Berrrrrrlin and Praha

Wow, things in life starting moving very rapidly recently. The last week we travelled to Berlin, Dresden, and Prague and it was wonderful and busy.

I knew that I liked Berlin after the first 15 minutes walking around. People-watching is my favorite pastime and Berlin was full of exotic-looking people. The city felt very different from any other place I've ever been. I love how the skyline was full of ancient building and cranes -- the dichotomy of history and the future was unavoidable to capture in every photo.

We went on an exhilarating bike tour of the city with our super-cool Scottish tour guide and I am proud of myself for living to sit here and blog about it. Learning how to ride a bike was a large source of anxiety for me last semester, and successfully completing the bike tour, (albeit with a significant amount of profanity) makes me incredibly relieved and feeling accomplished.

The tour of Sachsenshausen concentration camp was sobering. I think it's important for us as human to experience that chilling feeling of little crawlies under the skin when you realize that you're standing exactly where literally thousands of completely innocent humans were ruthlessly murdered by fellow humans. I was especially freaked out by learning that there was a brothel in the concentration camp, where women were forced to work as prostitutes for the guards and other concentration camp victims. A disgusting reminder that humans are just mindless animals unless we continually strive for reason and empathy.

Overall, Berlin was a uniquely interesting city. Not necessarily fun, but a great experience.

Prague was fun though! I had no idea that Prague was such a wonderful city to visit as a tourist but I enjoyed how "tourist-friendly" everything was. I thought the Russian influence on the city was interesting.

Highlights of Prague include delicious cinnamon sugar covered pastries, an awesome Salvador Dali exhibit, our beautiful hostel that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Jewish quarter cemetery and museum. I never knew how complex, ceremonial, and different from Christianity Judaism is.

Five weeks from right now I will be on the plane home! I have mixed feelings about this. I am incredibly excited to see my family and pets. I will also be so sad to leave the wonderful adventure that this semester has been. I feel as thought I've been gone for long enough that nowhere will feel like "home" anymore. But I suppose this semester has definitely taught me that I am highly adaptable and can find comfort and happiness wherever I am.

Spring Break Part 2-Madrid

Our next stop for spring break was Madrid, Spain.  We had a bit of a mix up at the Lisbon airport, so Kunal and I arrived at our AirBNB apartment a few hours before everyone else.  The apartment was huge, and was located in a decent neighborhood not far from the subway.  Speaking of the subway, Madrid definitely earns the award for slowest subway trains.  The subway drivers would take a solid 20 seconds to fully brake at each station which was super annoying.  The first night, we went downtown to walk around for a bit and find someplace to eat.  Our actual dinner was at a really touristy chain restaurant which was pretty mediocre, but afterwards we found an awesome churro place and consumed 30(!!) churros dipped in melted chocolate.

The following morning, we headed out early to explore the city.  We started downtown (which had a very New York City feel to it) then worked our way over to the Palacio Real de Madrid and toured the grounds around the palace.  Next to the palace, we found the Almudena Cathedral.  I have been inside many European cathedrals by now, so I can confidently say that the Almudena Cathedral is the most beautiful church I have seen.  It was a sunny day, so the entire nave and the colorful ceiling were completely illuminated.  We meandered through the streets some more, and eventually found the Plaza Mayor.  It was here in the Plaza Mayor during lunchtime that we discovered Spain's greatest invention, the menu del dia.  A menu del dia is a 3-course meal plus a beer offered at many Spanish restaurants for less than 10 euros.  What a culinary experience!  After lunch, we walked to a huge park with tons of walking trails and dogs everywhere.  We returned to downtown Madrid, found another cool food place that is basically Taco Bell with beer, then headed to the apartment to watch Real Madrid play FC Schalke 04 in a Champions League football match. The game was actually being played in Madrid that night, and we seriously considered going, but instead took the cheaper option of drinking our own beer and watching from home.

