Now I know why I packed that bike tool

This week would have been one of the most laid back weeks I've had in Germany so far if I wasn't having to stress out about the upcoming physiology exam and all the various projects I have on my plate. Only having class on two days out of the week was still quite the blessing and I feel well rested for the first time in a long while.

The past few days weren't all sleep and studying though; I went out with my host brother and some of his visiting friends twice this week, which was a first. Germans and Americans behave pretty much the same in a bar, lots of laughing and carrying on. The conversations naturally turned to politics and which country does it better. My host brother still doesn't quite grasp what exactly the supreme court does, but I'm pretty sure no one completely understands American politics or the motives of American politicians. I was very happy to learn how closely they have been following the election but I felt pretty ignorant when I could barely name any of their major political players or parties. If you plan on visiting another country any time soon and feel like you might be there long enough to argue about politics with the locals, which could be anywhere from 2 months to an hour depending on what kind of person you are, catching up on the local goings-on is essential. They really appreciate when you take the time out to brush up on the things they consider important and it leads to some great discussions. It should also be noted that the Germans take partying seriously, my host brother tried to lure me out for a third night of festivities that probably would have lasted well into the stranger hours of the night, so be prepared.

Now for the most fun I've had since Barcelona: our bike tour to Remagen. I have been more or less intending to buy a bike since the day I got here but I can't keep myself from spending money on various non-essentials like food and soap. I rode my bike every day back in College Station. If you have seen me on campus you've probably either seen be riding my bike, working

on my bike, locking up my bike, or carrying it to and from my dorm room so it doesn't have to brave the elements, you may have also seen me in class. My old Novara is my baby and I have been missing her quite a bit. Taking bikes to Remagen was a nice break from walking or riding in crowded trams. If any of you saw Cameron and I getting sideways in the mud and gravel you could have seen that I was having way too much fun. When I was packing for this trip I kind of just grabbed my bike tool out of habit; I have three and one of them is always on me. I'm glad I brought it though because otherwise Candy would probably still be stuck along the Rhine (sorry I wasn't there to fix it on the way back). Even though it was cold and wet the whole way there I still had a blast.

Touring the peace museum was a little more serious than I had originally expected for an activity taking place on a Friday afternoon out, but I still really enjoyed it. Having the previous Mayor of Remagen talk to us about the events that had taken place there during WWII and the effects that they had was really incredible. To be honest I wasn't even aware that the bridge existed until I was told that we were going to visit but I think it will be hard to forget about it now.

On a rather disappointing note I discovered that my posts on this blog from the past month haven't shown up after having fiddled with my account for hours trying to get my post to show up on the Bioengineering blog . I can't seem to find them but I am still on the hunt and I may just have to rewrite them in the end. Computers break down in Germany too it would seem. I apologize in advance for the coming anachronisms.

Tchuss

Books and Electronics

So after a week without internet at the house it's finally working again. Yesterday Mrs. Arteaga and I tried to reconnect a new router without much success. Initially she was kind of scared of working with it on her own she she isn't that great with electronics and she was told "If you install this incorrectly, it can lose the data and you're going to have to pay for the router." That's never fun. Among the 3 options we just went with the choice that made the most sense and after the connections were made the DSL light never showed up. We read the instructions after we connected everything and found this handy sentence that said "Once connected, you cannot unconnect anything or the data within the router will be lost." Great. She got nervous, called her friend who works in computers and arranged for him to show up today to properly connect everything and we left the room laughing with the misconnected router intact.

Today as well! My friend from home sent me a package that contained The Hunger Games. I've been wanting to read the book since before I saw the movie and even more so after I saw it but getting it now couldn't have been more ill-timed. I just got it this morning and I'm about halfway through and I haven't started my daily studying for physiology. It's about time to put this book down.

Tour de Rhein!

Yesterday, our group biked out to Remagen to visit the Peace museum within two of the remnant towers of the long gone bridge of Remagen. This bridge has a huge amount of historical importance, as without it, World War II would have raged on for just a liiiitle bit longer. The bridge was the only remaining bridge across the Rhein River, from the west to the east, so without it, the Allies would have had to have either circumnavigate the river, or wait until the bridges that were under construction were finished. Also, Lars was doing a good Lance Armstrong imitation, finishing first!

