So I can't believe we've already been here two weeks already. I was talking to my host mom just last night about how fast the time is going by. This past week has been great. Last week was hard for me because I felt pretty homesick and missed my family and friends a lot and still do, but it helps that we keep so busy. A big part of it was also being thrown into living with a whole different country and culture. It just takes a while to get used to I guess.
So on Monday coming straight from an overnight train from Prague, we went to Bonn on the train and went to a research and experimental farm. I understood a lot of what our guide talked about from taking animal science. On Tuesday, we went to the Heart and Diabetes Center. We heard a lot of presentations. I enjoyed the one on heart transplant the most, because I felt like the MRI presentations were way over my head. I think Wednesday was the most fun for me. I loved the river cruise and seeing all the hills and the little towns spread out down the river. The wine tasting was great. I don't think i'm very good at telling the differences between the wines, but they were all good. I just got one wine for me and Michelle to give our host mom. Yesterday we went to the zoo, and it was fun seeing the baby elephant and chimps. Michelle, Kaylee, and I stayed in Cologne after the zoo tour to eat and shop. We thought we were the only ones staying, but Dr. Musser and Dr. Wasser stayed also and we kept running into them throughout Cologne. We ate at a cafe, then only got to shop for a little while before most of the stores closed at 8. We watched a street magician for a while and just walked through the city. It was funny because we ended up on the same train as our professors, and headed home.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Dusseldorfer
So this weeks has been reallz amazing the weather was so great yesterday on the Rhien cruise and the wine tasting was so great yesterday as well. i bought 6 bottles of wine and have shared them with my family. whom i am going to make fajitas tonight for. so i made them last weekend with german items and they turned out very well i think so i will try the same things again. its just that the fajita powder has curry and other things in it besides just cumin, but it smells and tastes great and the limes in it add a great flavor, i may try to make some margaritas as well to go with but the white wine will go well with it as well. All the great things we are seeing are so amazing, the family here took me to Kaiserswert which is where barbarosas castle is and some great great old houses and a cool scene, i would definately love to live there maybe not in the city city of duseldorf but in kaiserswert it is so different and the things are great. Hmm what else have we been up to this week. we had quite an eventful weekend me and andrew went out to die mauer on friday with some of his friends from here and then on saturday i went around with the family and on sunday we made fajitas at a local named svenjas birthday and then to the hospital when Matt went Hypoglycemic. that was an event and gave all the partygoers quite a scare but luckily he is totally ok. i met a really really cool homosexual couple at the party who live in hackney in london and they were telling me about the new scenes in london and how great it is to be there and what the fashions and art movements are going on now. i loved it and the guys were so funny and very very inteligent. but this week has been great and i cant wait for this weekend i will be leaving for milano on Friday and going to lago di como while i am there, so i will let you all know how that goes once i get there. cheers.
Well it seems like so so much happens in just the span of a few days but it really is true. Yesterday we went on a Rhein cruise and then ate lunch at a restaurant along the Rhein, went to the Marksburg Castle, and finally did a wine tasting before coming back to dusseldorf on the train. So yesterday was really great and relaxing and different than everything else we've been doing so far. And that's what I like about our program, that its so varied and we get to see such a wide variety of things....Monday we went to the animal research farm and then tuesday was the Heart and Diabetes Center which was really interesting. I saw the very end of a valve replacement and it was really cool to get to see the actual valve they took out! I also enjoyed seeing how surgery and medicine is approached in another country....it's interesting because if you ask a doctor in America a question about something and then ask a doctor in another country like Germany a question you can get a completely different answer...I heard alot about the different approaches to treating stenosis at hermann hospital in houston this summer and then i heard about it again here at the Heart and Diabetes Center and so i thought that was a great opportunity to even get a chance to compare how medicine is practiced and approached in two different countries.
As we've been in Dusseldorf almost two weeks, I really feel like I'm adapting to it so much more. Public transportation is so normal now, whereas back home I only drive my car. I thought I'd always be so confused with train times and tram times and finding the right one to get on and that i'd be so lost but it's really getting easier and easier. Also, Ive gotten alot more used to my host family. At first it was more awkward, and not because of them or anything, but we'd never met them and then we were all the sudden staying in their home...but its turned out to be really great and we are still getting used to how they do things which can be different than how we do them at home, but its a good cultural experience!
As we've been in Dusseldorf almost two weeks, I really feel like I'm adapting to it so much more. Public transportation is so normal now, whereas back home I only drive my car. I thought I'd always be so confused with train times and tram times and finding the right one to get on and that i'd be so lost but it's really getting easier and easier. Also, Ive gotten alot more used to my host family. At first it was more awkward, and not because of them or anything, but we'd never met them and then we were all the sudden staying in their home...but its turned out to be really great and we are still getting used to how they do things which can be different than how we do them at home, but its a good cultural experience!
first thoughts
While I realize this is my first blog post since my arrival in Europe, I think it's safe to say it's due to techincal difficulties. My blogger account is not working, so what you are reading will be a copy/paste once I finally get things up and running. Normally, technical difficulties are one of my specialties, but when solving the problem relies on my host family's computer, which is not only slower than a turtle dressed as a sloth for halloween, but is entirely in german, things become a bit problematic. I would just use the AIB computer, but we are hardly there and by the time I actually get on one of the comps there, I have about 15 seconds until I'm being busseled to a museum or the train station. Complaints aside, I love Europe. So far, I've visited Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Koln, Bonn, Prague, and Paris this weekend. I don't think I could pick a favorite if I had to. Program wise- my favorite activities we have done so far are the Koln Cathedral or the Heart and Diabetes center. The cathedral was breath taking, plain unreal. The rooftop tour was above and beyond my expectations. I liked the health center because of the open heart surgery. Super cool. We actually saw the end of a valve replacement. We were lucky becuase our surgeon spoke good english and was able to walk us through some of the things he was doing. We later heard this was not the case in some of the other ORs. My least favorite, program wise, would have to be the museums. Not only do I basically dispise museums, the one's we have visited have all been boring and the guides have been painfully slow. I'm sure some of the students enjoyed them, but it's just not my thing. The worstt so far was the Benrath palace. Not only was the building empty and gaudy, the guided tour was near painful and we were allowed no time to enjoy the gardens. I think the gardens were probably more significant by a long shot compared to the house and on the first nice day in dusseldorf since our arrival we were stuck in that pink house. Maybe, I was just a little bit excited when I heard about how beautiful the gardens were and a little bit more heartbroken that we didnt have time to spend in them, so it ruined the whole experience for me. More to come now that I have figured out how to post!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
i like harry potter
So I've really enjoyed this week thus far. Its been very eventful. Monday we went to the animal reseatch facility, where we saw all sorts of creatures. I really liked the fistulated cattle. I was amazed at how the rumen was still able to be a working part of the digestive system, even with a gaping hole in it. The holstein with the fistulated rumen were huge! I had no idea that cattle could get that large. Speaking of large, the boars at the facility were also huge. Some of the boars, when standing, came up to my shoulders, and I had no idea that they could be that vicious. Seeing the little piglets feeding was also really neat. It was interesting to view the sperm under a microscope and to learn a little bit more about the development of the embryo. Afterwards, we went to the carnival across the river, and that by far has been the most fun I have had on the trip thus far. It was fun just chilling out and enjoying ourselves. I really liked how Dr. Musser and Steffi got out there on the dance floor with us. That was cool. I have bever been on a cooler ride than the one we were on at the carnival. I almost blacked out it was so cool. The only thing I was disappointed in was the candy apple. The apple was rotten. Boo. The pina colodas, however, yum. I really really liked the heart and diabetes center. It reaffirmed that I want to become a physician. I loved watching the surgery. Some of the MRI was interesting, but I was just too excited about the surgery. I'm excited about the wine tasting today, I want to find out what type of wine I like, since I'm not very experienced in the wine area. I can't wait!
Yesterday we went on an amazing boat tour of the Rhein River. The tour took us down the river, passing beautiful vineyards precariously growing on the sides of the 'mountains' lining the river. Every so often a beautiful castle (many from hundreds of years ago) would pass and everyone would get up and take pictures of it. The best part of the tour, however, was the weather. We had the best weather one could hope for. We sat out on the deck beneath a nice canopy, feeling the cool breeze, and enjoying the breathtaking scenery. After a fabulous meal, homecooked and warm, we took a hike up the mountain to a 700 year old castle. At the end of the tour of the castle, we took a treck down the mountain and went straight to a wine tasting. I loved the sophistication of having participated in a wine tasting. I cannot say that I liked all of the wines that we tasted, but I did enjoy number four, and bought one bottle for some future sampling. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, my small frame left me vunlerable to the effects of the alcohol I consumed in those five glasses of wine. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and had a quite pleasant train ride home. All in all the day was fantastic, and I can't wait to see the baby animals at the zoo today!
Interesting Week/Weekend
So, this weekend I went to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber which was an amazing little city. Unfortunately, going solo doesn't have the perks so I prettymuch ran out of stuff to do after the first full day there. I went to the beerfest on Friday and Saturday, and woke up super early on Sunda and made it back to Dusseldorf by noon. I ended up hanging out with Jacob Davis and Andrew Webster, going to a student worker at AIB's birthday party and passing out (low blood sugar). I then woke up at then hospital and went home.
Next day I had another diabetic problem because my insulin pump wasn't giving insulin, which means I showed up with Dr. Musser a little bit later, but had a wonderfully cool taxi ride. We saw the animal research center which was really interesting, particularly the holes in the sides of the cows. I got the impression that the cattle/dairy industry is not where you want to be if you want to make large amounts of money. unless you're doing it large scale of course.
Tuesday, we went to the North Rhine Westphalia Heart and Diabetes center which was just as interesting if not more because I saw an actual open heart surgery. I'm still not really sure if I want to be a surgeon, a researcher, or if I'd even want to go M.D./Ph.D. I guess I'll figure that out soon. Yesterday, we took a nice cruise on the Rhine, had schnitzel, went to the Marksburg castle, drank wine in a little wine cellar, and bought some wine for my older brother and parents. Now I just need to figure out a legal way to take it back to the states. I think I'll get Joey to pack it since he's 21 and just give them to my 22 year old brother at the airport. Who knows?
Anyway, a little tired and a week that started off kind of bad, but could have been worse. I'm looking forward to Harry Potter this weekend because I went ahead and reserved the British version even though I have the American version coming to my house. A day trip to Bruges, Belgium this weekend (Saturday) and a day of reading HP (Sunday). Good end to a week started off bad.
Next day I had another diabetic problem because my insulin pump wasn't giving insulin, which means I showed up with Dr. Musser a little bit later, but had a wonderfully cool taxi ride. We saw the animal research center which was really interesting, particularly the holes in the sides of the cows. I got the impression that the cattle/dairy industry is not where you want to be if you want to make large amounts of money. unless you're doing it large scale of course.
Tuesday, we went to the North Rhine Westphalia Heart and Diabetes center which was just as interesting if not more because I saw an actual open heart surgery. I'm still not really sure if I want to be a surgeon, a researcher, or if I'd even want to go M.D./Ph.D. I guess I'll figure that out soon. Yesterday, we took a nice cruise on the Rhine, had schnitzel, went to the Marksburg castle, drank wine in a little wine cellar, and bought some wine for my older brother and parents. Now I just need to figure out a legal way to take it back to the states. I think I'll get Joey to pack it since he's 21 and just give them to my 22 year old brother at the airport. Who knows?
Anyway, a little tired and a week that started off kind of bad, but could have been worse. I'm looking forward to Harry Potter this weekend because I went ahead and reserved the British version even though I have the American version coming to my house. A day trip to Bruges, Belgium this weekend (Saturday) and a day of reading HP (Sunday). Good end to a week started off bad.
These first two weeks have been so much fun!!!! Prague has been my favorite so far. It was so fun just to walk aimlessly around. I'm looking forward to Belgium this weekend. We have done so many interesting things this past week. My favorite thing that we have done so far is the cruise we took yesterday. That was one of the most relaxing things I have ever done. I was also very excited aout the open heart surgery. I was amazed to see the actual human heart beating and these doctors performing surgery like it was nothing. They were talking and having a good ol' time while saving someone's life.
I'm only going to Belgium for a day this weekend because I want to spend more time in Dusseldorf. My host family was excited about this and they want to spend part of the day with me. They are the sweetest family I have ever met. Last night I came home late and they were out for a dinner party and they left me a cooked meal on the stove with everything ready to go.
This weekend I am really excited because Harry Potter is coming out!!! Several of us reserved our copies. This will be quite an experience because we will be getting an actual British version of the book instead of the American version. I'm having so much fun getting to know the people on this trip. I feel bad because I don't talk to my family back home very much. We are so busy that it's hard to contact them. When we do have time to call, it's usually not a good time to call back in the states. Oh well, I need a vacation from my family anyways, hehe. Well, good luck to everyone and have a good rest of the week!!!
I'm only going to Belgium for a day this weekend because I want to spend more time in Dusseldorf. My host family was excited about this and they want to spend part of the day with me. They are the sweetest family I have ever met. Last night I came home late and they were out for a dinner party and they left me a cooked meal on the stove with everything ready to go.
This weekend I am really excited because Harry Potter is coming out!!! Several of us reserved our copies. This will be quite an experience because we will be getting an actual British version of the book instead of the American version. I'm having so much fun getting to know the people on this trip. I feel bad because I don't talk to my family back home very much. We are so busy that it's hard to contact them. When we do have time to call, it's usually not a good time to call back in the states. Oh well, I need a vacation from my family anyways, hehe. Well, good luck to everyone and have a good rest of the week!!!
