Final Post

It is hard to imagine that I started the study abroad process over a year ago.  Freshman year was over and I had only enjoyed the first few weeks of summer before eagerly emailing Dr. Wasser in an attempt to determine whether to study abroad in Bonn, Germany or Swansea, Wales.  It feels like ages ago and, though only a year has passed, I feel so much older-- more “seasoned” in life as some say.  Since returning to the States, I have been busily spending the summer in class and research labs.  I suppose maintaining a tight and demanding schedule has contributed to this “mature, working adult” feeling, but the underlying foundation laid by last semester is unmistakable.  Upon returning to campus to take my differential equations final, I discovered how incredibly strange and unexpected it was to think that students busily rushing through campus during finals week could look up at me and have no idea the enriching, enlightening, life-changing new world I carried with me, fresh in my memory-- all the sights my eyes had seen, all the places my feet had sojourned, all the flavors my mouth had tasted, and all the languages my ears had heard.  Quite bittersweet really… that the recollection of such things could bring so much joy and nostalgia and yet, moments later, an awareness that they all represent days gone by.  

As summer went on, the continual awareness that I had felt of that distant life decreased to occasional flashbacks of Europe, which would waltz into my memory and pull me back to beautiful places and invigorating adventures. So many times this summer, the smallest things trigger memories.  For example, just weeks ago as I drove a friend home to Dallas, we laughed at his first cell phones, the tiny ones with buttons you have to push multiple times in a text depending on the letter you need.  For a while, I paused.  I feel like I’ve used one of those lately... was that in a dream?  I carried three items with me every day no matter where I went in Europe and I had already forgotten the third!  First my wallet, then my cell phone, and third, that silly, little Nokia!   And so began the reminder of my tiny “German phone,” along with the now laughable memories of attempting to quickly text friends to find each other chaotically in foreign places, texting my host mom about dinner plans, and late night texts to make sure everyone got on their bus and “home” safely.

Memories such as this frequently sneak up on me, which, though small or seemingly insignificant, I value greatly.  Even picturing in my mind walking through the cold, wet, grey mornings to school or the brisk nights back home bring me a kind of happiness and familiarity I never imagined they would bring in the moment.  I miss walking through the streets of Bonn, getting to laugh with my host mom, and the awkward half conversations with the family.  I miss the giant, cozy room they generously let me call mine for four months, and the trees I walked past on the way to school that exploded with lush leaves while we were in Paris.  I miss early morning runs along the Rhein to see the sunrise meet the frigid air.  I miss the feeling of being an expert of packing and carrying everything I needed to enjoy life in a single backpack so I could roam with my pals wherever we wished.  I miss the adventure.

Often times, I remember walking down a street in a bustling city or a night of good laughs at a bar and I enjoy the challenge of recollecting where exactly I was or who I was with.  But, that’s just the thing. While I was blessed beyond all expectations to be able to explore twenty cities in nine different countries....

Bonn, Deutschland	Berlin, Deutschland	Sorrento, Italia	Paris, France
Köln, Deutschland	Zürich, Schweiz	Nottingham, England	Dublin, Ireland
Brüssel, Belgien	Milano, Italia	Bingen, Deutschland	Remagen, Germany
München, Deutschland	Firenze, Italia	Colmar, France	Praha, Česká republika
Wien, Österreich	Roma, Italia	Beaune, France	Füssen, Deutschland

...should it be a challenge to remember the who, what, when, where, and why of certain memories?  Granted, many of the major cities in Europe look similar-- the similar architecture, the parks, a major river, etc.--  but the question, even the fear, remains:  What if I forget?

I would never want to forget a single aspect or event of this trip, for even the events that were stressful or undesirable at the time, are now comical memories.  I look forward to continuing the “Remember when…” ‘s with the Germany gang, as we have done since the trip’s culmination, for many years to come.  I entered this trip with an open mind and few specific expectations set.  Among the few I can recall are wishing to create and further friendships with several particular people, wanting to build a strong relationship with my host family, and desiring to learn the language.  In all honesty, none of these turned out as I expected!  I was thrilled by becoming friends with those I hoped for, saddened by friendships that dwindled away, surprised by the friendships that became truly strong, and grateful for the friends I did not expect.  In respect to my host family, they were-- they are-- remarkable individuals.  Due to my odd class schedules (diff eq) and workload in addition to their busy lives as a working father, working mother, and four children, I barely saw them at all quite frankly.  Perhaps I had a certain utopia of gaining a second family in a way while in Germany, yet one cannot forget the simple principle that being a family is chaotic, no matter where you live.  Lastly, perhaps most regrettably, I did not learn the language nearly enough.  I had high hopes for this, but I believe the class was not rigorous enough, nor were we pushed to try enough (whether by faculty or by the sheer fact that the majority of Germans speak English), nor could I practice with my host family enough.  Furthermore, it may be worth noting that while I may have had small presumptions regarding partnering with enmodes, I certainly did not anticipate that we, as minimally trained engineering and science students, could propose final design ideas to upper level enmodes leadership of such quality and ingenuity.