Above: Our wonderful guide, Herr Kürten

The museum inside the remnant towers, though, was founded as a testament to the power of peace and the possibility of people understanding one another rather than fighting. The tour of the museum was given by a very friendly and elderly man named Hans Peter Kürten, who not only founded the museum, but also was the mayor of Remagen for 29, I think, years! Herr Kürten was the founder of the museum and from what he told us, it sounded like it took a lot of effort on his part in order to create the museum and collect the artifacts that would be on display in the museum. For example, he was able to get a hold of some photographs of a German town that was bombed, with a specific family photographed. He was then able to gain the friendship of the photographer who took those photos and receive the photos of the family seven years later (five years after WWII), who were all alive and healthy, and more importantly smiling at the good grace they had to be looking upon those photos with smiles.

Note: Even though it was overcast for the ride, I think the spring day could have made up for the lack of sun.

The museum was great, and I hope future students go their and are able to receive a tour from the ex-mayor himself, but I have to be honest, the bike ride along the Rhein was stunning. It was a beautifully overcast day that captivated my imagination. I don't know what it is, but Germany knows how to do that with me. Time to prepare for that exam! Good luck everybody.

Bike Tour to Remagen

Yesterday we took a little bike trip to Remagen. Remagen is South of Bonn about 22 kilometers. It was the first time since Junior High that I have been on a bike. Honestly, though, it was a blast! I forgot how much fun it is to ride a bike! On top of that, the views were beautiful. We stopped a little over half-way to have a little picnic. After we started up again the group started to spread out. Those of us at the front stopped at a little playground to wait on everyone else. Letting out our inner-child, we all played on the playground for a little while till everyone caught up. Apparently, while we were waiting, Candy's bike chain came off the bike. Luckily, we got it fixed and were able to get all the way to Remagen. Once there, we had a delicious Italian lunch. I ordered Spaghetti Frutti di Mare, a Spaghetti dish with a tomato sauce and various seafood (mostly shrimp and squid in this case). After lunch we went to what is left of the bridge across the Rhein. On the Remagen side of the Rhein, the towers left from the bridge have been turned into a Peace Museum. We got a guided tour from the Mayor of Remagen (who is one of the sweetest old men I've ever seen). In one part of the Museum they had an old bomb with all of the explosive parts removed. I was still a little weary seeing the Mayor start slapping the sides to make "peace music" with what used to create war. Further in the museum they have a room dedicated to all of the wars that have occurred since World War II. Once I realized what each of the plaques represented I was astounded. There were so many plaques, and I had no idea that there had been so many wars still in the 20th Century. It really got me thinking about the world outside of Europe and The United States..

Biking a marathon

Yesterday the weather turned from sunny and warm to rainy and cold, just in time for the day’s bike tour to Remagen. I prepared for the day by bundling up in my sweater and rain coat, being sure to pack some water, and then headed off to meet everyone at the train station.  I was strange seeing everyone again.  Even though I was only gone for two days, it felt weird being removed from everyone since usually we are together almost 24/7.  Despite the rain and dismal weather, I was excited about biking and seeing Dr. Wasser decked out in his brightly colored biking gear only brightened my mood. 

AIB rented bikes for us from this shop behind the train station, and soon enough we were all set and ready to go.  All of the girls were fitted with cruiser bikes, which had high handle bars and a low middle bar, allowing for easy pedaling if any of us were wearing a skirt, which we weren’t because it was so cold.  The bikes even had baskets on the backs to carry our bags.  I really want a bike like this for back home.  The whole pedal-backwards-to-break thing threw me off some and resulted in falling over a couple of times, but I still enjoyed the smooth ride and nifty gadgets on the bike.

Luckily it was only drizzling so soon enough we all mounted our bikes and set out whooping for the river.  It was a sight to see.  All 17 of us were riding around in the rain laughing and trying to balance.   It is a good thing the ability to ride a bike never really goes away because there would have been many injuries otherwise I am sure.  We rode along the river for a full 22 km, stopping once in the middle for a picnic and to skip rocks.  Some of us ended up way ahead of the others (due to biking faster and Candy’s chain breaking) so we stopped to goof around on the playround a bit.  Yes, a group of 20-year-olds can still have fun on a playground.   After the rest of the group caught up, we locked up our bikes and went in for lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant.  Something about warm pasta after a chilly bike ride just hit the spot.