Weekend in Praha
I wish I could've posted this earlier this week, but I haven't figured out how to post on the blog from my Blackberry. So I'm going to have to do some catching up. This past weekend I went to Prague, and I had a great time. I didn't know really what to expect from this city, except that I've heard it's a beauiful city, and it definitely was. After this weekend, Prague is now one of my favorite European cities. When we got off at the train station, which wasn't the main train station of Prague, I was kind of scared because it was a pretty ghetto train station. But once we found our hostel and made it to the city center I knew I was going to love it. The architecture of all the old buildings was beautiful, and it seemed like a very clean city. The only problems were that there were so many tourists, most of whom smelled like b.o. But we probably didn't smell so great either after being on the night train then in such hot weather. The money situation was also very frustrating, because it was difficult figuring out how much stuff was really worth in Euros or dollars for however many crowns. It was hard finding good deals. But we did a lot of souvenir shopping, and it was fun seeing all the crystal and babushka dolls. There were so many different babushka dolls. There were ones that were Disney themed and ones that had all the different sports stars. We also went up to the top of the cathedral and had an amazing view after the 287 steps in a very small winding staircase with two-way traffic. We also did a river cruise on the Vtalva, which I really liked. Riding the night train both ways was definitely an experience. And we all now know what a "couchette" is, and they are amazing. Well, definitely more amazing than trying to sleep in the chairs. I slept almost all the way back, and we made it back to Dusseldorf in plenty of time, ready for another full week.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Yesterday we took a cruise up the Rhine River. It was so relaxing! Just what a lot of us needed after being on the go for almost 2 weeks.
We took a train to Bacarach, which was a town that bought how I pictured Germany before I got here to life. It was so pretty, I loved it! And if I thought that was bautiful, then I can't imagine what I'm going to think once we get to Munich and the Bavarian region. I probably will not want to leave. I might have to be dragged away kicking and screaming.
I found a big bottle of 1.5% milk there, and I fugured it was as close as I was going to get to skim milk so I bought it. I miss skim!!!
Anyway, like I said, the cruise was a great opportunity to just chill, catch some sun, and take in the scenery.
We got off and had lunch at a resturant owned by the sweet old couple that had the winery and were going to have a wine tasting for us later in the day. Lunch, however, was.... not so satisfying? I don't eat beef and I will only eat pork if I am forced to with gun to my head. They brought out a humungous slab of fried pork! So not only was it pork, it was FRIED. We also got a side of pomme frittes. We're they trying to give us all heart attacks? Sorry, I apologize. I am a health freak. Needless to say, though, I ate the pork while holding my nose and pretending it was chicken. I wish we would have been told what we were getting prior to arriving.
We took a hike up to the Marksburg castle, and this morning, my gluteals are sore. on the way up, there were four horses tied u on the side of the path and I went nuts! Haha! I have been having equine withdrawal so the site of them made me quite happy. The tour was interesting, but there was another group of people we did not know, and it was crowded. Mirium was angry about that because we were supposed to get a private tour.
After the hike down, we did the wine tasting. It was fun, but I don't do the whole alcohol thing. Not even in small amounts. It's just not me. I did try some very small sips so I would not seem rude, but my goodness, I don't understand how people drink the stuff! Aquired taste? Perhaps. I was more into the bread. I love bread.
Class is starting now, so this concludes my post.
We took a train to Bacarach, which was a town that bought how I pictured Germany before I got here to life. It was so pretty, I loved it! And if I thought that was bautiful, then I can't imagine what I'm going to think once we get to Munich and the Bavarian region. I probably will not want to leave. I might have to be dragged away kicking and screaming.
I found a big bottle of 1.5% milk there, and I fugured it was as close as I was going to get to skim milk so I bought it. I miss skim!!!
Anyway, like I said, the cruise was a great opportunity to just chill, catch some sun, and take in the scenery.
We got off and had lunch at a resturant owned by the sweet old couple that had the winery and were going to have a wine tasting for us later in the day. Lunch, however, was.... not so satisfying? I don't eat beef and I will only eat pork if I am forced to with gun to my head. They brought out a humungous slab of fried pork! So not only was it pork, it was FRIED. We also got a side of pomme frittes. We're they trying to give us all heart attacks? Sorry, I apologize. I am a health freak. Needless to say, though, I ate the pork while holding my nose and pretending it was chicken. I wish we would have been told what we were getting prior to arriving.
We took a hike up to the Marksburg castle, and this morning, my gluteals are sore. on the way up, there were four horses tied u on the side of the path and I went nuts! Haha! I have been having equine withdrawal so the site of them made me quite happy. The tour was interesting, but there was another group of people we did not know, and it was crowded. Mirium was angry about that because we were supposed to get a private tour.
After the hike down, we did the wine tasting. It was fun, but I don't do the whole alcohol thing. Not even in small amounts. It's just not me. I did try some very small sips so I would not seem rude, but my goodness, I don't understand how people drink the stuff! Aquired taste? Perhaps. I was more into the bread. I love bread.
Class is starting now, so this concludes my post.
Rhine Cruise
Yesterday was probabaly my favorite day of the trip thus far. It was very busy but also alot of fun. It started unfortunately very early at the Duesseldorf Hauptbahnhof. We then departed towards Bacharach, the quaint wine town located directly on the Rhine. When we arrived there after the train rides, we unfortunately only had around 20 minutes to walk around the town. I took this time to view the old ruin located in the town, take a few pictures, and finally pick up a Bratwurst from the local butcher. After Bacharach, we boarded the boat where we would spend the next few hours. It was very relaxing and very rewarding to be able to sit out in the sun in the middle of the Rhine. We rode through the part of the Rhine that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were quite a few castles and needless to say, also the Loreley Rock. I was a little disappointed in the Loreley rock because it wasn't a foreboding jagged rock in the middle of the river with whirlpools surrounding it. It actually appeared quite docile. I guess thats why it must be true that the beautiful siren was on top luring sailors to their demise. The cruise boat offered Koelsch, the regional brew from Cologne, on board so I took a break from their Rival beer Altbier and decided to partake. I must say that I am a fan of Koelsch alhough its hard to say which I like better. Its probably safest that I don't. We ended our Rhine cruise in Braubach where we visited a couple owned restaraunt that was very good. I had the pleasure of a Jaegerschnitzel (I think) and french fries. The couple that owned the restaraunt seemed very very nice and I was happy to be informed that we would be coming back to them later in the day for wine tasting. After lunch we hiked up to the Marksburg Castle. This castle is the only Medieval castle in this area never destroyed. The tour we took was very informative and i can safely say that this is my favorite castle I have been to thus far. One thing I noticed in this castle tour is that there were alot of people from other countries in our English tour. Not Americans or Englanders, but perhaps some Danish, German, or Dutch. This included young children who were following the tour along with us. Its amazing to me how far behind the US is wth languages. One would be hard pressed to find a child 10 years old attending a tour in a foreign language in the States, let alone finding a foreign language tour in the States. After the tour, we returned for wine tasting. We were able to try 5 wines, all whites, and buy any that we liked. I dont know much about wine, but I could tell which ones tasted good. It turns out that I enjoy the drier wines. Bread and water were used in between tastings to clean the palate. I must say that I enjoyed all the wines we tasted (free always helps the taste buds), but the first one we tried was still my favorite. After buying a few bottles of wine for myself and the host family we departed back on the train to Duesseldorf. On the train I shared headphones with a friend and listened to the musical Wicked, which is about the Wicked witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. With our program provided blackberrys (phones with internet access and alot of cool stuff) I was able to look up the text for the musical and follow along, helping in Understanding. Although I couldnt see a stage (both because my eyes were closed and I was on a train) I still very much enjoyed it. I went straight to sleep when I got back...long days will wear you out. Its hard to be a tourist...
Day 13
Yesterday I was reassured of the fact that I should pursue the career of doctor. At the North Rhein Westfalia Heart and Diabetes center I watched an open heart surgery.
Being my first time to watch an operation in person, I was a little nervous. A doctor kemper walked Chris, Kendall, and I into the changing room. Maybe because I played highschool football, where I changed in front of 80 guys daily, I had no shame. He said get undressed and I stripped down into my boxers almost instantly. The other two guys may have had stage fright because they refused to get undressed until they were handed their scrubs. I changed and put on my mask and hair guard. We were escorted into an operating room where latex and the smell of blood filled the room. The three of us were allowed to stand in the anesthesiologist's position and watch the continuing operation.
My heart started to beat faster and I was filled with anxiety as I stepped onto the platform. I was told before going in "Don't look at their face, that will freak you out." But I had to... I gazed at the white haired elderly man lying on the table. Anticipation continued to rise as I stepped onto the platform.
I stood in the middle, I guess because I was the shortest and the others could look over me. My heart was still pounding harder and harder while my head began to poke over the seperating curtain. I peered over and saw a triple bypass surgery being performed. I watched in amazement as the surgeons worked on the heart. One surgeon was holding the heart up and it was fibrulating in his hand. I watched the small vibrations in awe.
We were able to view the preparation, installation, and testing of the second and third bypass. The secondary surgeon spoke very good English and he explained what they were doing step by step. The three surgeons stod around the man,all with hands inside, and the assistant was constantly handing over tools to be used. My anxiety calmed as soon as I had gazed over the curtain. This was no big deal, I was only within reach of grabbing the heart myself. Haha.
Being my first time to watch an operation in person, I was a little nervous. A doctor kemper walked Chris, Kendall, and I into the changing room. Maybe because I played highschool football, where I changed in front of 80 guys daily, I had no shame. He said get undressed and I stripped down into my boxers almost instantly. The other two guys may have had stage fright because they refused to get undressed until they were handed their scrubs. I changed and put on my mask and hair guard. We were escorted into an operating room where latex and the smell of blood filled the room. The three of us were allowed to stand in the anesthesiologist's position and watch the continuing operation.
My heart started to beat faster and I was filled with anxiety as I stepped onto the platform. I was told before going in "Don't look at their face, that will freak you out." But I had to... I gazed at the white haired elderly man lying on the table. Anticipation continued to rise as I stepped onto the platform.
I stood in the middle, I guess because I was the shortest and the others could look over me. My heart was still pounding harder and harder while my head began to poke over the seperating curtain. I peered over and saw a triple bypass surgery being performed. I watched in amazement as the surgeons worked on the heart. One surgeon was holding the heart up and it was fibrulating in his hand. I watched the small vibrations in awe.
We were able to view the preparation, installation, and testing of the second and third bypass. The secondary surgeon spoke very good English and he explained what they were doing step by step. The three surgeons stod around the man,all with hands inside, and the assistant was constantly handing over tools to be used. My anxiety calmed as soon as I had gazed over the curtain. This was no big deal, I was only within reach of grabbing the heart myself. Haha.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
back from prague
So, I am back from prague and this week has been going great so far. The architecture and looks of prague were very cool. Our group visited the large castle on the hill in the city. One of the high points of the visit was climbing the 278 steps to the top of the cathedral. When we reached the top of the B.O. filled staircase, we had a gorgeous view of the Charles bridge and surrounding town. Joey, Sarah, and I had trouble getting back to our hostel, but luckily Kendall's hostel had extra room. On the way back, our group had sleeper cars. They were air-conditioned and I slept the whole 9 hours away.
Yesterday, the group took a visit to an experimental farm outside of Bonn. It reminded me a little of why I was considering vet shool for a while. My favorite part was seeing the fistulated cows. Even though the holes were sealed, it seemed weird that the cows didn't have major problems with infection. I got to look inside, and the cow stomachs were huge! That night we went out to the fair. It was comparable to a US carnival except that it was very large and there were makeshift beer halls playing 80's music. A bunch of our group danced and some Germans joined in. A few of us went on an extreme ride that made my eyes tear. It was tons of fun despite the tearing.
Today we went a heart and diabetes center. I enjoyed the lecture on MRI technology especially because I may try to join Dr. McDouggall's lab this semester. One of the lecturers showed us how the area in each of the sliced pictures of the heart ventricles could be added up to find the volume. This was cool because it connected with the disk method we learn in calculus. The volumes could then be used to spot mismatches.
Til later,
Chris Michael
Yesterday, the group took a visit to an experimental farm outside of Bonn. It reminded me a little of why I was considering vet shool for a while. My favorite part was seeing the fistulated cows. Even though the holes were sealed, it seemed weird that the cows didn't have major problems with infection. I got to look inside, and the cow stomachs were huge! That night we went out to the fair. It was comparable to a US carnival except that it was very large and there were makeshift beer halls playing 80's music. A bunch of our group danced and some Germans joined in. A few of us went on an extreme ride that made my eyes tear. It was tons of fun despite the tearing.
Today we went a heart and diabetes center. I enjoyed the lecture on MRI technology especially because I may try to join Dr. McDouggall's lab this semester. One of the lecturers showed us how the area in each of the sliced pictures of the heart ventricles could be added up to find the volume. This was cool because it connected with the disk method we learn in calculus. The volumes could then be used to spot mismatches.
Til later,
Chris Michael
Monday, July 16, 2007
Life on the go
I can't believe we have been here more than a week already! I hate how time speeds up once you get to the college years. Oh well.
This past weekend I went to Prague with a group of people. We took a night train there and it was really fun hanging out with my fellow study abroad mates and getting to know them better. Trying to get to sleep, however, was not so fun. We could not get comfortable! And then the sun rose at like 4:30 in the morning. That is really annoying how it is light all the time since we are at a higher latitude. The passport guys yanked us out of our semi-sleep by throwing open the door. It was funny though because Kaylee was on the floor and the guy was just staring down at her and said "good morning!" In an accent.
We had trouble getting coins when we finally arrived. I hate the currency there! They give you such large bills and it is just so frustrating to deal with.
The city was gorgeous! We went to a cathedral and climbed up 287 steps through a slough of BO and CO2 to the top of one of the towers and got a great view of everything.
We did sooo much walking. My feet and legs were killing me. And on top of it, I caught whatever my host mom had, so the next day I had barely any voice.
I found a lot of the people there to be a bit mean/rude. There was a point where we were running to catch a tram back to our hotel and we got to it just as the doors were closing. We were waving to the driver to please open them back up for a second, but she just drove off. Seriously, would it have killed her to wait for just one more second? We were at the door! And then we had a very unpleasant waiter at lunch. He warned us not to drink out of our own water bottles since we had not purchased drinks there.
