Monday I woke up with a little more excitement than usual. I maintained relatively constant and open communication with my parents since my arrival in Germany. We have discussed everything from my daily routine to my struggles with career plans. My classes had been creating a lot of stress lately. The possibility of abandoning those stresses to pursue a new path at medical school in Europe became more appealing with each passing minute. I had extensive conversations with my parents about my struggles in BMEN and my desire to go to medical school abroad. Since going to college, the relationship between my parents and I has evolved from parent-child to friend-friend. So as you can imagine, presenting the idea of moving to the other side of the world for the rest of my life to my two closest friends and biggest supporters sparked some panic. My dad quickly planned to visit me seeing as I was distressed from an early mid-life crisis. He booked a flight for the weekend, and I eagerly anticipated his arrival. His visit allowed a typically dreaded first day of the week to fly by. The morning and afternoon was packed with classes back to back. Then, once classes were over I took the DFQ exam I had missed the week before due to my illness. Even though the day was long and I had a week full of exams ahead, I ended the day in a relatively good mood.
Tuesday I was slow to get out of bed. I had spent the night before trying to sort through a never ending BMEN 211 homework assignment. This class is by far my least favorite class that I have ever taken. The concepts seem absolutely unnecessary for my future career as a doctor. Nevertheless, I enrolled in this major and must endure the hazing process that is 211. Luckily, this was the first class of the day so I turned in my homework and left the nightmare in the past. The rest of the afternoon consisted of lectures in physiology and math, plus an enmodes project meeting. Physiology is still by far my favorite class this semester. Honestly, it is the only class I even enjoy. I wish that I could put more time and effort into this class, but the difficulty of BMEN 211 and MATH 308 prevent me from doing so. Math 308 lectures have only worsened since the beginning of the semester. Attendance honestly feels like a fat waste of time. The Enmodes meeting was productive. Everyone is experiencing a degree of nervousness for the company presentation on Friday. My group filled the last holes in our idea and put the final touches on our presentation. Finally, after spending the entire day in the same two rooms, Madeline and I eagerly went home. We ate dinner and studied for our German final.
Wednesday was our last german 101 class of the semester. It felt bittersweet because I truly enjoyed learning from Hilde and immersing myself in the local language. However, I was grateful that this would free up some time in our hectic weekly schedules. The rest of the day we just had class. I am starting to go a bit insane from spending literally the whole day, every day, in the same two rooms. But, there are bigger problems like my upcoming physiology test. I went home on Wednesday and studied the entire day. I regret not starting earlier but with something being due every day in each class, it is extremely difficult to balance studying time. However, not planning ahead more was my own fault so I did the best I could with the time that I had. My motivation came from knowing that the only thing standing between me and two weeks of spring break was this exam.
Thursday I took the exam and went to the rest of my classes. I later got a text from my dad that he had safely made it to Bonn. As soon as classes got out I eagerly rushed to meet him. It was definitely a unique feeling having someone visit me in my new home. Nevertheless, I was excited to show him around Bonn and tell him about my adventures thus far. We grabbed a coffee at one of my favorite bakeries during a break between classes. He caught me up on the status of my other family members and the repairs on our house from Harvey damage. After an hour, I went to another awful MATH 308 lecture then met him again for dinner. We went to this delicious restaurant. It was a treat to enjoy a nice meal with my dad and Madeline. I loved being able to share all my experiences with him from attending classes in Germany to visiting Europe's biggest nightclub in Budapest. Once the meal was over, Madeline and I went home to get a good nights sleep before the Enmodes pilot presentation.