After lunch we paid a visit to the Peace Museum, which is housed in the ruins of the Bridge of Remagen.  Our tour guide was a cheerful old man who happened to be the former mayor of Remagen and the driving force behind the creation of the museum.  It was fun listening to him talk animatedly about the bridge, but what struck me most about the museum was the last room we visited.  In the very top of the second tour is a room dedicated to every war that has happened since World War II.  WWII was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but looking at the wall covered in plaques detailing every war since then, I was struck by the seriousness of how much humanity destroys itself.  This combined with our guide’s obvious desire for peace really hit home.

Most of the group decided to take the train back to Bonn, but six of us decided to bike back.  We thought it would be nice since the wind had been in our face going, we assumed it would be behind us coming back.   As you might expect however, the wind had shifted so we rode back the whole way in the wind.  My thighs were burning by the end, but we managed to beat the boat racing downriver, so we were all proud of ourselves.  I managed to make it back to my host family’s house for dinner and a shower before passing out for the night.  It was a good day despite the dismal weather, but I do hope the sun comes back soon.

Hannover: Facing your fears

It seems that the weeks left in Germany are beginning to flash by.  We have officially passed the half-way mark, and there is only a little over a month and a half left over here.  Where did all of the time go?

This past week was a different sort of week for everyone.  With Dr. Moore away at a conference, the bioengineering students have only had the threat of Tuesday’s physiology test to deal with.  Not only are the chapters over 20 pages long each, but it is the last test (besides the final) in this class.  Again I wonder, where did all of the time go?  The week of classes got condensed into the first few days in order to give some of us time to visit places for our 485 project.  Wednesday morning Chase, Andrea, Austin, and I met up bright an early at the train station and set out on our way to visit the medical school and Hannover.  Once there, Chase and I set out for the Regenerative Medicine clinic where we would spend the next two days shadowing the researchers and learning all about tissue engineering.  The research being conducted at this clinic is astounding.   Each researcher is working on a different project, either trying to grow new tissues on scaffolds, differentiate adipose cells into muscle or bone, or mimic nature and regrow entire limbs. 

The first day we got introduced to the spiders.  The researchers harvest spider silk from the resident colony of South American spiders to use in scaffolds for growing tissues.  The researchers showed us some cell cultures under a microscope and you could see the cells beginning to grow.  They have even had success at re-growing damaged nerves by simply placing a few spider-silk strands connecting the two tissues and letting the body do the rest.  It surprised me to learn that spider silk is almost the ideal scaffold, as it evokes no immune response in the body and degrades within four months.  So much research in tissue engineering involves creating biocompatible scaffolds with exactly these properties, and here this sider’s silk solves all of those problems and occurs naturally in nature.  I managed to get over my fear of spiders long enough to enter the room where the spiders live, and even capture one myself and take a turn at harvesting some silk from it.  After seeing these spiders, the little ones in my bathroom do not seem so bad.  I will probably still freak out every time I see one though.

We also got to see an operation in which one of the doctors removed vascularized adipose tissue from a rat to use in an experiment.  This doctor has so far been able to differentiate adipose tissue into muscle tissue and is currently working on doing the same for bone tissue.  This is fascinating stuff, and Chase and I enjoyed putting on dorky masks and scrubs in order to watch the procedure.

The second day we mostly spent shadowing the other researchers in the lab.  Our “guide” for the day was a lab worker who was working in the lab doing western blots and other things for the researchers in order to gain experience.  He had graduated from the German equivalent of high school but was still trying to decide what he wanted to study in college so he chose to work in the lab for a while.  His work reminded me a bit of the way undergraduate students work in labs back in the states.   He would lead us to visit with various researchers as they worked and interspersed it with showing us how he does the western blots.  It was very interesting to see the scope of the work being done in the lab.  These people were so smart and spoke perfect English, but they still seemed genuinely happy to talk to us about their work.  We watched as they analyzed DNA strands, cultured cells, and analyzed proteins.  One group even let us try making some thin tissue slices for use in histological analysis and then put it under the microscope to let us see.  We did take a trip downstairs to see the axolotl salamanders, which have the remarkable ability to regrow their own limbs.  Unfortunately we did not get to talk with some of the researchers directly involved in the axolotl work, but it was still neat to see them.  They have the uncanny habit of coming right up to you at the edge of the tank and following you with their head as you move around the room.