That's one of the few things I hate about europe- the drink situation! And the bathroom situation. I drink a lot of fluids, therefore I need to use facilities more often, and here it's very difficult for me to drink or use the toilet because it adds up! I still love Europe, though.
Having a sleeping car on the train back was the best thing ever. I slept the whole way pretty much.
Yesterday we went to an experimental farm in Bonn and I just had a blast! I got to stick my hand in the rumen of a fistulated steer and see some embryos at different points of the cleavage and blastula phases, and then some that had hatched out of the zona pellucida to start placentation. We also talked about cloning and a little bit of AI and IVF. I love love love animal repro stuff. It's the coolest thing in the world to me. Our guide mentioned how nice it would be to have a native english speaker there to learn and help write papers and such. I'd do it! I really would!
We went as a group to the Kirmes carnival last night. So fun! We danced a lot, and so did Dr. Musser. And some random German ladies even joied.
This trip has been wonderful so far. After the death of my roomate, not to mention good friend, during summer 1 last month, I desperately needed a getaway to help get my mind off things and try and move on. Yes, I still miss her terribly and it still hurts, but I think this trip came just in time to bring my life back to normal again. We talked about this trip before she passed away and she joked about how jealous she was and said how she wanted me to have a good tinme for her. And that's just what I am doing. I am having the time of my life.
This past weekend I went to Prague with a group of people. We took a night train there and it was really fun hanging out with my fellow study abroad mates and getting to know them better. Trying to get to sleep, however, was not so fun. We could not get comfortable! And then the sun rose at like 4:30 in the morning. That is really annoying how it is light all the time since we are at a higher latitude. The passport guys yanked us out of our semi-sleep by throwing open the door. It was funny though because Kaylee was on the floor and the guy was just staring down at her and said "good morning!" In an accent.
We had trouble getting coins when we finally arrived. I hate the currency there! They give you such large bills and it is just so frustrating to deal with.
The city was gorgeous! We went to a cathedral and climbed up 287 steps through a slough of BO and CO2 to the top of one of the towers and got a great view of everything.
We did sooo much walking. My feet and legs were killing me. And on top of it, I caught whatever my host mom had, so the next day I had barely any voice.
I found a lot of the people there to be a bit mean/rude. There was a point where we were running to catch a tram back to our hotel and we got to it just as the doors were closing. We were waving to the driver to please open them back up for a second, but she just drove off. Seriously, would it have killed her to wait for just one more second? We were at the door! And then we had a very unpleasant waiter at lunch. He warned us not to drink out of our own water bottles since we had not purchased drinks there.
That's one of the few things I hate about europe- the drink situation! And the bathroom situation. I drink a lot of fluids, therefore I need to use facilities more often, and here it's very difficult for me to drink or use the toilet because it adds up! I still love Europe, though.
Having a sleeping car on the train back was the best thing ever. I slept the whole way pretty much.
Yesterday we went to an experimental farm in Bonn and I just had a blast! I got to stick my hand in the rumen of a fistulated steer and see some embryos at different points of the cleavage and blastula phases, and then some that had hatched out of the zona pellucida to start placentation. We also talked about cloning and a little bit of AI and IVF. I love love love animal repro stuff. It's the coolest thing in the world to me. Our guide mentioned how nice it would be to have a native english speaker there to learn and help write papers and such. I'd do it! I really would!
We went as a group to the Kirmes carnival last night. So fun! We danced a lot, and so did Dr. Musser. And some random German ladies even joied.
This trip has been wonderful so far. After the death of my roomate, not to mention good friend, during summer 1 last month, I desperately needed a getaway to help get my mind off things and try and move on. Yes, I still miss her terribly and it still hurts, but I think this trip came just in time to bring my life back to normal again. We talked about this trip before she passed away and she joked about how jealous she was and said how she wanted me to have a good tinme for her. And that's just what I am doing. I am having the time of my life.
Carnival Night
The carnival last night was great. I expected a typical American carnival with few rides and a lot of junk food. I wasn't excited about going, but Leigh convinced me to go and I did so grudgingly. The crowds in the Altstadt were huge for a Monday. I thought it was odd that a carnival would lure so many out so early in the week.
It turns out that the carnival was really fun. I liked how it turned out to be a huge party with lights and music. A bunch of us danced for a while, and some German ladies joined! Everyone had a great time. The Rhine was beautiful as we crossed the bridge to return home.
On a side note, I am very tired. I'm sorry if I made any errors in this blog, but I think I made some sense!
It turns out that the carnival was really fun. I liked how it turned out to be a huge party with lights and music. A bunch of us danced for a while, and some German ladies joined! Everyone had a great time. The Rhine was beautiful as we crossed the bridge to return home.
On a side note, I am very tired. I'm sorry if I made any errors in this blog, but I think I made some sense!
I'm extremely bored right now...
And it has nothing to do with the program. I've always had on on problem with oversleeping (evident by the +10 8 a.m. BIOL 112 classes and the two 8 am 112 labs that i missed or slept thru last semester) but what happened today was ridiculous. It's safe to say its the first time I've slept thru 2 alarms AND 2 calls. So now I'm any hour later than everybody else and I'll be alone on this train for a good two hours. I guess that gives me time to blog about yesterday...
We went to a research farm out near Bonn where they were doing various studies on different livestock, mainly in reproductive technology. I found everything they did to be extremely interesting, ranging from cloning to reproductive ability to even BSE and scrapies. I found it kind of unusual the German dairyman's conception rate was so low, around 30 percent. I know a main cause is heat, something they don't really have. Its possible that selecting for ever higher milking rates has caused on on larger problem than I had once thought. I could go on and on, but the chance to see their technology as well as hear about European agriculture was great. There are definitely a number of differences...
This blackberry is starting to make my thumb hurt, so this'll be all for now... Hopefully I can eventually make it to where I'm supposed to be.
We went to a research farm out near Bonn where they were doing various studies on different livestock, mainly in reproductive technology. I found everything they did to be extremely interesting, ranging from cloning to reproductive ability to even BSE and scrapies. I found it kind of unusual the German dairyman's conception rate was so low, around 30 percent. I know a main cause is heat, something they don't really have. Its possible that selecting for ever higher milking rates has caused on on larger problem than I had once thought. I could go on and on, but the chance to see their technology as well as hear about European agriculture was great. There are definitely a number of differences...
This blackberry is starting to make my thumb hurt, so this'll be all for now... Hopefully I can eventually make it to where I'm supposed to be.
moving to Prague...
After this weekend I want to move to Prague. It is my favorite city out of anywhere I have been. The buildings were beautiful, people were friendly and a lot of people spoke English. We took a site seeing carriage ride, went to see the astronomical clock, went to the Charles bridge and looked at the castle but did not go in. We also walked around and went into little shops that had crystal and painted glass. If I ever get a chance to live overseas in my life, I think I would pick Prague...at least right now. The only place that was scary was the train station. On Saturday we went on a pub crawl. There were a lot of college students from th States on it. I am excited about this week too. I am looking forward to the heart.
and diabetes center, the Rhine cruise and the wine tasting. I am really enjoying the program and getting to know everyone.
and diabetes center, the Rhine cruise and the wine tasting. I am really enjoying the program and getting to know everyone.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Went to prague this weekend. It was amazing. I think we all agree we want to move there. I love dining in outside cafes on the sidewalk. Its my favorite thing to do. We also got to shop in these little markets and it felt like mexico to me. I loved taking in the culture too. We also did a pub crawl that we won't forget. I took an ambien and got a good nights rest so I am ready to roll monday.
Hamburg
today we got back from hamburg at around 3pm. it was nice getting back to dusseldorf early because it gave me time to rest. this weekend was awesome, it was a lot better than i thought it would be. when i heard that we were heading to hamburg, i didnt know what to expect because i had never heard of the city. but now that ive been there, i do recommend it to everyone. i forgot who said it while we were there, but it does sorta have that austin feel to it. it seemed like such a laid back town. when we were first got there we headed to the hostel we stayed at. it was a nice hostel, it roomed about 8 people. so all five of us stayed in a room, plus 3 other guys we met there. the claimed that they had the same name, but we didnt buy it. for some reason it seemed a little strange. anyway, we started walking through the city, and the first place we stopped at was a mall. personally, i hate malls, but i went in there anyways, and just tagged along with the group. they looked like they were having fun, and i never want to be the party pooper, so i just followed along and enjoyed it also. one thing i did notice about europe is that they are really into fashion. the clothes at the mall were really expensive. i saw some sandals that were worth 50 euros..no way, ill stick to my old navy flip flops, 2 for 5 bucks.
the biker rally was going on in hamburg this weekend, and that was pretty cool. got to see a lot of cool bikes. we spent the rest of the day sight seeing on a tour bus. like i said, its a really nice city.
there are three events that i will always remember, and that will make great stories to tell in the future. im not going to write about them right now, because that would make this blog way too long. but one story involves the subway, the other involves walking into the wrong casino, and the last one is about almost missing our night cruise.
overall it was an awesome weekend, i hope all the weekends are like this one, or better, the rest of the summer.
the biker rally was going on in hamburg this weekend, and that was pretty cool. got to see a lot of cool bikes. we spent the rest of the day sight seeing on a tour bus. like i said, its a really nice city.
there are three events that i will always remember, and that will make great stories to tell in the future. im not going to write about them right now, because that would make this blog way too long. but one story involves the subway, the other involves walking into the wrong casino, and the last one is about almost missing our night cruise.
overall it was an awesome weekend, i hope all the weekends are like this one, or better, the rest of the summer.
back to dusseldorf
Iam riding the train from Prague back to Dusseldorf with most of the class. Prague was absolutely amazing and my favorite place I have visited. I loved the clock in the center of old town that went off every hour. I also enjoyed crossing the St Charles bridge and the view from it. The weather was beautiful and sunny but was a little too warm. About 10 of us did a "pub crawl"last night that was about 50 kids and it took us around to the different bars and had live music. This was very fun and was a good time to relax and get to know others. It was convenient that almost every person in Prague also spoke english, Hanna and I are going to Paris the next weekend and it may not be as easy. I really like my host family and am looking forward to getting back and seeing them. They emailed Hanna and I while we were in Prague this weekend to tell us they hoped we were having fun and to have a safe trip. I, as well as my family, really enjoy the convenience of the blackberry because it has made staying in touch with them so much easier. It helps them not worry as much when I am traveling on the weekends. It is finally getting dark and is about my bedtime. I need some good sleep to start the busy week tomorrow! Goodnight!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
3 hamburg
We are waiting to take a night river cruise around hamburg and I am posting this from my blackberry. It has been really beautiful today and although hamburg may not offer as much as paris, I am really glad we came.I feel like I can have a more authentic experience with less popular cities. Most of the other tourists here are german( or harley davidson biker) so I don't feel like we are intruding or like I need to avoid expensive tourist traps around every corner. There is too much to type on this crackberry and the night is too beautiful to waste, so I will post more on monday. :)
in prague...
We're currently in prague, sitting at a little restaurant and drinking some of the best pivo of my life... What could possibly be any better? As one of the oldest cities largely left untouched by WWII, the architecture is still ancient and amazing. For all the progress our modern society has made, the buildings and structures built around the 1400's are both awesome and built to last.
On thursday we went to cologne and toured both the city and the cathedral. As a city built in 50 A.D. its difficult to fathom that its almost 2000 years old... The fact that the old town is built on eight meters of roman, gothic and baroque ruins makes the city even cooler. To hear the stories associated with the city and cathedral makes Texas history pale in comparison.
On thursday we went to cologne and toured both the city and the cathedral. As a city built in 50 A.D. its difficult to fathom that its almost 2000 years old... The fact that the old town is built on eight meters of roman, gothic and baroque ruins makes the city even cooler. To hear the stories associated with the city and cathedral makes Texas history pale in comparison.
Week one has come and gone and the trip has been fabulous! Yesterday we went to the Neanderthal Museum and saw an amazing chronology of the Neanderthal Man. I was surprised to find that there is no Neanderthal/Homo Sapien connection. Not only is there no evidence of neanderthals being in the human ancestory, but homo sapiens coexisted with the Neanderthals! I was also surprised to find that the Neanderthals did brain surgury. They did not do it necessarily because they knew they were relieving inner-cranial pressipure, but perhaps they believed evil spirits were being released. I was even more surprised that some of the patients survived this surgury! Amazing!
My favorite part of the museum, however, was the display case full of artificial body parts and prosthetics. It was a rather modern display, possibly five to fifteen years old, but it played my biomedical engineering heart strings. There was a stent, replavement hip joints, knees, shins, shoulders, elbows, a prosthetic leg, an artificial heart, bladder, a hearing aid, glasses, and more! It was fantastic.
Today we are traveling to Hamburg. We are actually 10 minutes away. It will be a blast! I can't wait to get there!
My favorite part of the museum, however, was the display case full of artificial body parts and prosthetics. It was a rather modern display, possibly five to fifteen years old, but it played my biomedical engineering heart strings. There was a stent, replavement hip joints, knees, shins, shoulders, elbows, a prosthetic leg, an artificial heart, bladder, a hearing aid, glasses, and more! It was fantastic.
Today we are traveling to Hamburg. We are actually 10 minutes away. It will be a blast! I can't wait to get there!
Friday, July 13, 2007
week 1
So far germany has been really fun. The flight over here went well. I didnt have to sit next to anyone so it was comfortable flight. I met a german couple who helped me find my way to pick up my luggage. But after that i was left alone and was basically screwed. I first tried to find an atm but didnt know how to ask people so i just walked around until i found one. The cab ride over to the aib was easier than i thought it would be. It was the first time i had riden in a cab. I got to the aib really early so i had to wait around for a while until my family showed up.
Im cutting this entry short. Right now we are on the train to hamburgh. Im trying to type this on the blackberry and this keyboard is way too small.
-chris
Im cutting this entry short. Right now we are on the train to hamburgh. Im trying to type this on the blackberry and this keyboard is way too small.
-chris
Prague!
