1. Carnival
2. Amsterdam
3. Anesthesia Museum
4. Leverkusen
5. Uniklinik
6. Spring Break (Rome/Barcelona)
This won't take long. (Note: Sarcasm)
CARNIVAL
I didn't have high expectations for carnival when I first heard of what it was. I initially thought it just sounded like everyone in Bonn and Koln were just getting together to get rowdy and drunk. And cold. Always cold. And honestly that's what I found on Thursday when we went to the parade in Beuel. It was cold, there were drunk teenagers everywhere, and I was getting pelted by candy from every direction (mostly from in front of me). I was instantly happy we were leaving for Amsterdam that weekend.
Although Thursday wasn't a very good day for Carnival, Rose Monday was amazing. We got to Koln super early (we found out later that was unnecessary) and found some good seats. We found some other people from AIB and hung out with them and basically sang, danced, and talked until the middle of the parade when we got hot and squished by the crowds of people. Even though this probably doesn't sound very fun, it was one of the most fun days I have every had in my life! I am not disappointed that we came back from Amsterdam in time to go to Rose Monday in Koln.
AMSTERDAM
This was a special weekend. I had been warned by my host sister not to travel on this weekend because of Carnival: the transportation is awful. I didn't believe her. That was a huge mistake. I had my first problem trying to get to Bonn HBF. My tram never arrived at the station and I was going to be late for my train to Koln. I still had to wait for the next tram because I have no other way to get to HBF than that. When I arrived I had missed my train and if I took the next one I would arrive in Koln too late to catch my train for Amsterdam. Panic. After talking to my friends and host sister I decided to risk taking a taxi to Koln. I made it with time to spare which could also be contributed to the fact that the train to Amsterdam was delayed about 20 minutes. And finally after the huge stress of just getting to Koln I was on my train to Amsterdam.
The weekend was both relaxing and stressful. The drivers and cyclists are terrible. I swear there are no traffic laws only "don't hit the tourists". We started the weekend early by going to the Anne Frank house which was amazing. Some people may think it's boring but I thought it was an eye opening experience. It was a very intense walk though of what Anne Frank had to experience. We then had a city tour (I think) which was pretty cool. We saw a lot of things throughout Amsterdam which was super cool. After the tour the group split to either see a torture museum or go on a river tour of Amsterdam. I decided to go to the torture museum. It was interesting. cheap, and I probably could have learned all of the information of Google. However, it was cool to see the torture devices in real life instead of on a computer.
The next day was a bit more relaxed...not really. We had a late morning and so we ended up not really doing anything that day except have a super good breakfast, go to the Reich's museum, and browse a cute market in Amsterdam. It was good weekend but in the end I think I still loved Vienna more than Amsterdam.
ANESTHESIA MUSEUM
I was so excited to go this museum but I think I was expecting something else than what we saw. Instead of a huge museum it was one floor with displays filled to the brim with real samples of anesthesia machines. It was very cool but I couldn't focus. The next day we had a Physiology exam which I was super concerned about. I think that coupled with a long day didn't let me fully enjoy the museum. It was also a surprisingly long tour which I was not prepared for. Overall it was an interesting experience but not fully enjoyed.
LEVERKUSEN
This game was surprisingly fun! The only time I watch soccer is during the World Cup and I watch it at home, on my couch, in air conditioning. So this was new experience for me and I liked it a lot. Which surprised me. Like I originally said. Leverkusen won (which was awesome) and I got some souvenirs (which was awesome) and the whole night was awesome (which was awesome).
UNIKLINIK
Wow this was amazing! So we went to the university clinic where we were able to watch surgeries and it was so cool! I was placed with general surgeries and ultimately I watched a bunch of leg surgeries. I saw about two and half surgeries in total.
The first surgery I saw was a guy who got into a car accident and his tibia broke and split through the skin and the surgery was to remove the bars that were keeping his leg together. Not too exciting. The second one was a bit more exciting. The same thing happened to this guy except that he got an infection so he had more bars coming out of his leg and they were placing a machines to his leg that would treat the infection over time. His leg looked pretty gross. I'm cringing just thinking about it. Ew.
The last surgery was pretty bad. The guy had attempted to commit suicide by driving his car into a tree and he had gotten seriously injured. He had been placed in ICU and he was brought to the OR to fix some of the issues. He had a huge hole in his knee (I'm pretty sure the kneecap was missing), a massive hole next to his groin, broken ribs, and the left side of his body was unresponsive. I had to leave so I didn't get to watch the surgery but I did see them getting him ready for surgery.
Overall I am really happy with the way that day turned out! I don't think I would have ever been able to see the things I did without this program and it was absolutely amazing!
SPRING BREAK
So Spring Break was pretty stressful going into it and during the week. Planning was a bit hard because we had a hard time deciding on what to do and also making sure we saw everything we wanted to see. Since we went to two places and so many things happened in both I am going to divide them into Rome and Barcelona.
