aren't stored but where the instruments are made. We got a very enlightening tour through how an organ is exactly made and implemented into different buildings around the world. This was then followed by a lovely meal outside which consisted of a steak and French fries with a classic German Wizen. Then the night turned uneventful considering I was asleep before the sun was even completely gone from the sky, I think it was a new record honestly.
Thursday was a beautiful day of reuniting for our class considering a lot of us hadn't seen each other in close to a week. We started the day off with some Neurophysiology classes learning more in-depth about the inner ear and how it interprets frequencies and sounds. After this we had a short lecture on the history of Anesthesiology before breaking for a long lunch which did not disappoint at a place called Elefant.  After this we were bussed over the an Anesthesiology museum run by a man that himself is apart of the history of Anesthesiology. There we went through the development of tools and procedures that eventually led up to what we have today. After this some of us went out to a Mexican/Western restaurant in town for some drinks and chips before all heading off to our homes for the night.
Friday was another early morning because we were doing an excursion all day! We met up around 8 am and from there we were taken on a charter bus to Bingen, Germany. Here we got a personalized tour from our professor who was dressed as a monk in the Hildegard von Bingen museum. She was an influential women of her time during the 12 century. After this we went on a little scavenger hunt in the garden for some plants that they used in her time for treatments. Me and my group ended up with a pretty flower used to cure the mind and its reflections. After this we headed off to lunch and gelato before loading onto a boat and taking a 2 hour cruise down the Rhine where we passed many beautiful castles and landscapes. Once we arrived we were given a tour of one of the only castles in the area that was never destroyed because it was never seized. This castle offered some brilliant views and interesting history. From there we bussed back to Bonn and a group of us went and enjoyed a few hours at the beer garden before going home to sleep and for me and Sarah pack! Because off the Nice and Cannes, France we were going Saturday morning!
 

Saturday wasn't as hectic of a trip to the Cologne airport as it was for our Barcelona flight, public transportation is a lot easier to catch at 9 am as opposed to 3 am. We had a short trip to the airport, a short time in security and then for the first time this whole trip we boarded our plane on time. This flight I will say was not my favorite considering the child kicking my seat as well as his siblings next to me asking me to get up every 10 minutes throughout the whole flight. But luckily they all must come to an end and as soon as that one did I booked it off the plane never to see those children again. After this wonderful experience me and Sarah headed for the Hotel and checked in with a breeze, after this we walked and discovered a cute restaurant where we stopped for some lunch. Then we walked off to the beautiful beaches of Cannes. Where we took pictures of the horizon, the Carlton Hotel, all the amazingly expensive designer stores and the famous steps of the Cannes Film Festival. After our excursions we booked it to an Irish Pub where we waited out some passing rain watching the Cricket World Cup. After we headed back down to the beach to walk in the water before finding ourselves in supposedly the best burger joint in Cannes, if the word of the stranger that helped me order was anything to go by. I will say in the end he was not wrong at all, that burger was phenomenal! After this we seemed to also find the best pub in Cannes for live music and sports watching which worked out for us considering the Women's World Cup was going on. After this we went back to the hotel and called it a night.
                                          
Sunday morning we woke with a slow start allowing ourselves for the first time all trip to sleep in and not wake up to an alarm. We slowly got ready and packed up before checking out and heading out for a day on the beach. We visited the yacht club before picking out a restaurant to eat at before getting some chairs and lounging for multiple hours. We laid out on the beach and frolicked in the waves as the hours passed and when it was time to call it a day we stopped by a shop for some delightful slushes before heading back to the hotel. We then ubered to the airport which brings us to right now. where I'm sitting in the Nice Airport with a delayed flight just trying to get back to Bonn!! Find out next week if I get back and make it to Vienna!