Berlin Recap

Dr. Wasser, this is one long post for the final week of the program in Berlin.

So the program is officially over, most people have flown home, and I am currently making my way across Europe.  I am meeting up with Joanna, Austin, and Andrea in Paris soon but for the moment I am completely on my own in Brussels.  It is certainly a big change, going from being with 17 of your friends constantly to being surrounded by strangers speaking a mix of French and Dutch. I know absolutely no French, but thankfully a lot of things are in English around here. 

The last five days of the program were spent in Berlin.  It was a nice time, minus the whole sleep deprivation thing, but it was a little sad to realize these were my last four days in Germany for a long time.  The first day was a bike tour of the city, which lasted 3.5 hours! Remember that whole sleep deprivation thing? Yeah…I actually preferred it to walking tours though.  You got to see more things, rest your feet riding a bike instead of standing, and you got a cool squeaky toy to play with.  This was a good day to get an overall impression of the city, which I will honestly say at first was not that great of one.  Despite the interesting buildings and historical places that I was seeing I couldn’t bring myself to really like the city.  Vienna had been beautiful, Munich rich in architecture, but Berlin? It almost looked used and unplanned.  Eventually it dawned on me that what makes Berlin so special is the history and all that it signifies.  The memories of the war and the wall are everywhere in the city, from the people to the wall remnants, to the partially reconstructed buildings.  After this realization my overall impression of Berlin improved and I began to enjoy my time there. 

We did so many things during our time there.  We visited Sachsenhausen, the concentration camp, Otto Bock, the Charite hospital, Dresden, the zoo, and many other places.  We got to try the Döner and currywurst for which Berlin is renowned, enjoyed a splendid dinner of Moroccan food, and got dressed up for the Opera.  I really enjoyed all of these, except perhaps the Charite Museum tour; I was so exhausted it was hard to focus.  I will expand on a couple of my favorites and then call it a day.

The concentration camp was depressing, as you might expect, but it was one of those things you had to do.  It is completely different being at the actual site instead of just reading about it in a book.  Seeing the outlines of the buildings used by the Nazis and the left over soviet monuments made it so real.  The part that brought it really real for me however was seeing the ruins of the “exit gate”.  Even though this was not a death camp, they still had a small gas chamber and such.  Parts of the walls were still standing and you could see where the floor had been bulldozed.  It was not covered in grass and made you realize how all of these atrocities were committed not too long ago, and it brings the happenings back to the present.

This entire trip has been making me rethink my chosen profession.  Not in a bad way, but for a slightly-stubborn girl like me who has known she wanted be a biomedical engineer and do medical research/get her PhD since 9^th grade, it is frustrating to be confused.  After witnessing the operations in Bonn and working with medical training dummies in Berlin (whoop for correct intubating on the first try J ) I am starting to want to go for an MD as well.  My mind keeps going from MD/PhD to just PhD to nursing school to hospital volunteer and back again.  Then again, visiting the Otto Bock Health and Science center and enjoying Biosolid mechanics this semester make me want to go into mechanics and industry.  I guess I should be happy that I am in a major where I can do so many cool things, and that I at least know what major I want to be.  The good news is I still have time to decide what degrees I want to get, but I have a lot of thinking to do. 

I especially enjoyed the tour of Dresden.  I had actually wanted to visit sometime during the semester and never gotten the chance, so I am really glad we went.  We had a walking tour, so my feet did hurt a lot by the end, but seeing the city was well worth it.  Seeing the pictures of before and after the bombing really brought home the destruction that took place in this town.  What I especially liked though was how during the reconstruction the city has used the old ruins that are left of the buildings.  For example, the church was just a few fragments of wall and some extra stone, but they rebuilt it completely, using the wall fragments and stones when they could.  It gave it a Dalmatian effect but one you realize why the stones look so odd you are simply in awe of the church.  Having a guide who lived through the war offered an interesting perspective on the city.  I also got to try potato pancakes which were delicious.

