It's the last week. Crazy.
Naturally since classes are wrapping up, I've had a bunch of tests this week: a physiology midterm, FDA final, physiology final, take-home signals and systems final, and finishing up our design history final. My plan to finish everything by Thursday (so that once I took my physiology final I would be done) worked wonderfully. Though, I did find a new coffee shop to mix-up the study location, and that is always fun. It's called Creme Coffee, and is only a five minute walk from the AiB. They have a wall full of colorful beakers that had caught my eye every other time I walked by, but I just hadn't been in. The coffee and waffles were perfect way to discuss the real life applications of renal and GI physiology, the perfect way to study!
On Thursday, I got to bake with Katharina! She is one of my favorites, always so kind and patient with my broken German speaking. We decided to bake some traditional German treats. They are usually a Karneval dessert. The Mutzenmandeln are kind of like donut-holes, but with lemon, crushed almonds, and covered in Cinnamon. We threw together they recipe without a scale, but nevertheless they tasted delicious! Katharina's parting words were a German saying, "man trifft sich immer zweimal in Leben" which means people always meet twice in life. I think I'll hold on to this phrase as I have to say some more goodbyes this week, and it does definitely hold some truth. I like the optimism and emphasis on how even short relationships can be strong and long-lasting connections! It's always fun to see who I end up seeing sometime later. This trip was definitely full of some of those moments for me when I got to see my aunt's old exchange student and my European friends from high school.
Because of a mysterious bus shortage, our excursion on Friday involved a train/walk combo instead of a bike ride. I didn't mind too much. I'll take any chance I can to spend time along the Rhine. On Friday, we went to the Peace Museum at the old bridge of Remagen. The bridge was significant to World War 2. At one point in the war it was the only bridge across the Rhine left standing. The Germans had attempted to follow orders to destroy the bridge, but the explosives did not detonate. The bridge suffered minor damage, but its integrity was maintained. The American's crossing and capture of the bridge is estimated to have shortened the war by four weeks. Our tour guide knew so much about the history! The museum was set up in the old bridge tower, since the bridge is no longer standing today.
The AiB threw a farewell party for all of the programs. Regina came, and I got to introduce her to a few of my friends which was really nice! My favorite part of the whole thing was seeing some of the design projects from other programs on display. The A&M visualization students had made these clay figures on a spinning disc that made a short animation. They also had some documentaries of their semesters abroad. It was really neat to see what the other students have been doing during their semester in Bonn. I was amazed by some of the creativity! -- we could've presented our enmodes surgical procedure powerpoints, but that wouldn't have been quite as fun.
On Saturday, there was a craft fair in Munsterplatz. The tents were filled with handmade leather goods, painting of local sites in Bonn, unique and colorful jewelry, intricate quilted designs, and creative pottery. It was the highlight of my day! I loved enjoying the sunshine and seeing the many different creations. Lois and I also stopped by a Bonn souvenir shop to get some last-minute goods.
Random Takeaways
"That's so fun" has been coined as the Camella phrase. I also make facial expressions when I am thinking to myself...
I like Bonn and the Rhine. There's a peaceful sort of atmosphere with appreciation for the outdoors in this region.
Regina surprised Lois and I because she actually liked our American Velveeta box of mac-n-chees. "I don't know why I make homemade sauces when this is easy and tasty"
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