Man, it has been a while since I have blogged so forgive me, it's going to be a long one.
First off, Dresden was beautiful. I liked it a lot...the courtyard was probably one of the coolest thing I saw. Along with the Protestant church and the Cathedral. Our day in Dresden was cut short, but instead of going back to Berlin, Carrie, Brandon, and I left for Prague. It was so beautiful! I will admit that when we arrived the first night, it really creeped me out because it was so dark and shady compared to Berlin. I didn't feel that great walking around there so late at night but we eventually got to our hotel in one piece. We went and did the sight seeing thing the next day but there is so much to see in Prague, it was impossible to see everything in one day!! The next day we headed towards Hannover and actually dominated the DB system. We didnt get lost, and we were on time for all our trains. It was so good to see everybody again Sunday night on the streets of Hannover!
Yesterday we went to visit the TiHO veterinary school and the Medical School of Hannover with a focus on the nephrology department. The vet school was very cool and I knew that it made Carrie so excited to be around those large animals. It was very cool to do the rectum/ovary palpation. The medical school was interesting except it was all focused on nephrology. I guess I had trouble following along with everything they were talking about. The guides for the day were really sweet and I only found out after the day was over that they volunteered to do all that. The traditional German dinner at the frat house afterwards was good especially the sauerkraut, which I found out was from a can! Still good, still made my tummy full. I really appreciated everything they did for us last night.
Today we went to the Heart and Diabetes Center in Bad Oeuyhausen. Michael and I got the chance to watch a coronary bypass surgery! I had never even been in an operating room, well with the exception for the time when I was operated on. We actually got to see everything really close up, starting with the prep by the anethesiologist and through the surgery until we had to meet everyone in the cafeteria. It was by far my favorite thing that we have done. The smell of the burning flesh was not something I enjoyed. Another doctor had to perform a skin graft on the man's leg to find a vessel to use as the actual bypass (thing). Then we went to the ICU for patients recovering from heart surgery. It was one thing to see the LVAD in the office but it was something completely different to see it on the boy who needed it while he waited for a transplant.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Hand Over Hannover
It's been almost two days since all of us arrived at Hannover. I really like the train systems here in Germany and am going to miss it when I get back.
Anyhow, upon arriving at the hotel, Andy, Michael, and I got into our triple room again. Only this time, our room is PIMP! The room is huge and we even have a balcony. I hate to leave it tomorrow but I must. After settling in and sleeping, the class got up early to tour the Vet school, followed by lunch at the Med school and then a subsequent tour.
The med school featured some interesting things, and in reality I was much more interested in what the presenters had to say in the Med school, but it was in the Vet school that I got to experience having my arm elbow deep in cow rectum. Yep, several of us did this and it was as fun as it was disgusting. After touring the schools, we went to a frat house to have dinner and many of us stayed a bit too long, although not me (despite my earnest wishes).
Yesterday was such a blur though (pun intended), mainly because I did not have my glasses. I managed to find it in the room eventually but I feel I would have gotten more out of the day had I been able to see.
Today was one of the most exciting day as we got to see some surgeries in the morning. Me and Julie got to watch surgeons excise a tumor and then watch a prep for an aortic valve replacement. The afternoon wasn't as interesting but still informative nonetheless. We learned about MRI and artificial hearts and it was fun. And now, I'm tired
Anyhow, upon arriving at the hotel, Andy, Michael, and I got into our triple room again. Only this time, our room is PIMP! The room is huge and we even have a balcony. I hate to leave it tomorrow but I must. After settling in and sleeping, the class got up early to tour the Vet school, followed by lunch at the Med school and then a subsequent tour.
The med school featured some interesting things, and in reality I was much more interested in what the presenters had to say in the Med school, but it was in the Vet school that I got to experience having my arm elbow deep in cow rectum. Yep, several of us did this and it was as fun as it was disgusting. After touring the schools, we went to a frat house to have dinner and many of us stayed a bit too long, although not me (despite my earnest wishes).
Yesterday was such a blur though (pun intended), mainly because I did not have my glasses. I managed to find it in the room eventually but I feel I would have gotten more out of the day had I been able to see.
Today was one of the most exciting day as we got to see some surgeries in the morning. Me and Julie got to watch surgeons excise a tumor and then watch a prep for an aortic valve replacement. The afternoon wasn't as interesting but still informative nonetheless. We learned about MRI and artificial hearts and it was fun. And now, I'm tired
Dont take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here
My last day in Berlin was entertaining. We went to the Einstein coffee shop and got some delicious hot chocolate, and went to go visit the chick on a stick. Because it was still snowy, it looked pretty from a distance. She also looked like solid gold. We went to an Italian restaraunt for lunch and I got some spicy spagetti. Our ride over to Hannover was also interesting, I had a lovely nap on the train. We spent the first day at the Vet school and had, an...enlightening experience that involved a cow. Honestly, it was fun and got me stomached up for the open heart surgery I would see the next day. I also saw some cute calves and learned about the different machines that people use on the animals. We had dinner at a bagel place and were surprisingly excited to see Arizona green tea. That night, we went to a German frat house that concentrated in vet medicine and got to meet some cool people and have dinner. Today, we went to one of the largest heart and diabetes centers in the world. We learned about telemedicine, artificial hearts, and post heart surgery therapy. We also got briefed on MRIs and some other cool stuff. The actual aortic valve replacement was intense. I felt some vertigo at first, but was amazed at how the body functions so beautifully from the inside. Now I can see how Dr. Wasser says that medicine is an art and a science. Were back in Hannover, and kind of tired. I am hoping to get some dinner and sleep to be off to Munich tomorrow!!
exciting few days!
The past few days seem like a blur. We haven't stopped moving since we got to hannover. The vet school was really neat even as a premed student. We definately got to do some things I never would have expected. I wasn't really fond of the traditional german food, but the people at the dinner were fantastic. I really appreciate them showing us around the vet and med schools. Today was a blast! I have worked in a hostpital, but I have never had the chance to watch a surgery and surely didn't expect to be that close. I was worried I was going to be a litte squeamish so before we went in I was super nervous. When we went in though, I had no problems. I was actually sad it was time for lunch! Talking with the doctor about the artificial hearts and pumps was a great experience for me as well since that hits really close to home with my dad. Though we haven't had much down time in Hannover, it has been well worth it!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Munster, A Big city with a small town heart.
My weekend with my friend Jan has been one of the best weekends in a while. First of all my friend Jan was in my pre-cal class back in Tomball high school as he was a foreign exchange student in Tomball for a year and a great friend with me and all my friends back then. So i was just thrilled to see him because mostkt of the time when people visiting the states leave you say "hope to see you again some day" but you know in the back of your mind... you probablly won't. Friday night i flew from dresden to duesseldorf and we got some dinner and i went to a club with some of his friends that he went to law school with for just a year from i think the university of Passau. So he too was seeing old friends too. We then drove about an hour and a half to telgte at around 1 am... we we're swamped. The next day Jan gave me a great tour of Munster. It has over 10 old catholic churches and that day there just so happened to be a wochemenmarkt, which is a german outdoor market, basically a bunch of trailer stores with a jubile of cheese, meats and sweets like pretzels and waffles it was just great. I also got a tour of some beatiful buildings that we're rebuilt after the war cause even though the city was heavily bombed the germans from munster still wanted to keep an old town feel to the city when they rebuilt it.
From a city first founded as a monastery (munster derives from monastery) to a city with great shopping and a small town heart munster was a great visit . Finally that night Jan and I biked to a friends house on the other side of telgte and went to his friends birthday party... basically just a small gathering with about 8 or so guys and 2 of there girlfriends. it was really fun and i got to hear the techno version of that music germans sway too, ballermann hits, really a good time in all.
Now we are packing up to go to hannover as we will not have enough time to pass by gottingen because he starts school again tommorow but i can definantly say that i was very happy with my excursion to the rhineland for the last time this trip.
From a city first founded as a monastery (munster derives from monastery) to a city with great shopping and a small town heart munster was a great visit . Finally that night Jan and I biked to a friends house on the other side of telgte and went to his friends birthday party... basically just a small gathering with about 8 or so guys and 2 of there girlfriends. it was really fun and i got to hear the techno version of that music germans sway too, ballermann hits, really a good time in all.
Now we are packing up to go to hannover as we will not have enough time to pass by gottingen because he starts school again tommorow but i can definantly say that i was very happy with my excursion to the rhineland for the last time this trip.
Last Day
Today will be the last day here in Berlin so I felt like I needed to make a post. I'm going to miss this place as I finally got the hang of moving around. I think I will even miss the room despite the cramped quarters.
I suggested to everyone that our last day should be one of togetherness. So, everyone is now blogging at the cafe and we plan to leave together to go souvenier shopping.
We'll frolick around until about 3:45 when we have to meet back at the hotel to collect our things and head onto the train towards Hannover. Hannover is supposed to be like Duessoldorf so I think I'll like it.
Also, I must start buying lots of candy. We have less than a week now in Germany and I really need to start finishing the things I wanted to do.
I suggested to everyone that our last day should be one of togetherness. So, everyone is now blogging at the cafe and we plan to leave together to go souvenier shopping.
We'll frolick around until about 3:45 when we have to meet back at the hotel to collect our things and head onto the train towards Hannover. Hannover is supposed to be like Duessoldorf so I think I'll like it.
Also, I must start buying lots of candy. We have less than a week now in Germany and I really need to start finishing the things I wanted to do.
Potsdam and the Museum of Natural History
Yesterday was one of the best days that I think I have experienced in Europe. It involved walking massive distances, but I suppose castles aren't always strategically placed near the baunhof. First of all, we went exploring some different parts of Berlin near the Tiergarden in order to find a theatre house so that we could go see the opera. Sadly, everything was sold out, but we were pretty hyped up so we didn't let this upset us...we had fun walking around anyway. Afterwards, we bought a train ticket and took a lovely ride towards Potsdam, because we wanted to see more historical sites. When you first arrive at Potsdam, it is a little more modern than Berlin but has less traffic and people. I found that I enjoyed my day out in a less urban area. We walked in the wrong direction for a while, then found downtown Potsdam. There were some beautiful old buildings and a nice mosque, but I found it interesting to look at residential areas. It reminded me of the old town in Dusseldorf. We walked...and walked...and walked...until we hit an old castle, Sanssouci, was gorgeous and the view was superb. We wandered around the castle grounds until it started raining, then kept on walking down a path that was heavily lined with huge trees. The grass was still dappled with snow, yet it was warmer than Berlin. The quiet was so complete I felt like it was not possible there was a bustling city some kilometers away. We stumbled into the Chinese House, the New Palace, and (at my insistance) the Roman baths. We walked out past the fields aroudn the baths till we came to a clearing with a lovely pond. We saw some couples ice skating, and somehow Courtney bamboozled me into getting on the ice with my snowboots. It was just a frozen lake, but I happened to recall a book I had just read about ice cracking on a lake and people falling in. Luckily, we found a relatively safe entrance, slid around on the ice for a while. This was fun. We got back on the train and I had a nice nap all the way back to the station, and headed towards the museum of Natural History. AMAZING!! THE BIGGEST skeleton in the world (brontasourus?) was on display here. There was also a planet room, stuffed birds of paridise, and dioramas of animal life. I loved looking at the beautiful quartz and crystal formations. I was dead tired by this time, so we stayed until the museum closed, and headed back to the hotel. Not only was the AIR COLD, but the roads were icy. Cobblestones have multiple uses. At the hotel, we saw the rest of the group at subway, so we joined them in their later excursion. We came home, only to run into Stephie, and she was heading to meet the others, so we went to the same location to find a place for dinner. We ate at this Italian restaurant called Romeo and Julia, where the pizza had names like Paris, Montague, Capulet, and Tybalt. It was delicious and relaxing. I am really starting to develop an addiction of ananasaft. That is all!!!
sliding out of berlin
It is our last day in Berlin! I have really enjoyed staying here and I feel like we have just caught the hang of things. The roads are really slick though... and last night I will have to admit I was the first to crash. I slid straight into a pole. I'm a little sore, but I still love Berlin. I just hope Hannover is as exciting. It was nice not having any structure yesterday and being able to travel as we pleased, but sometimes I like program days just so we don't have to decide what to do.
Potsdam and the Natural History Museum
I would first like to say that Nancy and I did not ditch Yao and Michael, yesterday just was not a good day for estimating the amount of time the U bahn takes to get somewhere. But I'm glad that in the end everything worked out well.
Nancy and I also went to Potsdam, walking through town to see Schloss Sans Souci, a beautiful baroque castle with a gorgeous park and garden associated with it. The park was nice even in the winter, I can imagine that it would be stupendous in the spring and summer. We wandered through the park, visiting the Chinese house, the Roman baths, and another small castle in the park. On our journey, we saw several nice landscapes and frozen lakes and streams. Several people were ice skating on one of the larger lakes, and we carefully watched them to see where to get on (both Nancy and I were apprehensive about walking on thin ice, crashing through, and then floundering in freezing water). After observing for a little while we joined them on the ice, though it took a little convincing to get Nancy to join me. It was so fun to slide around in the middle of an outdoor pond in our regular shoes! Little did we know that when we got back to Berlin, we would be doing the same thing on the city sidewalks due to freezing rain.
First though, we had lunch in the Postdam Hauptbahnhof, where I had a döner with all three sauces and every available vegetable (cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce, and something else) on it. With the mound of lamb they put on it, it was ginormous! I had a bit of difficulty fitting it in my mouth, but of course I prevailed.
Then, back in Berlin, we tried to get tickets to an evening concert, but they were, predictably, sold out. Oh well. We probably should have tried to get tickets earlier on the week, like on Monday, but live and learn. Instead we went to the Natural History Museum and saw several stuffed animals, mineral samples (amethyst, antimony, etc), and bones. Most excitingly, there was the largest standing brontosaurus in the world! It filled up the room, and I took lots of pictures. This dinosaur was AWESOME! While I was contemplating if a particular specimen of taxidermy was a badger, a curator told myself and other museum goers that the museum was closing and we had to leave. Then, while I was getting my coat from the garderobe, the lights were turned off. YIKES! They really meant business. So, Nacny and I trekked through the freeying rain back to the bahnhof then to our hotel, where we saw Andy, Julie, Lacie, and Jessica outside. We hung out for a bit, then Nancy and I decided that we should get supper as it was 9:00. We went to a nice Italian restaurant, and I had some marvelous penne pasta with broccoli and a white cheese and sauce. Then, to bed.
Today we wander around Berlin for another couple of hours, then onward to Hannover!
Nancy and I also went to Potsdam, walking through town to see Schloss Sans Souci, a beautiful baroque castle with a gorgeous park and garden associated with it. The park was nice even in the winter, I can imagine that it would be stupendous in the spring and summer. We wandered through the park, visiting the Chinese house, the Roman baths, and another small castle in the park. On our journey, we saw several nice landscapes and frozen lakes and streams. Several people were ice skating on one of the larger lakes, and we carefully watched them to see where to get on (both Nancy and I were apprehensive about walking on thin ice, crashing through, and then floundering in freezing water). After observing for a little while we joined them on the ice, though it took a little convincing to get Nancy to join me. It was so fun to slide around in the middle of an outdoor pond in our regular shoes! Little did we know that when we got back to Berlin, we would be doing the same thing on the city sidewalks due to freezing rain.
