Bonn, Germany
January 12 - 21
A week and a half has gone by now and yes I have forgotten to post in a timely manner but I felt like posting on the weekend would be best, that way I could talk about all that has occurred on the weekend and during the week.
Long ago, it seems, I arrived in Frankfurt to begin my journey in Germany. My initially impression of Bonn was one of, what a beautiful traditional European city, which indeed it is. Old architecture, mixed with new, complete with cobble stone streets, and the ability to shove as much stuff into one square as possible. Whether that's having stores extend four stories above ground or the parking garage and subway stops that are below ground. The use of space is incredible. European's leave usable piece of ground empty. And everything is conveniently located around AiB which is super pleasant.
The weather has been a challenge but one I have come to except. I will never be warm again. The houses are kept warm but barely warm because of the need to conserve energy. Germany is extremely green and it astounds me how much so. There are five different trash cans for the paper, plastics, metals, biodegradables, and other items. If only we did that in America. We try with having a trash bin along with a recycle bin but its not enforced like it is here.
On the topic of conserving energy, I love how there are four public ways to get around town, tram, bus, subway, and train. What a brilliant way to operate. The tram lines are weaved in with the already existing streets and the cars move with them. The buses join the traffic and the subways are underground. Nothing disturbing the flow of traffic but instead blending in.
My host family is incredible. I have a host mom, brother, and sister along with a roommate from A&M. The brother and sister are 17 and 16 respectively, and the mom owns a snake and a horse. They live in a four story house (including the basement) where my room along with my roommates and our brother's room are all on the second floor while the sister is on the third. The mom is in the basement and the first floor is where the kitchen and living room sit. From the outside, the house looks small but on the inside, there is space everywhere. Four whole floors of space.
For dinner we haven't had a typically German meal yet. What consists of a typical German meal I haven't quite figured out, but I let you know when I do. So far I've eaten pasta with a meat sauce, homemade pizza with a lot of fixings (some I don't even know what they are, I just know they taste good), rice mixed with vegetables, and chicken with potatoes and what looked to be a watercress salad with some sort of dressing and pomegranate seeds. All of this I found to be delicious and it reminded me of the collection of food I used to cook back at college station.
I'm slowly learning German and let me tell you, it is very difficult. I find the pronunciation of the words to be giving me the most trouble. In English, most letters have two sounds, but in German it's either one or the other. My favorite would have to be every time you see a w it doesn't actually sound like a w, but instead it's a v. Also, a has one sound while this ä has a completely different sound. And then there are z's. Don't get me started on z's. There is no z sound in the German language unless your using the word Sie. Then you hear z. A z has now become a t-s noise. My tongue is struggling trying to make that sound. You should see me try to pronounce twenty (zwanzig). But I love learning a new language, and being able to understand some of the basic words I hear.
Somewhere in the countryside around Bonn
January 14
Going back to the family horse, I'd have to say, being able to ride the horse on my third day in Germany was by far my favorite experience so far. Instead of seeing the traditional tourist destinations I got to instead ride a horse through the German country side and through the forests taking in the beauty around me. What an incredible feeling to be riding a horse in another country, becoming one with nature. It was a nice change of scenery compared to the city that I visit everyday.
January 20
Aachen, one of the major hubs for science, mathematics, and engineering. Also known for these divine gingerbread pastries smothered in chocolate and home of the Aachen Cathedral that not only houses some of the remains of Charlemagne but also was created by Charlemagne himself. What a breath taking sight the building was. I'm in love with the European architecture and this monument was the quintessential gothic architecture that I have come to love. Within in the treasury that coupled with the Cathedral, I was able to seen priceless artifacts that blew away any modern craftsman ship out of the water. While glancing upon these relics, I thought to myself, Why don't we spend time to create such pieces with our hands anymore? Do we even know how to make such fine works of art or was that lost with progression of our technology? It's truly a shame that no one puts in that kind of time anymore to create art and aesthetically pleasing artifacts. What will the people of the next century remember us by? Our pieces of metal that were fused with electricity to create the technological world we live in today. Now that I got that off my chest, I found that Aachen looked to be a smaller version of Bonn. There was a city center with shops surrounding it with buses everywhere.
Aachen Cathedral (left), my favorite relic within the treasury (middle), and the throne that Kings and Queens of Germany were coroneted in that sat within the Cathedral (right).
The best part of the trip to Aachen was the ability to explore a biomedical engineering company. I was able to see the progression of heart valves made through out the years to the innovation that is the total artificial heart, and it astounded me that small pieces of metal and plastic and other biomaterials could be used to help relieve the symptoms of particular cardiac diseases. After seeing this collection of cardiac devices, I came to the conclusion that I chose the right major. Having the ability to be creative and help save lives combined with the study of the human body showed me that I indeed found my passion and I am where I belong.
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