Suffice it to say my specific expectations, beyond just enjoying sightseeing and travelling often, were partially met.  However, fitting with one of the primary lessons of this trip, I learned to not remain affixed to an expectation, but rather “go with the flow” and enjoy every possible moment, frequently making the mental note, Look around.  You’ll want to remember this.  

I’ll wrap this up with one recommendation and two main take-aways.  Perhaps this would subtract from encouraging freedom and independence in the eyes of program coordinations, but the semester may have gone more smoothly for me if there was more advising on the best methods to efficiently plan and execute a trip for the best cost.  AIB should consider including more discussions of trip planning in meetings.  As for take-aways from the trip, firstly, I have never felt more confident in my life and I love it.  Secondly, where can I go next and how soon can I go??  What a world we live in.

Ich Vermisse Dich, Deutschland

I was looking back through pictures from the last semester yesterday, and my heart hurt because I miss it so much. Going into the study abroad I didn't expect to change much. I didn't expect to change at all really, I just thought I was going to go on a bunch of cool trips and have some fun doing school in some place a million times more interesting than College Station. The trip turned out to be much more than I had hoped and I wouldn't trade my experience there for anything.

A lot of people that study abroad talk about how much fun they have, the cool places they go, and the friends they make in their program. Before going, I never really heard people from past study abroad trips talk about how much they loved their host families, which is probably why the most unexpected part of my trip was how close I got to my host parents. I was lucky to be with my host family. My host family had 2 kids close to my age, but they did not live at home and rarely visited, but I got to know my host mom well and I enjoyed mornings starting our day together, sitting in the evening and talking with her and going out with her. She was a lot of fun and played a big part in my immersion in German culture. I have talked to her several times since my return to the states and I miss her so much. When I left my American family in January it wasn't very hard because I knew I would be back in a few short months, but when I left my German family it was extremely difficult because I had to say goodbye to people I had grown close to, unsure when I would get to see them again. Without my great host family my experience would have been a lot different.

In addition to the German people I got to know, I also got to know the other people in the program very well. This group was really great and I am so thankful that I got to know these awesome people so much better than I would have just taking classes like normal at A&M. There wasn't much choice in who to hang out with because there weren't very many of us, but in my opinion, we were really lucky that we had such a great group of people to be forced to be friends with. I am especially thankful that I got placed in Bad Godesberg because there were 5 of us that all lived close together and it was easy to spend time with them. It is just sad that since we are all back in College Station doing different things it will be much harder to all spend time together like we did.

Not only did I learn a lot about individual people, I also learned a lot about people as a whole. Having only been in America for 20 years before this trip, I had a narrow frame of reference as far as society and world culture goes. I thought I was very open minded before, but my eyes were really opened living in a different country for 4 months. In Germany the pace of life was different, slower in my opinion. Also people spend more time together and work less. They have experienced more of the world, so they are much less ignorant in general about important topics; I never realized how isolated Americans were until I saw what was outside. It makes so much sense to me to slow down, spend more quality time with people, and experience the world.

I also had great experiences outside of Germany. Traveling to many different countries was an amazing opportunity. I was able to learn how to get around in places where I couldn't speak the language, and was able to experience even more culture outside of Germany. It was fun to see the differences in life in different European countries. This past semester I spent all my time in Western European countries, but if I were to go back I would really like to spend time in Eastern Europe. There would be such a huge difference in the east vs. west. I guess I will need to save that for my next trip over!

This last semester made me realize how much I don't know about the world, as well as how much I want to go discover more about it. I learned a lot, made good friends, and left with a lot to think about. I am so blessed to have gone on this trip and I am thankful that Dr. Wasser started this program and enables young people to have that experience.

Bis später Deutschland.

P.S. I learned a lot of German while I was over there, but I have been doing Rosetta Stone in German so that I can communicate better when I go back!

Was it all a dream?

So that's it. I'm back in America and have been for over a month and a half now. I'm working two jobs and taking summer classes. My semester abroad is over and all I have left from it are memories. Pictures I can show people and talk about.

But is that all I really came back with?

I have had a very interesting first two years of school here at Texas A&M. I've kind of compared my relationship to this school as a couple who has had a kid and wants to get a divorce but are going to stick together to raise the kid until it graduates.

In this analogy, the kid is my biomedical engineering degree and the couple is Texas A&M and I.
These first two years, I've thought to myself "Why did I choose Texas A&M? What made me want to go here?" And I'll be honest, I've been looking at other schools to transfer to. Being in College Station, not being able to have a personal connection with your teacher, not being able to get close with all your peers in your major, it was really disheartening. I really didn't think I was doing college right. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to stick with biomedical engineering. All of these other kids around me who had secured research positions, internships, just seemed so much more qualifies then I was for this major.

My viewpoint changed thanks to this trip. This study abroad experience was probably the best thing that could've happened to me while I've been at Texas A&M. I am so incredibly thankful for how everything turned out on that trip. The journeys I went on with now some of my closest friends, the bonds I was able to build with my professors and TA's, the connections I now have in Germany, the culture I was able to experience. I really can't even begin to describe in words what this trip was to me.

I went in on this trip having no experience in biomedical engineering, my GPA was subpar, I was very under qualified when comparing resumé's to other students, I had no understanding of Europe or any of the surrounding countries, no connections with any of my professors, nothing.