First though, we had lunch in the Postdam Hauptbahnhof, where I had a döner with all three sauces and every available vegetable (cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce, and something else) on it. With the mound of lamb they put on it, it was ginormous! I had a bit of difficulty fitting it in my mouth, but of course I prevailed.
Then, back in Berlin, we tried to get tickets to an evening concert, but they were, predictably, sold out. Oh well. We probably should have tried to get tickets earlier on the week, like on Monday, but live and learn. Instead we went to the Natural History Museum and saw several stuffed animals, mineral samples (amethyst, antimony, etc), and bones. Most excitingly, there was the largest standing brontosaurus in the world! It filled up the room, and I took lots of pictures. This dinosaur was AWESOME! While I was contemplating if a particular specimen of taxidermy was a badger, a curator told myself and other museum goers that the museum was closing and we had to leave. Then, while I was getting my coat from the garderobe, the lights were turned off. YIKES! They really meant business. So, Nacny and I trekked through the freeying rain back to the bahnhof then to our hotel, where we saw Andy, Julie, Lacie, and Jessica outside. We hung out for a bit, then Nancy and I decided that we should get supper as it was 9:00. We went to a nice Italian restaurant, and I had some marvelous penne pasta with broccoli and a white cheese and sauce. Then, to bed.
Today we wander around Berlin for another couple of hours, then onward to Hannover!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
I Saw Castles!!!
Today, I fulfilled two of my goals for the trip.
(1) I saw castles
Germany is famous for Baroque castles, and I saw some. Me and Michael went to Postdam and toured the city, and not just the touristy areas. We went into the heart of (downtown? idk) and saw much of the local color. Some of the palaces were gourgeous. My only disappointment was that looking at the surrounding vegetation and fountains, I knew it would have been ten times more beautiful in the summer. Damn, gotta come back when it's warm.
(2) Went out on my own
While I did have Michael with me, I was the one making all the preparations, plans, and decisions. There was no one there to hold my hand and take me on a walking tour. I had to do this myself. I'm rather proud of myself actually and I don't care how lame that sounds. In the end, I'm kinda glad Courtney and Nancy ditched us (j/k).
Yep, I'm feeling pretty fulfilled about Berling right now.
(1) I saw castles
Germany is famous for Baroque castles, and I saw some. Me and Michael went to Postdam and toured the city, and not just the touristy areas. We went into the heart of (downtown? idk) and saw much of the local color. Some of the palaces were gourgeous. My only disappointment was that looking at the surrounding vegetation and fountains, I knew it would have been ten times more beautiful in the summer. Damn, gotta come back when it's warm.
(2) Went out on my own
While I did have Michael with me, I was the one making all the preparations, plans, and decisions. There was no one there to hold my hand and take me on a walking tour. I had to do this myself. I'm rather proud of myself actually and I don't care how lame that sounds. In the end, I'm kinda glad Courtney and Nancy ditched us (j/k).
Yep, I'm feeling pretty fulfilled about Berling right now.
German Exercise and Culture
Well, I have never felt like much of a museum kind of guy, but I thought that a trip to a few of the museums here in Berlin would be constructive on our day off. I have always wanted to see painting froms some of the masters here in Europe, and today I had the opportunity to see some amazing paintings from the 17th and 18th century. I was amazed by the works of impressionists and other artists that I remember learning about in junior high, and I got some good pictures. I also must comment on some of the landscapes which I think were excellent at depicting the power of nature over man.
I also ventured to the Pergamon Museum which has older art from Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, and some other special exhibits on Islamic art and the concept of hell which was also excellent. However, I had to rely more on reading the captions next to each exhibit which took some deciphering and interpretation to determine what I was looking at. There were very few captions in English, so I got a major exercise in German to go along with my cultural experience. I also need to note that the museum has an excellent exhibition on death, and it also had a few pretty cool pieces that pertained to medicine (religion and rememdies). In the end, I got much less out of the experience that I should have due to my weak German skills, but it was still worth going.
I also ventured to the Pergamon Museum which has older art from Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, and some other special exhibits on Islamic art and the concept of hell which was also excellent. However, I had to rely more on reading the captions next to each exhibit which took some deciphering and interpretation to determine what I was looking at. There were very few captions in English, so I got a major exercise in German to go along with my cultural experience. I also need to note that the museum has an excellent exhibition on death, and it also had a few pretty cool pieces that pertained to medicine (religion and rememdies). In the end, I got much less out of the experience that I should have due to my weak German skills, but it was still worth going.
Prague Castle WHOOP!
Ok, so Chyng, Brandon and I ventured off to Prague (Praha as the natives call it) yesterday! So much of an adventure...considering that I can get lost in paper bag. We jumped on our train, and immediately met, or shall I say...greeted by someone who could recognize the insecure. Haha. She spoke English, and was on her way to Praha to visit her boyfriend. She was so sweet, and we sat and all visited for those two hours. We got off the train and weren't too sure (suprising huh...) where to catch our next mode of transport. Her boyfriend was zuper (yes a "z", as locals say it), and he was quick to help us out. Chyng def. agreed that I was probably being somewhat of a creeper as I tried to take a picture of the cute couple as the walked, hand in hand, in front of us. I wouldn't have felt like one until my flash accidentally went off. YEAH! Haha. (It also happened in the muzeum, right after they had told us very sternly NO FLASH!)-(New camera...still learning...) The couple turned around and laughed because they probably knew that they'd be part of our Prague Adventure story. Haha. I love it. Ok, so in a nutshell...we caught the correct trains...finally got out at the Haupbahnhof in Prague 1 and proceeded towards our hotel... and then realized that we were gonig the wrong way. HA! Turning around , we made our way to the hotel....stopped...looked at the map......walked...stopped.....recieved assistance from 2 people on where we were...(they were both a little mistaken themselves..but still helped a little)...and finally made it to the Golden Stag!!!
For lack of time...I won't be able to tell about the WHOLE day, but again in a nutshell...we wandered down past the Tyn Cathedral (right around the corner from the Stag), and hiked (literally HIKED) up numerous steps to the Prague Castel. WHOA was it absolutely fantastic!!! My pictuers will have to explain its beauty and sureal size and foundation of stories...because my font simply can't. :) Hi Mom and Mamo!!!! I love yall!!! (Dad told me yall are reading these. Hehe!)
P.S I really do miss our group and my friends and with all these dogs around....Im a little puppy sick.
For lack of time...I won't be able to tell about the WHOLE day, but again in a nutshell...we wandered down past the Tyn Cathedral (right around the corner from the Stag), and hiked (literally HIKED) up numerous steps to the Prague Castel. WHOA was it absolutely fantastic!!! My pictuers will have to explain its beauty and sureal size and foundation of stories...because my font simply can't. :) Hi Mom and Mamo!!!! I love yall!!! (Dad told me yall are reading these. Hehe!)
P.S I really do miss our group and my friends and with all these dogs around....Im a little puppy sick.
first of the free weekend....
whelpers... i would say that going to the laundry-mat was quite an adventure. very fun. we then had ice cream while we waited for the bus because we are CRAZY. i am really getting tired of this cold weather. i keep saying that i hope the weather in texas when we get back is the typical texas winter. NOT COLD. we went to Dresden yesterday and we had a really good time. granted i couldnt feel my fingers or toes... but the hygene museum was AMAZING. by far the best museum so far. whelp now its time to start exploring. adios!
Having so much fun...
Yesterday's museum was hands on, thought provoking, and competely awesome! Seeing the human body in action was truly amazing- and all of its intricacies made me appreciate how many advances we have made in science. It also made me accutely aware that while we understand much of the human body, there is still so much we do not know, which makes medicine both an interesting and scary profession.
The city tour of Dresden was really awesome. I loved seeing the baroque structures and churches. The way we handled the cold shows just how truly Texan we are though! I was really hoping to get better acustomed to the cold and wind. I think the hygiene museum has been the best so far. It was really interactive and kept me entertained. I was also glad we got to see the "Six feet under" exibit, though it was kinda freaky. Today is our free day in Berlin and luckily it isn't that cold and windy...yet!
Questions
Since a majority of the people actual reading this blog are the individuals on this trip. I don't think that I have to repeat the sentiments felt in many of our amazing tours and events in the program. I have had a great time, and honestly think that it would take too long to put all of my sentiments and thoughts about the program into words.
However, I am wondering if everyone else is expiriencing the same predicament as me: questions. As I expirience and learn more about Germany, I continue to find more questions than answers. On our trip to Dresden yesterday, I had a thousand questions about some of the small communities, farms, and people I observed from the train (for example, I could have sworn that I saw a deer blind so do they hunt deer and wild game here often, what do they use, what kind of regulations do they have, is it for sport?...), but I knew that I wouldn't have enough time to have them all answered. As I walk around parts of Berlin I have the same problem at every turn. I am really enjoying this winter program, but part of me wishes that I could have done this in the summer so that I could perhaps find more answers and less questions. I guess that I will just have to come back.
However, I am wondering if everyone else is expiriencing the same predicament as me: questions. As I expirience and learn more about Germany, I continue to find more questions than answers. On our trip to Dresden yesterday, I had a thousand questions about some of the small communities, farms, and people I observed from the train (for example, I could have sworn that I saw a deer blind so do they hunt deer and wild game here often, what do they use, what kind of regulations do they have, is it for sport?...), but I knew that I wouldn't have enough time to have them all answered. As I walk around parts of Berlin I have the same problem at every turn. I am really enjoying this winter program, but part of me wishes that I could have done this in the summer so that I could perhaps find more answers and less questions. I guess that I will just have to come back.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Six Feet Under
Today we visited Dresden in order to check out a few exhibits at the Museum of Hygiene. Although it was a bit creepy, I found that the Six Feet Under Exhibit was absolutely amazing.
Because it is often difficult to come to terms with death, it was displayed in an exhibit with lifelike displays. The piles of candy, the wax artist, the models in Gucci Suits, all of them showed such a tragic beauty in their demise. It got me thinking to how the most we have ever felt alive must be when we are born and when we die, and like Dr. Wasser says, the first breath takes 50 x more effort than any other that will ever be taken. I believe that Dr. Wasser also said that most people fear the process of dying, but not the actual moment itself. I suppose, álthoúgh this past paragraph sounds a little morbid, a part of the whole Germany experience has taught me to appreciate life on a whole different level. I mean, yesterday, me and Courtney went to go visit the Gemeldegalerie. We saw Rembrandts, and lovely portraits from Itálians, the Scots, etc. All of these paintings left such a mark in the artistic world. I know that when I leave, I want to leave a mark as well, and I probably didnt need to see an exhibit on dying to tell me to live for the moment, but I know that I have been enjoying the past week immensely.
Other than the Six feet Under special exhibit, I also saw fantastic, hands on activities in other areas such as beauty, food, health, etc. The huge cell display, food recipe finder and invisable cow I found absolutely fascinating. Dresden is also a beautiful city, but a bit cold. I have also learned to appreciate the Texas heat!!! 'It is good to be king!' pretty much sums up the experience at the castle.
Because it is often difficult to come to terms with death, it was displayed in an exhibit with lifelike displays. The piles of candy, the wax artist, the models in Gucci Suits, all of them showed such a tragic beauty in their demise. It got me thinking to how the most we have ever felt alive must be when we are born and when we die, and like Dr. Wasser says, the first breath takes 50 x more effort than any other that will ever be taken. I believe that Dr. Wasser also said that most people fear the process of dying, but not the actual moment itself. I suppose, álthoúgh this past paragraph sounds a little morbid, a part of the whole Germany experience has taught me to appreciate life on a whole different level. I mean, yesterday, me and Courtney went to go visit the Gemeldegalerie. We saw Rembrandts, and lovely portraits from Itálians, the Scots, etc. All of these paintings left such a mark in the artistic world. I know that when I leave, I want to leave a mark as well, and I probably didnt need to see an exhibit on dying to tell me to live for the moment, but I know that I have been enjoying the past week immensely.
Other than the Six feet Under special exhibit, I also saw fantastic, hands on activities in other areas such as beauty, food, health, etc. The huge cell display, food recipe finder and invisable cow I found absolutely fascinating. Dresden is also a beautiful city, but a bit cold. I have also learned to appreciate the Texas heat!!! 'It is good to be king!' pretty much sums up the experience at the castle.
Berlin Winding Down
The past two days have been fairly slow. I'm not complaining since I need the rest from the previous days, but the rush of being in Berlin has been wounding down.
Still, these days have been quite educational. Yesterday, we visited the German History Museum. There were a lot of impressive art and relics. I really loved the paintings and some of the memorabilia are quite facinating. I took so many pictures. People have begun to make me out to be some kind of photo guru and I can see why. I do like to take lots of pictures with an emphasis on perfection. Truth is, all I did was probe my camera's capabilities and started applying the concepts to photography.
After the museum, we did laundry with Dr. Wasser. It was not a pleasant experience but it was necessary. I wish I could have dried my clothes a little longer. After that, I walked with Andy to see the Holocost memorial and then the Victory Column, or as we like to call it, the Chick on a Stick. Following that excursion, a large number of us went to the top of the Reichstag and froze our collective butts off. It was pretty, but cold.
Next day, we got up early to head to Dresden. The train rides were fun. In Dresden, we toured the city with a tour guide and learned lots, although it was quite cold. We were freezing as we walked. Things got better when we entered the Museum of Hygiene. Everyone got warm and we saw some of the coolest things on the trip. The Museum was not what I expected and I definitely learned some cool things. This was one of the best museums of the trip. It even had a Six-Feet-Under exhibit featuring death themed peices. Overall, a lot of fun.
These were good days. Tommorow, though, I need to go check out some castles. Also, need to charge battery, I keep forgetting and I miss good photo opportunities as a result. Not cool.
Still, these days have been quite educational. Yesterday, we visited the German History Museum. There were a lot of impressive art and relics. I really loved the paintings and some of the memorabilia are quite facinating. I took so many pictures. People have begun to make me out to be some kind of photo guru and I can see why. I do like to take lots of pictures with an emphasis on perfection. Truth is, all I did was probe my camera's capabilities and started applying the concepts to photography.
After the museum, we did laundry with Dr. Wasser. It was not a pleasant experience but it was necessary. I wish I could have dried my clothes a little longer. After that, I walked with Andy to see the Holocost memorial and then the Victory Column, or as we like to call it, the Chick on a Stick. Following that excursion, a large number of us went to the top of the Reichstag and froze our collective butts off. It was pretty, but cold.
Next day, we got up early to head to Dresden. The train rides were fun. In Dresden, we toured the city with a tour guide and learned lots, although it was quite cold. We were freezing as we walked. Things got better when we entered the Museum of Hygiene. Everyone got warm and we saw some of the coolest things on the trip. The Museum was not what I expected and I definitely learned some cool things. This was one of the best museums of the trip. It even had a Six-Feet-Under exhibit featuring death themed peices. Overall, a lot of fun.
These were good days. Tommorow, though, I need to go check out some castles. Also, need to charge battery, I keep forgetting and I miss good photo opportunities as a result. Not cool.
Dresden and Laundry
Laundry! YAY! The German laundromats work a little differently than the machines that I'm used to in the dorms, but all in all it worked nicely. The money had to go in a central vending machine-like thingamajig, which also dispensed dry laundry detergent. Cool.
We all hung out in the wash salon, eating and sitting on top of the machines like they do in the movies. Much to the annoyance of the regular customers I'm sure. But hopefully not too bad.