I am currently riding on the train about 3 hours into the trip to Prague. It has been quite an experience so far. Our wagen has about 10 people from amsterdam that I believe all tried to drink each other under the table before they got on, and have hence proceeded to do so! I am very excited about Praue though, but all I know is what I have heard from others. I am looking forward to seeing this clock that everyone speaks of! My favorite part of the trip so far has been the Cathedral in Koln. It was absolutely beautiful.every day I am with my host family I come to love their company and conversation more and more, and find it may be very hard to leave in the next 4 weeks which I'm sure will fly by. I'm not going to lie, it has been very hard being so far away from friends, boyfriend, and parents but I have already had so many amazing experiences and know the trip is filled with many more.
amsterdam
Ooops... I am trying to post from my blackberry for the first time. I think it posted without any text the first time. I am on the train to prague getting ready to go to sleep. I just wanted to post about my experiences last weekend and this week. Last weekend we went to amsterdam. We did not leave until saturday around lunch so we did not have a lot of time there since we left early sunday evening, but I enjoyed my stay there. It is a very unique and interesting city. We went to the red light district. It is very different from what we are used to. Kim and I also went to the van gogh museum and did the heineken experience. The heineken experience is probably my favorite thing so far. Kim and I made a video there that we sent to our family and friends. They seemed to enjoy it a lot. We also got tokens for 3 free beers and a free bottle opener so it makes the money you spend on the tour seem worth it. I think my favorite parts of this past week was the tour of the upper part of the dom in koln and my cultural studies class. It is interesting to see the differences between american and german culture. Todays school system conversation was very interesting. Kim and I continued this cinversation on the train with a guy that is sitting next to us on the train to prague. He does not understand that we do not get a masters before we go on to professional school. He also thinks it is funny that we spend 4 years on just a bachelors degree. It was interesting to see it from his point of view since he our age and going through the same experience. Now I think I'm off to bed. We have about 8 hours before we are in prague so I better get some sleep.
A Look At Human Ancestry
On Friday the 13th, we visited the Neanderthal Museum in Düsseldorf. To begin with, the museum primarily focused on the variations of human ancestry and the weapons used to survive. The weapon that most profoundly grabbed my attention, was a simple wooden stick engineered to increase the distance of thrown spears. The stick was a wooden shaft with a notched end used to hold the spear in place. Upon throwing the spear, the thrower had increased leverage, and thus provided greater rotational force (or torque) on the spear. A spear launched using the “launching rod” can increase the distance from 10 meters up to nearly 200 meters.
The hunting device is a symbol of neanderthal intelligence that most people commonly underestimate.
At AIB By Myself
Since I unfortunately did not plan for the fact that transportation would not be readily available back and forth between the Neanderthal Museum, I am still here at AIB doing nothing while you guys are out on a walking tour. I figured since I just got caught up on my e-mail/facebook/fish camp stuff right before you all left I'd make the best use of my time by giving a chronicle of what I have done this past week and then catch up everyone on my weekend on Monday.
This week has been pretty cool considering all the interesting places we've gone and the random things that seem to happen. Joey apparently has a stalker homeless man who appears everywhere he is at, but stopped asking Joey for money after the second day here. Monday as everyone knows, we did a walking tour of Dusseldorf and Tuesday we basically had a second tour by having the scavenger hunt. I must say though, next years group should have a limit on the numbers of bags, otherwise, if I came back next year I would just sit on the street getting bags the whole time, which kind of defeats the purpose of the scavenger hunt (finding out all the information about Dusseldorf). Oh well.
Wednesday we went to Bonn and saw the "pleasure palace" which sounds kind of bad. They should have left the palace the white primer color that it had in the painting, the "peach blossom" although its a good color, does not fit the definition of a "castle" in most peoples' minds and is kind of obnoxious. Other than that, it was interesting although I wish I could have wandered into the roped off areas and could have seen the mystery bathrooms they kept talking about (around roped off corners).
Thursday was interesting, a walking tour of Cologne (Koln), lunch whereever we could find it (a nice sandwich and another waffle) and then a tour of the Cathedral. The Cathedral tour was topped off with a shaky elevator ride to the roof of the Cathedral, a walk inside its attic and a walk up to the spire. The guide provided a lot of really cool facts about the whole area, but my feet were killing me just as for some other people.
And here we are at Friday, where I am sitting here at 1:37 PM and waiting to go to Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof so I can get on my train at 4:26 and begin my journey to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber. I'm excited about this weekend, and I can guarantee I am going to take tons of pictures so I'll get back to you all then.
This week has been pretty cool considering all the interesting places we've gone and the random things that seem to happen. Joey apparently has a stalker homeless man who appears everywhere he is at, but stopped asking Joey for money after the second day here. Monday as everyone knows, we did a walking tour of Dusseldorf and Tuesday we basically had a second tour by having the scavenger hunt. I must say though, next years group should have a limit on the numbers of bags, otherwise, if I came back next year I would just sit on the street getting bags the whole time, which kind of defeats the purpose of the scavenger hunt (finding out all the information about Dusseldorf). Oh well.
Wednesday we went to Bonn and saw the "pleasure palace" which sounds kind of bad. They should have left the palace the white primer color that it had in the painting, the "peach blossom" although its a good color, does not fit the definition of a "castle" in most peoples' minds and is kind of obnoxious. Other than that, it was interesting although I wish I could have wandered into the roped off areas and could have seen the mystery bathrooms they kept talking about (around roped off corners).
Thursday was interesting, a walking tour of Cologne (Koln), lunch whereever we could find it (a nice sandwich and another waffle) and then a tour of the Cathedral. The Cathedral tour was topped off with a shaky elevator ride to the roof of the Cathedral, a walk inside its attic and a walk up to the spire. The guide provided a lot of really cool facts about the whole area, but my feet were killing me just as for some other people.
And here we are at Friday, where I am sitting here at 1:37 PM and waiting to go to Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof so I can get on my train at 4:26 and begin my journey to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber. I'm excited about this weekend, and I can guarantee I am going to take tons of pictures so I'll get back to you all then.
The Beginning
Where to begin. The start of this trip has exceeded my expectations. The staff at the AIB are as nice as possible, speak perfect English, and always willing to help with even the little things. The trip seems like it just started, yet looking back over th past few days we have already done so much. The first day we were here, we took a tour of the surrounding area around the AIB (unfortunately no Doener stands) and then later in the day we took a tour of the city. I had no idea that Duesseldorf had so much. I had assumed that it was just a big city with alot of people, I had never given much thought as to why there were so many people. We ended our first day with a visit to the Rheinturm (Rhine Tower). The view from the top was very pretty and it was interesting to see the course the Rhine takes through the city. Its not just straight line, It weaves and cuts through the city. After the first tour on the first day, I knew that this program was going to be alot of fun.
On Tuesday, we had our first lecture. It was about what I had expected because I had already taken a few classes from the lecturer, Dr. Wasser. It gave a brief history of importat medical figures and contributors. We then had our first German class. BEcause I had been studying German for 6 weeks previous to this program , I was approached afterwards by some of the workers and we set up an additional study plan for myself. Im glad I get a chance to continue studies of the language while I'm in the country. Practice makes perfect. After this first german class we went on a scavenger hunt through the city. It was quite a long scavenger hunt, but it helped us to learn the city, as well as a little bit about the city. We then went to Schloss Benrath (busy days...) This particular Palace was very impressive to me. Everything was symmetrical and very ornately decorated. Its a shame it was never inhabited permanently (I guess forced marriages make for interesting relationships). My favorite part of the palace was the dance hall. The musicians would sit above the hall in a round area in the ceiling. The music would fall down to the dnacers. I had never seen or heard or of anything like this before, and I found it a great idea. To hear live music with the impression that it was eminating from the ceiling would be quite an experience. After this day we partook in a welcome party for everyone, including host families. It was nice to see most everyone turnout and socialize. I think that everyone is very happy with their host families, which is vital to a good experience abroad. The desire to go out that night was quickly extinguished due to physical exhaustion creeping in around 10:00. Its amazing how physically tired you can get from one full day.
All in all, this program is going better than I could have hoped. I know that I will continue to be impressed and continue to build up a desire to not go home come August. Only time can tell where I will end up ultimately, but I can definitely see myself in Germany.
On Tuesday, we had our first lecture. It was about what I had expected because I had already taken a few classes from the lecturer, Dr. Wasser. It gave a brief history of importat medical figures and contributors. We then had our first German class. BEcause I had been studying German for 6 weeks previous to this program , I was approached afterwards by some of the workers and we set up an additional study plan for myself. Im glad I get a chance to continue studies of the language while I'm in the country. Practice makes perfect. After this first german class we went on a scavenger hunt through the city. It was quite a long scavenger hunt, but it helped us to learn the city, as well as a little bit about the city. We then went to Schloss Benrath (busy days...) This particular Palace was very impressive to me. Everything was symmetrical and very ornately decorated. Its a shame it was never inhabited permanently (I guess forced marriages make for interesting relationships). My favorite part of the palace was the dance hall. The musicians would sit above the hall in a round area in the ceiling. The music would fall down to the dnacers. I had never seen or heard or of anything like this before, and I found it a great idea. To hear live music with the impression that it was eminating from the ceiling would be quite an experience. After this day we partook in a welcome party for everyone, including host families. It was nice to see most everyone turnout and socialize. I think that everyone is very happy with their host families, which is vital to a good experience abroad. The desire to go out that night was quickly extinguished due to physical exhaustion creeping in around 10:00. Its amazing how physically tired you can get from one full day.
All in all, this program is going better than I could have hoped. I know that I will continue to be impressed and continue to build up a desire to not go home come August. Only time can tell where I will end up ultimately, but I can definitely see myself in Germany.
Germany is great!!!
Germany is amazing, but I'm also looking forward to the weekends. I've never been in Europe so my plan is to get out of Germany as often as possible. I'm scared that no one in Prague will speak English, but it will be a fun experience. I'm a little stressed about the night train, but I'm sure it will all work out. I'm having an awkward time with the video journal...I feel so weird talking to myself and my video is really bad so far.
I've been learning a lot here so far. The tours are insteresting. I really enjoyed Cologne because of that amazing cathedral and it was amazing how they have Roman remains all over the city underground. I love the crepes here! I could eat those every minute of the day. I finally got my blackberry so I feel a little more secure having that now.
My family has a 10 year old son and I get to meet him later today. He has been on "holiday", hehe. It might be weird because he's the only member in the family that doesn't speak English. Well, I hope this weekend goes well! Good luck to everyone this weekend and have fun!!!
I've been learning a lot here so far. The tours are insteresting. I really enjoyed Cologne because of that amazing cathedral and it was amazing how they have Roman remains all over the city underground. I love the crepes here! I could eat those every minute of the day. I finally got my blackberry so I feel a little more secure having that now.
My family has a 10 year old son and I get to meet him later today. He has been on "holiday", hehe. It might be weird because he's the only member in the family that doesn't speak English. Well, I hope this weekend goes well! Good luck to everyone this weekend and have fun!!!
Another thing..
I failed to mention how happy I am with the entire group. Everyone is so easy to get along with and I am enjoying getting to know them. A bunch of us went to Brussels last weekend which was really fun. I sort of feared that we would maybe separate ourselves or form little cliques or something, but we all stayed together, talked with one another, and just got along. That was such a relief! And meeting the rest of the group on Monday made me even happier. Everyone is so friendly. Probably because they are all from Texas haha! With the exception of Leigh and Meredith... and me, of course. So, kudos to everyone for being so cool!
So Far In Europe...
So a lot has happened since I've been here in Europe and I'll just break it down in the order it happened...
I arrived in Amsterdam last Thursday, greeted by police with thick bulletproof vests and machines guns. A little unnecessary, but I guess they will do what they want. I spent a day and a half in Amsterdam, going to the Rijks museum which was so-so, the Heineken experience which was pretty cool. I met some Australians that I went on a pub crawl with which was pretty lame since I wasn't aiming to get drunk and they definitely did, even though they weren't trying. I lead them back to the hostel in the rain and got on the train the next morning to Dusseldorf.
Friday, I met my host family and spent the night. They are pretty awesome and extremely on time. They said breakfast at 8:15 which ended up me finishing breakfast by that time... and they feed us tons and send us off with food everyday which is pretty awesome too. Saturday, Kaylee, Joey, Chris Michael, Braden and I all set out to Amsterdam again, but Braden ditched us on the way (BOO!! =P). We saw wandered for a long time trying to find Kaylee and Chris a place to stay, but ended up meeting some people from the US to split the cost with them and everything worked out. We then got waffles at the Museumplein, which Yyou MUST get, the best I've had yet (waiting for the real Belgian waffles on the 20-22). Direction: go to the Rijks museum, walk out into the Museumplein where the tents are and the first one on the right is the place.
Later, we went to the Damrak sex museum (there are two by the way) which was funny and interesting, and at times a little graphic. I won't go into details. Kaylee got freaked out by guys peeing in urinals out in the open in the street which I must admit was weird. The prostitutes in the red light district will bang on the window to get your attention if you make eye contact... so don't and they make jerky movements while trying to be attractive which is kind of awkward looking. Other than that since we weren't looking to get drunk or stoned like most everyone else in Amsterdam, we walked around after running out of stuff to do and took pictures of buildings that looked cool... but we had no idea what they were.
Since the weekends tend to be the most packed with stuff to talk about, I'll catch up on this week later and let you know about the weekend at the same time all on Monday.
I arrived in Amsterdam last Thursday, greeted by police with thick bulletproof vests and machines guns. A little unnecessary, but I guess they will do what they want. I spent a day and a half in Amsterdam, going to the Rijks museum which was so-so, the Heineken experience which was pretty cool. I met some Australians that I went on a pub crawl with which was pretty lame since I wasn't aiming to get drunk and they definitely did, even though they weren't trying. I lead them back to the hostel in the rain and got on the train the next morning to Dusseldorf.