Friday was the enmodes meeting. I think my groups presentation went smoothly and successfully. We clearly communicated our idea and were able to answer all the company's questions. I believe they liked our idea and could see themselves potentially using it. Once the meeting was over, I met up with my Dad again. I took him to one of my favorite restaurants, Hans im Gluck. During that lunch our conversation geared away from the enjoyable subject of travel and towards my career plan. We discussed the possibility of me attending medical school in Germany, my reasons for wanting to and what steps I need to take to get there. My dad is the most understanding and reasonable person I have ever met. He will hear out even the most ridiculous ideas (this likely being one of them). His main concern was having me be miles and oceans away from home. I think my parents share the same gratitude for our close relationship that I have. The idea of that potentially being jeopardized by distance worries and pains them. We finished lunch and put this heavy conversation on hold as we headed toward the Beethoven house. I was excited to visit the Beethoven house because Beethoven is ingrained in the culture of Bonn. His face appears on everything from statues to street lights. The house was small with creaky floorboards. It was truly fascinating to gain insight into the life of a musical genius, let alone enter his home. My dad and I meandered the halls then left to go tour the Rhine area. After realizing the limits of Bonn's sightseeing, we drove to Cologne. I had visited Cologne a few times since arriving in Germany and have become quite fond of it. Ironically, my dad many many years ago came to cologne with my mom during their honeymoon. We walked through the Dom and ended our excursion with dinner at the Gaffel. The Gaffel was absolutely packed. There were people from all ages laughing and drinking. My dad and I enjoyed some potato pancakes, Kolsch beer, and each others company. Full and tired, we headed back to Bonn. My dad dropped me off at my host family where I was greeted by 20 strangers. My host brothers quidditch team was in town for training and they were all staying at our house. I hung out with them and my host mom for a while before going to bed.
Saturday I woke up early because my dad and I were driving to Amsterdam. Throughout middle and high school, I was part of a national volleyball team. We travelled all over Texas and the US playing in various tournaments. My dad, being the huge sports fan he is, always accompanied me to these tournaments. Since ending my volleyball career in college, I truly missed this quality time spent with my dad during our road trips. I loved being able to to spend that time with him again as we traveled from Bonn to Amsterdam. Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we parked the car and started walking around. I had visited Amsterdam two years prior, and it is still one of my favorite cities. The city is full of amazing museums, galleries, restaurants, and bikes. Coming from the US our main transportation is cars, it amazes me to see how varied daily transportation is in Europe. This is most evident in Amsterdam. Bikes whizz by as you walk down the street, occupy half the sidewalk, and fill entire parking lots. Amsterdam is bustling city but the aura still remains relaxed and vibrant. After a day of sightseeing, we went to Castell. My dad travels frequently for his work, often these travels caused him to stay in Amsterdam. This lead to the discovery of his absolute favorite restaurant in all the world. Madeline and Emily met us there so we could all share in this delicious discovery. I have been a strict vegetarian for the past three years. There are many reasons why I made tis choice and why I make it every day. However, I also believe that life is meant to be enjoyed. This was a rare opportunity for me enjoy a dinner with my dad at his favorite restaurant. So, long story short, I ate a rack of the worlds most delicious ribs and I do not regret it.
Sunday, my dad was flying out. We had said our goodbyes the previous night. Wether it is saying goodbye in Houston, College Station or Amsterdam I can't help but tear up when I part with my parents. But with plenty to see on Sunday and two weeks of traveling to plan for, I had plenty of distractions. Madeline, Emily and I did more sightseeing on Sunday. We visited the Van Gogh museum, modern art museum, Reijk museum, pancake corner, bulldog coffeeshop, canals, and much more. It was a weekend packed with good memories and even more to come. We boarded our train back to Cologne excited to pack and go to Paris.. or so we thought. We made all of our train connections smoothly. We safely arrived in Cologne and bought the soonest train ticket to Bonn. Everything was great until the train came to a complete halt in the middle of the tracks. There was announcement on the intercom but it was useless considering none of us speak german beyond "hallo, ein croissant bitte". So we decided to follow the masses and exit the train. We stood outside next to the small train stop in a cloud of confusion. We were not sure where we were, if we needed to call a cab, if another train was coming, or how we were going to make it home. Mind you, it was now 2 AM and we had to meet the group for France in just a few hours. Finally, a bus arrived. Like a heard of sheep, we all boarded the bus. We weren't really sure where it was going or when it was getting there, but we were delusional from lack of sleep and desperate to get home. Luckily, it dropped us off at another train station where we were able to board yet another train. After six hours of travel, we finally made it back to Bonn. We hastily showered, packed and ran out the door to start the next series of travel.
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