#9

February 22-28, 2016

So on it goes! We visited Uniklinik to watch surgeries & I felt a bit awful about feeling tired the entire time. Seriously, watching the surgeon slice into the lady’s back I kept thinking: don’t yawn, don’t yawn, gosh I just want to sleep. I’m usually a lot chirpier in the morning but I just felt like collapsing. Overall it was pretty cool though, especially hearing from the anesthesiologist more about the why, rather than just watching. I did feel queasy a couple of times especially when they broke out the saws and screws. I know medicine is noble and all, but the guy who first thought it’d be a good idea to take one of those to someone’s spinal cord must have been a sadist.

Overall history of medicine is interesting, especially the lectures skewed more towards mediaeval & ancient medicine. Learning about the progression of medicine through the ages and the hurdles our medical forefathers had to overcome really gives you a sense of just how far we’ve come as a species. It’s pretty impressive. German was also fun, I kind of wish it was a little more intensive & grammar-focused so we could really get into learning the language. Still, I always loved going to that class so I’m a little sad it’s over.

We headed over to the Köln Zoo for a day trip, which was amazingly fun. We were greeted by a school of flamingoes, all balanced elegantly on one foot with their beaks tucked in. It was so cute (and so were the pigs and the chickens and the ducks, you know, the exotic animals). We tried to spy the red panda, and as soon as we caught a glimpse of him a way up in the treetops and started exclaiming & pointing he skulked away as though to say, ‘Drat, the babbling, dim chimp-creatures have spotted me. Must tuck myself away somewhere else.’ I was a little nervous when I couldn’t find what was meant to be an absolutely gigantic spider in its tiny cage though… the missing spider of Köln Zoo was in the back of my mind the rest of the day. And I still think about it roaming in Köln (hehe, not really though). Hopping birds, curious peacocks, swinging monkeys (and generous too, it was cute to see them share their food), and an impatient elephant who seriously just wanted to eat… such were the highlights of the day. Köln is a really magical place. Which also has amazing mango gelato as a plus.

Anyways, forward march, the days are going fast!

Tschüss!

Ashleigh