Lastly, I loved going to the opera.  It was a chance to get all dressed up and go out with everyone for one last time.  Unfortunately the opera was in Italian and the subtitles in German, so I didn’t get a whole lot of what was said, but between Dr. Wasser’s preparation, the acting, and my limited vocabulary I was able to pick up on what was going on.    After that it was back to the hotel for last-minute packing and a few hours of sleep before I had to be up to catch a train.

It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but luckily most of us will have a lot of the same classes for the next two years so it shouldn't be too bad.  Mostly I am excited to be out traveling on my own and looking forward to seeing my family in a week

Our Last Day in Germany...

I apologize for having been delinquent in my posts. We've been so busy going out and seeing everything there is to see that we don't want to stop to write a blog post :P This trip has been so amazing. I have made so many close friends, learned so much, experienced so many new things, and I just don't want it to end. As excited as I am to come home and see my friends and family again, this trip has meant the world to me. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Today we spent the day at the Berlin Zoo. It was awesome to say the least. I felt like a five year old again, looking around at all the animals. Tonight we are going to the opera to see The Marriage of Figaro. I'll be sure to post again soon to tell you all about how it goes!

Aachen, Chocolate Museum, and Customs

On Wednesday, April 25 we went to the Helmholtz Institute in Aachen for cardiovascular engineering. We had a presentation on the work done there, which includes valve projects, total artificial hearts, lung assists, and research about blood flow through all these devices, durability, how to best attach devices, and other things. I thought it was very interesting to see all the engineering that has to go into these devices that you might not think about, such as the complex machines that simulate normal blood flow so they can see how the device will affect the blood's normal flow. I also thought it was interesting when we saw the machine shop where they make all the devices, and the guide told us you learn a lot by working with those people because sometimes an engineer will have a really good idea for a design but it's impossible to manufacture, so the machinists will offer suggestions about how the design could be modified so it is possible to manufacture. Sometimes when you come up with an idea you don't always think about how it would actually be made, so it was interesting to hear about how much needs to come into consideration. Another thing that was really surprising was when we learned that companies that make devices will often choose not to make a device more automatic if they can because legally it makes them liable if something goes wrong, whereas if they leave it up to the surgeon or patient to adjust, they are no longer liable if something goes wrong. It was surprising because it seemed counter-productive to technological advancement.

After the Helmholtz Institute, we went to the Aachen Cathedral, which was really neat because we got to see the throne,

and go into the treasury and see the reliquaries.

We also may or may not have seen Charlemagne's bones, depending on what you believe. I especially liked the wall paintings.

I also really enjoyed hearing about some of the history of the Cathedral like the bronze banisters which had turned black because they stopped being polished, and the pillars which the French had stolen. Also there were relics inside the Shrine of St. Mary which are claimed to be some piece of John the Baptist's clothing, Christ's swaddling clothes, and Mary's cloak.

It was cool that even though they couldn't prove for sure that they actually were what they claimed to be, they could prove that it was from the right time period.

The next day, Thursday, I got to watch the Biomedical engineering students give their device design presentations, which was fun because I learned a lot even though I didn't do a device design project myself, and I thought they were really cool.

On Friday the most exciting thing to happen was the farewell party. It felt a little weird because we hadn't actually taken our finals yet, unlike some of the other groups, so it felt strange to celebrate before the semester was actually over. We were still able to have fun though, and it was really nice of the AIB people to put in the work for party for us. It felt like just a while ago that we were at the welcome party, and now we're almost finished with the program.

Most of the rest of the weekend was devoted to studying and writing my paper for 485, but on Saturday I did go with Megan to the Chocolate Museum in Köln. Yes, the long-awaited Chocolate Museum! After multiple failed attempts to go here, I finally got to experience the legendary Chocolate Museum of Köln. It was really fun, and at the end we went to the chocolate shop attached to the museum, where we went just a little bit crazy spending our money on wonderful chocolate. On the way back we rode the chocolate express because it was rather warm outside and we didn't want the chocolate to melt. We thought it would be just a funny little train that took us back to the Cathedral, but it turned out to be a mini-tour. It alternated between German and English, so there wasn't a whole lot of new information, but it was still really fun to ride on the little train. We ended up going to the Hard Rock cafe for dinner, which we also thoroughly enjoyed. We decided to split an appetizer and a burger, and both were so delicious that we kept congratulating ourselves on our choices.