All to soon it was time to head back to Bonn, and we thanked the researchers and worker that so graciously hosted us for the couple of days.  It was an enlightening visit, and only confirmed my desire to go into research after I graduate.

Roentgen Museum

This week has been pretty sunny. Until today. Super lame. Anyways yesterday I spent the greater part of the day in Remscheid! I got there
at 9 and found my way to the Roentgen Museum but it was closed until 10. Hoping that something would be open in the old city center I walked around but everything was closed until 10 as well except for the little market. When the museum finally opened I saw someone sitting at desk and so I tried to open the door but it was locked. I looked to the side and there was a switch that looked like it would be for the door but there was a big red X next to it, and above there was a button which allowed you to speak with someone inside. Thanks to my extensive German vocabulary, I decided against trying to talk to someone so I just stood outside until the lady opened the door for me. Herr Dr. Busch showed up a little bit afterwords and he gave me an introduction to the museum and a short history of Roentgen. So

apparently the idea for the museum came up before WWI and they were planning to put it in either Berlin or Munich. After the first world war there wasn't much money left and they were putting a memorial in Remscheid to Roentgen so they decided to place the museum there! They bought the house from a family that was moving to Cologne since Roentgen's birth house was being occupied by a bakery and that was the start of the museum. Walking through with an audioguide I thought the museum was going to be something small but I stayed for about 4 hours and ended up rushing somethings. This was probably the coolest museum I've been to. It was so interactive and there was an electronic pinball machine with a high score of 470000 made 2 years ago by a 10 year old, a model of the experiment Roentgen used to study X-rays, and 3 different machines that took "x-rays" of your feet, hands, and head. Before I leave it would be neat to go back and try to beat that high score.

Bioethics, Anesthesiology, and nice weather

On Saturday when I got back from the Spring Break trip, the weather was surprisingly wonderful, so after dropping off my stuff I wandered around town, enjoying the warmth. Luckily the nice weather continued most of the week. On Sunday, at my host mom's suggestion, I went to see a movie, Die Eiserne Lady, which was in English with German subtitles. It was an interesting experience to go to the movie theater in Beuel, the Film Bühne, and I really liked the movie. (This turned out to be good practice for going to see The Hunger Games later in the week, but more about that later.)

On Monday we had to return to class after the break, and that afternoon we had a guest lecturer, Dr. Dirk Lanzerath, who talked about bioethics. For an example he focused on embryonic stem cell research since that has been such a big issue. I liked the fact that he represented all sides of the argument equally and presented the facts so there could be intelligent debate, and he did not imply that any side of the argument was wrong.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday there was another bus strike, which made transportation difficult and caused our trip to the Museum for the History of Anesthesia to be moved to Thursday. According to my host mom, there is not normally more than one strike, so apparently we are just especially unlucky. Last time I was able to ride the bike of my host sister, Janika, but this time she needed it, so I was left to riding the 529 bus, which luckily was still running since it is technically not a Bonn bus but a Siegburg bus (I think). On the down side, since everyone in my area was forced to ride this bus if they did not have a bike or car, it was a bit crowded and was running very late throughout the day.

On Thursday we had our promised trip to the Museum for the History of Anesthesia. My favorite parts were the old drugs and the machines they used before everything was electronic. My grandfather was an anesthesiologist so it was fun to guess which machines he probably used. I also really enjoyed the story Dr. Stöckel told us about when he and the nurses saved a patient while all the doctors were away for the weekend (I think he said he was an intern or something like that at the time).

mandrake!



early versions of modern drugs







early ventilator/respirator systems

A Sleepy Week

The most interesting part of this week was our visit to the Horst Stöckel Museum for the History of Anesthesia, which is owned and operated by Horst Stöckel. Dr. Stöckel, who I also noticed has, at least, three additional titles, was a very important person to the development of modern anesthesia and the concept of critical care units. The museum itself is the only one of its kind in Europe and, according to Dr. Stöckel, only one of three museums in the world dedicated to anesthesiology. The museum features devices, journals, textbooks, apparatuses, and various other things associated with the field from both America and Europe. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera so I have no pictures of this museum.