The Real Madrid-FC Schalke match turned out to be a very close game with 7 goals being scored in total.  We were a little regretful we didn't go, but we did go check out the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium the next morning.  From here we went to Madrid's central park, again very reminiscent of New York.  There were tons of trails, a man-made lake in the middle, and gardens everywhere.  Next to the park was our next stop-Spain's national art gallery, the Prado Museum.  The Prado was absolutely massive, so it was hard for me to pick a favorite piece.  There many Goya paintings which I enjoyed, plus an elaborate monstrance called "The Lettuce" that was made of 5 kilos of gold and over 1,700 gems.  The Prado bathrooms were pretty nice, worse than the Rijksmuseum's but better than the van Gogh's. We toured a nice garden next to the museum and an interesting church called the Jeronimos Cathedral that had some strange modern art inside.  We returned to downtown Madrid one last time for some final souvenir shopping, then went out for some evening entertainment.

As they say, "when in Spain, go see some flamenco dancing," which is exactly what we did.  Flamenco is a traditional Spanish form of dance where the girls wear colorful dresses and kinda tap dance around rhythmically.  Many of the popular flamenco dancing shows were quite expensive, so we went off the beaten path and found a lesser-known and cheaper flamenco restaurant in a random part of town.  We got a decent dinner, then the show began, which I will try to describe the best I can.  The whole environment was very intimate with a 1:2 ratio of performers to audience members.  One guy was playing guitar, another guy was singing, and two colorfully dressed ladies danced.  Most songs started with the guitar guy, then the singer would start singing, and finally everyone would randomly stomp more or less in time with the beat.  Next, one of the dancing ladies would feel moved by the music, and get up and start tap dancing around and occasionally slapping parts of her body.  The best comparison to this is of course from the Spongebob Squarepants movie when Spongebob and Patrick are riding through the abyss in the pattymobile and Patrick gets in a dance competition with one of the sea monsters and he starts slapping random parts of his body.  After the ladies were done dancing, the song would end and everyone would yip "AYE AYE AYE!" or "OLE!"  The performers encouraged us to yip as well, but I felt offensive by loudly yelling "OLE!" at Spanish people.  The flamenco show actually was a lot of fun, and the owners/performers of the restaurant were extremely nice to us and grateful for our business.

We only had one morning left in Madrid, so we decided to make the most of it by returning to the Palacio Real de Madrid and actually paying to go in.  The admission price was well worth it, as the palace was gorgeous on the inside.  Each room was filled with ornate rugs, paintings, tapestries, and statues.  I can't imagine how much the entire place cost, but I don't imagine that I will be moving there anytime soon.

Madrid was a great city that offered quite a contrast from Lisbon.  I thoroughly enjoyed the food, the art, and the dancing.  Next stop, Barcelona.

Berlin and Hamburg

Fat Tire City Bike Tour

The first activity on the schedule was a bike tour through Berlin. I haven’t ridden a bike since I left College Station in the beginning of December so I was really excited for this excursion. Even though Berlin is a very large city, it is very bike friendly. Berlin drivers do a great job of sharing the road, most of the time. Our first stop on the tour was in front of the Berlin Cathedral (actually a Lutheran church) and the Altes Museum, which was used for Nazi propaganda and massive assemblies. The Nazis used this building for rallies and public gatherings. We also stopped at Babelplatz (formerly named Opernplatz), the site of the very first public book burning by Nazis. Nazis and other anti-sematic people would take books written by Jews and other groups considered lesser by the Nazis (including works by Einstein, Freud, and other famous intellectuals) and burn them publically in a square. This started a wave of book burnings across university campuses and libraries around Germany.