Most of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were taken up with studying and writing my paper. On Wednesday I had my physiology and history of medicine finals, and on Thursday I had my differential equations final. It was a relief to have them over with, but I still had some minor details to take care of. For example, the day before I had gotten a letter that a package my mom sent had been detained at the customs office because it did not say what was in it on the outside. My host mom helped me get directions to the customs office and figure out what tram to take, so after my final on Thursday I went to see if they would give me my package. I took the tram down to Ramersdorf and found the customs office, or Zollamt, fairly easily with the directions my host mom had given me. I then had to wait approximately 15 to 20 minutes in line, wondering the whole time if I was in the right room for picking up packages. I reassured myself by trying to read the German signs, which seemed to indicate that I was in the correct place. When I got to the front I showed them my letter, and the girl behind the counter went and got my package. She asked me if I knew what was inside, so I said that it should be a jacket, and then she asked me to open it. I was a little confused since I could clearly see where post office form had been taped, and under the area that said “Detailed description of contents,” I saw that my mom had listed “clothes” and “candy.” But I did what she asked, and when it turned out that yes, my mom had indeed sent me my jacket along with some candy, the girl had me sign and date a piece of paper and then I was done. The whole experience was a little annoying, since I'm still not sure why the package was detained as it clearly listed what was inside, but they didn't charge me any money so there was no serious problem.

After running a few more errands, I was ready to go to Munich! Some of us whiled away the hours until our night train at the AIB, wrapping up the loose ends of a differential equations project, or watching Katie make etouffee, a wonderfully relaxing end to a stressful but productive day.

Finals week and Munich part 1

Finals are over. Yay!

I am so glad school is done with this semester. It's hard to imagine being back in the states in just a few days, but I'm excited for it. 

Megan, Austin, Joanna and I went to Munich this weekend. We visited the Neuschwanstein Castle, Franizkaner brewery and the Andechs Monastery; all of which were fun in their own way. I had probably one of the best meals of my life at the Franizkaner brewery, and have definitely chosen Franizkaner Dunkel as my favorite German beer. I'll be bringing about 5 bottles home with me. Off to Berlin and the last week of the journey. 

Until next time. 

The München Tales Part 1

Dr. Wasser, this is a group post from Megan, Austin, Joanna, and Cameron.  We decided it would be more entertaining to create a tale from our trip to Munich this week rather than to recount it individually, so read on!

Part 1:

Not too long a time ago in a land not so far far away, there were four college students named Austin, Cameron, Joanna and Megan, who boarded the night train to Munich.  It was a dark cloudy night and “Santa Claus” had just left when they stumbled heavily laden into their beds.  We were set out on a noble quest to deliver Chase’s luggage to Berlin and to find the best beer in Bavaria.

The scenery was rather picturesque, as large, colorful, floating birds dropped from the sky around the breathtaking Schloss Neushwanstein.  The road was perilous and marked with excrement of carriage horses, but still they pressed on.  They answered the question of the troll, and crossed the Marienbrücke, where one of the fearless grouped turned out to have a weakness – fear of death by falling.  Despite this they carried on and were rewarded at the top by the view of the castle.  The sky could have been a work of the great masters, however it was marred by the mark of their arch nemesis – Scaffolding.  He had been striking all across the country, first in Köln and now in Bavaria! Despite the evil mark, they went exploring through King Ludwig’s chambers.  They encountered many strange sights, including a Gothic-style bed that took 14 woodcarvers 4 years to complete and a Venusian grotto enclosed by the castle.  The Querulous Quartet exited through the gift shop, resisting the temptations of nutcrackers and snowglobes to begin their descent.