I came back with study abroad experience, working for a startup biomedical engineering company experience, connections with professors and TA's, close friends within the department of BMEN, a research position that a professor set up for me,  a semester GPA of 3.8 (the highest it's been since I've been at A&M), and a whole new understanding of the world.

This trip was honestly life changing. I am so incredibly thankful for everything that happened on the trip. Being paired with a roommate who I had no idea of at the beginning made the trip even better. Living with a host family who was so incredibly friendly and laid back, was awesome. I know I've matured and I know that I'm ready to continue my growth as a biomedical engineer.

So no, pictures and souvenirs were not the only thing I came back with on this trip. There is nothing that I could complain about (except maybe the wifi that kept cutting in and out at the AIB) for this trip. The city of Bonn was great. Germany was great. Europe was great. I am so thankful for the length of the program as well. I feel that if it was any shorter, or longer, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much. Being away for just a semester really made everything tie in and left me wanting more. I so want to go back.

The AIB and Kristin and Tete and Dr. Wasser really surpassed all of my expectations for this trip. Dr. Wasser had talked it up and made it sound like it was going to be so much better than it actually was. But it was so much better then how he explained it. The fact that I was able to look at pieces of art, or sculptures, or different cathedrals and have the audacity to say "meh I liked the other one better" still kind of blows my mind. How many 20 year olds can say that? How many can say "I liked the Dom in Cologne better than the Duomo in Milan." My guess is not very many.

I think about the trip still everyday. And I know I will for the rest of my life. Just little instances that happen bring me back to the AIB, and Bonn, and Germany where I can remember me doing something that seemed so insignificant then, but so significant now.

I am so thankful for this trip and the people I've met.

I hope I've entertained you with all the stories and recollections I've had from this trip. Sorry for the sappy post on the the last blog ever. I'll end with a corny joke:

If your an American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom?

European.

Signing off.

Ryan

Looking back across the pond

This past Spring was a once in a lifetime experience. I got to travel to nine different countries, make memories with some of my best friends, and grow so much as a person. While I cannot say that going abroad went without sacrifice, it was still a journey I am glad I embarked on.

Getting to travel abroad on my own was truly the biggest learning experience. Going to a new country every weekend and figuring out how to navigate your way through the unknown, communicate with people who speak an entirely different language, and having to deal with the "hiccups" all on your own really make you test your limits. I am now confident that I could travel anywhere in the world successfully and more than that, I know that I am able to face even the most difficult problems with a calm logical approach.

I think my favorite part of the program was getting to travel. I will never again have the chance to spend four months just traveling around the world, and especially at such a low expense. I am so grateful for all the support I had during this experience both financially and morally. Although it was a stressful time to be abroad, it was eye opening to the opinions and problems facing the world, not just Europe, the world. The cultural knowledge I gained on this trip was truly valuable. Much like at home where there are several varied opinions, the world is a melting pot of different cultural views, political systems, and lifestyles that definitely don't make sense to us all, but there is a beautiful respect that you find when you get to emerge yourself in all of it.

The most difficult part of the trip were the sacrifices I had to make. Leaving my family and friends behind for an entire semester was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. I went from a world of the most supportive and intentional best friends to my engineering clan. Don't get me wrong, I love my engineering friends with all my heart, but there is an innate competitiveness that comes with an engineering degree which tends to be exaggerated when you trap 20 some engineers across the ocean together for four months. I went from getting to spend regular quality time with my boyfriend (okay yes I know this is super cliche and annoying but stick with me) to only getting a skype date once a month.

The most difficult part was having to leave my family for so long. The real pain came after I got home. Within hours of getting off the plane I learned that my grandma, my best friend, my rock was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized only four days after I arrived in Europe. The entire time I was over there I had no idea what my family was going through back home. I was absolutely devastated. This woman is my biggest role model and the strongest person I know, I didn't understand how or why something like this would happen to her. What was worse is that I couldn't be there to help her through any of it. The news definitely gave me a new perspective on my journey abroad. My family neglected to tell me about my grandma's situation until I was home, so that I would be able to enjoy my time abroad. They knew I was already having a hard time being away from home, and that learning about the news would have me on a plane in hours. On one hand I am glad that they waited to tell me, because I know that I will never get another experience like this again. However, on the other hand and outweighing my previous statement, I truly deeply wish I would have known. I would've given anything to be back at home by my grandma's side. She is way more important to me and the trip just wasn't worth not being there for her. That being said, I do need to clarify, my choice to go home would have had everything to do with timing. Knowing what I know now, I would have most definitely planned to return to Europe to complete a study abroad program.

Yes, it is true that I regret going abroad when I did, but I do not regret the experiences that I gained and ways I grew as a person. The program was by no means perfect, but I think the imperfections are where I gained the most knowledge. If it was easy, if it was a perfect trip, sure it would have been less stressful, but that wouldn't have pushed us all into learning more about ourselves.