In addition to the types of machinery someone would normally expect to find in an anesthesia museum, he had a collection of anesthetic drugs, such as Valium, and critical care respiratory devices, which included an entire iron lung. He also displayed a small number of books and objects related to herbal medicines both antiquated and, to some extent, current. For this part of his museum, which I should mention only occupies about half to two-thirds of the first floor of a relatively small building, Dr. Stöckel was able to legally procure 200 grams worth of Marijuana to add to his display. The rest of the week was fairly typical otherwise, with the possible exception of the special lecture on bioethics given by Dr. Dirk Lanzerath; however, I don’t know what to really say about that that doesn’t involve basically recounting the lecture.

Too much missed school!

I’ve been missing a lot of school because of my doctor appointments for my knee. Come to think of it… this is the first time in my college career that I have attended every single class in my schedule past the first few weeks! Hopefully I’ll only have one more doctor visit before I’m back in Texas. Today I finally had an MRI of my knee done, which was very quick and painless. I found out that I do in fact have a lateral meniscus tear, though however small, it is what has been causing all of the pain and swelling that I’ve been experiencing. A couple comments about the medical care system – the last time I had an MRI done, which was of my brain, it cost roughly $6,000. Here, it only cost 420 euros! Of course contrast solution was used back in the states and it was with a better resolution, but that’s still quite the price difference and I have the socialized medical care to thank for that. Another thing I found interesting was that at the MRI building, I was given the typical German citizen paperwork to fill out, in which I signed in one of the boxes that I was aware of any and all “negative consequences” if I was to refuse the examination. I was intrigued by this, but because of the communication barrier the receptionist didn’t fully understand my question. Is this some aspect of the socialized system in which if you are sent to a doctor for a treatment, you must receive said treatment? I am still intrigued by this.

Tomorrow morning I and 4 others (2 of which will be with me the whole stay) are travelling to Hannover in order to visit the Hannover Medical School. Here one of the lead professors will take us under her wing to show us their facilities and their current research. I am extremely excited for this opportunity to experience and witness all that these people are doing Hannover because my career goals coincide almost perfectly with their type of research. The main work that we will be learning about is the regenerative ability of neotenic salamanders to regrow whole parts of their body, including sections of their spinal column! Researchers are already discovering ways to mimic this process in humans via techniques involving creating an extracellular matrix with “pixie dust”. I can’t wait to see what types of advances have been made and the new directions this research is taking!

Italy Gelato Withdrawals

When I last wrote a blog, during Spring Break, I was eating gelato about 2-3 times each day in Italy. The ice cream was so good we all just couldn't resist! We knew our gelateria-down-each-block-days would soon come to an end, so we tried to enjoy as much as we could. Now, we're suffering the consequences. I miss you so much gelato!

Anyway, moving on from that sad love story, I have to talk about our days in Florence and Venice since I already wrote about Rome. Although Rome was such an awesome city with never-ending things to see, I absolutely loved Florence and Venice! I have to admit Venice, although being a smaller city, was my favorite.

Our first days in Florence we ate gelato, ate delicious food like every other day in Italy, and actually got to go running! Since I officially signed up for the marathon right before leaving to Spring Break, I really needed the training. Edgar and I went for a run in the morning and found a nice park by the river. We also got a chance to get our one fancy dinner of the trip! That was probably the best food I've had the whole semester. Also, we all hiked our way up to get some nice views of the entire city.

In Florence, we also went on the best tour of this trip. The day tour took us to Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa. The tour lady in Siena was hilarious! Of course, the lunch in San Gimignano was everyone's favorite part of the tour. The food was amazing and being able to try 4 different wines throughout the meal was an added bonus. The view outside the window while eating lunch also added to this wonderful experience. In Pisa, we only had about an hour to wander around the city, but did get to find Galileo's house and take a picture with the Leaning Tower!

After 2 days in Florence we headed to Venice. The island is so beautiful! There's no way to describe it fully and the pictures just don't do it justice. Definitely a MUST-SEE. Everything in Venice is by water; including the ambulance which was cool. After walking from one side of the island to the other sight-seeing we would always head back on the water bus exhausted. The weather during Spring Break was great and in Venice a little chilly, but still nice enough to make the days beautiful. Austin, Yesenia, Edgar and I also went on a gondola ride! I couldn't leave Venice without one and I'm glad because we can all agree it was worth it.

