Can time slow down?

My 3^rd weekend trip started in Rome. We began our trip with visiting the Colosseum. I had seen pictures and movies of the Colosseum, but seeing it in person was a totally different experience. It was something I will never forget.

For dinner, our group decided to buy groceries make a home cooked meal. (I cannot cook, so I just washed dishes). Maddison cooked everything and it was delicious. We had caprese, pasta with chicken, and a salad. It was my first time trying caprese and I really enjoyed it.

On Saturday, we made our way to Vatican City. I saw lots of Roman water fountains that day. I had seen them here in Germany, but the ones here look much older. We did A LOT of walking inside the Vatican Museum. The museum is enormous, and it contains many exhibits on Egyptian history, and Roman History, just to name a few. The most breathtaking exhibit was the Sistine Chapel. It is really mind blowing to think of how Michelangelo painted the whole ceiling of the chapel, with so much detail.    

I was hoping to see the Pope during my tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, but I didn’t. Maybe next time. There were many smaller altars and chapels within the entirety of the basilica where you could sit down and pray. The dress code was strict, with no shoulders or knees showing. I also went underground to see the tombs of all the past Popes. 

Sunday was a free day for us with no scheduled tours planned. We visited the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. My favorite monument was the Trevi Fountain. Ever since I had seen the Lizzie McGuire Movie as a child, I dreamed of visiting Rome and tossing a coin into the fountain. According to legend, tossing a coin across your left shoulder guarantees you a trip back to Rome. *fingers crossed* Then, we went to a fancy dinner for Jackson’s birthday. The restaurant was on the rooftop of a hotel, so we had a gorgeous view of the city, as the sun was setting. That was the fanciest restaurant I had ever been to. The trip back to Bonn was quite long. Our plane was delayed, and I got home close to 1 a.m.

Monday morning, we met at the bus station to ride to the Uniklinik. There, we changed into scrubs and were assigned to rooms for observing surgeries. The first surgery I watched was on an infant. I had seen surgeries before, but never on a patient that small. The surgery was done to treat congenital hip dysplasia. The surgery itself was not long; it was the prep and anesthesia that took the longest. While some of us were in the break room, waiting for another surgery, a surgeon came in and asked if 2 of us wanted to watch a surgery. Sam and I followed him to a different part of the hospital, where we got to see a laparoscopy on a small child. The non-invasive surgery was done to remove a piece of food stuck in the patient’s esophagus. Waiting for the anesthesia to kick in and intubating the patient took the longest.

The following day, we had class at the AIB. In neurophys, we learned about the preneural complex and acoustic signaling. Then in history of medicine, we had a lecture comparing the healthcare systems of other countries versus the one we have in the U.S. That was one of my favorite lectures because the Affordable Health Care Act was a topic I was unfamiliar with. The lecture taught me how complex the healthcare system is.

Friday, we had an excursion to Bingen. There, we toured the Hildegard von Bingen museum. Dr. Wasser gave us a lecture and tour of the museum in his monk robe. After lunch, we took a 2-hour boat tour of the Rhine. We got off the ship and hiked to the castle. The hike was long and steep, but the view at the top was worth it. 

These past 4 weeks have flown by and I am sad about that! I am looking forward to Austria and Berlin, but not looking forward to meeting at 4 am on Tuesday.