Week 17

So after the hell that was finals week, we had the whole weekend plus a few days to relax and spend time together before heading back home to the states! I spent most of Saturday sleeping and recovering from finals and then on Sunday, I spent the entire day with my host mom! She took me to the Arp Museum in Remagen, where we saw a lot of interesting exhibits on modern and contemporary art. My favorite exhibit was called Menschenskinder, which was donated by UNICEF. The exhibit was a collection of works, from photographs to paintings, from different artists depicting childhood experiences from different times, Middle Ages to present day, and in different countries around the world. The entrance to the museum was built into Rolandseck Bahnhof, with a tunnel leading to the exhibition part of the museum. This part of the museum was gorgeous, very modern and sleek and completely opposite from the uncut trees and shrubbery surrounding it.

The museum is also right on the Rhine and we had lunch in the museum on a balcony with a beautiful view of the river. My host mom told me more about her hometown Bad Honnef, which was right across the Rhine from the museum, and her life growing up. It was so lovely getting to talk to her and get to know more about her and I'm so glad I got to spend this day with her!

The next day, all the AIB students went on a Rhine cruise, which was a lot of fun. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect! It made me wish I had gone hiking more and taken more walks along the Rhine in Bonn. The boat stopped in Braubach, where we had lunch, and then we hiked up to Marksburg Castle. Later that night, a few of us went to a Lumineers concert in Cologne. They were absolutely amazing and it was such a good way to spend one of our last nights in here in Germany! After we got back to Bonn that night, we went to the Quiet Man where a magician approached us and asked if he could show us a magic trick. We were like "sure why not" and he had us shouting in disbelief and amazement by the end of it! We had him show us a couple more and he blew our minds each time. Definitely a fun and unforgettable experience.  

On Tuesday, I did a lot of souvenir shopping and had a wonderful dinner with my host mom and host brother. That night, some of us went out for a last night out in Bonn, which probably wasn't the best idea for me since I hadn't even packed half of my stuff at this point. But even though I didn't get back until 3am, still had the rest of my stuff left to frantically pack (more like throw/stuff into my suitcase) before a taxi came to pick me up at 4:40am, and didn't get any sleep at all that night, it was such a good way to end my time here in Bonn! I couldn't believe my time here had come to an end. It didn't truly hit me that I was actually leaving this place that I had called home for so many months until I was on the bus to the Frankfurt airport. 

Weeks 15 & 16: Enmodes and Finals

All of this first week was spent studying for exams the next week and preparing for our final Enmodes presentations this Friday. We all had to stay late at AIB Thursday night to practice our presentations with Haley and Dr. Wasser and add finishing touches to them. Thankfully, Dr. Wasser bought us pizza too so it was all good. Then on Friday, we had our final presentations with Enmodes and I thought all three groups did a really great job. The people at Enmodes were kind enough to show us around their facilities, giving us a tour of a few of their labs. They were so open to hearing all of our ideas and seemed to really like some of them! They asked us questions and gave us helpful feedback as well as constructive criticism. Even though, as a BIMS student, I felt like I couldn't contribute that much to the project, which was mostly engineering-based, it was still an awesome project to be a part of and be able to present our ideas to a real company in the medical field. Oh, I also had a pharmacology presentation this week. We got to choose our own topics and I did mine on the psychedelic drug ayahuasca. I get really nervous about public speaking but the presentation went a lot better than I thought it would!

The next week was finals week aka hell week. I had a 3rd physiology exam on Monday, pharmacology final on Tuesday, physiology lab exam on Wednesday, and physiology final on Thursday. I think I spent more time at AIB than I did at my host family's house this week and probably only survived this week because of the endless free coffee kindly provided by AIB's student workers. It really sucked not being able to enjoy our last week in Bonn because of the constant studying and it was a stressful week to say the least. I was so relieved by the end of the week I just wanted to sleep forever. 

We ended finals week with a lovely visit to Remagen on Friday, where we we were given a tour of the Peace Museum by its owner and former mayor of Remagen, Hans Peter Kurten. It was amazing to be given a tour by Hans because he had served in WWII and is, as Dr. Wasser says, "a living piece of history." His stories were absolutely captivating. We also learned about the Ludendorff Bridge (also called die Brucken von Remagen), which served a crucial role in helping the Allies in WWII after it was captured by the US. Later that night, all the students gathered at the old AIB for a final farewell party, where the food was delicious, the music was great, and the company was even better. Almost everyone was joined by their host families and I was so glad my host mom could make it! We ended the night going out to a couple of bars for a few drinks. 

#17 Colmar & Sélestat & Macaques

So on it goes~

I returned to Colmar in a fit of excitement, while also anticipating disaster. Writing postcards to my family on the train journey I realized how impossibly impossible that is to do in real life. Jolt, jiggle, jolt. The movies and the books have lied! Several cross-outs later though I did manage to get through a few & enjoyed looking at the scenery out the window (beautiful mountains & quaint towns).

After arriving in Colmar Station I hopped right on another train to Sélestat, and then on a bus to ascend a mountain. Sound like quite the adventurer there. The views as we climbed upward were absolutely incredible. It seemed that a thousand villages lay below us, all rendered in miniature. Little church spires here and there, little bakeries, little schools. It’s strange, but if aliens came to our planet I think they would only be able to think we were adorable (and barbaric… and technologically illiterate). Thus begins humanity’s descent to being teacup poodles, I guess.