Besides the river and bridges everywhere in Venice, glass was another main topic found anywhere you turned. They have a glass factory there and I think this is where we all ran out of money. We actually got the chance to see the man in action making the glass which was crazy cool. The small hand-made glass items were incredible and there were so many souvenirs to be bought.

Our last day in Venice (and for Spring Break) we walked around once more and relaxed by a park we found. The weather, view, and kids playing soccer all just added to a relaxing way to end this amazing trip. Now I can only hope to go back one day!

Tschuss!

Post Spring Break week

Spring break was great, but I'm not going to lie, it was weird feeling like I was going home when in reality I was on my way back to Germany. I've sort of gotten into a routine here, and my awesome host family definitely makes me feel like I'm home. Last night, our host sisters Godparents came over for dinner. Afterwards, we sat around the table drinking beer, wine and brandy for about two hours. It was enough for my host mother to convince me to bring the guitar downstairs and play songs for everyone. Needless to say, it was a fun evening. I love my host family.

Nowadays, it's not necessarily an adventure everyday. It's just life - in Germany (which is becoming more and more familiar). Don't get me wrong, there are new and exciting things happening every week. Dr. Wasser and Kristin have done an exemplary job preparing this semester's schedule. This week we'll be going on a bike tour to Remagen and I'll hopefully be observing more surgeries at the University Clinic in Bonn. Recently, I've been playing basketball with my host sister on Tuesdays and last Friday Vincent, Chibuzo and I played a few pick up games at a local high school.

Megan's birthday was also last weekend. It was nice to be able to all get together as a group, share a meal, and celebrate.

I apologize for the lack of pictures this post. There will probably be some more this week.

Until next time...

My Experience With Socialized Medicine

I was finally able to see a doctor for my knee on Friday. AIB organized the appointment and had a student worker come with me, who helped out quite a bit when trying to find our way to the office and when talking to the receptionist. The doctor seemed like one of the most knowledgeable persons in his field and was willing to take the time to explain his opinion of the problem and to make sure that I was taken care of. There is one thing that really shocked me about the whole socialized medicine system.

Within 5 minutes of getting to the office, filing out the paperwork, and telling them I was paying with private insurance, I had bypassed the line and was already talking to the doctor. After spending 15 minutes with him, he gave me a note to get an X-ray done on the bottom floor. Again, bypassed the 20 or so people waiting, as soon as I got off the elevator, I had the X-ray done and was back with my doctor. I was in and out of the office in under an hour. The other people in the first waiting room would be there for at least an hour or so before even seeing the doctor in the first place. Its situations like this that really brings to light the problems with socialized healthcare. I felt like I was breaking the rules when I was placed as a higher priority because of my different insurance. Yes, all of those people would be seen by the doctor and they would all receive equal care, but why should I be allowed to receive the treatment that I did… No system is perfect.

Monday was spent largely just wandering the streets of Rome looking at sights we came across. One of the highpoints was the Pantheon, which used to be dedicated to the Roman gods but was transformed by the Vatican into a place honoring Christianity. The Pantheon also featured the grave of Raphael.

We spent a large part of the afternoon just eating chips with queso we bought at a foreign goods store in the Piazza del Popolo. Afterwards, we wandered around a park on a hill overlooking the Piazza del Popolo. The park featured numerous busts of famous Italian artists, writers, scientists, and mathematicians as well. That night, we went to an all-you-can-eat pizza and wine special the restaurant across the street from our hostel was offering. While there, among other people, we met an Australian who was traveling around Europe and who had previously lived in Barcelona for a few months. As luck would have it, he was heading to Florence on the same day we were, and since we missed our originally scheduled train to Florence, we were able to meet back up with him on the train.

In Florence, after dropping our stuff off at our hostel, we all visited the famous Uffizi museum. The Uffizi had the largest collection of amazing paintings I had seen thus far, but I still prefer the Vatican in terms of sculptures. Later that night, we scaled a hill that overlooked most of the city and featured a reconstruction of Michelangelo’s David.

On Wednesday, we went on a guided Tuscany tour through several towns. In the first town, Siena, we were given a tour of the town and its surprisingly interesting history, which included a fairly long rivalry with Florence. After that, we were taken to a local cattle farm/winery where we were shown the equipment used to make the wine. It was at this farm that our lunch was served, which consisted of several courses and was the best lunch I have had so far. Our next stop was the nearby town of San Gimignano, which is notable for having many medieval towers and a gelato shop that was voted to have the world’s best Gelato for several years. The final stop for the day was the town of Pisa. In Pisa, naturally, we saw the famous leaning tower and the birth-home of Galileo, which is commemorated only with a plaque.