Before laundry, we had visited the German Historical Museum, which was housed in what used to be the armory of one of the Friederichs,and it was wonderful! They had several cool exhibits, I just wish that there had been more time to wander and look at more of the things in depth. Sadly, many of the captions were not translated, but the general information was decipherable. And the main signs were translated, such as information about the period, etc.
After laundry, I visited the Gemäldegalerie, which houses paintings by many European old master dating from the 13th century to the 18th century. There was Botticelli, Raphael, Rembrant, and so many others. Several beautiful works, well worth the €4 and two hours.
On our walk back from the galery, we passed the Lego exhibit, where the was a large giraffe on the street, as well as the Holocaust memorial. we met up with the rest of the group to visit the Reichstag Dome, which we got to go up into and get a bird's eye view of the city. Dr. Wasser and Stefie explained in a nutshell how the parliamentary system of Germany works, with people having two votes, one for a party and one for a candidate. It seems similar to that of the UK. An interesting system.
Finally, supper at the Kartoffelkeller, where every dish had potatoes in it. I had a nice soup, but the salad that came was rather odd. It was kind of sweet, but then a little sour too. Edible though. But, to my surprise, the restaurant was playing country music! I didn't think that I wuold hear any on this trip, but what a pleasant surprise. Brooks and Dunn, Tammy Wynette, and more. I continue to be amazed by the variety of tastes the Germans have. Dr. Wasser was telling us about a famous writer in Germany, who he described as the Louis L'Amour of Germany. He wrote american westerns in German for Germans, even though he had never been to America. Because of his best-selling books, many Germans are interested in cowboys and indians, and several movies of the books were made. Since this occurred post WWII but pre-reunification, there were duplicate versions of the movies, one made in the DDR and the other made in West Germany. Told a little differently too, even though they were based on the same book. It might be cool to read one of these westerns, if an English version can be found...
Today was Dresden day, and what a town. The main center was destroyed in the firebombing of Feb. 1945, just a few months before WWII ended. It was in East Germany, so many of the buildings were built in what the guide called a Stalinistic style - blocky, long rows, and uniform windows with little decoration. There was even a building with a communisit mosaic on it.
Several of the town landmarks were restored, and it is funny to think that the baroque style buildings one is looking at wree only built as recently as a couple of years ago. Very pretty for pictures though.
In Dresden we also visited the Hygeine musuem, which was really a museum all about the body. It had several interactive exhibits, like a glass lady and cow, as well as visual tricks, things to smell, a center to listen to various kinds of heart rhythms, and a place where with the help of a few instruments like a glove that vibrated when you tried to write that gave museum-goers an idea of what it would be like to be old. There was also a section about sexuality, which was a little bit, shal we say, awkward? But it was fine, of course. All in all, a wonderful musuem. Dresden is also a hotspot for biotechnology, something I think I would like to research a bit further.
WINDY and cold it was in Dresden, but with a warm PARKA-length jacket, gloves, scarf hat, sturdy shoes, YOU too can weather the weather. There's my plug. The end.
We all hung out in the wash salon, eating and sitting on top of the machines like they do in the movies. Much to the annoyance of the regular customers I'm sure. But hopefully not too bad.
Before laundry, we had visited the German Historical Museum, which was housed in what used to be the armory of one of the Friederichs,and it was wonderful! They had several cool exhibits, I just wish that there had been more time to wander and look at more of the things in depth. Sadly, many of the captions were not translated, but the general information was decipherable. And the main signs were translated, such as information about the period, etc.
After laundry, I visited the Gemäldegalerie, which houses paintings by many European old master dating from the 13th century to the 18th century. There was Botticelli, Raphael, Rembrant, and so many others. Several beautiful works, well worth the €4 and two hours.
On our walk back from the galery, we passed the Lego exhibit, where the was a large giraffe on the street, as well as the Holocaust memorial. we met up with the rest of the group to visit the Reichstag Dome, which we got to go up into and get a bird's eye view of the city. Dr. Wasser and Stefie explained in a nutshell how the parliamentary system of Germany works, with people having two votes, one for a party and one for a candidate. It seems similar to that of the UK. An interesting system.
Finally, supper at the Kartoffelkeller, where every dish had potatoes in it. I had a nice soup, but the salad that came was rather odd. It was kind of sweet, but then a little sour too. Edible though. But, to my surprise, the restaurant was playing country music! I didn't think that I wuold hear any on this trip, but what a pleasant surprise. Brooks and Dunn, Tammy Wynette, and more. I continue to be amazed by the variety of tastes the Germans have. Dr. Wasser was telling us about a famous writer in Germany, who he described as the Louis L'Amour of Germany. He wrote american westerns in German for Germans, even though he had never been to America. Because of his best-selling books, many Germans are interested in cowboys and indians, and several movies of the books were made. Since this occurred post WWII but pre-reunification, there were duplicate versions of the movies, one made in the DDR and the other made in West Germany. Told a little differently too, even though they were based on the same book. It might be cool to read one of these westerns, if an English version can be found...
Today was Dresden day, and what a town. The main center was destroyed in the firebombing of Feb. 1945, just a few months before WWII ended. It was in East Germany, so many of the buildings were built in what the guide called a Stalinistic style - blocky, long rows, and uniform windows with little decoration. There was even a building with a communisit mosaic on it.
Several of the town landmarks were restored, and it is funny to think that the baroque style buildings one is looking at wree only built as recently as a couple of years ago. Very pretty for pictures though.
In Dresden we also visited the Hygeine musuem, which was really a museum all about the body. It had several interactive exhibits, like a glass lady and cow, as well as visual tricks, things to smell, a center to listen to various kinds of heart rhythms, and a place where with the help of a few instruments like a glove that vibrated when you tried to write that gave museum-goers an idea of what it would be like to be old. There was also a section about sexuality, which was a little bit, shal we say, awkward? But it was fine, of course. All in all, a wonderful musuem. Dresden is also a hotspot for biotechnology, something I think I would like to research a bit further.
WINDY and cold it was in Dresden, but with a warm PARKA-length jacket, gloves, scarf hat, sturdy shoes, YOU too can weather the weather. There's my plug. The end.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Last Day In Berlin
Today was a bit interesting. Three times I was approached by Germans who looked puzzled and were asking me questions in German. The first two I had no clue what they were talking about, so i replied 'Sorry, only english'. In which they pardoned themselves and moved on. The last man pulled out a map and was pointing at the palace, I realized they have been asking me directions! It was kind of nice to pass off as someone other than a clueless American tourist!
The laundry trip we made today also turned out to be troublesome for me. There werent enough machines for me to get both of my loads done, so I had to go to a second laundromat down the street. I put my clothes in a machine that promptly broke down after starting up. I tried to open the door and couldn't. I was then ignored by the worker for about 10 minutes before he opened the door for me. To top it off, i had to pay for the next machine. And at the end, the driers proved to be rather inefficient. Keep in mind that its 3.50 euros just to turn on the washing machine! To leave in a positive note, the Berlin museum we visited was amazing. It has sooo many things to view, that there was no way we could have seen it all. As always seeing the mindset of the Nazi's sent a chill down my spine. Its amazing that such ideologies can create monsters out of people.
The laundry trip we made today also turned out to be troublesome for me. There werent enough machines for me to get both of my loads done, so I had to go to a second laundromat down the street. I put my clothes in a machine that promptly broke down after starting up. I tried to open the door and couldn't. I was then ignored by the worker for about 10 minutes before he opened the door for me. To top it off, i had to pay for the next machine. And at the end, the driers proved to be rather inefficient. Keep in mind that its 3.50 euros just to turn on the washing machine! To leave in a positive note, the Berlin museum we visited was amazing. It has sooo many things to view, that there was no way we could have seen it all. As always seeing the mindset of the Nazi's sent a chill down my spine. Its amazing that such ideologies can create monsters out of people.
A little bit of everything
First off, I thought I would share one of my interesting dreams with you all. Since I have arrived, it seems like every night I have been dreaming. Well on one of the first evenings here, I had a dream that I was mugged in the streets of Berlin. (Now in real life, Dr. Wasser told us that in the event of a mugging, we were not supposed to fight back and just give the criminal whatever was in our pockets.) In my dream however, I decided the knife the mugger was holding was not that big of a threat, so I kicked it out of his hand. Then I kicked him in a very sensitive place and when he fell down I gave him a nice punch in the eye. Then I ran off and yelled POLIZEI! When I found the police officers, however, they did not speak English. So instead of the mugger getting in trouble, I was arrested for assaulting HIM, because I couldn't explain the situation!
I decided this dream probably means I was having some anxiety about crime in Berlin and am a little insecure about the language barrier we face. Dr. Wasser also said that sleeping in new places and being in a new country can cause you to dream.
Yesterday we went on two very awesome tours! The city of Berlin tour was great, even though we were FREEZING cold! And the Charite museum was quite interesting. I had some queasiness when looking at some of the fetal specimens- I just cannot comprehend such abnormal development! But I think it was a very good thing for me to see.
Today we saw the German history museum which was laid out in a symbolic manner. Whoever organized and designed the layout must have been very passionate about portraying the duality that always accompanies history.
I decided this dream probably means I was having some anxiety about crime in Berlin and am a little insecure about the language barrier we face. Dr. Wasser also said that sleeping in new places and being in a new country can cause you to dream.
Yesterday we went on two very awesome tours! The city of Berlin tour was great, even though we were FREEZING cold! And the Charite museum was quite interesting. I had some queasiness when looking at some of the fetal specimens- I just cannot comprehend such abnormal development! But I think it was a very good thing for me to see.
Today we saw the German history museum which was laid out in a symbolic manner. Whoever organized and designed the layout must have been very passionate about portraying the duality that always accompanies history.
its more like brrrrrlin
So I must say that the weather has changed since our initial arrival and today was probably the worst. It was freezing cold and the wind never died down.
So yesterday was our city tour of Berlin led by a tall man who knew what he was talking about. It was very informative and very rushed...we walked around berlin until 7 pm! Thats a little crazy especially since we started around 10am. Berlin is filled with so much history it seemed like every 100m was a building of some historical significance. The turkish food in kreuzberg was sooo good, the best hummus Ive ever had. but the aryan (?) was awful. I still give michael kudos for finishing his entire glass. It tasted like combination of sour cream and buttermilk in a glass. The charite museum was very cool, except I dont enjoy having a guide in a museum because I never feel like i get to see everything that I want. I never knew that physicians at that time opposed the church by opening its hospital doors at the same time as service/mass. I loved the room that our lecture was in and I could see people in the museum peeking at us through the windows.
Today was freeeezing cold with the wind, what a bad combo. It was horrible outside. We went to see the german history museum which seemed really cool except once again, it was done by a tour guide. I felt the nervousness of this tour guide but she actually did a really good job. Afterwards we went to do our laundry, which was quite an experience because the washers were so tiny. So we went to get lunch at this asia box place down the road, and while we were in line, carrie bent down to pet this dog and the owner immediately called the dog back to him. Then the own stood up and hit the dog, and the dog let out a loud yelp. I was in disbelief. I was so angry and sad all at the same time. I didnt understand it at all. We are supposed to head to the parliament building tonight around 7pm and hopefully Ill get to sleep early because tomorrow after our day trip to dresden, Carrie, Brandon, and I are headed to prague!!!!
So yesterday was our city tour of Berlin led by a tall man who knew what he was talking about. It was very informative and very rushed...we walked around berlin until 7 pm! Thats a little crazy especially since we started around 10am. Berlin is filled with so much history it seemed like every 100m was a building of some historical significance. The turkish food in kreuzberg was sooo good, the best hummus Ive ever had. but the aryan (?) was awful. I still give michael kudos for finishing his entire glass. It tasted like combination of sour cream and buttermilk in a glass. The charite museum was very cool, except I dont enjoy having a guide in a museum because I never feel like i get to see everything that I want. I never knew that physicians at that time opposed the church by opening its hospital doors at the same time as service/mass. I loved the room that our lecture was in and I could see people in the museum peeking at us through the windows.
Today was freeeezing cold with the wind, what a bad combo. It was horrible outside. We went to see the german history museum which seemed really cool except once again, it was done by a tour guide. I felt the nervousness of this tour guide but she actually did a really good job. Afterwards we went to do our laundry, which was quite an experience because the washers were so tiny. So we went to get lunch at this asia box place down the road, and while we were in line, carrie bent down to pet this dog and the owner immediately called the dog back to him. Then the own stood up and hit the dog, and the dog let out a loud yelp. I was in disbelief. I was so angry and sad all at the same time. I didnt understand it at all. We are supposed to head to the parliament building tonight around 7pm and hopefully Ill get to sleep early because tomorrow after our day trip to dresden, Carrie, Brandon, and I are headed to prague!!!!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Journal Update On January 2, 2008
Day 1 – December 25th
Wow this is Christmas day! Today at 10:55 am my plane will depart from Dallas, Fort Worth Airport for Dusseldorf Germany. Last night after packing, I couldn’t fall asleep because of the excitement. Speaking of packing, I think I over-packed. Actually, I am sure I over-packed as I am a chronic over-packer. Let’s see, I packed a lap top, power converter, extension cord, and mp3 player in addition to the clothes I packed. In total, I have one luggage and 2 carry-ons (a lap top bag and back pack). I think the bulk of it is clothes because I wanted to have multiple layers in Germany’s weather. This means I packed some kind of undershirt, a normal t-shirt, and a sweater to go over that. With my coat, I should have 4 layers of clothing. This is my first time in Europe and so I am excitedly waiting at the airport. Yesterday night, I printed all the documents I thought I needed including some German Language reading. I am hoping to study them on the plane as well as to listen to the audio on my mp3 player. I will be arriving a day ahead of the whole group and so it will be interesting to find out how I do on my own for the first day. I am not well-traveled, so I am excited although somewhat unsure of what will happen today. Anyways, that’s it for this entry.
Day 3 – December 27th
I arrived yesterday around 12:00 pm local time in Dusseldorf and everyone else arrived around 1:00 pm today local time. Breakfast consisted of various cold cuts of pork meats and cheeses. There was also yogurt and granola cereals, hard boiled eggs, and various breads. Stefie and Dr. Wasser took us on a tour of Dusseldorf mostly around the Media Harbor area close to where AIB Headquarters in Dusseldorf is. We saw the Rhine Tower and also the Rhine River. From the tower we saw the cityscape of Dusseldorf, and the view was fantastic. The tower is also a digital clock. Afterwards, we had dinner together at Schwann paid by Dr. Wasser, and I had my first Schnitzel. Schnitzel is a breaded pork chop with various sauces and garnishes. It was delicious. The hotel accommodations at CVJM near the main train station are excellent. The restrooms are real clean even though the room itself is small. The public art of this city is different from the very practical cities of the United States, and I like it. Lastly, the public transportation here is amazing. You can get within a short walk of anyplace you want to in the city by either taking the train, subway, or bus. I look forward to my next entry!