Of course you can’t come to Berlin and not see the Berlin Wall. There are still portions of the wall still standing today. We visited one of the few sections still remaining, situated next to a building originally used by the Nazis as the office for the German Air Force. As reparation for losing WWI and a condition under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not allowed to have an air force. Of course, this did not stop the Nazis. During the Olympics of 1938 in Berlin, the building was said to be the ministry of passenger air transportation and cargo (a complete lie). The Nazis actually thought of this building as a symbol of power and strength due to its shear size. Being on the East Germany side during the Cold War, this building fell under the Soviet control. A famous escape was made to West Germany from this building. An employee in this building along with his wife and son escaped to West Germany by throwing a lead wire across the wall to their friends who then tied a steel cable, in which the employee and his family attached to the flag pole on top of the building. All three managed to “zip line” across the wall successfully and were free of communist rule.

We also stopped at the site of Hitler’s bunker and the site of his infamous suicide. The bunker is no longer there and apartments were built on top of the bunker site. There is no plaque commemorating this site so that no honor can be brought to this atrocious dictator. Next stop, the Memorial for Jews. This was an incredible memorial site that honors the Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust. As you walk towards the center of the memorial site, the elevation dips and you find yourself in a massive depression surrounded by tall blocks very close to each other. This is supposed to represent the feelings of the Jews, as the Nazi regime rose in power and all of sudden they realized the gravity of the situation and the oppression that soon consumed the Jewish community. Take a look at the pictures of this monument below.

Before our last stop, we got to see the Reichstag, the capital building of Germany. After the original building was damaged during the bombing of Berlin, a glass dome was reconstructed, in which people can walk around the edge of this dome and look down into the legislation chamber, where the German politicians meet. This is a symbol for the Germany people representing the idea that Germans are keeping an eye on the politicians. Our tour ended at the famous Brandenburg Gate. This gate is a symbol of power and triumph for the country of Germany. When Napoleon conquered the city, the final part of his parade route through the city ended with a pass under this gate. Ironically, Hitler would take this same route when elected chancellor of Germany, ending his path through the gate. It is still a beautiful sight and a must see when you visit Berlin. Check out the pictures of the gate at night!

Day trip to Dresden

The next day, we all took a day trip to Dresden, a city about two hours South of Berlin in the state of Saxony in Germany. This city was known as the Florence of the North, with beautiful baroque architecture and a culture of music and art. Controversially, this city was devastated by a massive air raid, one of the last cities to be bombed during WWII. As a result, this city has a mix of a modern feel with a classic sense where many buildings have been restored to their original architecture. It is a beautiful city with some great history. One of my favorites was a wall along the King’s palace in which there is a mural of the royal lineage from the 1500’s to the late 1800’s. Being a Lutheran city, there is a massive sandstone church that is a very prominent figure of the Dresden skyline. This church was heavily damaged during the air raid so there is a mix of light and dark stones seen on the church, where they used the remaining stones and built on top of them.

We also toured the Hygiene Museum in Dresden. This wasn’t a whole museum about keeping your teeth clean (though that does sound like something I would go to), but about the human body. There were a variety of different rooms about different aspects of the human body including gestation in the womb, the process of aging, muscular movement, and human reproduction. I really enjoyed this museum and wish we had more time here, but we had a train to catch. Overall, it was a beautiful city and a great day trip!

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

I’ll have to say that this was my favorite thing this week. I have always wanted to visit a concentration camp since learning about the Holocaust in elementary school. There is no way to describe the feeling of visiting a site of such horrific atrocities, but to just say go and experience it yourself. Sachsenhausen was one of the first concentration camps in Germany built in 1936 (the first being Dachau outside of Munich) and served as a training facility and model for future concentration camps. It was mainly a male camp, but there were still a number of women to pass through it. Our tour guide explained that 1 in every 4 did not survive this camp. At the beginning of its existence, it was meant to be a work camp, temporarily holding inmates until either transferring them to an extermination camp or releasing them (which didn’t happen very often). Extermination did not begin here until 1941. At the gate are the famous words, “Arbeit Macht Frei” translated as, “work makes you free”.  This was an attempt to not only to give the inmates a reason to work (obviously this phrase was not true for the majority of people), but to engrain them with the Nazi idea that every person has to contribute to society and if they don’t, they do not deserve food or basic necessities. Many of the barracks are not there anymore but there are a few, in which you can walk in and see the interior of the barracks. It was an astonishing sight to see the animal like conditions, which existed. When looking at the pictures, keep in mind that each barrack housed anywhere from 150-200 people. The crematorium was destroyed by the Soviets but the foundation still exists. A small number of medical experiments were performed here and many human dissections (termed autopsies) were performed here. Take a look at the pictures below, but know that they cannot convey the magnitude of the despair and death that these camps represent. All I can say is make sure to visit a concentration camp at some point in your life. It is an extremely sobering and touching experience.