On Thursday, which was our last day in Florence, we visited a monastery that featured a store selling an impressive number of hand-crafted leather goods made by the monks living there. The monastery also featured memorials for several famous Italians, such as Dante and Michelangelo. After the monastery, we partook of even more gelato; I don’t believe there was a single day when we didn’t eat gelato at least once while in Italy. Luckily, that time we did not miss the train to our next stop.

Our train ride to Venice was not particularly remarkable despite having two exchanges, which, of course, increased the likelihood for being left in some city. That night in Venice was spent wandering the streets of the island, which was made easier by the lack of cars on the island. During our nightly stroll, we came upon such landmarks as St. Mark’s Cathedral and the Bridge of Sighs. While in Venice, we went to the island of Murano and briefly witnessed a glassmaker ply his trade, and we crossed the famous Rialto bridge as well. As in the other cities, we spent a large portion of our time just wandering the city and admiring what we saw while eating gelato.

Hannover (part I)

     Today I went with my host-mother and -brother to a small town outside of Hannover to celebrate her brother-in-law's (Hermann's) birthday. Needless to say, explaining my reason for being there to those who I met, and in German at that, was a bit complicated. It was a lot of fun, though! We arrived a little bit late due to an extremely unhelpful map, but finally made it and sidled over to our seats while the priest, also a good friend of Hermann's, was giving a speech. After much seat-shuffling I ended up at the "young people" table which was full of people round-about my age. I met mostly friends of Hermann's children who were also at somewhat of a loss in joining in with the family conversation. Over the course of the afternoon I met and conversed with two people in particular: A friend of Hermann's daughter who is currently living with the family before she leaves on a year-long mission to India, and the boyfriend of one of Hermann's daughter's friends who works at Dräger Medical. It goes without saying that relationships to people and reasons for being there took a fair bit of explaining and time to understand before actual conversation began.
      I started talking to the guy who works at Dräger which I was thankfully familiar with after our visit to the anaesthesia museum on Thursday. He works in what I guess would be considered quality control for their consumable and medical device product lines and is a total fan of their treatment of their employees. The corporate headquarters is in Lübeck, which I'm told is about a ten minute drive from the Ostsee beaches. Also, the entire town turns into a Christmas market for the month of December, sometimes starting earlier. The company keeps very nice grounds with open, green spaces and allows their workers a good amount of time off to ward off the "burnout" syndrome that supposedly has been streaking across Germany in recent years. He works in a very multicultural environment, with Masters and PhD students from places like Japan and the US working in close-quarters with him. Apparently his most recent personal "project" was to refresh his English, which he has been doing by interacting with his American officemate solely in English. For two months of practice after a fair amount of time not speaking English, he could have fooled me for one who spoke it every day since he had first learned it.

The Tamil language, which the girl is learning for her trip

     While we were talking, a girl had been listening and finally decided to join in after hearing the bit about the English refresher. She will be leaving for India in October, and since German is not so widely spoken over there, was glad for a chance to practice her English. She was a bit more rusty than the guy I had been talking to, but our Denglisch (Like Spanglish, but with Deutsch) managed to convey everything pretty well. Our conversation focused a lot on travel, languages, and cultures, and how you can't really do any one of them without adding in the other two. An example is all of the idioms that a language has. Thankfully her example of the apple not falling far from the tree made sense to me, but one who doesn't understand might say, "of course it doesn't--the branch it fell from is part of the tree!" But to understand many more complex idioms, you have to become familiar with the culture. No matter how many books you read about a region's culture and how many language classes you might take, nothing is ever as valuable as actually visiting the place where they speak the language and live the culture. I have definitely noticed this in my time here, but for someone to go to India from a place like Germany would be even more eye-opening, I would imagine.
    Like all good things and fun times, this one also came to an end and resulted in another three-hour drive back to Bonn. It was definitely an unique experience today, speaking with these new people who I initially had little in common with and learning about their lives.

I'll be back on Wednesday for my Directed Studies visit--looking forward to it!