Day 4 – December 28th – Today we had our tour of Cologne. We got there by train in about 20 minutes. I love how fast we can get to a new city! We had a tour of the Cologne zoo and got to see sunbears, elephants, apes, and much more. I learned a lot about animal training from the elephant trainer. We then had our tour of Cologne as a city. Cologne literally sits upon its history as below the city everywhere are artifacts. We saw the Cologne Cathedral where the remains of the Three Wise Men lay. We also saw a cleansing bath in the old Jewish quarter. It is very deep because it uses ground water to cleanse instead of a well. We also visited a German-Roman history museum after the tour of the city. We then went to a famous brewery in Cologne and I had 2 glasses of kölnich paid by Dr. Wasser. The beer is top fermented instead of the usual bottom fermented and has very little bitter taste I have experienced with other beers. After returning by train to Dusseldorf, we then went to celebrate Lacy’s birthday in Alstadt region of Dusseldorf which is known for its many bars and restaurants. I had another schnitzel for dinner at a bar/restaurant. We then also went out for a couple more drinks. I then returned back to sleep and also write this entry.
Day 5 –December 29th
Today was a lecture day at the AIB Headquarters. We talked about first the history of medicine and about the Nazi eugenics program. Even though I was somewhat tired, I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture and stayed awake the whole time. Dr. Wasser’s insight on both subjects, but especially the Nazi eugenics program made the lecture informative and interesting. Afterwards, I retired back to the Hotel CVJM and grabbed a Turkish döner. I had the non-tasch one, meaning the one not in sandwich form. A döner is basically lamb or chicken meat shaved off a huge spit of meat. The meal was delicious. I then slept from about 2-6 pm and awakened to Yao’s phone call to my room. We then returned to Alstadt and walked around in search of the others. We met Nancy and Courtney and joined them. We saw a basilica and took pictures. We then returned to the main train station. I was hungry and so had a curry wurst which is basically the German bratwurst in a curry-powder sweet sauce. Later, around 10:30 pm, I had another Turkish dish, their pizza. This is actually more of burrito or fajita than a pizza as it is rolled up. Although both Turkish dishes I tried today were delicious, I found the Turkish pizza to be the favored of the two. That’s It for this entry. Tomorrow we head off on a high-speed train to Berlin!
Day 6 – December 30th
We departed at 8:53 am for Berlin from Dusseldorf by high speed train. It took a little over 4 hours to get to Berlin. Upon arrival, we checked into Hotel Amelie, but as they weren’t ready for us, we went to have some Italian food at a nearby Italian Restaurant. I had rigatoni casa which was very lecker (delicious). The waiter was also very nice. After that, we checked in. I was in a triple this time with Yao and Andy. We then got free time. We went as a group to the Berlin Wall. We then went to Alexanderplatz area to look at the shops in the train station which is basically equivalent to a mall. We then visited a jazz club and had a few drinks. As this was my first time at a jazz club, it was quite the experience. Its harder to find such clubs back where I live in the states. We then headed back to the hotel, but stopped for döners and pizzas at a place along the way. That’s it for this entry.
Day 7 – December 31stToday is New Year’s Eve! I got up and ate breakfast, which is similar to that served at the CVJM Hotel. Then , I headed to the internet café to post my entries, but could not find the usb adapter. Then, with Yao, Courtney, and Nancy, we headed out for sightseeing. We first visited Checkpoint Charlie. It had many historical billboards set up so we could understand the significance f each of the locations. There were some supposed Bosnians soliciting money there. I gave them some euros, but I am never too sure whether I am being duped by beggars. So, back to the sightseeing. We headed to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, but it looked to crowded and so we opted to skip it for today. We then headed to the Charlottenburg Palace. We had a guided tour by recording through the palace. Unfortunately, there was no photography, so its all in this mind. The two most significant items of interest was first the picture of Napoleon on a horse. Yes, that one that’s always in the textbooks. The next one is the picture of Napoleon as Caesar. I was particularly impressed by the one with Napoleon on horseback. The picture is much larger than I imagined it. The colors are much better in person and the size really helps to set an atmosphere of grandeur. It is a must-see when going to Berlin. We then returned at 4:00 for an hour lecture about EU and euthanasia. It was quite interesting comparing German policies towards euthanasia against those of other European countries. After lecture, I napped until around seven. We then got up for the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Brandenburg gate.. In Berlin, the celebration is a big deal. Fireworks are shot off in the streets and stalls are set up with food, alcoholic drinks, and clothing. I had gluwein, which is a hot red wine. I also had a berlinerweiser, which is a beer with syrup in it. The bratwurst from the stands was vielen lecker (very delicious ). The fireworks set off at midnight were particularly spectacular. The New Year’s Eve celebration in Berlin is the most exciting one I have ever been to! Being tired, however, some of the group and I then turned out early.
Wow this is Christmas day! Today at 10:55 am my plane will depart from Dallas, Fort Worth Airport for Dusseldorf Germany. Last night after packing, I couldn’t fall asleep because of the excitement. Speaking of packing, I think I over-packed. Actually, I am sure I over-packed as I am a chronic over-packer. Let’s see, I packed a lap top, power converter, extension cord, and mp3 player in addition to the clothes I packed. In total, I have one luggage and 2 carry-ons (a lap top bag and back pack). I think the bulk of it is clothes because I wanted to have multiple layers in Germany’s weather. This means I packed some kind of undershirt, a normal t-shirt, and a sweater to go over that. With my coat, I should have 4 layers of clothing. This is my first time in Europe and so I am excitedly waiting at the airport. Yesterday night, I printed all the documents I thought I needed including some German Language reading. I am hoping to study them on the plane as well as to listen to the audio on my mp3 player. I will be arriving a day ahead of the whole group and so it will be interesting to find out how I do on my own for the first day. I am not well-traveled, so I am excited although somewhat unsure of what will happen today. Anyways, that’s it for this entry.
Day 3 – December 27th
I arrived yesterday around 12:00 pm local time in Dusseldorf and everyone else arrived around 1:00 pm today local time. Breakfast consisted of various cold cuts of pork meats and cheeses. There was also yogurt and granola cereals, hard boiled eggs, and various breads. Stefie and Dr. Wasser took us on a tour of Dusseldorf mostly around the Media Harbor area close to where AIB Headquarters in Dusseldorf is. We saw the Rhine Tower and also the Rhine River. From the tower we saw the cityscape of Dusseldorf, and the view was fantastic. The tower is also a digital clock. Afterwards, we had dinner together at Schwann paid by Dr. Wasser, and I had my first Schnitzel. Schnitzel is a breaded pork chop with various sauces and garnishes. It was delicious. The hotel accommodations at CVJM near the main train station are excellent. The restrooms are real clean even though the room itself is small. The public art of this city is different from the very practical cities of the United States, and I like it. Lastly, the public transportation here is amazing. You can get within a short walk of anyplace you want to in the city by either taking the train, subway, or bus. I look forward to my next entry!
Day 4 – December 28th – Today we had our tour of Cologne. We got there by train in about 20 minutes. I love how fast we can get to a new city! We had a tour of the Cologne zoo and got to see sunbears, elephants, apes, and much more. I learned a lot about animal training from the elephant trainer. We then had our tour of Cologne as a city. Cologne literally sits upon its history as below the city everywhere are artifacts. We saw the Cologne Cathedral where the remains of the Three Wise Men lay. We also saw a cleansing bath in the old Jewish quarter. It is very deep because it uses ground water to cleanse instead of a well. We also visited a German-Roman history museum after the tour of the city. We then went to a famous brewery in Cologne and I had 2 glasses of kölnich paid by Dr. Wasser. The beer is top fermented instead of the usual bottom fermented and has very little bitter taste I have experienced with other beers. After returning by train to Dusseldorf, we then went to celebrate Lacy’s birthday in Alstadt region of Dusseldorf which is known for its many bars and restaurants. I had another schnitzel for dinner at a bar/restaurant. We then also went out for a couple more drinks. I then returned back to sleep and also write this entry.
Day 5 –December 29th
Today was a lecture day at the AIB Headquarters. We talked about first the history of medicine and about the Nazi eugenics program. Even though I was somewhat tired, I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture and stayed awake the whole time. Dr. Wasser’s insight on both subjects, but especially the Nazi eugenics program made the lecture informative and interesting. Afterwards, I retired back to the Hotel CVJM and grabbed a Turkish döner. I had the non-tasch one, meaning the one not in sandwich form. A döner is basically lamb or chicken meat shaved off a huge spit of meat. The meal was delicious. I then slept from about 2-6 pm and awakened to Yao’s phone call to my room. We then returned to Alstadt and walked around in search of the others. We met Nancy and Courtney and joined them. We saw a basilica and took pictures. We then returned to the main train station. I was hungry and so had a curry wurst which is basically the German bratwurst in a curry-powder sweet sauce. Later, around 10:30 pm, I had another Turkish dish, their pizza. This is actually more of burrito or fajita than a pizza as it is rolled up. Although both Turkish dishes I tried today were delicious, I found the Turkish pizza to be the favored of the two. That’s It for this entry. Tomorrow we head off on a high-speed train to Berlin!
Day 6 – December 30th
We departed at 8:53 am for Berlin from Dusseldorf by high speed train. It took a little over 4 hours to get to Berlin. Upon arrival, we checked into Hotel Amelie, but as they weren’t ready for us, we went to have some Italian food at a nearby Italian Restaurant. I had rigatoni casa which was very lecker (delicious). The waiter was also very nice. After that, we checked in. I was in a triple this time with Yao and Andy. We then got free time. We went as a group to the Berlin Wall. We then went to Alexanderplatz area to look at the shops in the train station which is basically equivalent to a mall. We then visited a jazz club and had a few drinks. As this was my first time at a jazz club, it was quite the experience. Its harder to find such clubs back where I live in the states. We then headed back to the hotel, but stopped for döners and pizzas at a place along the way. That’s it for this entry.
Day 7 – December 31stToday is New Year’s Eve! I got up and ate breakfast, which is similar to that served at the CVJM Hotel. Then , I headed to the internet café to post my entries, but could not find the usb adapter. Then, with Yao, Courtney, and Nancy, we headed out for sightseeing. We first visited Checkpoint Charlie. It had many historical billboards set up so we could understand the significance f each of the locations. There were some supposed Bosnians soliciting money there. I gave them some euros, but I am never too sure whether I am being duped by beggars. So, back to the sightseeing. We headed to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, but it looked to crowded and so we opted to skip it for today. We then headed to the Charlottenburg Palace. We had a guided tour by recording through the palace. Unfortunately, there was no photography, so its all in this mind. The two most significant items of interest was first the picture of Napoleon on a horse. Yes, that one that’s always in the textbooks. The next one is the picture of Napoleon as Caesar. I was particularly impressed by the one with Napoleon on horseback. The picture is much larger than I imagined it. The colors are much better in person and the size really helps to set an atmosphere of grandeur. It is a must-see when going to Berlin. We then returned at 4:00 for an hour lecture about EU and euthanasia. It was quite interesting comparing German policies towards euthanasia against those of other European countries. After lecture, I napped until around seven. We then got up for the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Brandenburg gate.. In Berlin, the celebration is a big deal. Fireworks are shot off in the streets and stalls are set up with food, alcoholic drinks, and clothing. I had gluwein, which is a hot red wine. I also had a berlinerweiser, which is a beer with syrup in it. The bratwurst from the stands was vielen lecker (very delicious ). The fireworks set off at midnight were particularly spectacular. The New Year’s Eve celebration in Berlin is the most exciting one I have ever been to! Being tired, however, some of the group and I then turned out early.
Berlin Tour
I think I may be walking way too much. This morning my big toe was numb. I could still move it but it was difficult for me to gain any sensation from it. This would normally freak me out but I've had this happen to me before. Still, it didn't help that we went on a walking tour of Berlin.
The tour was informative and interesting, and the guide was really cool, but I know I would have paid much more attention had I not been preoccupied with my toe. All the walking was taking a toll on my feet. I figure I'm going to try to rest more.
Still, the Virchow museum was interesting enough. I got some good pictures of the city as well. Finally, I had the best Turkish food I've ever had. Altogether, not a bad day.
The tour was informative and interesting, and the guide was really cool, but I know I would have paid much more attention had I not been preoccupied with my toe. All the walking was taking a toll on my feet. I figure I'm going to try to rest more.
Still, the Virchow museum was interesting enough. I got some good pictures of the city as well. Finally, I had the best Turkish food I've ever had. Altogether, not a bad day.
Berlin, Silvester and after
New Year's eve was amazing. It was an insane party we went to that had over a million people along a mile stretch that led from Brandenburg gate to the victory column. Interestingly enough there was alot of American music, with some spanish. Of course some was in German, but it seemed that it constituted a small part of it. We ran into some Aussies just a half hour before New Years. They turned out to be quite the partiers, it livened up our night. I got back to the hotel late, around 2:15 am, some of the others in the group opted to stay out later. The next day was a day of recuperation, we traveled around some, but mostly slept and ate. Today was more grueling, taking a city tour by foot in which the tour guide kept hastening us along. He was an interesting character, who has French and German blood, I think the goofy hat he wore came from the French side.... It was a bit sad and moving to see how much artifacts, books, and artwork was lost because of war and oppression. Especially in West Berlin, who suffered under Communist regime after the Nazi's were defeated. Perhaps my favorite part of today was standing at the modest monument to the Burning of the Books, where the Nazi party torched over 25,000 books deemed non-german.
Turk milk my heiniken!!!
Ok, so the tour of the city was so much fun...Berlin I mean...it was hella cold but I managed to tiptoe until my toes were almost off the ground and then let down, and my toes were roasty-toasty. The lunch at the Turkish place was...er....culturing? Yeah...that'd be it...because I def. didn't enjoy the milk. Hahaha! And I think I can say that for the rest of the group as well...accept Michael. Haha. We finally went to the 'more medical' part of the adventure today and I could really feel the excitement as we walked into the Chaliet area. The specimens were amazing to see and reminded me just how incredibly lucky I am to be on this shindig! Dr. Wasser's lecture was so interesting because we were all sitting in the space where the guy he was teaching about had just taught some (lots) of years back. We were all crazy tired...but I'm sure that Dr. Wasser felt the same and could empathize with our somewhat nodding heads. I cannot express how badly that I want to be a vet, and being the only one in the group interested in this field, I really feel like I am going to get such an experience from the places that we will go. Large Animal Hannover Faccilities!!! WHOOP!!! Ok, getting too long.....until next time! Ciao!
Two different berlin tours
Last night was interesting! A few of us took a tour of the transportation system and rode around on the U and S bahns. We found some really cool stuff like tubing down a hill in Potsdamer Platz. Unfortunaly for those of us who had to go to the bathroom, it was a little interesting trying to find one. Paying for a restroom in s novel concept to me! Today we had a city tour of Berlin. It was really nice to get the historical background of some of the stuff Dr. Wasser had shown us in class, but I felt that we moved so fast that it was hard to get a grasp of all the history around us. Eating at a traditional turkish place was fun and definately something I have never done.
A Tiny Istanbul
Todays city tour of Berlin was absolutely exhausting...but I am chock full of Berlin tidbits! I was oblivious to the fact that the building in front of our hotel was in fact a Nazi bunker, the building with the amazing golden dome was a synagogue, or that women of a 'horizontal profession' tend to stick in packs. The tour guide was fun, although I felt a little shafted that my legs are so short and we had to run up all of those stairs. My laziness aside, I loved going to the Turkish restaurant and listening to our tour guides views, politically, of the Turks in Germany. it is amying how everything, in one way or another, always seems to be related to WWII. I felt some of my heart break when I heard that many amazing works of art were destroyed during the war, and that the remains of Troy were stolen by the Russians.