I stumbled upon Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg almost by accident, and wandering through the gates discovered I’d seen it before in an old film I’d seen in French film class (La Grande Illusion—highly recommend it by the way). It was strange seeing the famous staircase from the film, but the place was so incredible! It had been ruin that was reconstructed in pain staking detail during the 1800s. The architects sifted through hundreds of documents, researching the tiniest things, to reconstruct the chateau as accurately as possible. The end result is, well, amazing. And nothing can beat the views from its many windows. I snapped picture after picture, & then ate lunch overlooking the valley below (and wrote more postcards). Incredible.

On the way down the mountain I stopped off by a nature reserve dedicated to Macaques, which was definitely the cutest experience of my study abroad. They’re such incredible creatures, seeing them prance here and there, seeing them quibble over tree branches (and try and push one another in the water) was such an oddly humbling experience. They’re such elegant creatures, really.

After touring Sélestat I headed back to Colmar, where I wandered for ages and ages. It’s such a beautiful town, It’s impossible not to be completely blown away by every little thing. Unfortunately, my phone died. So no photos (again)! I guess that just means I’ll have to go back a third time (& I honestly can’t wait).

Bye for now! Ashleigh

PS: school! So I’m running out of things to say on this note. Hm. We gave presentations in pharmacology, and mine was over Oncolytic Viruses (which are amazingly cool). It’s kind of uncanny because I just saw a documentary back here in Texas about them, apparently Poliovirus is being used to treat brain tumors and has been accelerated through Phase I trials. Pretty exciting.

Week 14: Beaune, Colmar, Paris, and Rothenburg

Getting back really late Sunday night from Amsterdam, I only had a couple of hours to pack and sleep before we had to meet at 7AM to depart for Colmar. I ended up sleeping the entire way on the 5-hour bus ride. In Colmar, we saw the Isenheim altarpiece. Painted in the 1500s for the hospital chapel of St. Anthony’s monastery, Jesus was depicted as having some sort of skin disease to bring comfort to the hospital’s patients suffering from similar diseases, such as ergotism. The time spent in Colmar was too short and after this museum, it was off to Beaune! After we arrived, we had a delicious meal of boeuf bourguignon, a traditional meal of the region, paired with burgundy wine. The next day, we toured Hotel Dieu (Hospices de Beaune), a hospital built for the poor in the 1400s. The hotel itself was beautiful, with its colorful roof covered in ceramic tiles. The highlight of this tour was definitely the Beaune Altarpiece (aka The Last Judgement). We got to look at it through a magnifying glass and the details of it was mind-blowing. The fact that someone so painstakingly painted this, worrying about details right down to the fibers of the robes, is so impressive. 

After another 5 hour bus ride (and another 5 hour nap), we arrived in Paris! I had been to Paris 2 years before and absolutely loved it, so I was extremely excited to be back! I also took French class from pre-K to 12th grade but am nowhere near fluent (sad, I know). But I promised myself this time I would speak it more while in Paris (I was too self-conscious the last time) and I actually did!! After our arrival, we ended the night with a group dinner at a creperie, where we had delicious galettes and crepes. The next morning, our tour guide Julien led us on a bike tour of the city. I hadn’t ridden a bike in years and having to ride in a group of about 30 people on the streets, with cars and pedestrians, was slightly terrifying. But we all managed to survive! I do wish we had been able to go inside some of the buildings that we saw on the tour though. Later that day, we visited the Pasteur Museum and learned more about Pasteur’s impact on modern medicine. Then at night, we went all the way up the Eiffel Tower where the view was breathtaking. I could’ve spent the entire night standing up there, taking in all of the twinkling lights of the city life. 

The next day, we toured the Palace of Versailles, which was built by King Louis XIV. This place is so extravagant and grand it’s ridiculous. It’s hard to imagine people actually living here! Even though I had been here before, I was still astounded by it all, especially the Hall of Mirrors, my favorite room. After a lovely walk through the massive garden, we met up to have a picnic, which Julien and his wife so kindly put together for us. There was lots of wine, cheese, quiche, fruit, and most importantly, baguettes! It was amazing. The weather was also absolutely gorgeous this day too. After Versailles, a few of us went on a tour of the Montmartre district of Paris. Unfortunately, it started raining pretty hard so we took cover inside the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, which was beautiful. After the rain lightened up a bit, we continued the tour. It was so cool to be able to walk the streets that several famous artists, like Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Dali, and Toulouse-Lautrec, walked and see the cafes that they spent time in. That evening, I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant with a couple of friends. Our waiter had actually lived in Houston (where I’m from) for 2 years and worked at a restaurant just down the street from where my parents currently work! Such an awesome coincidence. Then at night, I went to the Musee d’Orsay. There was an entire floor dedicated to impressionism so, of course, that’s where I spent all my time until the museum closed. It was so wonderful I went back to the same floor of that museum the next day!