Friday, I met my host family and spent the night. They are pretty awesome and extremely on time. They said breakfast at 8:15 which ended up me finishing breakfast by that time... and they feed us tons and send us off with food everyday which is pretty awesome too. Saturday, Kaylee, Joey, Chris Michael, Braden and I all set out to Amsterdam again, but Braden ditched us on the way (BOO!! =P). We saw wandered for a long time trying to find Kaylee and Chris a place to stay, but ended up meeting some people from the US to split the cost with them and everything worked out. We then got waffles at the Museumplein, which Yyou MUST get, the best I've had yet (waiting for the real Belgian waffles on the 20-22). Direction: go to the Rijks museum, walk out into the Museumplein where the tents are and the first one on the right is the place.
Later, we went to the Damrak sex museum (there are two by the way) which was funny and interesting, and at times a little graphic. I won't go into details. Kaylee got freaked out by guys peeing in urinals out in the open in the street which I must admit was weird. The prostitutes in the red light district will bang on the window to get your attention if you make eye contact... so don't and they make jerky movements while trying to be attractive which is kind of awkward looking. Other than that since we weren't looking to get drunk or stoned like most everyone else in Amsterdam, we walked around after running out of stuff to do and took pictures of buildings that looked cool... but we had no idea what they were.
Since the weekends tend to be the most packed with stuff to talk about, I'll catch up on this week later and let you know about the weekend at the same time all on Monday.
I'm marrying Hermione
So, I was right. I love the trains. I love being able to roam about, and being able to do whatev.
We went to Cologne yesterday, and it was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed touring the cathedral. I took art history in high school and I spent a lot of time studying various cathedral styles. I was always curious to see the choirs where special Christian artifacts were held for Catholic pilgrims to view. I always wondered why people would travel so far to see someone's supposed remains. It was really neat, and I could see why a devout Catholic would appreciate it. Right after our cathedral tour, we ran ran ran to the station so we could go see Harry Potter!! On the train ride back, we had a Fiver ticket, where we had one ticket for a group of 5. Well, we were all worrying about Harry Potter and we got on the first class car. On top of that, the one holding our ticket lost our ticket! So just as we were pulling up to the Dusseldorf station, we got kicked out of the car! We got extremely lucky. But it was an adventure.
I'm really enjoying the trip, I think I'm starting to settle into a groove of walking and thinking and learning all day, and crashing at night for a few hours, waking up, and starting all over again. I like it. Learning about all this cool history and medicine things totally makes up for having foot blisters!
We went to Cologne yesterday, and it was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed touring the cathedral. I took art history in high school and I spent a lot of time studying various cathedral styles. I was always curious to see the choirs where special Christian artifacts were held for Catholic pilgrims to view. I always wondered why people would travel so far to see someone's supposed remains. It was really neat, and I could see why a devout Catholic would appreciate it. Right after our cathedral tour, we ran ran ran to the station so we could go see Harry Potter!! On the train ride back, we had a Fiver ticket, where we had one ticket for a group of 5. Well, we were all worrying about Harry Potter and we got on the first class car. On top of that, the one holding our ticket lost our ticket! So just as we were pulling up to the Dusseldorf station, we got kicked out of the car! We got extremely lucky. But it was an adventure.
I'm really enjoying the trip, I think I'm starting to settle into a groove of walking and thinking and learning all day, and crashing at night for a few hours, waking up, and starting all over again. I like it. Learning about all this cool history and medicine things totally makes up for having foot blisters!
2 First Impressions
It's Friday of the first week and I'm just now having time to right my first blog. We've hardly had time to breathe in the past two days. We"ve been to museums and tours in Bonn and Koln - both of which were amazing - far too much to try to write in a blog. I know it will be hard to believe that I was standing on the scaffolding of the Dom when I am back to everyday life in College Station. We are getting so spoiled with private tours in English that I don't know how I can bare to travel without them after the program. Our host family is amazing and also spoils us with lots of wonderful food including pancakes, which are
more like crepes, with apples and ham and cheese. The food they eat here seems to be much healthier and fresher than what we're used to, although fast food is sadly starting to become more and more popular. It has been a little disappointing to see American influence here - die hard 4, celine dion, tommy hillfigger, mcdonalds everywhere - but then I guess Americans also have somewhat of an obsession with anything that claims to be European. Well tomorrow we are going to Hamburg for the weekend. It will be interesting to see how different northern Germany is from this area...
more like crepes, with apples and ham and cheese. The food they eat here seems to be much healthier and fresher than what we're used to, although fast food is sadly starting to become more and more popular. It has been a little disappointing to see American influence here - die hard 4, celine dion, tommy hillfigger, mcdonalds everywhere - but then I guess Americans also have somewhat of an obsession with anything that claims to be European. Well tomorrow we are going to Hamburg for the weekend. It will be interesting to see how different northern Germany is from this area...
Weekend 2
I am really looking forward to Hamburg. I heard that the fishmarket holds hoards of red-light distric party goers until the wee morning hours! That is the kind of thing you can't see in the states! I love how we can spend 20 Euros on a room in a major city, too. I spent last weekend in Brussels, and that too was an interesting experience. We were totally lost with only a map to guide us. We didn't even know where to visit in particular! I think that kind of ignorance is exciting, but perhaps I will plan some more for the Hamburg trip.
Yesterday's trip to the Cologne Dom was remarkable! I have seen tall buildings, but cathedrals reserve a special presence. The droves of tourists stared upwards at the rising towers that seemed to go on forever! The design of the cathedral led the eye upward toward the sky, a proper design for a church, I suppose. That has been my favorite landmark so far. I was especially surprised when we were led to gallery through these creeping little tunnels. The view was beautiful. The room smelled like incense and the choir began as we left. How perfect! I wanted to stay longer, but I knew the magic of the place would run out eventually. It's best to leave on a high note. That is my mantra for this trip!
Yesterday's trip to the Cologne Dom was remarkable! I have seen tall buildings, but cathedrals reserve a special presence. The droves of tourists stared upwards at the rising towers that seemed to go on forever! The design of the cathedral led the eye upward toward the sky, a proper design for a church, I suppose. That has been my favorite landmark so far. I was especially surprised when we were led to gallery through these creeping little tunnels. The view was beautiful. The room smelled like incense and the choir began as we left. How perfect! I wanted to stay longer, but I knew the magic of the place would run out eventually. It's best to leave on a high note. That is my mantra for this trip!
So far so good!
Germany has been absolutely amazing so far! In fact, I just love the whole European culture and way of doing things... well, ok, maybe not the whole paying for the toilet deal, but that's really no big deal I guess.
I think the the energy conservation mindset of the people here is exactly what we need in the states. We went to the German History Museum in Bonn on Wednesday, which was very cool, and there was one point in the tour when our guide talked about the Germans realizing that they were dependent on oil especially foriegn oil, and that they needed to lessen their dependency. I don't remember the exact decade in which this happened but it was quite a while ago and they began making changes. That is something I think our country needs to start doing more of and should have started taking action a LONG time ago. We do already utilize some forms of alternative energy, but we really truly need to make a bigger effort.
Yesterday we went an art museum in Cologne to see the evolution of animals in art. I LOVED THIS! I love art in general because I am an artist, but I especially adore animal art, so this was really exciting for me. I got to sketch and everything!
The Cologne Cathedral was amazing as well. Everything is so intricately detailed, and just beautiful. It just blows my mind to think of how old that place actually is though.
That's all for now. More adventures to come!
I think the the energy conservation mindset of the people here is exactly what we need in the states. We went to the German History Museum in Bonn on Wednesday, which was very cool, and there was one point in the tour when our guide talked about the Germans realizing that they were dependent on oil especially foriegn oil, and that they needed to lessen their dependency. I don't remember the exact decade in which this happened but it was quite a while ago and they began making changes. That is something I think our country needs to start doing more of and should have started taking action a LONG time ago. We do already utilize some forms of alternative energy, but we really truly need to make a bigger effort.
Yesterday we went an art museum in Cologne to see the evolution of animals in art. I LOVED THIS! I love art in general because I am an artist, but I especially adore animal art, so this was really exciting for me. I got to sketch and everything!
The Cologne Cathedral was amazing as well. Everything is so intricately detailed, and just beautiful. It just blows my mind to think of how old that place actually is though.
That's all for now. More adventures to come!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
After a little over four days of being abroad, it's really not surprising that i have not quite mastered the german langauge. For me, the language barrier really is the most difficult challenge. First, and foremost, i feel absolutely terrible for intruding in their country without the ability to speak the language. I consider it terribley rude. Also, it is intimidating and scary to be dependent on the fact that people will speak English to me. Besides the language, though, I am very comfortable here in Germany. I was pleasantly surprised to find the very cool and abstracct buildingers here. There are some especially original modern buildings around the AIB office. I am very impressed. Our first classes in both history of medicine and German language have gone well. Ich hase Leigh (my name is Leigh) is my new favorite phrase. All in all I am very pleased with my frist few days in Dusseldorf. I look forward to the rest of the trip.
Goodbye Dusseldorf, Hello Prague
Well this week has been pretty exciting. I am finally getting some much needed laundry done although I have to wear the same clothes as yesterday today. That's because my laundry needs a day to dry. I hope I don't smell. Oh, well. I havn't really talked much about this week, so here goes. On monday we were introduced to the staff and AIB. We also took a tour of Dusseldorf. I was really surprised by the modern architecture. It was also interesting that there were reminders of the Nazi period in Germany's history scattered about the city. On Tuesday, we had our first lecture and German lesson. Then we went on a scavenger hunt that was really fun...even though we got last place. The best part was when we stopped at the Lowensenf shop. We tasted and bought a lot of mustard. Then we ate at a wurst stand. Cheap and good. We topped the day off with a trip to a pink palace.
On Wednesday, we took a trip to Bonn and had a stem cell research and bioethics lecture. We then headed to the history museum. It was history most of us had probably heard before, but it waas cool to hear it from a different side. Thursday, we went to Koln. The cathedral there was by far the coolest thing I have seen so far. When I walked in I was just in awe. The columns tower above you and the stained glass is beautiful. It was really cool seeing the roof and the different periods of construction in the church.
So, this weekend we go to Prague, and I am really excited.
I feel like I am giving a boring summary of my trip so far. I plan to make this more interesting from here on out. Til next time.
On Wednesday, we took a trip to Bonn and had a stem cell research and bioethics lecture. We then headed to the history museum. It was history most of us had probably heard before, but it waas cool to hear it from a different side. Thursday, we went to Koln. The cathedral there was by far the coolest thing I have seen so far. When I walked in I was just in awe. The columns tower above you and the stained glass is beautiful. It was really cool seeing the roof and the different periods of construction in the church.
So, this weekend we go to Prague, and I am really excited.
I feel like I am giving a boring summary of my trip so far. I plan to make this more interesting from here on out. Til next time.
well, this week has defiinitely been packed full but it's been great! This past weekend I went to Brussels and that was really fun and a good way to start of the trip... I ate belgian chocolate and waffles and bought some lace to take home....I saw the EU and several churches....the atomium, which is really amazing to see and is actually from the World Fair when it was in Brussels...so that trip was great and that was also where I accustomed myself to all the walking I would be doing while here!
My host family is really wonderful and I think I lucked out on being paired with them. Theyve had alot of students studying abroad that have stayed with them and so they know what to expect and how to handle everything which is great. Christa is a great cook and definitely a mom to us while we've been here! The other night we had pancakes that were really different than our own in America but really great too...they were made with wheat flour, I believe, instead of self rising like we might use and so they were thin but very dense... she put all kinds of toppings on the different ones, she had plain ones, one with apples and cinnamon, one with blueberries, one with ham, and the last with cheese because apparently that closes the stomach..so needless to say, I really want to learn how to make them because they were amazing!
Yesterday we went to Cologne and took alot of tours and it was really interesting because I think we really made the best of our time while we were there...We saw the cathedral which was awesome and I really didnt realize how big of a deal it was until then! We had gone to the Wallraf Richartz Museum and after our tour we went upstairs and saw alot of paintings that were centered around Christ and his crucifixion. There was one painting The Last Judgement by a German artist named Stefan Lochner in 1435. It was really disturbing in a way but very interesting and I really liked it...later when we went to the cathedral there was actually a painting by him there as well and you could definitely see his style in it so I thought that was really amazing to see and I wonder if he must be a famous artist in Cologne or maybe all of Germany? I don't know but its something to google i guess!
Well, its been amazing so far and I can't wait to see what im going to experience next!
My host family is really wonderful and I think I lucked out on being paired with them. Theyve had alot of students studying abroad that have stayed with them and so they know what to expect and how to handle everything which is great. Christa is a great cook and definitely a mom to us while we've been here! The other night we had pancakes that were really different than our own in America but really great too...they were made with wheat flour, I believe, instead of self rising like we might use and so they were thin but very dense... she put all kinds of toppings on the different ones, she had plain ones, one with apples and cinnamon, one with blueberries, one with ham, and the last with cheese because apparently that closes the stomach..so needless to say, I really want to learn how to make them because they were amazing!
Yesterday we went to Cologne and took alot of tours and it was really interesting because I think we really made the best of our time while we were there...We saw the cathedral which was awesome and I really didnt realize how big of a deal it was until then! We had gone to the Wallraf Richartz Museum and after our tour we went upstairs and saw alot of paintings that were centered around Christ and his crucifixion. There was one painting The Last Judgement by a German artist named Stefan Lochner in 1435. It was really disturbing in a way but very interesting and I really liked it...later when we went to the cathedral there was actually a painting by him there as well and you could definitely see his style in it so I thought that was really amazing to see and I wonder if he must be a famous artist in Cologne or maybe all of Germany? I don't know but its something to google i guess!
Well, its been amazing so far and I can't wait to see what im going to experience next!
Cologne
What a beautiful city we visited today! I loved the Gothic architecture of the cathedral and the crowds of tourists perpetually staring upwards. The size of the dom was unbelievable. I have seen large buildings, but the cathedral had a special presence. I could have stayed there much longer than we did. I could have taken pictures of every single mosiac, every tile.
Day 7 A much needed better day
July 12th, 2007
Approximately 9 pm
Day 7
We've been here an entire week already. This has been a week of ages, by this I mean everyday has been long... Very long.