Upon their return to the main village of München, they sought out sustenance and found it in the form of zum Frazis Kaner Brewery.  The feast was most triumphant, with the roulade stealing the show.  In the spirit of celebration, they ventured onwards to the hofbräuhaus, where they each downed a Maß of their favorite beverage to the tunes of an oom-pah band.  With jest they stumbled back to their sleeping quarters and prepared for the quest upon the ‘morrow.

They woke to an ominous fog rolling over the hills.  The elders advised against continuing their quest for the legendary Liquid Bread of Andechs, for the danger was far too great.  The prophecy foretold of a raging tempest hidden behind the cottony shroud. In addition the faithful companions were menaced by colorful creatures of unknown origin and intention. However, they were not to be daunted by the foreboding warnings. They lived on the wild side. They laughed in the face of danger. After overcoming opposition in the form of a false path, the brave companions forged onward in the midst of an enchanted wood. Gnarled roots rose treacherously to snag their feet, while at any moment the promised tempest threatened to appear. The flowers and trees surrounding them seemed innocent, but unknown dangers could lurk anywhere. And then, the companions ran into another obstacle. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. After much debate, they took the one less traveled by, and that made all the difference. They were climbing the last few steep steps when…

TO BE CONTINUED….

Last week of class

Well, finals week is over.  So are classes, and studying, and stress (at least until we get back to summer jobs and the like).  I am not sure I have ever been more glad to be done with finals.  Sure it wasn’t quite as stressful as a normal finals week back in College Station as far as preparing for a lot of exams, but packing up my suitcase again and trying to take care of all of the little things for the trip home was pretty stressful. 

As much as I miss home and cannot wait to be back, I cannot help but think about how much I am going to miss Germany.  I wasn’t feeling too sad until Thursday night when I was packing up everything to take with me to Munich and Berlin.  We were celebrating my host aunt’s birthday/having my last dinner and my host mom cooked some delicious home-made veal Asian dumplings.  True to my normal style, I ended up dropping a few in the soy sauce and splattering everything by accident but at least this time we had some napkins J.  After having my last dinner with the family, we took some pictures and then it was time to finish up packing.  I finished with some time to spare and managed to jot down a few recipes from my host mom for her potato salad and apfelstreusel.  I am excited to try and make them at home but I’m going to have to convert it all from grams to cups.  It was sad standing in the living room looking out at the garden for the last time.  The kids said goodbye before heading to bed and I gave my host mom the thank you card that I had written her.  She helped me to the bus stop and gave me a hug and then I was on my way!

My awesome host family

I met up at AIB with Austin, Joanna, Cameron, and Katie and we entertained eachother with funny stories and imitations.  Finally it was time to go to the train station where we said our last goodbyes and boarded the night train to Munich. I was very sad to see Bonn go.  It almost feels like a second home now. One day I will make it back, I have to.

Yesenia's Getting Old!

This past weekend was not only our last weekend here in Bonn, but it was also Yesenia's birthday! I tried to study as much as I could that morning since I knew we would be going out to celebrate. We had decided on going to eat dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cologne and then make our way to dance salsa at Petit Prince. Of course, things never go as planned.

Originally, many of the students were also going to join us, but with all the stress from finals and papers it ended up just being Austin, Katie, Yesenia and I. We headed to Cologne and managed to find the Hard Rock with the help of Austin. The Hard Rock was awesome! I also got to buy a present for a best friend back home who collects these cool t-shirts.

When heading to Petit Prince, we weren't entirely sure where it was located. We headed to Cologne South from what we remembered from the first time we went dancing. After walking around aimlessly we decided to stop and ask someone for directions since Austin's internet was not cooperating (fail). No one seemed to know where or what club Petit Prince was so we gave up and decided to stay at the nearest club. Surprisingly, the environment and music was really good, so we just stayed there most of the night. I'm extremely glad we went out Saturday and got to celebrate Yesenia's birthday and our last weekend in Bonn. Overall, an awesome night.

Can't wait to be done with school!

Tschuss!