ROME
The first day in Rome was rough. The apartment we were staying in was further away than I was expecting and we didn't eat lunch until after we found the apartment. After that we relaxed and talked about what we wanted to do in Rome while we were there. We then went to go for a walk in a park that was close by. Unfortunately, we got pick pocketed and had to spend the night finding a police station so we could make a report. So instead of sightseeing a Roman park we saw downtown Rome and multiple police stations in the middle of the night.
The next morning wasn't much better. We had a scheduled tour for the Necropolis and Vatican Gardens at 9am and we were incapable of arriving on time. That same morning there was a mass held by the Pope in St. Peter's Square that messed up everything. We learned that Italians can't give directions and if they say they don't speak English they mean it! We arrived 15 minutes late and missed the tour which I am still a little but mad about. Also Romans are rude. We did have a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, which were both pretty cool. After that we walked around Rome a little bit and saw some more sights. The sight that probably impressed me the most for some reason I cannot explain was the Pantheon. When I saw it I freaked out. When I walked in I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had heard so much of the Pantheon from my Latin class in high school and from movies that seeing it in real life was absolutely amazing.
The next day we went to St. Peter's Square so that we could see an audience of the Pope. We arrived at 9am because we thought it would be super busy. We were wrong. There was nobody, but we had the amazing opportunity of eating breakfast in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Square. It blew me away. Eventually, at noon, the Pope came out to give his speech (in Italian) and then it was over. We went for lunch where we learned it was Women's day and got some flowers. We then saw the Coliseum (from outside) and ogled it's size. And then we walked some more to some random obscure sights in Rome. And gelato! So much gelato! Also oranges.
We went back to St. Peter's Basilica bright early (7am) so that we could go in and avoid the line. It was worth it. It is the most amazing basilica I have ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. Then we climbed to the top of the dome (551 steps). It was little less beautiful for about 400 of those steps. But the view from the top was spectacular. Again, it was worth it. After that we went to the tombs of some of the Popes that were buried underneath the Basilica. Also cool. We then headed to the Coliseum so that we could go inside and see the magnificence. It was big. And hot. And lots of walking. So much walking. We then made the huge mistake of going into the Roman Forum even though we were completely exhausted. We had to do that area fast because at this point we still hadn't eaten anything and we were all about to pass out. After a quick break in the apartment we head out for a free city tour we signed up for. Except we were late. Like we were for the Vatican. Literally cannot get anywhere in Rome on time. So we just did some sightseeing of places we hadn't seen before. Step count for this day: ~38,000 steps. ~18 miles. Walking.
Our last day in Rome was relatively relaxing. We saw some Catacombs and more random, obscure places in Rome! And then the highlight of the trip: saw a James Bond movie being filmed. That was pretty cool. It was super cold outside and we were weren't expecting this to happen but it did and it was great! Overall the 5 days we spent in Rome were super fun and exciting. Thinking back on it, I can't even believe all the stuff we did. It makes me exhausted just thinking about it. But I absolutely loved it! I almost wish I had more time so that we wouldn't have felt so rushed for everything.
BARCELONA
This was our most relaxing time in Spring Break which was our plan from the beginning. We arrived and went straight to the apartment we were staying in and had dinner there. Simple and lazy and amazing. The next day was a late start, which was fine since everyday in Rome started super early. We went to the Arc de Triumf, which was lived right next to, and then to the Picasso Museum. I really liked the Picasso Museum which is weird because I tend to not care about art at all. That night we went to a restaurant to have some Paella and Sangria which were both delicious!
The next day we went to Park Guell. It was a beautiful day but of course I was not used to the warm weather and was dying. It was a really nice park to walk through I just wish we had more time to walk through it, After that we went on a tour of the Sagrada Familia. It was probably one of the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life. It was so colorful and modern and everything had a story to it. It was amazing. Then we just walked around Las Rambles and relaxed back in the apartment.
Our last full day in Barcelona was more stressful than the others. We got lost all day at some point. In the morning we went to Montjuic and got to the top with some cable cars. We found out when we were up there that there was a castle so we went in there. Then we went back down and saw the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. Pretty spectacular. Then we saw the Barcelona Cathedral and some of the houses that Gaudi designed. And then we got lost. In the rain. In the cold. And it sucked. But besides that it was pretty awesome! Barcelona was beautiful and I really loved it.
Well that finally wraps up this blog post. Tschüss!
The last surgery was pretty bad. The guy had attempted to commit suicide by driving his car into a tree and he had gotten seriously injured. He had been placed in ICU and he was brought to the OR to fix some of the issues. He had a huge hole in his knee (I'm pretty sure the kneecap was missing), a massive hole next to his groin, broken ribs, and the left side of his body was unresponsive. I had to leave so I didn't get to watch the surgery but I did see them getting him ready for surgery.