Today was better though, we didn't have to meet until after 9 am at the hbf. Kendall and I were late again. I've been telling others,if they hang out with me they are bound to be late... As I am often.
We took the train thirty min to Cologne. A friend of mine told me to visit Cologne, and he said when I stepped off the train I would be amazed... I was, before me stood the grand Cologne Cathedral in all it's gloriful presence. At that moment, I truly realized how small I am.
¤Before I forget, on Tuesday we visited the Pleasure Palace in Bonn. I'm not exactly sure on the German pronunciation. This was a modern castle at the time. No huge stone walls or fortresses, but more of a hunting lodge of the times. Not a giant structure but a series of 5 pink buildings. A central main building, a west and east wing, along with two guards gates at either end of the entrance. There was a huge nature influence in these buildings, everything was emaculately decorated with plants and animals. Definitely a stylish, extravagant, underused home of the time.
We visited an art museum, who was having a special display on works of animals. We took notes, while an excellent tour guide gave us his interpretation of the artwork. There were works from early centuries and the first attempts at taxedermy along with impressionistic paintings and lifelike sculptures. A great exhibit with the culture of monkeys used in art and such; however, again the only medicine we've seen is the lesson in bioethics.
Approx noon
The team and I enjoyed a traditional German meal, I had a mushroom pancake... Weird huh? I decided to live a little dangerously. Turned out to be great. I also enjoyed a few of the krolsch biers... A bitter rivalry lives between dusseldorf and cologne. Their different beer makes a huge topic of debate on who's is better. I just like beer, I don't discriminate.
Approx 2 pm
Our class took a tour of the city. Interesting, yet another tour... The ever present cathedral peered at me around every corner. One thing about Germany is... It's warm in the sun and cold in the shade. Sweater on... Sweater off.
Approx 4 pm
One of our more quiet professors went with us to a local bar where we tried more Cologne culture and shot the sh*t for awhile. We told our rendition of our run ins with the law and compared different ideas on topics. Amongst these, an idea that I seem to agree with was mentioned... "There is no such thing as bad sex, only sex you wouldn't want again." Haha I compared this to "There's no such thing as bad publicity." Maybe... Maybe not.
Approx 5:30
Jacob and I were looking for a loo before our cathedral tour began. Our tour guide kindly pointed us to the info center where it would be free to take a leak. He was mistaken... An older, black German lady stopped Jacob on our way out and insisted he pay fifty euro cents. To our dismay, we did... And grumbled as we both walked away. How rediculous is that? Would they rather me piss on the side of their building because I don't have change? Only large bill euros? And what do bums do? Instead of buying booze to ease their pain, do they save up fifty euro cents to use the bathroom? I think not! Anyways, we took a special tour of the infamous cathedral. We had a behind the scenes look at the roofing structure and the original tower. This, well besides Amsterdam, was the best thing I've done. My friend Drew was right... Breathtaking. I absolutely was taken away. I took an art history class as a sophomore, and I remember learning of the building. Truly great history and design influenced by several cultures. We walked on the edge of the roof and through the attic. I think our guide was actually happy with his job, or hobby.
Un we meet again...
Approximately 9 pm
Day 7
We've been here an entire week already. This has been a week of ages, by this I mean everyday has been long... Very long.
Today was better though, we didn't have to meet until after 9 am at the hbf. Kendall and I were late again. I've been telling others,if they hang out with me they are bound to be late... As I am often.
We took the train thirty min to Cologne. A friend of mine told me to visit Cologne, and he said when I stepped off the train I would be amazed... I was, before me stood the grand Cologne Cathedral in all it's gloriful presence. At that moment, I truly realized how small I am.
¤Before I forget, on Tuesday we visited the Pleasure Palace in Bonn. I'm not exactly sure on the German pronunciation. This was a modern castle at the time. No huge stone walls or fortresses, but more of a hunting lodge of the times. Not a giant structure but a series of 5 pink buildings. A central main building, a west and east wing, along with two guards gates at either end of the entrance. There was a huge nature influence in these buildings, everything was emaculately decorated with plants and animals. Definitely a stylish, extravagant, underused home of the time.
We visited an art museum, who was having a special display on works of animals. We took notes, while an excellent tour guide gave us his interpretation of the artwork. There were works from early centuries and the first attempts at taxedermy along with impressionistic paintings and lifelike sculptures. A great exhibit with the culture of monkeys used in art and such; however, again the only medicine we've seen is the lesson in bioethics.
Approx noon
The team and I enjoyed a traditional German meal, I had a mushroom pancake... Weird huh? I decided to live a little dangerously. Turned out to be great. I also enjoyed a few of the krolsch biers... A bitter rivalry lives between dusseldorf and cologne. Their different beer makes a huge topic of debate on who's is better. I just like beer, I don't discriminate.
Approx 2 pm
Our class took a tour of the city. Interesting, yet another tour... The ever present cathedral peered at me around every corner. One thing about Germany is... It's warm in the sun and cold in the shade. Sweater on... Sweater off.
Approx 4 pm
One of our more quiet professors went with us to a local bar where we tried more Cologne culture and shot the sh*t for awhile. We told our rendition of our run ins with the law and compared different ideas on topics. Amongst these, an idea that I seem to agree with was mentioned... "There is no such thing as bad sex, only sex you wouldn't want again." Haha I compared this to "There's no such thing as bad publicity." Maybe... Maybe not.
Approx 5:30
Jacob and I were looking for a loo before our cathedral tour began. Our tour guide kindly pointed us to the info center where it would be free to take a leak. He was mistaken... An older, black German lady stopped Jacob on our way out and insisted he pay fifty euro cents. To our dismay, we did... And grumbled as we both walked away. How rediculous is that? Would they rather me piss on the side of their building because I don't have change? Only large bill euros? And what do bums do? Instead of buying booze to ease their pain, do they save up fifty euro cents to use the bathroom? I think not! Anyways, we took a special tour of the infamous cathedral. We had a behind the scenes look at the roofing structure and the original tower. This, well besides Amsterdam, was the best thing I've done. My friend Drew was right... Breathtaking. I absolutely was taken away. I took an art history class as a sophomore, and I remember learning of the building. Truly great history and design influenced by several cultures. We walked on the edge of the roof and through the attic. I think our guide was actually happy with his job, or hobby.
Un we meet again...
wow
Ok so I am waiting on the train to take me home. I don't know where to start. I did not know what to expect coming over here. It is almost beyond words but I am going to try. Europe is amazing. From its rich deep history that we can't even fathom to places affected by the war. Everywhere you look including peoples faces you can see war has been here. It has drastically altered every aspect of these peoples lives in a way no textbook or program could ever capture and express. I am amazed by the trains and culture traced to the 1200s. I was five feet away from what is broadly accepted as the remains of the three wise men. The gothic cathedral of Koln is breathtaking. The heights we saw on our exclusive tour made my legs buckle because I am afraid of heights. I really enjoyed Koln even though a large portion was redone because of the war. We had an amazing german meal at omas kuche. Grandmas kitchen... Sounded good to me, and it was. I think one of the many things from this trip is how to develop social skills and interact with people. Both those that you share the same interests with and those that share differences and the aspect of getting to know people is fascinating to me. It is amazing how much I have opened up in college and enjoy meeting people. And I think that this trip will further these skills. Train is here
the begining of a great adventure
Saturday day 2 approx 9 am
We wake up early and head to the train station. We arrived on time, early actually for probably the only time on the trip, and met Braden, aka BDawg, at the mcdonalds. Kendall and I sat with him and waited for kat,kim, and hannah, aka hann dawg. The train ride was my first ICE train ever. As soon as we arrived, we walked around the city for a while. This is definitely a city of sin, it's dirty, dark, dreary, wreaks of illegal smells, and of booze. There are drunken, stoned, and drugged up people everywhere I look. What a great place. I don't know if I could live in this sin city, but I could visit here several more times. I tasted the culture, experienced the food and drink all while under an influence. I spent two days in Gods blind spot. We walked the red light district, and viewed the merchandise on dislay in the windows. Some were appealing, while others we not.
My "team", consisting of kat, braden, kendall, and I hung out most of the time. While Kimberly and Hann dawg endulged in the flavor of the country the first day; however, the majority of the time it was just the team together.
Saturday, day 2 cont'd,
B dawg, kat, and I stayed out until daylight, about 5 am, partying around the city. We experienced first hand the "Amsterdam" that is so famously talked about at home. We didn't get much academically done this day, but I would say we immersed ourself in the culturem. Although, we did end up at a trippy mcdonalds at 3 am. We laughed and had a great time, three people that had just met the day before. Under our culture shock, we were amazed at how we were freakin out at the little things at the resturant that reminded me of home.
Day 3 The second day of sin
After a long day and night of the best part of a euro trip, the team and I needed time to recover. We slept in and planned to go to the sights around amsterdam. We visited the Rijks museum, the Heiniken Experience, and the Anne Frank Haus. All three were educational and a good change towards an educational direction. We decided to hang around town that night, but get to bed early to make our 6:34 am train.
Day 4 The Triumphant Return
We were on time for our train leaving back to dusseldorf and successfully made it to the dussledorf hoptbahnhof. Although we made it back in with ample time to make it to class, a challenge of getting back to our host family's home lay ahead of us. We boarded the correct tram to get home, just in the wrong directio. This was the first of our fiascos on the public transpo that morning. We finally made it home a quarter 'til 9, 15 minuted before we had to be at class all the way across town. After a desperately needed shower and some disagreements on which tram and which direction to travel, I jumped on a tram with the team. We did't make it but 2 stops before we started 2nd guessing ourselves and got off. We then proceded to wait 30 min for a train that didn't run that day. This is only after watching two of the correct trains pass by. We arrived at the AIB two and one half hours late our first day of class. Haha... I enjoyed the entire experience, but my partners in crime were not so amused. That first day was long, very long... Did I mention that the first day was extremely long? I was tired, grumpy, and I believe I was still feeling Amsterdam from the two previous days. We walked forever the first day, we took a tour of our neighborhood around AIB as well as a city tour of Dusseldorf. Although quite informative, I thought they lasted TOO long. That night I crashed at 8:30 pm. Shortly after talking on the phone with kimberly.
Tuesday & wednesday day 5 & 6
These two days were similar, both boring and long. Everbody started receiving their blackberries except me. We started the day with a history of medicine lecture, followed by a lesson in German. Tuesday, after class was a scavenger hunt... Still nothing medically related, I know... Following the hunt we had a dinner with the host families although ours didn't come. Wednesday after class we traveled by train to Bonn, where we visited a German history museum and sat in for a very intriguing lecture on the bioethics of stem cell research. Funny how a German history museum has so many not so German artifacts inside. The tour guide was quite impressed by a moon rock in a special display case, most of us laughed. She asked us why we weren't impressed? That this rock was on loan from NASA in the US. The majority of the class laughed on, seeing as the majority of us are from Texas, and we've visited the space museum. There were several other artifacts like a french specialized bike rim and russian space suit; neither of which were Germanin any way. Again on the way home, kendall and I waited for a train that would never come; delaying our arrival home by two hours.
We wake up early and head to the train station. We arrived on time, early actually for probably the only time on the trip, and met Braden, aka BDawg, at the mcdonalds. Kendall and I sat with him and waited for kat,kim, and hannah, aka hann dawg. The train ride was my first ICE train ever. As soon as we arrived, we walked around the city for a while. This is definitely a city of sin, it's dirty, dark, dreary, wreaks of illegal smells, and of booze. There are drunken, stoned, and drugged up people everywhere I look. What a great place. I don't know if I could live in this sin city, but I could visit here several more times. I tasted the culture, experienced the food and drink all while under an influence. I spent two days in Gods blind spot. We walked the red light district, and viewed the merchandise on dislay in the windows. Some were appealing, while others we not.
My "team", consisting of kat, braden, kendall, and I hung out most of the time. While Kimberly and Hann dawg endulged in the flavor of the country the first day; however, the majority of the time it was just the team together.
Saturday, day 2 cont'd,
B dawg, kat, and I stayed out until daylight, about 5 am, partying around the city. We experienced first hand the "Amsterdam" that is so famously talked about at home. We didn't get much academically done this day, but I would say we immersed ourself in the culturem. Although, we did end up at a trippy mcdonalds at 3 am. We laughed and had a great time, three people that had just met the day before. Under our culture shock, we were amazed at how we were freakin out at the little things at the resturant that reminded me of home.
Day 3 The second day of sin
After a long day and night of the best part of a euro trip, the team and I needed time to recover. We slept in and planned to go to the sights around amsterdam. We visited the Rijks museum, the Heiniken Experience, and the Anne Frank Haus. All three were educational and a good change towards an educational direction. We decided to hang around town that night, but get to bed early to make our 6:34 am train.
Day 4 The Triumphant Return
We were on time for our train leaving back to dusseldorf and successfully made it to the dussledorf hoptbahnhof. Although we made it back in with ample time to make it to class, a challenge of getting back to our host family's home lay ahead of us. We boarded the correct tram to get home, just in the wrong directio. This was the first of our fiascos on the public transpo that morning. We finally made it home a quarter 'til 9, 15 minuted before we had to be at class all the way across town. After a desperately needed shower and some disagreements on which tram and which direction to travel, I jumped on a tram with the team. We did't make it but 2 stops before we started 2nd guessing ourselves and got off. We then proceded to wait 30 min for a train that didn't run that day. This is only after watching two of the correct trains pass by. We arrived at the AIB two and one half hours late our first day of class. Haha... I enjoyed the entire experience, but my partners in crime were not so amused. That first day was long, very long... Did I mention that the first day was extremely long? I was tired, grumpy, and I believe I was still feeling Amsterdam from the two previous days. We walked forever the first day, we took a tour of our neighborhood around AIB as well as a city tour of Dusseldorf. Although quite informative, I thought they lasted TOO long. That night I crashed at 8:30 pm. Shortly after talking on the phone with kimberly.