Our last day started off with a tour of the Louvre, where I got to see my favorite statue, the Winged Victory of Samothrace. I felt like the tour was a bit rushed though, which was understandable considering how much time we had and how large the museum is. I feel like I could’ve spent the entire day there and still not see everything. After the Louvre, the group split up for the weekend and I went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber with Ryan, Koi, and Caleb. We decided it was a good idea to drive through the night since we didn’t have a hotel for that night. And when we got to our hotel around 6am, we couldn’t even check in until 3pm so we slept in the car for a good 2 hours. It was also raining the entire time we were there but the city itself was still lovely and so picturesque. We ate some schneeballen, visited the medieval crime and torture museum, climbed up some very narrow staircases in the Rathaus tower, and went to a shop that literally was an explosion of Christmas inside (it was magical). Oh and we did the Night Watchman tour and had the most interesting tour guide. All in all, a pretty chill weekend in a small, lovely town.

Week 13: Bingen & Amsterdam

The beginning of the week was filled with usual school stuff, followed by an excursion to Bingen that Friday. Here we visited the Museum am Strom, which had an extensive exhibit on Hildegard von Bingen, who was a German abbess and saint. She wrote books on theology as well as books on the medicinal uses different plants, trees, and other things. The museum had also a gallery of her visions, which Hildegard had written detailed descriptions of and which were all quite interesting.

Many students participated in the Bonn Marathon that weekend, but seeing as I couldn't even remember the last time I exercised and get tired going up like 3 flights of stairs, I went to Amsterdam with Chelsea and Ashleigh instead! We arrived early morning and wandered around the city for a bit since we couldn’t check into our hostel yet. We found a cool little market and bought way too many postcards. Then on our way to Oude Kerk, the oldest building in the city (800 years old!), we unknowingly walked into the red light district! At the time, I thought we had just walked through the district to get to the church, but it turns out the church is right in the middle of the district so there’s that. The inside of the church was simple but absolutely gorgeous. The high ceiling was entirely made of wood and there were gold chandeliers, enormous white stone columns, and beautiful stained glass windows. The most interesting part of the church though was the ground, which was made entirely of gravestones! 2,500 gravestones and 10,000 people buried underneath to be exact. This was because the church was built on a cemetery and as the church grew, people had to be buried inside because they couldn't' be buried around it. 

We also toured Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic), a 17th century canal house (now a museum) with a secret Catholic church built into the attic. Later, we went to a museum dedicated to one of my favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh! Taking pictures was definitely not allowed but I might’ve snapped a few (or 13) and only got caught once! 

The next morning, we visited Keukenhof Gardens and it was the most beautiful and magical place. There were endless fields of different colored tulips and the weather was perfect. 

That night, we visited the Anne Frank House. The atmosphere was heavy and I had goosebumps the entire time. I couldn’t believe I was standing where Anne stood, walking through the halls and rooms where she and her family lived in secret, scared for their lives. Looking at her bedroom walls, covered with pictures of movie stars and fashion icons she had cut out from magazines, I was reminded that she was just like any other child with hopes and dreams. Like millions of others, she was just an innocent person who had done nothing to deserve what happened to her. 

The next day, I went to Stedelijk Museum, a museum of modern and contemporary art. This museum reminded me of why modern art is my favorite. From fauvism, to cubism, to expressionism, to futurism, to abstraction, these paintings weren’t realistic or idealized representations of real life. Instead, these artists painted their own unique views of life. This one, called "Painting with Houses" by Wassily Kandinsky, was one of my favorites:

We ended our trip with a relaxing canal cruise of the city, weaving through the canals lined with house boats and hearing interesting stories of the different buildings we passed.

Week 12: Museum of Anesthesia & Big Event

This week I’m pretty sure we had our second physiology test and a pharmacology quiz. I was dumb and didn’t study at all over Easter weekend so there was a lot of cramming/stressing out. But the second physiology exam definitely went better than the first so that was good!

That Friday we also visited the Horst-Stoekel Museum of Anesthesia in Bonn. Dr. Wasser gave us a tour of the museum, discussing the development of anesthesia, from ether and chloroform drops to modern anesthetics. There were glass cases displaying all sorts of machines and contraptions used in anesthesia.There was also a really cool model of an operating room how it would’ve looked back in the 30s, with many original pieces from back then. And there was an iron lung, which looked terrifying. I can’t believe people spent decades in these machines!

This weekend I stayed in town for Big Event! It was really nice having a piece from home brought to Bonn. That morning I was running late as usual and missed the send off at the old AIB, but I made it just in time right before my group left! My group and I helped out at a clothing donation center for refugees. We unpacked donated clothes, sorted them by type, size and gender, and then placed the sorted clothes onto their proper shelves. We also got to know some of the Penn State and LMU students a little better too! Overall, it was so wonderful being able to give back in any way that I could to Bonn, a city that I had grown to love and call home these past few months.

Better Late Than Never: Flashback to Karneval!

Early on in the semester, I made the mistake of telling my friends and family that I would write postcards to anyone who wants them. In retrospect, I cannot recommend doing this, because as of now I have bought, written, and sent 90 postcards. And if I ever buy another stamp again, it will simply be to glare at it.