Professor Wassers lecture on Vierchov was very entertaining. Considering Im of the 'bleeding heart' variety, I loved the fact that he socialized medicine, brazenly critized the governments inattention towards typhus in Poland, and instated sewage systems in the state. What made this lecture even more awe inspiring was the fact that Vierchov himself gave a lecture in the room where we were in.
Going to the medical museum was certainly an experience. Although I was completely fasinated by the case studies on display, which included the glaucoma, psychosis, and crazy out of control infections, I felt quite differently when I went into the room with all the specimens. I suppose, although this might be an extremely old fashioned viewpoint, that seeing all those body parts on display was sort of dehumanizing to look at. I mentally had to say a prayer for all those pickled fetuses. I do think that Brandon had a point though when he told me that you need to be able to learn about diseases before you can help others by treating them. certainly something to think about. Making all sorts of ethical decisions is essential to medicine, and I had no idea how deeply ingrained my viewpoints are until I stood there and looked at a display that was made for the sake of science.
Going to visit the hotbed of the Turkish community, I had the most amazing lamb with something of a flour flat bread thing. I translated this into a tortilla-barbacoa, and I was good to go. The drink, Arayan, was certainly an experience. Most interesting. Our tour guide jokenly told us that we were entering Istanbul, and I found it kind of funny.
Professor Wassers lecture on Vierchov was very entertaining. Considering Im of the 'bleeding heart' variety, I loved the fact that he socialized medicine, brazenly critized the governments inattention towards typhus in Poland, and instated sewage systems in the state. What made this lecture even more awe inspiring was the fact that Vierchov himself gave a lecture in the room where we were in.
Going to the medical museum was certainly an experience. Although I was completely fasinated by the case studies on display, which included the glaucoma, psychosis, and crazy out of control infections, I felt quite differently when I went into the room with all the specimens. I suppose, although this might be an extremely old fashioned viewpoint, that seeing all those body parts on display was sort of dehumanizing to look at. I mentally had to say a prayer for all those pickled fetuses. I do think that Brandon had a point though when he told me that you need to be able to learn about diseases before you can help others by treating them. certainly something to think about. Making all sorts of ethical decisions is essential to medicine, and I had no idea how deeply ingrained my viewpoints are until I stood there and looked at a display that was made for the sake of science.
Going to visit the hotbed of the Turkish community, I had the most amazing lamb with something of a flour flat bread thing. I translated this into a tortilla-barbacoa, and I was good to go. The drink, Arayan, was certainly an experience. Most interesting. Our tour guide jokenly told us that we were entering Istanbul, and I found it kind of funny.
Guided Tour and The Charite Museum
Besides not being able to feel my toes for awhile, I really enjoyed the walking tour of Berlin today. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable about not only Berlin and its history but also willing to discuss other topics, like gene expression and religion, with us. I didn't realize that there was such a high degree of tension between the Turks and the Germans in present day. The turkish food we had for lunch was decent, although I didn't like the Aryan milk, which tasted a bit like buttermilk. So much for my attempt to be adventurous with food choices.
On our tour, there were a couple of places, like Alexanderplatz and Stalinstraße, that the guide mentioned that I have added to my list of places in Berlin to visit. The list just keeps growing!
At the Charite museum, I particularly liked the medical and laboratory instruments on display, as well as the specimens that had artificial devices implanted in them. Some of the specimens on display, such as the disfigured fetuses and the wax models of eye diseases were grotesque, and made me wonder about being a doctor. I've seen surgeries and broken bones before and had no problem, but diseased things are not cool. Perhaps it just takes a little getting used to. Food for thought I guess.
On our tour, there were a couple of places, like Alexanderplatz and Stalinstraße, that the guide mentioned that I have added to my list of places in Berlin to visit. The list just keeps growing!
At the Charite museum, I particularly liked the medical and laboratory instruments on display, as well as the specimens that had artificial devices implanted in them. Some of the specimens on display, such as the disfigured fetuses and the wax models of eye diseases were grotesque, and made me wonder about being a doctor. I've seen surgeries and broken bones before and had no problem, but diseased things are not cool. Perhaps it just takes a little getting used to. Food for thought I guess.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Bringing the Superman to Berlin.
New Years was an event that literally leaves me...speechless. Yes, it was super enjoyable, but you really have to experience it in order to understand how vivid it was... the colors, the smells, the cold were all a complete aesthetic bombardment. It struck me as super surprising, because the Berliners seem to have an innate reserve, but when they decide to have a festival, they make sure it includes big screens and roughly a kilometer of entertainment. I was a bit sad I didnt see a live bear though, nothing would have surprised me at that point. The lights, food, music, fireworks, people...are all something that I am likely never to forget. walking back was pretty crazy too..i felt like i was going to step on a firecracker, they were all over the place.
Today was a ton of fun as well, but uber exhausting. Me, Courtney, Yao and Michael went 'museum hopping'. I saw Renoir, Monet, Schuler...amazing impressionism, gothic styles, old coins, middle aged works, Egyptian tombs, etc. I also brushed up on my Greek God History by visiting the Paramuseum (not how you spell it). I promise you, I could stand right smack dab in front of an old statue of Casear and stare at him for hours. I also made friends with the museum guard while asking him if we could use 'blitz.' (two hours later, when I lost my ticket, this came in handy).
Walking up the steps of the National Gallery also made me feel like Scarlet O Hara from Gone with the Wind. (all right, I also made Michael take a picture) Yao also recognized the full form of the statue that we saw in the palace. (Louisa and Fredericka must have been beautiful) Wandering outside, we got some currywurst and saw the snow fall softly into the river. It was an absolute dream. Now very hungry, we trooped over towards a Thai Restaurant, apparently, Jins or Pho Johns isnt the best we could get. I decided to try something new, and it was worth it.
I now realized that my post title has nothing to do with what I wrote about. Okay, so at the Brandenburg gate, Pablo decided to show the Berliners an American dance´, and I am sure that all of us agree it was pretty hilarious. Ill post it on Facebook later, but it just cracked me up and Im sure the world will want to see Pablo and company celebrating.
Today was a ton of fun as well, but uber exhausting. Me, Courtney, Yao and Michael went 'museum hopping'. I saw Renoir, Monet, Schuler...amazing impressionism, gothic styles, old coins, middle aged works, Egyptian tombs, etc. I also brushed up on my Greek God History by visiting the Paramuseum (not how you spell it). I promise you, I could stand right smack dab in front of an old statue of Casear and stare at him for hours. I also made friends with the museum guard while asking him if we could use 'blitz.' (two hours later, when I lost my ticket, this came in handy).
Walking up the steps of the National Gallery also made me feel like Scarlet O Hara from Gone with the Wind. (all right, I also made Michael take a picture) Yao also recognized the full form of the statue that we saw in the palace. (Louisa and Fredericka must have been beautiful) Wandering outside, we got some currywurst and saw the snow fall softly into the river. It was an absolute dream. Now very hungry, we trooped over towards a Thai Restaurant, apparently, Jins or Pho Johns isnt the best we could get. I decided to try something new, and it was worth it.
I now realized that my post title has nothing to do with what I wrote about. Okay, so at the Brandenburg gate, Pablo decided to show the Berliners an American dance´, and I am sure that all of us agree it was pretty hilarious. Ill post it on Facebook later, but it just cracked me up and Im sure the world will want to see Pablo and company celebrating.
New Years
Ahh, my first post of the new years. I gotta say, new year's was a blast. Before the party at midnight, I went to see the Charlottenburg Palace. The place was gorgeous and definitely worth a visit. My only real regret was not being able to see it in the summer because I would have been spectacular. Still, it was quite enlightening.
The party at midnight was something else. I was finally able to get my ethanol allergy under control with some pepcid, allowing me to get more wasted than I've ever been before. Still, I kept myself in control (relatively) and the night ended without much incident on my part. I'd write more but my compatriots seem pretty tight-lipped about more details so I'll just leave it at that.
This morning, not having to suffer the same headaches as some of our group members, I set out with some of my dry friends to visit museums on Museum Island. It was a lot of fun if not completely exhausting. This trip certainly is turning out quite well I have to say.
The party at midnight was something else. I was finally able to get my ethanol allergy under control with some pepcid, allowing me to get more wasted than I've ever been before. Still, I kept myself in control (relatively) and the night ended without much incident on my part. I'd write more but my compatriots seem pretty tight-lipped about more details so I'll just leave it at that.
This morning, not having to suffer the same headaches as some of our group members, I set out with some of my dry friends to visit museums on Museum Island. It was a lot of fun if not completely exhausting. This trip certainly is turning out quite well I have to say.
New Year's Eve and Day
So, I spent New Year's Eve daytime by visting Checkpoint Charlie and reading the information they had posted outside. All very interesting. We didn't get to visit any of the museums in the area due to large lines...maybe later in the week. Then a visit to Schloss Charlottenburg, where not only did we get gorgeous pictures of the outside from the front and from the gardens, but we also got to go inside the New Wing! Frederick the Great had the new wing built, and much of it was rather ornate. There were also some great paintings, including the one of Napoleon on a horse and another where Napoleon was painted to look like Caesar. Then, a nap to prepare for the evening.
New Year's Eve at the Brandenburger Gate was awesome. The fireworks were beautiful! And, we got to meet some interesting people. There were some Australians there, and I had a nice chat with a couple of them. I found it particularly interesting that they wanted to hear more about OUR upcoming presidential election. They seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the candidates, and even had one they supported. We didn't debate the issue much though.
It was also interesting to hear the selection of music played. I was surprised to hear music in English and Spanish, in addition to the German music. Berlin appears to be really multicultural. There was even some German rap, which was a little odd to hear, since the music was really similar to our rap, but the words, of course, were in German.
Today (New Year's Day) a couple of us went to Museum Island, where we saw Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian artifacts, as well as paintings ranging from early Renaissance to the 19th century. Mummies, Monet, and the Madonna. It was quite cool.
Not only that, it SNOWED today! That was really something. Of course, I took several pictures.
For supper, I went with Nancy, Yao, and Michael to a Thai restaurant, where I had Thai food for the first time; it was good. Yay for so many new experiences!
New Year's Eve at the Brandenburger Gate was awesome. The fireworks were beautiful! And, we got to meet some interesting people. There were some Australians there, and I had a nice chat with a couple of them. I found it particularly interesting that they wanted to hear more about OUR upcoming presidential election. They seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the candidates, and even had one they supported. We didn't debate the issue much though.
It was also interesting to hear the selection of music played. I was surprised to hear music in English and Spanish, in addition to the German music. Berlin appears to be really multicultural. There was even some German rap, which was a little odd to hear, since the music was really similar to our rap, but the words, of course, were in German.
Today (New Year's Day) a couple of us went to Museum Island, where we saw Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian artifacts, as well as paintings ranging from early Renaissance to the 19th century. Mummies, Monet, and the Madonna. It was quite cool.
Not only that, it SNOWED today! That was really something. Of course, I took several pictures.
For supper, I went with Nancy, Yao, and Michael to a Thai restaurant, where I had Thai food for the first time; it was good. Yay for so many new experiences!
I love this camera!!!! Fo Shiz!!!
Ok, so I really do love this camera....I have about 700 pictures so far...maybe a few less...but who counts. Hahaha!!! I need to delete the pics of myself though...I seriously am not in love with myself... I think that I'm just trigger happy...or hoping that maybe that the next picture would make me look like less of a dork...thus I end up with lots of myself.
I loved Koln...I havent talked about that yet. The zoo was awesome...seeing the elephants up close and with such access made me seriously think that I would want to be a vet at a zoo. This trip is really helping me decide that I want to be a vet and not a human doctor. Everyone is in the human medical field and I am the only one who is animal orriented. It's my calling, I know it is. Thats it for now yall. XOXO!!! Happy New Year!!! P.S Dr. Wasser is the total shiz...WHOOP!
I loved Koln...I havent talked about that yet. The zoo was awesome...seeing the elephants up close and with such access made me seriously think that I would want to be a vet at a zoo. This trip is really helping me decide that I want to be a vet and not a human doctor. Everyone is in the human medical field and I am the only one who is animal orriented. It's my calling, I know it is. Thats it for now yall. XOXO!!! Happy New Year!!! P.S Dr. Wasser is the total shiz...WHOOP!
Silvester 2008
happy new years! last night was very eventful. very very. we went down to the brandenburger gate last night to join in the Berlin Silvester 2008 celebration. we went out there around 8 and left around 230. the green beer, berliner vasser (?), was pretty good, it had a completely different flavor...there were so many people out there last night it was insane. im glad that no one was separated from the group because we would have never found them again! we got a really good view of the fireworks, and i cant remember the last time i saw new years fireworks. thanks to julie and lacie... we met people from a contiki organization which had a bunch of aussies! they were pretty crazy, and the party really started after they came. after the fireworks, people started clearing out and heading home but i was surprised that when we left around 215 that there were still a lot of people near the stages opposite the moulin rouge ferris wheel.
during the day, we went to checkpoint charlie which had a line that almost hit the next block. it was very interesting to see all the different successful escapes. most of the time as i went around, i was getting goosebumps from reading the unsuccessful escapes...
during the day, we went to checkpoint charlie which had a line that almost hit the next block. it was very interesting to see all the different successful escapes. most of the time as i went around, i was getting goosebumps from reading the unsuccessful escapes...
SNOW
I feel like a little kid at Christmas. I have never seen snow, and now I am going NUTS. This is awesome. I had an absolute blast last night, and now it is snowing...
...this is awesome...
...this is going to be a good year. This is going to be great.
...this is awesome...
...this is going to be a good year. This is going to be great.
Party at the gate!
So last night's silvester party was absolutely amazing! From the bratwurst to the sekt, it was truly awesome and fun! The boy band that played was HILARIOUS! Their tribute to Snoop Dogg was shameful and it gave us alot to laugh at. I had a really good time meeting the Australians- they were a crazy group of people! Berlin has been beautiful and I can't wait to continue our adventures!
First day of the new year
well well... last night was alot of fun... we met new people which i enjoyed alot... i had a really good time trying all of the foods as well. the contiki group that we were hanging out with was crazy and alot of fun. during the day yesterday we went to the checkpoint charlie museum which was very informative and also very sad. i lost my glove. i thought i should mention that. this morning it started snowing when we were having brunch. i thought it was awesome to have the first day of 2008 to be a snowy one. makes me think that 2008 should be a good year. we had a snowball fight. typical cheesey snowball fight. i loved it :) i think that things like snowball fights keep you young. today i figured i would catch up on my reading. we were thinking about exploring the tier garden as well. we shall see....
NEW YEAR!
Happy new Year! We woke up this morning to snow! it really exciting, but i think the wetness will get old. the party at the brandenburg gate was AMAZING. I had no idea how big it was going to be until I got there. 1.5 miles covered in people!!! We made some really great friends... although they weren't all german. This morning a group of us went to a mediterreanean brunch for lunch when we woke up. Yesterday we went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum which was really facinating. It was huge. I really enjoy spending time with this group. I think we are all having a great time in Germany.
silvester
So silvester... it definantly lived up to my expectations. Although the music choice was a completly horrible and would mocked and spat on anything that had ever resembled a form of artwork i could definantly say the food and drinks were great. Also the shopping in those little tourist trap shops was at a fair price. I will say that a million people was a very believable number of people to be there, it was most definantly the biggest crowd i've ever been in. It was also the first time that night that i had had real German Bratwurst and i loved it. You really have to like meat to appreciate it but with a bit of ketchup those footlong suckers will make your mouth water. The fireworks were pretty spectacular. I was surprised after the fireworks when we were walking back the amount of trash and partying going on right outside the riechstag. There were peopleon the steps of the parliament building throwing beer and wine bottles and lighting off fireworks. The trash generated was just phenamenal, definantly something that would never fly in washington DC or withing 20 miles of it. I can in the end say the the Germans know how to party!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Whoop for the Wall!!!!
