nicht zuletzt

Time flies pretty fast. If you were to ask me a year ago or that in college that I would be studying abroad and that Bonn is my favorite city in the world. I would have severely doubted you. I thought college was just a bunch of steps you take to move on and go with life. Studying abroad in Germany was definitely my favorite semester in college, and I would repeat it again infinitely. It gave me a new mindset on how to view the world and how the world is becoming interconnected. America is known to be an economic superpower and cultural superpower and don't seem to pay attention as much as people pay attention to American politics. But events in other countries especially in Europe changes our outlook. In a integrated economy a economic/ political event in Europe will affect what happens in the United States and the world. How Germany handles healthcare and education policy has some elements the United States can adopt. I loved going into the hospital and shadowing doctors and asking them about healthcare delivery in Germany. It was quite interesting to understand how medical malpractice insurance worked in Germany vs the United States. I also liked how they tackled energy and environmental policy. I enjoyed the recycling system and their investment in public transportation. That was something i really missed when I was in Germany. I enjoyed the vibe of a European city also. Being able to walk around the city in Bonn compared to college station. I enjoyed walking around Freidensplatz and Munsterplatz near all the food trucks and food vendors. I brought a new world view and solutions i think we can use to address issues that are facing the United States and the world. I think we need a more sophisticated recycling policy like the Germans. I think we need a form of Krankenkasse in the United States. Germany has got it right with non-profit insurance companies and a universal mandate for health insurance coverage. It showed a good balance between competition in the marketplace and having equity in health insurance coverage. I miss the turkish food especially the falafel I had in Berlin. I never thought of Germany as a place to permanently settle and live. But my study abroad experience is making me being a resident of Deutschland.
I also enjoyed the classes that I took especially the history of medicine. It was awesome to have visiting Vienna and France as part of our class. It enhances the curriculum of classes with hands on experience. I hope we can bring this approach to college classes in the United States. With all that said I am signing off for the last time.

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Raju Rebbapragada