No, in all honesty, I'm glad I did the postcard thing. I just wish I'd had more time to keep up with writing all of them, rather than leaving most of it until the last week in Deutschland. Tons of people have messaged me saying how happy they were to receive their postcard in the mail, so that makes it all worth it in my opinion. And I think the most difficult part was actually finding the right cards for the right people.

Anyway, the remainder of this post is going to cover something very early in the semester that I recently realized I hadn't written about yet: Karneval!

Karneval weekend was pretty fun, although I was all partied out by Saturday. By then I was ready to just stay in, avoid the crowds, and get some studying done. To be honest, my favorite part of Karneval was actually Wednesday night, before it had officially started. My host family has amassed a large number of costumes over the years, so my host mom was helping me go through all of them that evening. I asked her what kinds of things other students usually dressed up as, and she gave me some pretty good advice: "Most American students buy a costume and go to the parades dressed in that. But lots of Germans wear traditional costumes or they wear a mix of many costumes all at once. Karneval is very special like that," she said with a smile. "You can go dressed as whatever you like, even if it doesn't make sense, and no one will think it's weird."

I realized then that I had been thinking of Karneval the wrong way. I was comparing it to the closest equivalent of it that we have in the US, Halloween. America's version of Halloween may be rooted in history, but that history is already very distant from us, muddled by commercialism. The fact is, we really don't have anything similar to Karneval, so I needed to approach it differently if I really wanted to understand how Germans celebrate it. Once we were done pulling the boxes of costumes out from the attic, my host mom explained the history behind some of the more traditional costumes she had. Afterward, she went downstairs and I began rummaging through the mountains of wigs and fabric. I looked at each piece individually, weighing my options.

In the end, I decided on a mixture of costumes they had: a traditional blue Tanzmariechen skirt, a forest green vest made of velvet, a silk cape covered in stars and crescent moons that once served as part of a magician costume for one of my host parents' sons, and the classic Bavarian felt cap that bears a striking resemblance to a wizard's hat. And of course, my black Doc Martens.

I went downstairs in my Karneval costume mash-up and peeked my head into the living room, where Karl was watching the football game and Gitti was reading a book. They both looked up at me and I stepped into the room. A smile spread across both their faces. And that when my truly favorite moment out of the entire semester happened:

Gitti nodded to me and said, "This is the spirit of Karneval."

Week 11: Easter Weekend

For Easter weekend, Chelsea and I went to London! The trip started out with us getting on a super crowded bus at 5AM to get to get to the airport. I only got a couple of hours of sleep that night so I completely passed out on the short plane ride to London. When we landed, it was still early morning and we were still exhausted. All we wanted was to sleep at that point but we couldn’t check into our hostel until afternoon, which kinda sucked. We explored the area around our hostel and found the Wellcome Collection. Started by entrepreneur Henry Wellcome, the museum houses his collection of medical artifacts, art, and other oddities from various cultures. It was really interesting and unusual! When we finally checked into the hostel, we both took very long naps. We woke up to go eat burgers and then went back to sleep (obviously not a very eventful first night).

The next day, we spent a few hours doing a wonderful free walking tour of the city! We learned a lot about the main tourist-y sights like Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square, as well as a few others. Our tour guide was wonderful and we decided to join him for his Grim Reaper tour that night. He took us around London’s East End, going to the sites of Jack the Ripper’s murders and other sites of execution, prostitution, and poverty.

On Sunday, I went to Easter mass in the morning at St. Patrick’s Church, which was really nice. I didn’t go to mass this semester as much as I would’ve liked just because I traveled so often or when I actually stayed in Bonn for the weekend, I was too caught up with school work. Chelsea and I also went to Camden Market, where vendors set up stalls selling handmade goods. We both spent way too much money on trinkets we definitely didn’t need. There was a lot of street food there too and I had a delicious pulled pork burrito and an espresso milkshake. That night, we went up to the top floor of a building nicknamed the “Walkie Talkie" and enjoyed drinks at the Sky Garden overlooking all the twinkling lights of the cityscape at night. We felt super fancy!

Then on Monday, I spent most of the day by myself wandering around Shoreditch, an artsy/kinda hipster-y area of London. I had a bagel at a really popular bagel place (that I can’t remember the name of) and hung out in a cool coffee shop. I walked around a lot admiring all the vibrant street art and even found one of Banksy’s pieces! Then I met up with Chelsea and we went to the Natural History Museum. We didn't have enough time to go to more museums, but I wish that we had since entrance to all museums (except for special exhibits) was completely free. It should really be like that everywhere!

Week 10: Spring Break

The Friday right before spring break, I went to Barcelona. It was my first time traveling completely alone, which my parents were a little worried about but it turned out great! I stayed in a hostel there and met some really cool people staying in my room. One was from Australia and the other from Morocco and we all went on a pub crawl together the first night. The next day, I spent all day checking out Gaudi’s architecture, like La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, and Parc Guell, all of which were incredible. His buildings alone definitely made Barcelona one of my favorite cities. He incorporated a lot of elements of nature into his works so there’s a very organic feeling to his buildings, almost like they could've grown out of the earth. It’s just so unusual and different from the classically beautiful structures that you see everywhere else in Europe! The cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, was constructed in 1892 and isn’t going to be done until 2026! I definitely plan on coming back to see it. I can’t describe it well enough to do it justice so I’ll just post a few pictures here: 

On Sunday evening, I flew to Italy and met up with my family in Rome!!! Even though I talked to my family over the phone quite often while abroad, it was so, so good seeing them in person. I arrived just in time for dinner and ate spaghetti pomodoro (aka spaghetti with tomato sauce, which I probably ate every single day in Italy) and tiramisu and it was great. In Rome, we visited the Forum, Colosseum, Navona Square, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon. 