Topography of Terror Museum

That afternoon, we were given a free day to do whatever we want, so a group of us decided to go to the Topography of Terror Museum. This museum is located on the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarter buildings, which were destroyed during Allied bombing. Basically, this museum explains the rise of the National Socialist Party in Germany (the Nazi party) and exhibits the terrors they imposed. There was a large exhibit on the Jewish oppression, but also the oppression of Communists, homosexuals, gypsies, and many Eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary, and the Czechoslovakia. It was a really well done museum that we could have spent hours in. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Berlin!

Berlin Wall Murals

On a large remaining section of the Berlin Wall, artists have painted a variety of different murals. There are some really well done murals with great detail. After walking the 1.5 kilometers, we decided to walk along the river and enjoy the beautiful view with the illuminated skyline in the background.

Charité Medical School

Charité is the oldest and best-known medical school in Berlin, along with being one of the largest universities in Europe. We first visited the History of Medicine Museum and the Virchow Anthropology Collection, where we got to hear about different medical practices performed in the early 1800’s and see a variety of different medical specimens from lungs with tuberculosis and Cyclops babies, to a megacolon and war wounded skulls.

We then got to visit the Charité skills lab where the medical students learn practical clinical skills like performing EKGs, newborn assessments, and differential diagnosis. This skill lab was started by medical students and is run by medical students. There are different demonstration dummies throughout the facility and a variety of different medical equipment. I really enjoyed learning from the two medical students who were able to explain European medical schools and how they differ from American medical schools. The older medical students like these two, mentor and tutor the younger medical students. I thought this program was such a great program and definitely needs to be implemented in medical schools in America.

Hohenschönhausen Prison

This was actually a Soviet prison, during the period following WWII when the Soviets controlled East Berlin and East Germany. The Soviet secret police, called the Stasi, built this prison to house those who opposed Stalin and did not cooperate and conform to communist ways. The Stasi were the Soviet equivalent of the Nazi Gestapo. This was also a really great tour. We often hear about the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the Gestapo but many times we do not hear of the oppression and acts of the Soviets during their occupation of East Germany.  In this prison, disgraced politicians had to endure months of agony in the tomb like cells here. Prisoners were often abducted in the middle of the day by disguised vans that brought them to this prison. Some people were even abducted from West Germany and smuggled across the border to be placed here. These vans would often drive around for hours, giving the prisoners the illusion that they had left Berlin and were in a prison far away. Once here, they would often endure hours of grueling interrogation, where they would then be transferred to a cell with a wooden bed and a bucket for a toilet. Almost all prisoners were forced to sign a document written in Russian (so they could not understand what they were signing) that were written proof of confessions, usually held against them in Soviet courts. I would also highly recommend this museum as it really conveyed the oppression of the Soviets in East Germany during this period.

