Week 7: Enmodes and Family

This week has been more about getting school work done and making last minute arrangements for spring break. I have been trying to study for my biochem exam and prepare for the Enmodes midpoint presentation. The situation with biochem has become a bit ridiculous. Dr. Ficht emailed us saying that he would no longer be recording lectures, posting lecture slides, or administering  exams. After this email he has not been in contact with any of us. He said all of our grades from now on will come from writing assignments based off the textbook. I am pretty annoyed with this situation because I signed up for this course under the assumption that I would be actually receiving instruction from an A&M professor. Dr. Wasser has been very good in reassuring us that we still receive credit for the course and that we will have more time with our tutor Gerhild.
Enmodes was a little nerve racking because my point team had a really good idea but we were not sure it was what the company wanted. Our idea was relatively simple and based off anatomy which for me was really cool and a good thing for a solution to have. My group mates, Kimberly and Kyle are really great to work with. We feed off of each other and get a lot of work done. The representatives from Enmodes were impressed with our idea and liked how we choose to execute changing the temperature gradient.
This week we also had a crepe lunch during a pre-France meeting. It was a lot fun to make the crepes and try out a few different flavor combinations. My Nutella crepe was very pretty and yummy. The meeting also made me really excited.
I went to see my grandparents for a few hours. They were really happy to see me. It was difficult trying to communicate with them, having pictures to show them made it a lot easier. My grandfather is steadily getting uneasier/more unbalanced and having a harder time getting around. My grandmother can't leave the house and is trying her best to make life for my grandfather easier. I am getting worried that my grandfather will not make it to May when my sister and mom are supposed to come. My grandparents were really upset that I was traveling back to Bonn after dark. I tried my best to reassure them that I would be fine. I made things worse when I called from Mainz to say that I was having trouble with the trains and wouldn't get home till late. I did not get back to Bonn till midnight so did not call my grandparents to inform them that I was home. This was a mistake because they stayed up to 1 am waiting for me to call. They were incredibly worried, and upset by the time I called them the next day. I also waited to the last minute to pack for Paris and Spring Break.