Tuesday & wednesday day 5 & 6
These two days were similar, both boring and long. Everbody started receiving their blackberries except me. We started the day with a history of medicine lecture, followed by a lesson in German. Tuesday, after class was a scavenger hunt... Still nothing medically related, I know... Following the hunt we had a dinner with the host families although ours didn't come. Wednesday after class we traveled by train to Bonn, where we visited a German history museum and sat in for a very intriguing lecture on the bioethics of stem cell research. Funny how a German history museum has so many not so German artifacts inside. The tour guide was quite impressed by a moon rock in a special display case, most of us laughed. She asked us why we weren't impressed? That this rock was on loan from NASA in the US. The majority of the class laughed on, seeing as the majority of us are from Texas, and we've visited the space museum. There were several other artifacts like a french specialized bike rim and russian space suit; neither of which were Germanin any way. Again on the way home, kendall and I waited for a train that would never come; delaying our arrival home by two hours.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
First Week Coming to an End
The first week in Germany is coming to a close and I have been having an awesome time. I spent my first week in Greece. My friend Jerry and I went to several different ruins and some beaches. Even in Greece, there were several different things about Europe. There were recycle bins everywhere, just like in Germany. Also, it was interesting that we had to pay to use the restroom sometimes. I had a fairly easy connection into Dusseldorf. This is pretty good because on the way to Greece, I was stuck in Frankfurt for several hours.
I didn't stay long in Germany because I headed off to Amsterdam. There, we visited several interesting museums including the van Gogh museum. We mostly had fun looking at all the crooked buildings.
On Sunday, I returned to the host family's house. So far, I have really enjozed staying here. My host mom, Kirsten Opdenberg, is very nice and she has a son named Kristoffer. There are three of us staying here. The family seems pretty close because my host mom's mother and sister live nearby. Those houses are both housing students as well.
Ok, well I am getting frustrated enough with the switched y and z on the keyboard, so I will post more about the week on a later date.
I didn't stay long in Germany because I headed off to Amsterdam. There, we visited several interesting museums including the van Gogh museum. We mostly had fun looking at all the crooked buildings.
On Sunday, I returned to the host family's house. So far, I have really enjozed staying here. My host mom, Kirsten Opdenberg, is very nice and she has a son named Kristoffer. There are three of us staying here. The family seems pretty close because my host mom's mother and sister live nearby. Those houses are both housing students as well.
Ok, well I am getting frustrated enough with the switched y and z on the keyboard, so I will post more about the week on a later date.
It's been a crazy past few days...
As my first post in Germany, there is so much that I could go on and on about, but I'll save some of it for later. We left Houston for Paris last Friday, hopped on a plane for Germany and landed in Duesseldorf that afternoon. We met our respective host families and went home for our first (somewhat awkward) meal. The next morning, a few other people studying abroad and I got on a train for Amsterdam. I guess its kind of interesting to note that on our first full day in Europe, we were headed for Amsterdam, God's Blind Spot. The city is very nice, with decent attractions such as the Rijksmuseum, the van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank house, but the Red Light District is another story in itself....one that I won't go into...
Now that we've been in Germany for a few days, I've been able to form a few first impressions... While the Germans get kind of a bad rap for being rude, most of the people younger than 50 are usually friendly, willing to help, and speak a decent amount of English. Even the 13 year old son of our host mother speaks better English than I do Spanish. The public transportation is a little hard to figure out, but after getting lost and getting to the first day of class an hour and a half late, I think I've mostly got it down.
Today we went on a day trip to Bonn and went to the House of History, which had German History from 1945 until today. It was an interesting experience that did a good job of explaining how the Allies, and the Soviet Union for that matter, rebuilt and influenced the recovery of post-war Germany. That may sound somewhat unexciting, but that was what I was able to take from the museum. What I did find unusual was there was an exhibit about the first man on the moon. It seems to me that the Americans gave the Germans a little rock from the moon and the felt obliged to put it into a museum... i have no other explanation...
Now that we've been in Germany for a few days, I've been able to form a few first impressions... While the Germans get kind of a bad rap for being rude, most of the people younger than 50 are usually friendly, willing to help, and speak a decent amount of English. Even the 13 year old son of our host mother speaks better English than I do Spanish. The public transportation is a little hard to figure out, but after getting lost and getting to the first day of class an hour and a half late, I think I've mostly got it down.
Today we went on a day trip to Bonn and went to the House of History, which had German History from 1945 until today. It was an interesting experience that did a good job of explaining how the Allies, and the Soviet Union for that matter, rebuilt and influenced the recovery of post-war Germany. That may sound somewhat unexciting, but that was what I was able to take from the museum. What I did find unusual was there was an exhibit about the first man on the moon. It seems to me that the Americans gave the Germans a little rock from the moon and the felt obliged to put it into a museum... i have no other explanation...
Life in Dusseldorf
Aside from underestimating the power of jetlag, my first week in Europe ran quite smooth. I spent two days in Belgium emersing myself into the European culture before I met my host family (the Lierenfelds). Familie Lierenfeld consists of Petra, Toni, their daughter Laura, and last but not least Leika the dog. Although Toni does not speak any English, he is very easy to hang out with. I often walk the dog with him, as he teaches me new German words. He is a proud Dusseldorf citizen as well, and displays his pride by constantly offering me dark beer from Dusseldorf, and reminding me that he thinks beer from Cologne (Köln) is “pee pee”. I have not met Laura, but she will be home from the UK on Thursday.
In terms of travelling, I spent my first weekend in Amsterdam witnessing the various cultures that migrated to Amsterdam, and doing a little bit of “window shopping” (no actual shopping took place). The Van Gogh museum displayed some nice art, however it did not have some of the more well known pieces of art, such as Starry Night.
The start.
This week has been very interesting, at first the railways and transportation was a bit confusing but we have all figured it out by now. This place is quite nice, i just wish the weather was a bit better, it should but up in the 80s and 90s this weekend which will be good to have the sun out. I will be here in Dusseldorf this weekend with the host family and i hope that we will take an excursion out to the country side and see some of the locales near dusseldorf. We have also planned a barbque and i might also be cooking Mexican food for them this weekend which will be fun. I hope that i can find cilantro and all the other things i need or it wont turn out all that well. Booking the travel is a bit more complicated than i would wish but i hope that i will be able to go to milan next weekend and interlochen with everyone the weekend after that. As for now we are learning how to pronounce and use German in a very elementary level but dis is gut for now. Cheers.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Germany Germany
I really enjoy Dusseldorf. At first, when I wondered around on my own, I was like "holy guacamole this place isn't that exciting." But after the tour, I found there are a lot of really fun places to go, you just had to know where to go! Yesterday, during the scavenger hunt, we went to the mustard shop, and tasted several different mustards and bought a few. They are freaking delicious!
So my host mom is pretty much amazing. Trixie is this really easy going mom, who lets us have our independence. I was really worried I might have some host parents who would smother me and always want to come hang out with them all the time. She's really fun to talk to and just hang out with in the evenings.
So yesterday, I got my blackberry, and I got really excited. However, I got too distracted on the bus because of it and missed my stop! Ugh, I had to get off and wait forever for the next one to come by, because it was in the evening. The area was kind of shady, and some individual with mental problems was gibbering at me. However, my angel in high heels, a woman wearing an enormous amount of leather, helped me out and showed me the right place to go. She was so nice; I don't think I have ever seen someone be that nice to a stranger before. She was telling me to watch out for the mentally ill individual and to sit close by the driver. She was like my mom, but as if she was a biker chick.
So far, I have really enjoyed my experience. I can't wait for what is to come!
So my host mom is pretty much amazing. Trixie is this really easy going mom, who lets us have our independence. I was really worried I might have some host parents who would smother me and always want to come hang out with them all the time. She's really fun to talk to and just hang out with in the evenings.
So yesterday, I got my blackberry, and I got really excited. However, I got too distracted on the bus because of it and missed my stop! Ugh, I had to get off and wait forever for the next one to come by, because it was in the evening. The area was kind of shady, and some individual with mental problems was gibbering at me. However, my angel in high heels, a woman wearing an enormous amount of leather, helped me out and showed me the right place to go. She was so nice; I don't think I have ever seen someone be that nice to a stranger before. She was telling me to watch out for the mentally ill individual and to sit close by the driver. She was like my mom, but as if she was a biker chick.
So far, I have really enjoyed my experience. I can't wait for what is to come!
The beginning...
I arrived in Dusseldorf on Friday. My family is very nice and has a 21 year old daughter that is interesting to talk to. Kim and I each have our own room which is nice. We have only gotten lost once coming home from Amsterdam. Once we got to Dusseldorf, we got on the train going in the wrong direction. This past weekend in Amsterdam, I had a lot of fun. We did the Heineken experience. That was probably my favorite thing so far. Yesterday we took a tour of Dusseldorf and today had a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt was fun. People in Dusseldorf do not understand the concept of a scavenger hunt. We had to ask for shopping bags and the people at the stores found it very amusing. I am already tired but hopefully all of the walking will keep me in shape. I am excited about this weekend in Prague. We just booked our hostel tonight. I have had a wonderful time so far except for the weather being a little colder than I expected. I might have to go shopping for some warmer clothes if the weather stays like this. Hopefully it will get warmer!
First Week
It is Tuesday night, and I am exhausted but have had an amzing time so far! Today was teh scavenger hunt which was fun and helpful in getting to know Dusseldorf better. I really like my host family and everything I have experienced so far. I went to Amsteram last weekend, and loved the city. It was different than anywhere I have ever been, and got to see the Van Gogh museum and do the Heineken experience! I am planning on Prague this weekend so it should be another adventure! I am looking forward to learning German so I can communicate with my host family and others is Dusseldorf better.
I'm having so much fun in Europe! A week in Greece was the best way to
start the trip. I was nervous about meeting the host family, but they
spoil me. I am just as comfortable in their home as I am in Texas. Their
baby is the cutest thing I have ever seen and I sit there and play with
him all the time. Every morning they offer me so much food and fresh
coffee and every evening they cook the best meals. She does any laundry I
have and I have an amazing room. It's a big change that the house has
three bathrooms, but only one of them has a toilet. Everytime I need to
go, even in the middle of the night, I have to walk downstairs to go. I
like how they hang dry everything. My clothes smell so good when I get
them back. Germany is so much greener and prettier than Texas. I thought
College Station was green, but I think it's greener here. I think Texas
is the greatest place on earth, but Germany is not far behind.
Since I've never been to Europe, I plan on taking full advantage of the
weekends. I am excited to get to as many places as I can. Last weekend
I went to Amsterdam and it's a good thing I was with three boys. I wish
I would have gone to more parts of Amsterdam and looked around more,
because the parts of Amsterdam that I saw was everything I'm not.
Amsterdam is a place everyone should see and experience and the Van Gogh
museum was good, but I was very uncomfortable there at night. We are
getting stressed about what to do on the following weekends, but
hopefully we will figure it out.
start the trip. I was nervous about meeting the host family, but they
spoil me. I am just as comfortable in their home as I am in Texas. Their
baby is the cutest thing I have ever seen and I sit there and play with
him all the time. Every morning they offer me so much food and fresh
coffee and every evening they cook the best meals. She does any laundry I
have and I have an amazing room. It's a big change that the house has
three bathrooms, but only one of them has a toilet. Everytime I need to
go, even in the middle of the night, I have to walk downstairs to go. I
like how they hang dry everything. My clothes smell so good when I get
them back. Germany is so much greener and prettier than Texas. I thought
College Station was green, but I think it's greener here. I think Texas
is the greatest place on earth, but Germany is not far behind.
Since I've never been to Europe, I plan on taking full advantage of the
weekends. I am excited to get to as many places as I can. Last weekend
I went to Amsterdam and it's a good thing I was with three boys. I wish
I would have gone to more parts of Amsterdam and looked around more,
because the parts of Amsterdam that I saw was everything I'm not.
Amsterdam is a place everyone should see and experience and the Van Gogh
museum was good, but I was very uncomfortable there at night. We are
getting stressed about what to do on the following weekends, but
hopefully we will figure it out.
So we just finished our Welcome Party meal, and I'm so happy to finally have a full stomach. It has been a while since me and Michelle have had a good dinner. We came home yesterday, and our host mom, Eva, told us she has bronchitis. She prepared dinner for us, but we felt bad because she was not feeling well and coughing a lot so she's been staying in her room. She went to the doctor though and I hope she starts to feel better. It makes it even harder though because her English is hard to understand and I don't think she understands us sometimes. Anyways, we will see how the rest of the week goes.
This weekend I went to Brussels with a group. Making hostel reservations and figuring out our train ride the day before was very stressful, and I didn't really know what to expect from Belgium, besides the waffles, which were amazing, by the way, but I really enjoyed our first weekend trip. We might've not known where the heck we were going and where we wanted to go, but it was fun that way. But we were so lucky to have Leigh with us, who spoke French, which helped a lot, and we love her. It was great getting to know some of the people on our trip before the actual program started. Nothing bonds people together more than getting lost together in a foreign country. So hope we can figure out planning this weekend, and hope it is just as fun as the last!!
This weekend I went to Brussels with a group. Making hostel reservations and figuring out our train ride the day before was very stressful, and I didn't really know what to expect from Belgium, besides the waffles, which were amazing, by the way, but I really enjoyed our first weekend trip. We might've not known where the heck we were going and where we wanted to go, but it was fun that way. But we were so lucky to have Leigh with us, who spoke French, which helped a lot, and we love her. It was great getting to know some of the people on our trip before the actual program started. Nothing bonds people together more than getting lost together in a foreign country. So hope we can figure out planning this weekend, and hope it is just as fun as the last!!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
First day in Dusseldorf
Guten Tag. My mother and I have been up and about today seeing the town and doing a little cooking. Afetr which I took quite a sizeable nap as my family left for the French Countryside for the night. I love how everything is close for them, when we think about going on Holiday it is driving for 8 or 10 hours at least but for them Nederlander and France and wonderful places are only a couple of hours drive. I took the UBahn to Heiric-Heine-Alle to see Dusseldorf proper tonight and to get comfortable with the busses and trains. Got un alt beer in Altsdat tonight and saw the street sceen at night down there which was very energetic and fun. I am looking forward to Monday and the start of the program, but until then i will be enjoying the wonderful fruit you can get here and the beer. So long. -Jacob Davis
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Leaving Today!