Overall I am really happy with the way that day turned out! I don't think I would have ever been able to see the things I did without this program and it was absolutely amazing!
SPRING BREAK
So Spring Break was pretty stressful going into it and during the week. Planning was a bit hard because we had a hard time deciding on what to do and also making sure we saw everything we wanted to see. Since we went to two places and so many things happened in both I am going to divide them into Rome and Barcelona.
ROME
The first day in Rome was rough. The apartment we were staying in was further away than I was expecting and we didn't eat lunch until after we found the apartment. After that we relaxed and talked about what we wanted to do in Rome while we were there. We then went to go for a walk in a park that was close by. Unfortunately, we got pick pocketed and had to spend the night finding a police station so we could make a report. So instead of sightseeing a Roman park we saw downtown Rome and multiple police stations in the middle of the night.
The next morning wasn't much better. We had a scheduled tour for the Necropolis and Vatican Gardens at 9am and we were incapable of arriving on time. That same morning there was a mass held by the Pope in St. Peter's Square that messed up everything. We learned that Italians can't give directions and if they say they don't speak English they mean it! We arrived 15 minutes late and missed the tour which I am still a little but mad about. Also Romans are rude. We did have a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, which were both pretty cool. After that we walked around Rome a little bit and saw some more sights. The sight that probably impressed me the most for some reason I cannot explain was the Pantheon. When I saw it I freaked out. When I walked in I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had heard so much of the Pantheon from my Latin class in high school and from movies that seeing it in real life was absolutely amazing.
The next day we went to St. Peter's Square so that we could see an audience of the Pope. We arrived at 9am because we thought it would be super busy. We were wrong. There was nobody, but we had the amazing opportunity of eating breakfast in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Square. It blew me away. Eventually, at noon, the Pope came out to give his speech (in Italian) and then it was over. We went for lunch where we learned it was Women's day and got some flowers. We then saw the Coliseum (from outside) and ogled it's size. And then we walked some more to some random obscure sights in Rome. And gelato! So much gelato! Also oranges.
We went back to St. Peter's Basilica bright early (7am) so that we could go in and avoid the line. It was worth it. It is the most amazing basilica I have ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. Then we climbed to the top of the dome (551 steps). It was little less beautiful for about 400 of those steps. But the view from the top was spectacular. Again, it was worth it. After that we went to the tombs of some of the Popes that were buried underneath the Basilica. Also cool. We then headed to the Coliseum so that we could go inside and see the magnificence. It was big. And hot. And lots of walking. So much walking. We then made the huge mistake of going into the Roman Forum even though we were completely exhausted. We had to do that area fast because at this point we still hadn't eaten anything and we were all about to pass out. After a quick break in the apartment we head out for a free city tour we signed up for. Except we were late. Like we were for the Vatican. Literally cannot get anywhere in Rome on time. So we just did some sightseeing of places we hadn't seen before. Step count for this day: ~38,000 steps. ~18 miles. Walking.
Our last day in Rome was relatively relaxing. We saw some Catacombs and more random, obscure places in Rome! And then the highlight of the trip: saw a James Bond movie being filmed. That was pretty cool. It was super cold outside and we were weren't expecting this to happen but it did and it was great! Overall the 5 days we spent in Rome were super fun and exciting. Thinking back on it, I can't even believe all the stuff we did. It makes me exhausted just thinking about it. But I absolutely loved it! I almost wish I had more time so that we wouldn't have felt so rushed for everything.
BARCELONA
This was our most relaxing time in Spring Break which was our plan from the beginning. We arrived and went straight to the apartment we were staying in and had dinner there. Simple and lazy and amazing. The next day was a late start, which was fine since everyday in Rome started super early. We went to the Arc de Triumf, which was lived right next to, and then to the Picasso Museum. I really liked the Picasso Museum which is weird because I tend to not care about art at all. That night we went to a restaurant to have some Paella and Sangria which were both delicious!
The next day we went to Park Guell. It was a beautiful day but of course I was not used to the warm weather and was dying. It was a really nice park to walk through I just wish we had more time to walk through it, After that we went on a tour of the Sagrada Familia. It was probably one of the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life. It was so colorful and modern and everything had a story to it. It was amazing. Then we just walked around Las Rambles and relaxed back in the apartment.
Our last full day in Barcelona was more stressful than the others. We got lost all day at some point. In the morning we went to Montjuic and got to the top with some cable cars. We found out when we were up there that there was a castle so we went in there. Then we went back down and saw the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. Pretty spectacular. Then we saw the Barcelona Cathedral and some of the houses that Gaudi designed. And then we got lost. In the rain. In the cold. And it sucked. But besides that it was pretty awesome! Barcelona was beautiful and I really loved it.
Well that finally wraps up this blog post. Tschüss!
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