Weekend in Hamburg

Since most of the other people on the program decided to go to Prague this past weekend (and I had already been there for Spring Break), a friend and I decided to visit another German city and go to Hamburg. Hamburg is a major port city for Germany, and is the fastest container terminal in the world. Also, Hamburg brews the highest amount of beer in all of Germany. To our surprise, Hamburg is the 3^rd largest city in the world for musicals (behind New York City #1 and London #2). We really enjoyed this very diverse and progressive city. We stayed in an area called St. Pauli that is well known for it’s left wing liberal views, but with that came some amazing street art and some really cool people. The first night, we ate at this restaurant called Taverna Romana, where a simple dinner turned into a 4 ½ hour conversation with the owners and their son. The older German lady and her Greek husband started the restaurant in 1977, not knowing this area would be an extremely popular spot in the city almost forty years later. They told us how the neighborhood used to be the worst part of the city, high in crime and homeless people. We heard about their life and we shared with them why we were in Germany, sharing with them a little bit about our lives. It was one of those places where they make you feel like a member of the family and treat you so well. If you are ever in Hamburg, you have to go to this restaurant and tell them the students from Texas sent you!

The next day, we took a walking tour of the city and learned a little bit about the history of the city and the facts I stated at the beginning. Another interesting fact about Hamburg is that the Beatles played the most shows in the city Hamburg (over 600 shows). After not being able to make it big in England, they came to Hamburg, playing at a variety of different bars and clubs, which eventually led to their discovery. After this, we toured an old Soviet U-Boat (U-434) that was used as a spy submarine. The maximum dive time with a full crew was about three and a half days. After this, the submarine had to return to at least snorkel depth to replenish the air supply. I had never been in a submarine before so it was incredible to see how small the living conditions were. There were times when I had to duck a good amount so I can’t imagine being a tall person cramped inside for weeks on end.

Half of my Berlin Trip

Berlin and Dresden

Optimally, I’d be writing every day, I know. I hope I don’t look back on this trip and regret how little I write, but at the same time I’ve felt like I barely even have time to breathe! I’m currently watching videos about grammar for my writing class and attempting to have a coherent thought line at the same time..I don’t know if it’s working. We have five Biochemistry lectures in three days time this week. We have a paper due on Friday. I also have no clean clothes from our extensive traveling last week so there’s that. Life feels a little chaotic right now, but I’m hoping that tonight will be a good chance to regroup and feel a little more organized about everything.

This past week, we went to Berlin, Dresden, and Prague. Even thinking back over the cities is amazing, because I don’t think the significance of the history, people, and locations start to sink in until after you’ve come back home. Berlin is the epitome of a city that has a huge, unique history that truly stares you in the face and demands analysis and reflection. We walked through the city to the very steps of the building where Hitler often rallied his Nazi troops. Even some of the buildings themselves were intentionally reconstructed with the original bullet-riddled stones, proudly displaying their battle scars like Berlin itself. We also walked past some still-standing pieces of the wall, and walked through Brandenburg gate like the East Germans did when they were finally reunited with the West. And even as beautiful as the historical sites were the modern ones—the Reichstag, the capitol building of Germany, has an open glass roof where Germans can watch the Bundestag (parliament) and make sure the government knows that the people hold them accountable. The cranes litter the skyline, showing that reconstruction from the war and communism is still occurring even today.

The first day, we went on a bike tour through the city and saw most of these fantastic sights. I, of course, was a big klutz and fell off my bike standing still…fortunately, I’ve mastered the tuck and roll (thank you horseback riding!) so apparently it looked “graceful”. I don’t believe it, but I’ll take it! And also Hazel ran into a car so I don’t feel as bad. J We also had to take a physiology test in the hotel room that night, which was also a new and unique experience. It was actually an ok testing environment, although definitely not ideal. What can you do, though?