Ok, so the Berlin Wall is amazing.....and I've finally started to get used to these computer's key locations....or I've just gotten used to the backspace...haha!!! The train to Berlin was really sweet. I tried to take pictures through the window....but that didn't work out so well. We got to the hotel, and there was a mix up with our rooms.....our room is really...um......cozy. I'm trying, as Chyng pointed out, to be as complient with everything as I can be...just becaue I dont feel like being anything more than passive. I'll blog more I'm sure through the trip...so guten tag for now. ;)
Berlin
Well, we are in Berlin and its a blast!!! Of course there is more graffity in the city than the entire Northeast combined. Yet that does not ruin the fun for the trip, Im extremely excited for New Year's eve. Last night we went to a local Jazz club which is alot of fun, but a girl with a funky haircut kept trying to stare down the group, in particular the girls. Needless to say there didnt seem to be much upstairs in that blonde head of hers. We also toured the Berlin wall, which over time has become a solid mass of graffity, but it was still moving to know that it was once a sinister symbol of the cold war. Tonight we are looking forward to celebrate New Year's at Brandenburg gate.
Original Second Post
sorry once again heres post 2
12-29-30 Lacie Kilsby 16:23
The trip so far has been more than I could expected. I really enjoy the town of dusseldorf and the hotel is more than great. Yesterday we celebrated my 20th birthday. We first got to journey into cologne. My favorite part of the day was the elephant house. Getting to go behind the scenes like that was something you expierience only once in a life time. Seeing the Dome was also an experience I am not likely to forget. The night was exciting as we first started out on our own to find a restaurant to fit 12 people that everyone would like. That in it self was a task. Over all it has been amazing and I wish I could celebrate every year in Germany!
12-29-30 Lacie Kilsby 16:23
The trip so far has been more than I could expected. I really enjoy the town of dusseldorf and the hotel is more than great. Yesterday we celebrated my 20th birthday. We first got to journey into cologne. My favorite part of the day was the elephant house. Getting to go behind the scenes like that was something you expierience only once in a life time. Seeing the Dome was also an experience I am not likely to forget. The night was exciting as we first started out on our own to find a restaurant to fit 12 people that everyone would like. That in it self was a task. Over all it has been amazing and I wish I could celebrate every year in Germany!
My original first post
sorry these all have to come together but i had some tech difficulties. so here is post 1
I got really nervous today as I was putting the final touches in my suitcase. Do I have enough of everything…do I have too much? This will be my first time in Europe and I am really excited. Though we have been thoroughly prepared, I still know nothing will be as I expect. It is odd spending Christmas with my family all cozy in the house while I kept thinking of how in 24 hours I will be on a plane miles away from the familiar. This is the beginning of a great adventure!
I got really nervous today as I was putting the final touches in my suitcase. Do I have enough of everything…do I have too much? This will be my first time in Europe and I am really excited. Though we have been thoroughly prepared, I still know nothing will be as I expect. It is odd spending Christmas with my family all cozy in the house while I kept thinking of how in 24 hours I will be on a plane miles away from the familiar. This is the beginning of a great adventure!
New Years Eve in Berlin Tonight
Woo wee! So we are in Berlin right now in an internet cafe. Last night we went and saw the Berlin wall for a second and then wandered around the mall for awhile. After that we went to a jazz cafe and listened to music for a little bit. I must say that i think that was exactly what i needed. Just a nice relaxing night out. I enjoyed eating at the Italian place for lunch and i genuinely enjoyed our waitor. Courtney said he mentioned that he liked Americans because we are always happy and always smiling and i like to thing that is definitely something we are all about. Well so tonight we are celebrating Sylvester and I hope that we all stay safe and have a good time. I am very excited!
Executive Decision Maker
Berlin is so different from Düsseldorf! I love the S-bahn, it gets me everywhere. I wish we had something similar in the US... The East Side Gallery was very cool and the graffiti art left on the Berlin Wall was insightful. I'm not sure if all the other writing on there now is very appropriate, but the art was impressive. The jazz club was very relaxing, until the red-sweater German lady. I've never sat through a jazz performance like that before, it was a good experience. I ordered chicken-schnitzel last night, it tasted like Tyson's breaded chicken breast that you bake yourself in the oven. Kind of a disappointment.
I'm excited about the New Years celebration tonight. We apparently were very close to the Brandenburg Gate area last night when we saw the ferris wheel and the food stands.
I'm excited about the New Years celebration tonight. We apparently were very close to the Brandenburg Gate area last night when we saw the ferris wheel and the food stands.
Blogger Difficulties Resolve!!
Yay! blogger finally worked for me! yesterday was a blast. i am loving berlin! I think I like the New York feel it has. I was really excited about last night because we finally found something to do as a group that everyone enjoyed. We went to a jazz club called b-flat and it was a good way to relax before the intense silvester. Though we did have a little bit of trouble with the motion sensored revolving door! I think we have mastered the transportation here in Berlin which makes it nice to be able to move around without looking like blatant tourists. We visitied the Berlin wall last night which was really neat, but I think I would like to see it in the daylight. The hotel amelie is apartment style and I really like that since we are going to be here for a week because I feel more at home rather than a hotel style. Well the daylight is wasting and I want to explore more of Berlin!
I hope that I don't offend anyone...
Expanding on my last blog, I have been very surprised at the reaction of most of the Germans that I have met in my attempts to speak German. Dr. Wasser had mentioned that most Germans will help you to speak German and are relatively pleased when you at least make the effort, but I didn't expect such positive reinenforcement and encouragement. So far, when I have had the courage to attempt to speak German I have either been politely corrected or recieved positive encouragement. This has boosted some of my confidence and made me a little bit more outgoing.
In most situations I am still a little embarassed and worried that I will just come across as an a##, but I think that learning some of the language is part of the abroad experience. I guess that I just need to suck it up and feel stupid for a few weeks and hope that I don't offend anyone.
In most situations I am still a little embarassed and worried that I will just come across as an a##, but I think that learning some of the language is part of the abroad experience. I guess that I just need to suck it up and feel stupid for a few weeks and hope that I don't offend anyone.
Communication Boundaries
Alright, I have to mention my telephone card predicament because I am so frustrated by it.
Over the past year, my experience with people from other countries has led to the conclusion that one of the most valuable assets for any individual is the ability to communicate effectively across language barriers. A prime example of the value of communicating across language barriers and my own inability to communicate effectively occurred in Dusseldorf where I purchased the wrong telephone card.
The first day we were here in Germany, we were in a small store with two cash registers, and we were all seeking to by the same telephone card. I went to the other cash register, and they gave me the wrong card. I leave no blame to the girl working the register and blame my self for this blunder. I was never able to use the card and completely wasted the five Euros because I couldn't communicate to the cashier what exactly I wanted. The situation was even further exacerbated when I attempted to use the card (ineffectively, I couldn't read the German directions) and had to purchase another card (only to leave it on the hotel desk in Dusseldorf after using only eight minutes). I am so frustrated by my situation and am reluctant to purchase another card. I would like to call some of my family back home, but I may just wait and talk to them when I get back to the US.
This experience really made wish that I was bilingual and that I had spent more time to learn basic German before I came. I hope that in the future I can devote more time to learning another language and expanding my communcative abilities... I think that I should start with German.
Over the past year, my experience with people from other countries has led to the conclusion that one of the most valuable assets for any individual is the ability to communicate effectively across language barriers. A prime example of the value of communicating across language barriers and my own inability to communicate effectively occurred in Dusseldorf where I purchased the wrong telephone card.
The first day we were here in Germany, we were in a small store with two cash registers, and we were all seeking to by the same telephone card. I went to the other cash register, and they gave me the wrong card. I leave no blame to the girl working the register and blame my self for this blunder. I was never able to use the card and completely wasted the five Euros because I couldn't communicate to the cashier what exactly I wanted. The situation was even further exacerbated when I attempted to use the card (ineffectively, I couldn't read the German directions) and had to purchase another card (only to leave it on the hotel desk in Dusseldorf after using only eight minutes). I am so frustrated by my situation and am reluctant to purchase another card. I would like to call some of my family back home, but I may just wait and talk to them when I get back to the US.
This experience really made wish that I was bilingual and that I had spent more time to learn basic German before I came. I hope that in the future I can devote more time to learning another language and expanding my communcative abilities... I think that I should start with German.
Berlin definitely rocks
Although we just arrived yesterday, I am enjoying the amazingness that is Berlin immensely. Checking into our hotel was a bit of a hassle- we had to wait a long time for our rooms. But the rooms are rather nice so the wait was okay!
We went to the Alexanderplatz last night-- it had an ice skating rink, a ferris wheel, and all of these cute food stands. We also went to a jazz club, where we managed to pay half price just because we were thinking about leaving. I met some cool people there too! Two french guys, named Viktor and Stefan, helped me order drinks. They just finished University and were in the helicopter industry, so they travel all over Europe on business. Stefan even studied for a while at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado! So they were very helpful and even suggested some places for us to see.
All in all, this trip has been amazing, although I seem to get tired very easily while I am here; it may be just because I still have not quite adapted to European time yet!
We went to the Alexanderplatz last night-- it had an ice skating rink, a ferris wheel, and all of these cute food stands. We also went to a jazz club, where we managed to pay half price just because we were thinking about leaving. I met some cool people there too! Two french guys, named Viktor and Stefan, helped me order drinks. They just finished University and were in the helicopter industry, so they travel all over Europe on business. Stefan even studied for a while at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado! So they were very helpful and even suggested some places for us to see.
All in all, this trip has been amazing, although I seem to get tired very easily while I am here; it may be just because I still have not quite adapted to European time yet!
Hallo!!!
I personally love saying this word. As well as 'ya.' I seem to use it in many unessasary ways. I forgot to mention in my last blog that we saw the wall yesterday, the east side gallery. This was so impacting on me. First of all, I happen to appreciate graffiti art, and because we walked the entire length of the wall. I also wanted to mention one more thing that I think is important to remember in the US. I know how it sucks to not know the language, and I can see that we have all encountered language barriers. I have always been sympathetic towards this, because English is most definately not my first language. Being in that semi trapped situation again, I think it is important to remember and be patient with people in the same situation back home.
Das Blog Post
Berlin rocks my socks. Last night we got in and became and went to a pizza place where we had the most animated waiter i've seen in a while. He definantly was from italy and spoke both german and threw in some italian which sure as heck didn't help us follow along. That night we all went to the East side gallery to see the biggest intact part of the Berlin wall. It was very interesting and it had amazing street art or "graffiti". Then we walked around the alexander platz which is where that huge tower in berlin is. At this one hotel in the alexander platz they had this ellaborate revloving door which shopping merchandise like imbedded in the door and it sensed the movement of your feet so that it didn't kill you. Will us americans just had to make a scene... or so it might of seemed, the door stopped when we we're halfway threw it and then we found not only us but germans on the other side of the door almost stuck. Jessica ended up coordinating everyone to exit the revolving door area and succesfully the door turned on again. We got the most definative weird looks but atleast it made for a funny story. and on that note i say to you chow
The Ampelmann
Okay guys,
The first thing that I have to say that I absolutely LOVE about Berlin is the overall fascination of the ampelmann. Admittedly, I already bought a pro east berlin t shirt, lighter, and photographed the little guy. I also think its absolutely hilarious how many bear Ive seen. no, not real ones, but big-small ones. the man of the year is photographed alongside a lovely polar bear. The large brown one on the shopping strip leading to the brandenburg gate in a store called the toy place i have nicknamed Yorick. it is the only name worthy of this honor!!!
All right, another thing I must mention about Dusseldorf now that we have left it is that I personally loved seeing Barbarossas palace. Although we got semi´disoriented in Kaiserwerth, I believe we learned a slew of German words just out of confusion. The walk towards the castle ruins was amazing. we were blessed with lovely weather and the quiet and peacefullness of the Rhine was almost a godly experience. It was uber amazing!!!
I am also completely positive that I had the best bockwurst of my life for less than two euro at the curry post. I love Germany. I also must say that I have enjoyed meeting so many different personalities. Dr. Wasser is also my personal ask jeeves. I believe him to be a true renassiance man.
The first thing that I have to say that I absolutely LOVE about Berlin is the overall fascination of the ampelmann. Admittedly, I already bought a pro east berlin t shirt, lighter, and photographed the little guy. I also think its absolutely hilarious how many bear Ive seen. no, not real ones, but big-small ones. the man of the year is photographed alongside a lovely polar bear. The large brown one on the shopping strip leading to the brandenburg gate in a store called the toy place i have nicknamed Yorick. it is the only name worthy of this honor!!!
All right, another thing I must mention about Dusseldorf now that we have left it is that I personally loved seeing Barbarossas palace. Although we got semi´disoriented in Kaiserwerth, I believe we learned a slew of German words just out of confusion. The walk towards the castle ruins was amazing. we were blessed with lovely weather and the quiet and peacefullness of the Rhine was almost a godly experience. It was uber amazing!!!
I am also completely positive that I had the best bockwurst of my life for less than two euro at the curry post. I love Germany. I also must say that I have enjoyed meeting so many different personalities. Dr. Wasser is also my personal ask jeeves. I believe him to be a true renassiance man.
Ich bin ein Berliner
I are in Berlin. Great city, great fun. Although I'm not exactly the big city kinda person, I'm still having much fun. Our first night here I actually saw the Berlin Wall, as well as some (ahem) colorful graffiti. I wish I'd brought my camera but I plan on going back in the daytime. After that, our group visited a German mall. Interesting and oddly familiar I have to say.
I also ventured into my first jazz club. An interesting experience I must say. I probably could have been better without the funky screwdriver I had but I'm still glad I went. Totally worth it.
It wasn't all sunshine and giggles the first night here though. The train trip managed to take it out of me quite throughly, but I still managed to recover somehow. Three people to a room for the next week is also a bit cramped but I'll manage somehow. Finally, I managed to antagonize one of my fellow classmate by saying something tactless for which I'm very sorry for. I was joking and to think about it, it didn't even make sense. Ahhh....
Today is New Year's Eve and I'm very excited. I'm going to see some sights and exhibits during the day and party out at night. Sylvester is going to be great. I just hope I can finally get some Pepcid so I won't feel as crappy as I did last night in the jazz club.
I also ventured into my first jazz club. An interesting experience I must say. I probably could have been better without the funky screwdriver I had but I'm still glad I went. Totally worth it.
It wasn't all sunshine and giggles the first night here though. The train trip managed to take it out of me quite throughly, but I still managed to recover somehow. Three people to a room for the next week is also a bit cramped but I'll manage somehow. Finally, I managed to antagonize one of my fellow classmate by saying something tactless for which I'm very sorry for. I was joking and to think about it, it didn't even make sense. Ahhh....
Today is New Year's Eve and I'm very excited. I'm going to see some sights and exhibits during the day and party out at night. Sylvester is going to be great. I just hope I can finally get some Pepcid so I won't feel as crappy as I did last night in the jazz club.
Finishing my previous post
I didn't get a chance to finish my previous post, so here goes...