Hi everyone, well I'm doing some last minute packing then heading to Houston to get on the plane! I hope everyone had a good 4th, it was yucky and rainy so my lake trip could have been better. Hopefully the weather in Germany will be pretty and sunny! I can't believe I'm actually leaving today, I've been preparing for weeks but it never felt like the day would actually get here! Well I can't wait to meet up with everyone, and those who have not left yet, hipe you have a safe trip and I'll see everyone soon!! -kimberly
A Bid Farewell
Well here I am, fixing to jump in the car and go to houston to catch a plane. I had a good but bittersweet 4th yesterday as the rain kept me from going to the lake. For the longest time I've been telling all of my friends how excited I am about going to Germany. Someone asked me the other day "am I really ready"? and goosebumps went down my back. I think the experience is going to be bar-none, but I just have to push myself to get over there, and get in the groove of things. I am excited and nervous at the same time. My stomach has butterflies. I love flying, that's not the issue. It's just, it's all the way on the other side of the world. Next time I write I'll be on the other side of the ocean!
1 Pre-game
There are so many things going on in my head right now. I'm anxious and excited, but I'm also a little stressed with last second details and lack of sleep. Occasionally I feel sad that my lazy days of summer are almost over and I have to give up all of those projects I said I would get done with my much needed break (and of course I didn't do anything productive). But then I remember that I'm going to Germany! Even though I've been thinking about this trip for months, now that it's time to go I don't feel mentally prepared at all. The truth is I have no idea what to expect, but that's what makes it so exciting! I'm not sure what's going to happen - I'm just getting on a 13 hour flight and going. If I had to say I have any goals for this trip it would be to have the least tourist-y experience as possible and to be open to anything and anyone. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone again and I'll see you guys tomorrow! ~Laura
I can't believe I'm leaving today...
It's the 5th, and in my usual procrastinating style, I waited (or was it planned?) until this day to post. At least this way, you get a little snapshot into how I feel almost right before its time to leave. I'll be completely honest: I am kind of freaking out. If there's a feeling thats stronger than any other, its nice nervous one going on. I've never been out of the country, and I'll be going somewhere I don't speak the language for about 5 weeks, so I hope you can understand the anxiety. I imagine that'll be like trying to speak to some of the mostly Spanish speaking people from where I grew up. Communication involves a lot of Spanish I do not understand, gestures that can make the conversation look like a game of charades, and head nodding whenever I get really confused. But I digress...
At the same time, I am still very, very excited and am really looking forward to the trip. I think the chance to travel to another country and learn about their culture, lifestyle and, of course, food and drink, is one that I may not have again for a long time. Everybody who has been to Germany says that they had a great time there, so that also helps to ease my mind. So, I think as long as the people are nice and don't get too upset about my lack of their language and the butchering of the few words I do know, it'll be a great trip. Even the plans for the school part of the trip seems to be pretty interesting. Crazy, I know. Anyway, I must continue to pack, because thats something I would just have to wait until the last morning to do.
At the same time, I am still very, very excited and am really looking forward to the trip. I think the chance to travel to another country and learn about their culture, lifestyle and, of course, food and drink, is one that I may not have again for a long time. Everybody who has been to Germany says that they had a great time there, so that also helps to ease my mind. So, I think as long as the people are nice and don't get too upset about my lack of their language and the butchering of the few words I do know, it'll be a great trip. Even the plans for the school part of the trip seems to be pretty interesting. Crazy, I know. Anyway, I must continue to pack, because thats something I would just have to wait until the last morning to do.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
hey this is chris. i hope all of you had a great 4th of july. well it's one in the morning and im still awake packing. im actually done, im just going over everything making sure i dont forget anything. i have to wake up in a couple of hours to drive to houston and catch my plane there.
if you would have asked me a week ago how i felt about the trip, i would have said i was really excited. but for the past couple of days, ive actually felt really really nervous. ive spoken to my friend mas, who went to germany last year, and he said he felt the same way. i guess the only part of the trip that makes me nervous is that i will be traveling alone to germany, and the flights are so long. ive never been on a plane for more than 45 minutes. another thing im nervous about is forgetting something really important, like my passport or something. i just checked my luggage a couple of minutes ago to see if it's there, and yeah it was. but ill probably check again in the morning.
i havent really spoken to my host family yet. i sent an email about a week ago, but i never got a response. i hope they know im coming. it wouldnt be good if i had no place to sleep.
well, ill let you go now. im going to try to sneak in a couple of hours of sleep before i have to wake up and drive to houston. cant wait to see all of you tomorrow. take care until then.
if you would have asked me a week ago how i felt about the trip, i would have said i was really excited. but for the past couple of days, ive actually felt really really nervous. ive spoken to my friend mas, who went to germany last year, and he said he felt the same way. i guess the only part of the trip that makes me nervous is that i will be traveling alone to germany, and the flights are so long. ive never been on a plane for more than 45 minutes. another thing im nervous about is forgetting something really important, like my passport or something. i just checked my luggage a couple of minutes ago to see if it's there, and yeah it was. but ill probably check again in the morning.
i havent really spoken to my host family yet. i sent an email about a week ago, but i never got a response. i hope they know im coming. it wouldnt be good if i had no place to sleep.
well, ill let you go now. im going to try to sneak in a couple of hours of sleep before i have to wake up and drive to houston. cant wait to see all of you tomorrow. take care until then.
hey, my name is Sarah, and I'm definitely ready to be in Germany! I think I'm finally finished packing! I've been home about a week at my parents house in Tiki Island, near Galveston, and it's been a little bit of a challenge to get everything in order but all of that stress will be gone when I've finally gotten on my flight. I'm not too worried about the length of the flight, especially after I've endured the 15 hour flight from New York to Delhi before!
I'm a little nervous about going alone, but I know it won't feel that way once we're all there. It's pretty nice to be experiencing Europe with fellow Aggies :). I've also talked to my host family through emails and they seem really great, and I'm sure it'll be a good experience, especially since they've hosted lots of students, including some from last year's program. Also, one of my host parents, Christa, will be teaching us German! She asked if any of us knew any, but I wasn't sure. I just know I don't- at all! ;)...... but she seems really great and she said she will do her best to teach us as much as possible.
Well, I hope everyone is excited by now, and I hope you all have safe flights and i'll see you in dusseldorf on friday!
I'm a little nervous about going alone, but I know it won't feel that way once we're all there. It's pretty nice to be experiencing Europe with fellow Aggies :). I've also talked to my host family through emails and they seem really great, and I'm sure it'll be a good experience, especially since they've hosted lots of students, including some from last year's program. Also, one of my host parents, Christa, will be teaching us German! She asked if any of us knew any, but I wasn't sure. I just know I don't- at all! ;)...... but she seems really great and she said she will do her best to teach us as much as possible.
Well, I hope everyone is excited by now, and I hope you all have safe flights and i'll see you in dusseldorf on friday!
Happy 4th of July!!
Hey! This is Meredith. I hope everyone’s enjoying their 4th of July, whether you’re at home or already in Europe! As for me, I’m at home in Louisiana about to go celebrate my 4th of July at the lake, as long as it doesn’t decide to rain. Then I have to finish up packing for my flight tomorrow. I have made the flight to Europe before for a week-long trip to Italy, but it still scares me thinking about flying over all that water. I am lucky though because my dad is making the flight with me to Dusseldorf because he has business in Munich, so I won’t be alone on my international flight. My dad has traveled in Europe a lot for business, and he encouraged me to choose Germany when I started looking into study abroad programs. And from all I’ve heard about the country and the program, I think I definitely made the right choice.
I can’t help being nervous about the trip, mostly because besides going off to college, this is the most on my own I’ve ever been, and in a foreign country! It’s scary, but I know I’ll be with nineteen other Aggies :) And from the little traveling I have done before, I know that you make the most memories when things don’t go quite as you planned or even expected. So get excited ya’ll! And see ya Friday!
I can’t help being nervous about the trip, mostly because besides going off to college, this is the most on my own I’ve ever been, and in a foreign country! It’s scary, but I know I’ll be with nineteen other Aggies :) And from the little traveling I have done before, I know that you make the most memories when things don’t go quite as you planned or even expected. So get excited ya’ll! And see ya Friday!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Well, I'm getting ready to head over to Germany; I leave in two days now. As the time between now and take-off gets shorter the anxiety grows. Don't worry though, the anxiety is low. More than anything I am just really excited about going on this trip. I was in Europe (France and England) earlier this summer, through most of May, and I had a wonderful time. I think that my earlier trip has prepared me for this one.
My host family seems very nice, judging by the few emails we have sent back and forth. The family consists of a husband and wife, a 9 year old boy, a 3 year old girl, and a grandmother. I'm more excited to meet the little kids than anything else, to be honest. They are housing two other girls from Texas, but they are leaving on Tuesday (in a week). The wife, Bea, is adorable in her emails because you can tell she is struggling with the English language; I'm really happy about that because I want to try a bit of German with them.
The one thing I am not worrying about is packing. I am currently staying at my grandmother's house in the middle of no where in northern Ontario, Canada. So everything is already packed (and I KNOW that it all fits in the suitcase). All that is left to do is get on the plane and head over. Hope everyone has a fun safe flight and I will see you in a few days!
My host family seems very nice, judging by the few emails we have sent back and forth. The family consists of a husband and wife, a 9 year old boy, a 3 year old girl, and a grandmother. I'm more excited to meet the little kids than anything else, to be honest. They are housing two other girls from Texas, but they are leaving on Tuesday (in a week). The wife, Bea, is adorable in her emails because you can tell she is struggling with the English language; I'm really happy about that because I want to try a bit of German with them.
The one thing I am not worrying about is packing. I am currently staying at my grandmother's house in the middle of no where in northern Ontario, Canada. So everything is already packed (and I KNOW that it all fits in the suitcase). All that is left to do is get on the plane and head over. Hope everyone has a fun safe flight and I will see you in a few days!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Guten Tag! Ich heiße Joey
Tomorrow (July 3rd), I embark for my “journey across the pond” to Brussels, where I will stay with a few foreign relatives, and have a pre-program adjustment to the culture and time zone. After touring Belgium for several days, I plan to take a train to Dusseldorf to meet my host family. My host family and I have been shooting e-mails back and forth, so I already feel that the living situation is going to be an unforgettable experience. I am looking forward to having conversations with the family, to learn more about life in Germany. Although I have been to Europe in the past, I was 9 years old. Now that I am older and more mature, I plan to embrace the European culture and become a “cultural sponge”.
Aside from the positive expectations, there is one overwhelming fear I must face—I fear that I will not get an English copy of the new Harry Potter book before the story is spoiled for me, ahhh! In reality, I do hope I can pick up on the German language relatively quickly, so I can show a subtle appreciation for my host family’s hospitality. I hope that I pick up on the German customs as well, so I do not accidentally offend anyone overseas.
Overall, I believe I will leave Germany with a more profound appreciation of the many diverse cultures, and will create new friendships in the process.
-Joey Stafford
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Hey everyone! This is Michelle. I am currently making an overnight pit stop in New Orleans as I drive home to Miami so I can fly out from there to Deusseldorf! I am so excited about the trip. I have only been out of the country a couple times, but never to across the Atlantic. I know it is going to be a great experience.
I think the thing I'm looking foward to most is just being emersed in a completely new culture. From what Dr. Wasser has told us about the Germans, I know that they are very orderly people. I know that they're also sincere and say what they mean, which is great. That's how things should be everywhere!
I'm glad that they appreciate even our slightest efforts to speak their language because I only know a tiny bit of German, and what I do know comes out of my mouth sounding awful! I do, however, intend to learn a lot more German once I'm over there.
I purchased a Eurail pass the other day. I got the select pass and chose France, Beneleux, Switzerland, and Germany over 6 travelling days. I also really want to go to th UK.
I can't wait until I arrive! I wish everyone a safe trip and I will see you all in Duesseldorf!
I think the thing I'm looking foward to most is just being emersed in a completely new culture. From what Dr. Wasser has told us about the Germans, I know that they are very orderly people. I know that they're also sincere and say what they mean, which is great. That's how things should be everywhere!
I'm glad that they appreciate even our slightest efforts to speak their language because I only know a tiny bit of German, and what I do know comes out of my mouth sounding awful! I do, however, intend to learn a lot more German once I'm over there.
I purchased a Eurail pass the other day. I got the select pass and chose France, Beneleux, Switzerland, and Germany over 6 travelling days. I also really want to go to th UK.
I can't wait until I arrive! I wish everyone a safe trip and I will see you all in Duesseldorf!
Leaving the United States...
I am leaving this morning for Europe. I am flying into Frankfurt, Germany where I will be taking the train to Munich. I am kind of nervous about getting from my plane, through customs and to the train. I am really excited about the trip but also nervous about flying over there and catching the train by myself. I have never flown to Europe. The longest flight I have been on is from San Antonio to New York, which is only the first 1/5 of this journey. I am a little nervous about being on the plane for that long, but I don't mind flying so it should be okay. I will hopefully be able to sleep because I get into Frankfurt around 9 a.m. their time and will have a whole day ahead of me. My cousins that live in Connecticut are meeting me at the train station in Munich. They stay in Austria for 5 months during the summer season in a house that has been in the family for hundreds of years. I am excited to see them and to see the house. The house is in the Ruette area which very close to the Germany-Austria border. My stay with them should be a lot of fun. I leave Friday for Dusseldorf and am very excited to see everyone again. Hopefully, I packed everything I need. I surprised myself and fit everything in a 22 inch suitcase. I am normally a very heavy packer. If I forgot something, I guess I will just buy it there. Well, I'm off to go over everything one more time, have breakfast with my family (some good Mexican food) and head to the airport. Hope everyone has a safe trip!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)