The second day, we took a trip out to Dresden. This absolutely beautiful, lavish city was actually completely decimated during World War II, with ~10% of buildings remaining available for use after the bombing. But, with brilliant foresight, the Germans realized their precious city was probably going to be bombed and had photographed many streets before the decimation. So, after the war, Dresden was pieced back together based off the pictures! Some of the “old-fashioned” apartments in the main square are actually a Disney-esque front with modern amenities on the inside, but the church and palace grounds were totally reconstructed and look great. The Dresdner Schloss is the oldest building in Dresden and absolutely beautiful. We learned about how the emperors would often marry for blood and then have a totally culturally acceptable mistress that would actually host significant royal events and help manage the castle. One even earned her own palace because she was such an awesome mistress! And then it was really awesome to marry the king’s mistress, so when the king got tired of his mistress she definitely had some fallback options. I guess it was a good profession, if you’re into that kind of thing. I also really liked this mural, the “Procession of Princes”, that was on one of the castle walls outside of the jousting area. The mural showed a history of all the rulers of Dresden by them parading chronologically on majestic horses (of course that’s why I liked it). It was originally a fresco but that washed off the building with the sun and rain. So, the mural was repainted on Meissen porcelain, hand painted, then re-glazed. The best part about a glazed porcelain mural is….heat won’t destroy it. So the mural actually survived the WWII incendiary bombs. I’m glad, because it would have been a shame to lose such a work of art. We also ate at a very authentic-style German restaurant that was built in an old gunpowder room type of thing. I had puff pastries, which are one of the best things mankind has ever invented, and it was super good. Also I love the pfiercheschorle, which is a drink where you combine peach juice with sparkling water. It’s not too sweet and very refreshing.

After Dresden, we went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. This concentration camp is about half an hour outside of Berlin and was used from 1936-1945 by the Nazis (but even after that by Soviets). I’ve always wanted to visit a concentration camp, which sounds really bad, but I think it’s an important part of history to review to understand how easy it can be to allow evil to run rampant if one does not stand up to it. Walking into the camp felt very surreal as your brain tried to comprehend the fact that thousands of people had been systemically killed in the same places you were standing. The grounds were relatively bare, even though verdant grass and trees surrounded the complex. Memorial gravestones for the cremated prisoners were placed around the edges of the complex by the walls, and they were covered with small, smooth stones that various people had placed in remembrance. The camp buildings were small, squat, and ugly, much like the kind of buildings you’d see at a crappy summer camp. Except for the entrance gate that boldly proclaimed “Arbeit machen frei” or “work makes you free”. An ironic phrase to put at the doors to one of the death camps, but Sachsenhausen was also one of the “model” camps shown to visiting dignitaries to show that Nazi Germany was putting useless citizens to useful work. We saw the medical barracks, the Jewish living quarters (even worse than everyone elses’ living quarters), and a huge Soviet memorial erected after the war. The memorial only has red triangles on it, which was the concentration camp patch for Soviets. So, even today, the focal point of the camp is drawn to this giant memorial, but we remember everyone that was subject to such torment. I’m really glad that I got to see the concentration camp and understand the terror of the Nazi era, but I don’t think I’d want to see another one. It’s the kind of place that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

 Ok, I have to work on laundry and real life now. Hopefully I'll be finishing up everything about Berlin soon and then I can talk about PRAGUE too!! 

One Very Chill Weekend in Hamburg

Hamburg was a good choice. We stayed in the Sankt Pauli district, which is the Austin of Germany: a little liberal, socialist community that has, on several occasions, risen up against the mayor and won. It was described to us as having “just enough” police force, but not enough to get in your way.

On our first night, we had dinner at a little Greek restaurant on Schulterblatt. The man who met us at the door, offered us English menus, and led us to a table was the son of the owners. Our waiter told me to customize my pizza however I would like, and suggested some wines for us to try, assuring us that we could switch them out if we did not like them. Both dinner and the wines were delicious. They were followed by a shot of ouzo on the house. When we went up to pay, the son of the owner asked us if we had received our ouzo and asked how dinner was. We, of course, told him how great our experience had been. He asked us where we were from, which sparked an hour-long conversation with him and his mother about everything from Texas to St. Pauli to travel to life experiences. It was quite the place, run by people with a very unique story. I would recommend Taverna Romana to anyone visiting Hamburg.

We took a walking tour of the harbor and St. Pauli district on Saturday. Our guide took us through the red light district, as well, where he told us about the Beatles’ history in Hamburg. I did not know that the Beatles had a contract with a club in the red light district when it looked like their nascent career was about to end. They apparently earned much of their fame through their years playing in Hamburg.

