Week 2 - Cologne and Studying

This past week has gone by the fastest so far just because there is so much to do.  All the BMEN students have a signals and systems test Monday, and everyone in the program leaves for Vienna on Tuesday.  So we have been rushing to finish diffeq and medical device homework, study for signals, and plan our post-Vienna trip to Prague all before we leave at 4:45 AM Tuesday.  It's been hectic.  We will be in Vienna until Friday next week and then a group of us are leaving for Prague and returning Sunday.  Nobody wants to bring homework on the trip (obviously), so we're all scrambling.

We had a nice break from the schoolwork on Tuesday when everybody in the program went to Cologne.  For everyone from my hometown: Bonn is to Cologne as Lake Jackson is to Houston.  It was a great day, and Cologne made it easy to forget about the piles of schoolwork we left in Bonn!  First, we went on a (freezing) walking tour of Cologne.  Then we toured an old Gestapo office and saw the horrific conditions in which the arrested were kept.  After this, we headed back to the main square to the most impressive sight of the city.  The first thing you see in Cologne after getting off the train is the huge cathedral.  The Dom is the most Gothic cathedral I have ever seen, and it was absolutely incredible.  We were able to stop inside to hear the organ and see the golden shrine of the alleged remnants of the Three Kings.  Later in the day we toured the cathedral and went to the very top - an amazing view.  For lunch (provided by AIB, thank you), I had a bratwurst with roasted potatoes and cabbage.  It was so good.  We returned to Bonn in time for dinner and a couple hours of studying.

This weekend I will be focused on finishing everything up before Vienna and preparing for my exam. Wish me luck!