The public transportation is great. There are some cultural differences, such as personal space and level of congeniality with people you don't know, but it is all very interesting.
Cologne was a rather interesting place. I enjoyed the zoo, especially our "behind the scenes" tour. The food that the animals are fed is surprising like people food, and the giant beets that the elephants eat actually didn't taste that bad. I've wondered before how elephants are handled and cared for, and it is surprisingly similar to the way cattle are handled, just with larger equipment.
Seeing the wise men in the Kölner Dom was neat, and our city guide was pretty cool.
In Düsseldorf on Saturday, we had a free afternoon after morning lecture, which Nancy, Andy, and I spent by visiting Kaiserswerth, north of Düsseldorf, where there were ruins of an old fortress/castle built in the 11th century. It took a bit of thinking and map consulting to find, and in the process we stumbled upon a pretty cool hotel. Once we realized that we had initially gone the wrong direction, it wasn't too hard to find. The 'castle' was positioned next to the Rhine. While it had been blown up by the French when the retreated from the Prussians (I think), much of it remained. We were unable to go inside, but still got to walk around on the side and see a inside a good deal. Apparently, the Nazis made it a memorial during their reign, and there was a marker outside of the gate. We were not sure if the stone marker was put there after WWII by the town or before by the Nazis. At any rate, it was a nice excursion.
Nancy and I spent the rest of the evening wandering about town, strolling down Königsallee, marveling at the expensive, upscale store like Prada and Chanel. We stumbled upon a pretty church, Johanneskirche, that looked really cool at night. There was a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm and Otto von Bismark outside of the church, and I was proud of myself for recognizing Bismark, even though I couldn't place him. I'm getting better at German history!
I was kind of sad about leaving Düsseldorf since we had sort of figured out our way around, but I'm super excited to be in Berlin. There is so much to do here, but I'm not sure that we'll be able to fit everything in, even the shortened list!
So, we got started last night. The whole group went to see the Berlin wall at the East Side Gallery, and Carrie, Nancy, and I walked the whole kilometer's worth. Then the three of us visited the Brandenburger gate and walked around the outside of the Bundestag. we think we also passed by the Russian embassy and that of the UK too. New Year's Eve (today!) is going to be so crowded and busy down there. I sort of want to see the US embassy now.
We stopped at a couple of souvenir shops, and at one of them we saw cuckoo clocks. They are very pretty, but rather expensive. The smallest fully wood one was €139, which works out to about $210. Yikes! It would be risky business carting it around anyway.
The food here is also rather good. German food seems to have a good deal of meat and bread, just like Dr. Wasser said, which is good because I love bread! We've also eaten at an Italian restaurant, and the food there was awesome as well. Our waiter was also really friendly there, always smiling, very patient, and cracking jokes.
I guess that's all for now, can't wait until tonight!
The public transportation is great. There are some cultural differences, such as personal space and level of congeniality with people you don't know, but it is all very interesting.
Cologne was a rather interesting place. I enjoyed the zoo, especially our "behind the scenes" tour. The food that the animals are fed is surprising like people food, and the giant beets that the elephants eat actually didn't taste that bad. I've wondered before how elephants are handled and cared for, and it is surprisingly similar to the way cattle are handled, just with larger equipment.
Seeing the wise men in the Kölner Dom was neat, and our city guide was pretty cool.
In Düsseldorf on Saturday, we had a free afternoon after morning lecture, which Nancy, Andy, and I spent by visiting Kaiserswerth, north of Düsseldorf, where there were ruins of an old fortress/castle built in the 11th century. It took a bit of thinking and map consulting to find, and in the process we stumbled upon a pretty cool hotel. Once we realized that we had initially gone the wrong direction, it wasn't too hard to find. The 'castle' was positioned next to the Rhine. While it had been blown up by the French when the retreated from the Prussians (I think), much of it remained. We were unable to go inside, but still got to walk around on the side and see a inside a good deal. Apparently, the Nazis made it a memorial during their reign, and there was a marker outside of the gate. We were not sure if the stone marker was put there after WWII by the town or before by the Nazis. At any rate, it was a nice excursion.
Nancy and I spent the rest of the evening wandering about town, strolling down Königsallee, marveling at the expensive, upscale store like Prada and Chanel. We stumbled upon a pretty church, Johanneskirche, that looked really cool at night. There was a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm and Otto von Bismark outside of the church, and I was proud of myself for recognizing Bismark, even though I couldn't place him. I'm getting better at German history!
I was kind of sad about leaving Düsseldorf since we had sort of figured out our way around, but I'm super excited to be in Berlin. There is so much to do here, but I'm not sure that we'll be able to fit everything in, even the shortened list!
So, we got started last night. The whole group went to see the Berlin wall at the East Side Gallery, and Carrie, Nancy, and I walked the whole kilometer's worth. Then the three of us visited the Brandenburger gate and walked around the outside of the Bundestag. we think we also passed by the Russian embassy and that of the UK too. New Year's Eve (today!) is going to be so crowded and busy down there. I sort of want to see the US embassy now.
We stopped at a couple of souvenir shops, and at one of them we saw cuckoo clocks. They are very pretty, but rather expensive. The smallest fully wood one was €139, which works out to about $210. Yikes! It would be risky business carting it around anyway.
The food here is also rather good. German food seems to have a good deal of meat and bread, just like Dr. Wasser said, which is good because I love bread! We've also eaten at an Italian restaurant, and the food there was awesome as well. Our waiter was also really friendly there, always smiling, very patient, and cracking jokes.
I guess that's all for now, can't wait until tonight!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
self excursions have value to...
so the tours have been great and i love rounds of drinks on our program fee is just a great idea. But i must say that today has been a wonderful day. i napped for 3 hours after lectures and awoke at 6. i went to the film museum but they were closed. I then decided to walk up along side the rhine river past the crooked tower. I finally arrived at this huge mosaic on a wall and it was beautiful. It was most definantly an unexpected surprise but a very worthwhile one. I then went back to the mini pizza place recommended to us by Stephanie. It was sweet they make you a minipizza not just a slice fresh when you order it. I met 2 nice Germans who spoke english and they gave me directions to a quite little bar that served great espresso and i read the roy porter book for a little while. The night now ends with me just going to the little shop outside the hotel and carrying the most butchered german conversation with a man for 3 or 4 minutes, he spoke no english... in the end i enjoyed my nacht and i definantly appreciated the practice of german speaking.
whoa
We have only been in Germany for three days and already I feel like I have seen so much! Dusseldorf has the "small town appeal" even though last night as we left the Altstadt, some young Germans decided to throw a firecracker in our direction. I really wasnt expecting much from our day trip to Cologne but I had so much fun at the zoo. I know that I will never get a chance to be that close to wild animals again. Being allowed to go where the bear keepers and elephant keepers work was amazing and it made the zoo experience unlike any other. It was ZUPER fun (haha). The Cathedral in Köln was breath-taking. The tour guide was informative even though I felt really rushed the entire tour but it was interesting nonetheless. The lectures today were very interesting especially the second one about the Nazi euthanasia. So far, I have had so much fun with everybody, more than I had expected to in such a short time. Last night when we arrived at the Hbf, we decided to stop to get döners and turkish pizza...thank goodness that a young girl spoke some english or else we would have never been able to eat.
Oh yeah Im excited that I finally learned how to say "excuse me" properly.
Oh yeah Im excited that I finally learned how to say "excuse me" properly.
Köln
As a Catholic, one of the things that I was looking forward to visiting on this trip was Köln and the Dom. The cathedral was amazing, and I could easily see why the people of Köln are so proud of it. It size and architecture amazed me from the outside, but I enjoyed the inside even more. The crypts, statues of saints, and the three wise men really had an impact on the me, especially during this time of year. It was a unique experience of my faith's history, and, now I would really like to go to Rome.
Internet Cafe
Well this trip so far has been more than I expected. We have done so many things and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Visiting the zoo and going behind the bear and elephant house was SUPER fun. I feel like I will never have a chance to be that close to animals like that again. We then walked Cologne and learned alittle bit about its history which I thought was very interesting. I thought that last night was exciting when we all went out together. I feel like we have officially mastered the transportation system in Düsseldorf. Its a shame that we are leaving this city already. But I cant wait to leave for Berlin tomorrow!
In Dusseldorf
So far the trip has been a blast! There have been some small every day instances in German life that occasionally throw me off, like the z and y being switched on a keyboard or the coke bottles have their caps not fully come off. Light switches are unique and sometimes seem complicated. But besides these setbacks its incredible to be standing on history and be immersed in a wholly unique culture who previously Ive only read and seen movies on.
dontknow how to use this computer...
i reallz dont know how to use this european computer, so i figured that i just wouldnt worrz about spelling and grammer, and just let mz fingures do what thez normallz do. itll be part of the blog. ha. ok so weäre in duesseldorf, and i have had a fantastic time. i was just told bz a good fridne next to me, who is watching me tzpe this...that i shouldnt tzpe a long one....so i wont. all i will saz is that i love this trip, the people, the food, ...the drinks....which are plentz.....and waz tooo dang expensive....and if icould find the exclatation point there would be lots. i love what we are learning...and i know that one daz i will be able to use this computer no problem.
First Impressions of Duesseldorf
We arrived! Everything is very citified. The streets are smaller than I'm used to, but then again, the cars are smaller too. The public transportation here is really great, once you figure it out. The German people seem rather nice too, and Stefanie is awesome. Time to go to class, more later.
dusseldorf and cologne
germany has been absolutely amazing. there is a lot of stuff to get used to, like th fact that i cant figure out how to make capital letters on this keyboard, but i am having a lot of fun just the same. we went to the cologne zoo yesterday, and had a lot of fun. i really l iked the fact that the architecture is styled to the location that the animal comes from. i also enjoyed being inside the elephant enclosure and looking at the bears close up. we've had all sorts of adventures-from trying to figure out how to use an adapter to finding food in under five minutes. i was also in complete awe of the dom. being a catholic, i appreciated the beautiful architure and enjoyed hearing the story of princess ursula.
dusseldorf is also amazing. more later
dusseldorf is also amazing. more later
Sleepy!
Its a dreary Saturday morning here in Dusseldorf and I'm quite tired from celebrating Lacie's birthday last night! Everything we did yesterday, from the zoo to the museum to the dom was awesome! I had a really great time. It has been very strange seeing the honesty of everyone in Germany. Our tour guide yesterday was quite blunt and it was very different than anything you would see in the US. I'm looking forward to Berlin and the New Year!
Friday, December 28, 2007
First Impressions
Well, I'm finally here, Duesseldorf. It all seems so unreal, but to be honest I couldn't be happier. Well, that's not true, I would like to meet a nice frauline...
Anyway, I am truly happy to be here. Flying here was an absolute hell though. I managed to stay awake for about 60 hours before I finally was able to crash. But our first day was worth the pain. Getting to know everyone and touring the city was an experience to remember. I now know what Dr. Wasser meant when he said we'd be surrounded by culture. Duesseldorf is nothing like I have seen in the US; you can't walk 4 steps without encountering some form of public art. The people here, while curt, are very real. This is a refreshing change from the phonies back home.
I was quite amazed at the food here as well. My dad made it seem that Germans do not put much effort into cuisine, but that is so not true at all. I've had two fantastic meals while I've been here. Maybe it was because my dad was in bavaria for a year, I don't know. I also have to say that the breakfast here in the hotel is the best I've had.
Our second day was even better. Our group got to go to the zoo. The animals were facinating and we had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the animals. I was literally a meter from an elephant and some bears. After the zoo, we toured Köln. It wasn't as fun but that might have been due to how painful it became to walk after doing so much that morning.
The highlight of the day was when the entire group went out drinking. It was the most fun I've had in a long time, even though I capped myself at two drinks. I got to know my classmates better and I'm a better person for the experience.
It's hard to imagine how any of this could get better, but I know that it will. I could get used to another two weeks of this.
Anyway, I am truly happy to be here. Flying here was an absolute hell though. I managed to stay awake for about 60 hours before I finally was able to crash. But our first day was worth the pain. Getting to know everyone and touring the city was an experience to remember. I now know what Dr. Wasser meant when he said we'd be surrounded by culture. Duesseldorf is nothing like I have seen in the US; you can't walk 4 steps without encountering some form of public art. The people here, while curt, are very real. This is a refreshing change from the phonies back home.
I was quite amazed at the food here as well. My dad made it seem that Germans do not put much effort into cuisine, but that is so not true at all. I've had two fantastic meals while I've been here. Maybe it was because my dad was in bavaria for a year, I don't know. I also have to say that the breakfast here in the hotel is the best I've had.
Our second day was even better. Our group got to go to the zoo. The animals were facinating and we had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the animals. I was literally a meter from an elephant and some bears. After the zoo, we toured Köln. It wasn't as fun but that might have been due to how painful it became to walk after doing so much that morning.
The highlight of the day was when the entire group went out drinking. It was the most fun I've had in a long time, even though I capped myself at two drinks. I got to know my classmates better and I'm a better person for the experience.
It's hard to imagine how any of this could get better, but I know that it will. I could get used to another two weeks of this.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Leaving tody!
Alright alright... I'm in the airport right now and I'm getting all kinds of excited. I am a bit anxious. i always get worried when I got places that I am not familiar with but I hope that i AM able to over come that during this trip. I can't wait to see everything and start my learning experience. Woo Wee!!! I shall see you all soon!
We're leaving!
We're in the airport about to board the plane and I'm looking forward to studying the history of medicine and doing lots of sightseeing! I am looking forward to Berlin the most. I am worried about getting homesick, but I'm sure its going to be an awesome trip!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Oh yes!
So i really like the reality of this trip. When i first heard Dr. Wasser mention it on the first day of class i was not ever thinking of studying abroad because of being afraid of getting behind in my major. But this trip was exactlly what i wanted , a streamlined activity filled winter class relating to medicine. The more i learned about Germany in the class the more excited i got about the trip.
If theres one thing i'm a little worried about it's sleep. The only time i've ever been over Europe i had the most horrible jet lag experience ever. There were two days of my life that were a complete blur. Other than that i really think this trip will be one of those great experiences that i don't know how often i'll get to do with how busy college can get and hopefully med school as well.
If theres one thing i'm a little worried about it's sleep. The only time i've ever been over Europe i had the most horrible jet lag experience ever. There were two days of my life that were a complete blur. Other than that i really think this trip will be one of those great experiences that i don't know how often i'll get to do with how busy college can get and hopefully med school as well.
Man did time fly past me!!!
Ok, finally I have figured out how to work this whole "blogging" process. I am not always the most technologically advanced...haha...but I love that this class has this blog. I have enjoyed reading that my peers have the same worries and anticipations that I have.
I am so unbelievablly excited to be leaving for GERMANY in a day! I have this travel itch that won't cease! As the heads of the program have come to find... I am a procrastinator extreme, so like others...my time has gotten away from me. I don't feel that I have studied the language as much as I'd have liked to, or the history (aside from the fantastic lectures by Dr. Wasser). None the less, I just want to get there already. I am ready to see the architecture, experience the people, see how medicine exists in another country, and simply view the stars from a new place (hoping it won't be too cloudy). The museums and hospitals are just waiting for my questions. Haha! And I can reassure them....I will have many!