We also took the opportunity to go inside a Russian U-boat that is permanently docked in the harbor. I could not imagine living in such tight quarters with 83 other people. It really was a very Russian design. But, marine machinery has always been interesting to me, and the U-boat reminded me of being inside the engine room of another massive ship: an experience that partly led to my interest in engineering. So, I enjoyed it. Even though I would have gone crazy living on a submarine that made even me feel too tall.

Our weekend was very laidback. We took our time walking through the harbor and St. Pauli. We enjoyed some long dinners and brunches in very unique restaurants. It was a great way to see the city and just what I needed after a busy week in Berlin.

Of course that would happen to me!

We finally attended one of the events I was most excited about... OBSERVING SURGERIES! Our class met up around 6:50am at the bus stop and headed towards the Uniklinik. I had skipped breakfast but thought nothing of it, although our professor had clearly stated that we should have something to eat before meeting up. Once we arrived to the clinic we were given protective garments and scrubs to enter our designated surgery room. Everything was going well, the surgeon was performing a simple procedure on a small child. The child had several enlarged polyps in his throat, which were obstructing his airway and needed to be removed. The surgery was over within 30 minutes and the next patient was brought in soon after. I wanted to make sure I was out of the surgeons way but could still get a really good view of the surgery. Once I felt comfortable enough I walked towards the nurses that were standing at the end of the room.

“Excuse me, if by any chance I need to go to the bathroom between surgeries……………..”

Seconds after fainting I opened my eyes and found myself surrounded by nurses.
"Did you eat?" asked one of the nurses. 

I was so embarrassed all I wanted to do was get up quickly and pretend it never happened. 

But of course that was impossible! 

Quickly after a medical school student walked with me to the lunchroom and made sure I had something to eat and drink before reentering the surgery room. She was so nice and comforting....

"Don't worry about what happened in there, it happens to everyone I promise". I gained strength and courage and decided to walk into the surgery room. I couldn't pretend it didn't happen but I did not let it get in the way of my learning. The look on the anesthesiologist face was purely sympathy, and after the incident he made sure that during every surgery I interacted more. I had the opportunity to learn new skills and am very thankful for the opportunity. In no way was my situation ideal, but I don't regret it. 

Berlin: beer bike

Day 1: Arrived at the train at 7:30am, the cold is unbearable so I hid in the train waiting area. Everyone arrived promptly right before the train was about to leave. I studied physiology on the train with Amy, Ana, and Cameron. When we arrived at the Berlin HBF , it was already around 1 pm. We dropped our stuff off at the Alex hotel and had some lunch. For a chill day, we had the bike tour with Ryan. My favorite was the 2711 columns for Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It was a tribute to the people who died During Nazi's Regime.

Day 2: We went to Dresden and had a city tour. I even remembered to bring my phone for photos. It was a beautiful city. I had an awesome lunch of traditional german dish with meat and potatoes. I was so full, I was not hungry for dinner. Later that afternoon, we went to the hygiene museum and I found out that I have a hard time getting my brain to go blank.

Day 3: We went to Sachensen House with Ryan, Our tour guide. I learned a lot about the functionality and structures about this particular concentration camp. Despite amount of time that has passed since the concentration camp was closed, there was a constant reminder of the horror beyond these walls. I had free time the rest of the day, all I did was walked around the city to see the streets and the people. Nothing really interesting happened except newly weds on the beer bikes that biked around town.

Day 4: We arrive at the medical school in Berlin. We toured the museum and listened to the story our tour guide, Tom had collected over the years. After lunch, we went through a class peer guided medical things. It was fun to learn about how the medical students' education differ from the ones in the states. The last destination before the moroccan food was Anmodes, we had so basic body physics and simulations. 

Day 5: we visited hohenschoenhausen memorial, it was a jail used by the Soviets in the post war time. It was cool, but depressing for me to see the environment the prisoners had to live in. we left Berlin around 3.