The next day, we went to Vatican City. Our tour guide led us through the Vatican museums, which were absolutely packed. I couldn’t really hear anything our tour guide said but I probably wouldn't have paid attention anyways because of the endless amounts of paintings on the ceilings. It was too beautiful to describe. How people even create something like this is crazy. We also visited the Sistine Chapel (where I unsuccessfully tried to take a selfie with “The Creation of Adam” painting on the ceiling) and Saint Peter’s Basilica.

After Rome, we took a train to Venice where we spent the last few days. Walking down the narrow streets, with the buildings so high up on either side of you, you could only see a small strip of blue sky when you looked up. It was so different from anywhere I had ever been. I didn’t get a chance to ride in a gondola but I did take the water bus a couple of times. Most days were spent wandering along the canals and occasionally sitting on the docks to enjoy a drink. My family left 2 days before I did, so I got to do some more solo traveling. I explored the city without my phone’s GPS and stumbled upon a cute little antique market. I also hung out a bit in Piazza San Marco and visited St. Mark’s Basilica. I went up St. Mark’s Campanile, which is a bell tower near the basilica. The wait was long but the view from the top was worth it:

Rushing To A Halt

I try to give a good bit of thought to my blog titles because, if I am going to write about my life, one, I want others go have good incentive to read about it, and two, I want the title to accurately convey what I was feeling/ thinking at the time.  This time feels especially accurate to me and perhaps you could guess why.  Though other students may not have felt this way, I felt like the last weeks of the program flew by way too quickly, consumed by academics and activities.  After a week of finals and attempting to finish a portion of our BMEN 253 design teardown, the whole group travelled to Remagen to not only see the famous Remagen bridge by the adorable town itself but, more so, to hear the stories of Hans Peter Kuerton-- a "piece of living history" to be sure.  This now elderly man had entered World War II at the age of 15 for the German military, since becoming Mayor of Remagen, and taking it upon himself to construct a peace memorial from the pivotal Remagen bridge.  Eager to speak to us, he exhibited so much passion and excitement for the stories he told us that it was a pleasure to tour his museum.  Soon after the tour, we had our final group lunch and proceeded home, only apart for a few hours until the AIB Farewell Party-- a very well done party with great food, host families, picture slide shows, fun music, and eventually even some dancing.  A few hours at this party and I had had my fun, ready to return to the host family house and prepare myself for a weekend trip to Prague...but perhaps not enough!  If you talk to anyone who went to Prague, he or she will admit that it was a rough trip.  People missed trains, we got on wrong trains, we missed change overs, we attempted to get on a train without tickets because we didn't have the coins to buy them (which no one would give us change for) and had to pay a fine, we slept through alarms... we had issues lol.  But, as always, we made the most of it!  And that's what matters.  We enjoyed the beautiful city, stuck to the really touristy areas (not the original intent, but it worked)-- including Prague castle, Old Town, Charles Bridge, Dancing House, and enjoyed simply walking up and down the river-- ate good food, and took pictures throughout the trip.

Though we got home between the hours of 12-1am, we were all at the bus in the Hofgarten at 7:45am the next morning to go on the Rhinecruise, a relaxing two hour trip on the Rhine followed by lunch in Braubach and an informative, well-guided tour of Marksburg castle.  The conclusion of this last program event left us with only one more group activity-- the Departure Meeting.  We turned in our phones, filled out final evaluations, and said our goodbyes to Tete, Dr. Wasser, and Kristin.  And with that, we were officially done.  Finals, a crazy weekend, final program events, preparing to leave... moments that required much energy, focus, and staying on pace.  And then, all of the sudden, it was over.

How I spent my Tuesday made me regret that we only had open program days at the beginning of the program, or I guess, rather that I did not explore the Bonn/ Cologne area more on my own or opt to stay in Germany longer.  For the first time in the semester, I had time to travel to Drachenfels castle.  I'm so glad that I felt the need to go to Drachenfels because otherwise I would have missed out one of my favorite castles, second only to Neuschwannstein, and the incredible view of the Rhine and Bonn that the steep half-hour hike to the castle affords.  It was a clear and cool day, giving DeLayne and I plenty of time to explore, take pictures, and just enjoy Germany-- no schedule, no work to get back to, no stress.  Once I returned to my host family, I had time to ask my host mom where they like to hike to in Bonn/ which castles they've gone to.  Why didn't I ask that before?!  Shoulda, woulda, coulda... That night I set out all my luggage and possessions I would need, said goodbye to my host brothers, and gave flowers to my host mom thanking her for her kindness, hospitality, and helpfulness, and slept a few hours, before the alarm signaled the beginning of the journey home :)