The program thus far has done so much to prepare me for trip. My anticipations are high, and my anxiety is existant...but very low. :) I think that we are all so lucky to have this opportunity! I have been to Ecuador twice, and Mexico a couple of times, and I KNOW that I will be enlightened beyone my imagination by this trip. I have already met so many fantastic people, and am eager and looking forward to getting to know them!
I also love airports! I love to sit and watch the families around me...thinking and wondering where they are traveling to, and what is there purpose for travel. So interesting-the people that I've spoken to! "Bon voage" to all those who will read this before they go, and I will see yall soon!
I am so unbelievablly excited to be leaving for GERMANY in a day! I have this travel itch that won't cease! As the heads of the program have come to find... I am a procrastinator extreme, so like others...my time has gotten away from me. I don't feel that I have studied the language as much as I'd have liked to, or the history (aside from the fantastic lectures by Dr. Wasser). None the less, I just want to get there already. I am ready to see the architecture, experience the people, see how medicine exists in another country, and simply view the stars from a new place (hoping it won't be too cloudy). The museums and hospitals are just waiting for my questions. Haha! And I can reassure them....I will have many!
The program thus far has done so much to prepare me for trip. My anticipations are high, and my anxiety is existant...but very low. :) I think that we are all so lucky to have this opportunity! I have been to Ecuador twice, and Mexico a couple of times, and I KNOW that I will be enlightened beyone my imagination by this trip. I have already met so many fantastic people, and am eager and looking forward to getting to know them!
I also love airports! I love to sit and watch the families around me...thinking and wondering where they are traveling to, and what is there purpose for travel. So interesting-the people that I've spoken to! "Bon voage" to all those who will read this before they go, and I will see yall soon!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Exhaustion
With the trip to Germany drawing near, I find myself experiencing none of the emotions and anticipations that I had when I initially registered for the program. Originally I was excited about this experience and this trip, and the material and coursework we did the past semester sustained my excitement and increased my enthusiasm. I have always enjoyed experiencing different cultures, and I have been looking forward to the chance to experience European culture and environment in Germany.
However, I have been exhausted by finals and the holiday season. Now, I am just ready to go. I don’t feel as excited as I once did, and I regret not having more time to learn more about German culture, history, and their language before our course begins. Yet, my sentiments may only be due to the length of the last semester and this holiday season. I expect that my excitement and enthusiasm will come back on the flight over.
However, I have been exhausted by finals and the holiday season. Now, I am just ready to go. I don’t feel as excited as I once did, and I regret not having more time to learn more about German culture, history, and their language before our course begins. Yet, my sentiments may only be due to the length of the last semester and this holiday season. I expect that my excitement and enthusiasm will come back on the flight over.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Upcoming Trip
I have never traveled beyond North America before, the reality of traveling so far never really came into focus until I started packing today. In only a few days I will be leaping thousands of miles towards an unfamiliar setting. It was always a dream of mine to see Europe, its cities are so laden in history. It will be awing standing on ground once ruled by the Romans and places where the throes and struggles of World War II took place. I always have heard that European cities are a blend between history and modern civilization, I finally will be able to experience this myself. Needless to say, I can barely contain all the excitement in which I feel.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Reality setting in...
It's an amazing feeling knowing that I will be in Germany in a week. I have been running around like crazy trying to buy warmer clothes, smaller luggage, and bigger boots! It has been a fun experience though. The first trip to a new place always involves a sense of excitement and anticipation of what is to come. It will be my first trip to Europe-but after all of these shopping adventures, hopefully not my last. My expectations for this trip are simple. I hope to see classic landmarks, learn more about the German culture by being immersed in it, and hopefully, become a more outgoing person. A year ago, I would have never spontaneously decided to go to Germany without fully thinking about it first. But sometimes, the last minute decisions are the best ones. I've also learned a lot of interesting information in class-it supplemented my otherwise dry semester.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
There's so much to do!
I'm so excited to go to Germany!! I'm hoping to learn more about the country, its culture, and Europe in general. I'm also sort of hoping that the things we learn about and discuss will help me get a better feel for what the field of healthcare is like, and whether or not I would like to go to medical school.
I haven't started packing either! And I still need to get winter gear. I'm sort of worried about the cold and being properly prepared. On one hand, I don't want to/can't take too many warm clothes, but on the other hand I don't want to be uncomfortable because I'm freezing. Hopefully I can find a middle ground and deal with the wintry weather. Looking forward to beginning the trip and hanging out with everybody!
I haven't started packing either! And I still need to get winter gear. I'm sort of worried about the cold and being properly prepared. On one hand, I don't want to/can't take too many warm clothes, but on the other hand I don't want to be uncomfortable because I'm freezing. Hopefully I can find a middle ground and deal with the wintry weather. Looking forward to beginning the trip and hanging out with everybody!
10 days
In 10 days, I will be flying from Dallas to Duesseldorf! Can you believe it, how fast the time has gone? Since our first meeting in September, I thought that this day would never come but it snuck up on me. I've been talking to a couple of people that went on the study abroad trip in the summer, and they just keep reassuring me about the fun times we are going to have.
But first, I am so glad that finals are over...and I have loved not doing anything for the past three days. Now that I think about it, I haven't even started packing or preparing anything to pack, which can't be good. When I leave on the 26th, it will be my first time to fly alone. And unfortunately, I have been on longer flights than this one to Europe. When I fly to Taiwan, it's about a 16 hour flight from Houston. I'm nervous but at least I'll see Brandon in Detroit and we'll be on the same flight to Duesseldorf! I love airports for some reason. Mostly though, I like to people-watch and where better to do that than an airport where people from all over the world are flying in and out of. I am excited. So excited. I really can't think of another word to use besides excited at this point (my brain stops functioning during the breaks that we get). Sitting here, I'm beginning to freak myself out about all the things that I still need to do...
But first, I am so glad that finals are over...and I have loved not doing anything for the past three days. Now that I think about it, I haven't even started packing or preparing anything to pack, which can't be good. When I leave on the 26th, it will be my first time to fly alone. And unfortunately, I have been on longer flights than this one to Europe. When I fly to Taiwan, it's about a 16 hour flight from Houston. I'm nervous but at least I'll see Brandon in Detroit and we'll be on the same flight to Duesseldorf! I love airports for some reason. Mostly though, I like to people-watch and where better to do that than an airport where people from all over the world are flying in and out of. I am excited. So excited. I really can't think of another word to use besides excited at this point (my brain stops functioning during the breaks that we get). Sitting here, I'm beginning to freak myself out about all the things that I still need to do...
Sunday, November 04, 2007
After Germany....
As one might note from the date, it has been almost 3 months since my return from Germany. The delay in the post may serve as a saddening reminder of just how easy it is to get re-adjusted to your daily routine, even after such a wonderful experience abroad.
While everyone's experience coming home is going to be different and difficult, I must admit that I thought that mine might be harder than most simply due to the fact that I was in Germany for 13 weeks, rather than 6. I was however amazed, grateful, and surprised all at the same time when I found how quickly I re-adapted. I'm not sure what I was expecting in terms of reverse culture shock, but I certainly wasn't expecting to get back into the routine as quickly as I did. I suppose on further investigation it makes sense. Both Germany and the United States are highly developed countries with seemingly identical standards of living. This does not however mean I felt no reverse culture shock. After walking or taking public transportation anywhere and everywhere for 13 weeks, I was very happy to be able to drive everywhere again (although in hindsight a little walking would have been better). When I did start taking public transportation again at the beginning of the school year, I sat down quietly and read a book and was utterly amazed when I heard two strangers say hello to each other let alone see a young man stand up for his female classmate. I'm not implying that the Germans are an unfriendly people (this in fact is a myth I try to debunk every chance I get) but things are just different over there.
I try to incorporate my experience into my everyday life and I can honestly say that I am much more conscious about the amount of energy and water I use daily. I find myself taking shorter showers and actually considering looking into a hybrid car for my next vehicle. I try to expose myself to some German language every day in the form of either music, literature, or news and I succeed on most days. This may be a reason that I still don't feel a huge discrepancy between my summer and what I am doing now.
People that are considering going on a study abroad trip have been asking me how my trip was. I normally can only find enough words for "It was a lot of fun and very worthwhile" types of answers. This upset me the first time it happened because the trip was really much much more than a good time. It just seems difficult to describe what at the time felt perfectly natural. I woke up in Germany, went to class or on excursions, came home, and socialized with the family. The routine was much the same as in America yet distinctly different. I ran into the same problem when people asked me "What is there to do in Berlin?" I could have just repeated what I did in Berlin but the opportunities for experiences in a city like Berlin are so vast that I would end up answering "You'll find out when you get there."
While changes were made once I returned home, the overall lack of culture shock surprised me. While there were changes, it was back to something completely comfortable and natural and the transition was sadly effortless. I don't take this as a sign that I didn't experience Germany or ever really embrace the German culture but rather as a sign that I have to go back there to experience everything again. I know time and money are two things people always wish they had more of, but I can honestly say I am very willing to sacrifice both again for another trip to Deutschland.
While everyone's experience coming home is going to be different and difficult, I must admit that I thought that mine might be harder than most simply due to the fact that I was in Germany for 13 weeks, rather than 6. I was however amazed, grateful, and surprised all at the same time when I found how quickly I re-adapted. I'm not sure what I was expecting in terms of reverse culture shock, but I certainly wasn't expecting to get back into the routine as quickly as I did. I suppose on further investigation it makes sense. Both Germany and the United States are highly developed countries with seemingly identical standards of living. This does not however mean I felt no reverse culture shock. After walking or taking public transportation anywhere and everywhere for 13 weeks, I was very happy to be able to drive everywhere again (although in hindsight a little walking would have been better). When I did start taking public transportation again at the beginning of the school year, I sat down quietly and read a book and was utterly amazed when I heard two strangers say hello to each other let alone see a young man stand up for his female classmate. I'm not implying that the Germans are an unfriendly people (this in fact is a myth I try to debunk every chance I get) but things are just different over there.
I try to incorporate my experience into my everyday life and I can honestly say that I am much more conscious about the amount of energy and water I use daily. I find myself taking shorter showers and actually considering looking into a hybrid car for my next vehicle. I try to expose myself to some German language every day in the form of either music, literature, or news and I succeed on most days. This may be a reason that I still don't feel a huge discrepancy between my summer and what I am doing now.
People that are considering going on a study abroad trip have been asking me how my trip was. I normally can only find enough words for "It was a lot of fun and very worthwhile" types of answers. This upset me the first time it happened because the trip was really much much more than a good time. It just seems difficult to describe what at the time felt perfectly natural. I woke up in Germany, went to class or on excursions, came home, and socialized with the family. The routine was much the same as in America yet distinctly different. I ran into the same problem when people asked me "What is there to do in Berlin?" I could have just repeated what I did in Berlin but the opportunities for experiences in a city like Berlin are so vast that I would end up answering "You'll find out when you get there."
While changes were made once I returned home, the overall lack of culture shock surprised me. While there were changes, it was back to something completely comfortable and natural and the transition was sadly effortless. I don't take this as a sign that I didn't experience Germany or ever really embrace the German culture but rather as a sign that I have to go back there to experience everything again. I know time and money are two things people always wish they had more of, but I can honestly say I am very willing to sacrifice both again for another trip to Deutschland.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Words can't describe how much I miss Germany
Summarize my post-Germany thoughts? I really don’t know where to begin, because there are so many thoughts and experiences I recall every day. Thus, I’ll briefly discuss immediate re-assimilation into American culture, and recall my experiences as I slowly became accustomed to my life in Texas.
The initial ending of the program was sad, yet exciting. I had learned tons of new things about the world, and had many great experiences that I was ready to share with all of my family and friends. I was excited to see my family as well, because my sister became pregnant while I was oversees! Aside from suffering a miserable, long flight, the excitement prevailed. I, like Andrew, ( funny inside joke from trip!) could not start a sentence without the phrase “In Germany,…”. I am not sure if my friends eventually became annoyed by this inclination, but I seriously could not refrain myself from mentally re-living the great moments our group shared in Germany.
As the semester started, and school went on, things started to become somewhat depressing. While in Germany, I spent over a month living a foreign lifestyle with an amazing group of people. After such a close connection with my host family and friends, it was all gone in a flash. There have been points where I have felt nostalgic and gloomy, because I have gone so long without seeing my host family and my amazing friends from the trip. I miss touring Germany altogether. I sound crazy about saying this, but I even miss the public transportation! I miss the trips made to amazing countries during the free weekends, and bonding with the other students while touring and riding on night trains!
Although it sounds dismal to go on about my insufferable nostalgia, I have the reassuring thought that Germany is not going to disappear, and I can go back and visit in the future (when funds are available). Still, the trip is not going to be the same without the same group of people. THAT is why the memories of this trip are held very, very close to my heart.
The initial ending of the program was sad, yet exciting. I had learned tons of new things about the world, and had many great experiences that I was ready to share with all of my family and friends. I was excited to see my family as well, because my sister became pregnant while I was oversees! Aside from suffering a miserable, long flight, the excitement prevailed. I, like Andrew, ( funny inside joke from trip!) could not start a sentence without the phrase “In Germany,…”. I am not sure if my friends eventually became annoyed by this inclination, but I seriously could not refrain myself from mentally re-living the great moments our group shared in Germany.
As the semester started, and school went on, things started to become somewhat depressing. While in Germany, I spent over a month living a foreign lifestyle with an amazing group of people. After such a close connection with my host family and friends, it was all gone in a flash. There have been points where I have felt nostalgic and gloomy, because I have gone so long without seeing my host family and my amazing friends from the trip. I miss touring Germany altogether. I sound crazy about saying this, but I even miss the public transportation! I miss the trips made to amazing countries during the free weekends, and bonding with the other students while touring and riding on night trains!
Although it sounds dismal to go on about my insufferable nostalgia, I have the reassuring thought that Germany is not going to disappear, and I can go back and visit in the future (when funds are available). Still, the trip is not going to be the same without the same group of people. THAT is why the memories of this trip are held very, very close to my heart.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Post Europe
Well, I am sitting here in my townhouse, it's senior year, and its 2-3 months post my study abroad. I really enjoy being back here in College Station. It is amazing at some of the technology and things we have that we didn't have/ didn't need there. I get glued to my TV and my xbox, I'm obsessed with my laptop, and I drive my car like I'm 16 and just got my driver's license. Words cannot express what my study abroad trip meant to me. I learned so much about myself and interacting with others, and learned more about the profession I want to go into, and learned history (and I'm a history buff!) and learned more about this bigger world that goes on around us. For all of those (I used to be included) whose definition of the world = United States, wake up!) There's so much more! I would really, really like to go back to probably a Germany/ France combination trip for my honeymoon, or just a vacation, but with my significant other/ or wife at the time. The Mosel valley between Dusseldorf and Triere is amazing, and I think it'd be really neat to live there someday. I've learned alot about life, and I definitely think it's been just a big of an experience as college in it of itself. I really enjoy Dr. Wasser and Dr. Musser and think they make a great combination. I still keep up with the people I went abroad with. I think we shared something special together. I made sacrifices and I got homesick, and got tired of only talking to my girlfriend with a go bananas card instead of seeing her, but all in all, it was totally worth it. I don't think there's a thing I would change. I recommend this trip for anyone who wants to find themself personally, and career-wise, wants to make good friends, see the world, and have a blast doing it. Thanks so much and I'm so elated everything worked out that allowed me to go and be a part of it. So long Germany and the Rhine valley, I know it wont' be the last time I'm there.
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