Day 92

We've been in Germany for nearly one hundred days which is a little bizarre to think about. This past weekend was one for the books. Friday morning I woke up a little late, and rushed to find all the pieces of my business professional outfit. I frantically searched for my heel and prayed that the morning would not be a precursor of how the rest of the day would unfold. After speed walking over a mile to the Hofgarten, Austen and I got on the bus and I slumped down next to Camella. She, along with the rest of our enmodes group had a late night at the AIB rehearsing our presentation until it was deemed acceptable by Dr. Wasser. After a headcount was conducted, the bus began the short trip to Aachen. This was one of the first bus rides that I didn't take a nap on. The air was filled with voices as people recited their practiced lines over and over again. I joined in and said my part to nobody in particular, being careful to articulate my words and not ramble through them. 

Once we reached our destination, everybody filed into the conference room and attacked the refreshments that had been prepared for our arrival. All the students found their seats and two employees from enmodes arrived. After pleasantries had been exchanged, Dr. Wasser began speaking. He introduced all of the people who had been involved on the project then played the infamous "Shell Shocked" song that we had all heard multiple times within the past forty-eight hours. It definitely lightened the mood in the room, and made us all a little more comfortable before our presentations. Team Michelangelo was first to go and they crushed it (Lois/Deanna if y'all are reading this congrats proud of u both). My team, Donatello, was next and everybody did amazing, even with all of the last minute changes we had to make. After the final group, Raphael, finished their presentation all the groups were asked to go to the front and answer some questions that the enmodes people had. Once all of the inquiries were answered, Sarah busted out the champagne and we all celebrated. Deanna had the brilliant idea of combining that with the orange juice the hotel provided us with to make mimosas (they were yummy). One of the walls of the conference room proved to be a fun backdrop for a class photoshoot, so everybody proceeded to take photos until it was time for lunch.

77.8% of Team Donatello

Prior to the trip, nobody informed us that we would be walking a considerable distance over cobblestone to the restaurant. I failed to bring an extra pair of shoes since I was in a rush that morning, so I was left with no choice but to be really good at walking on uneven, weirdly spaced apart rocks. Macaroni sadly was not filled with macaroni :/ Instead, I had my fourth salad of the week. The only thing I was able to identify on it was strawberries, but overall it was good. The waitress brought in a glass of hot chocolate for Brynn, which caught the attention of everyone at my table. Madeline asked the waitress if it was too late for us to order hot chocolate, to which she responded, "It's never too late." She then proceeded to bring out nine glasses of delicious chocolate goodness. Dr. Wasser took a tiny nap while we finished our drinks, we sang Nicky happy birthday, and then Sarah announced it was time to go to the RWTH. 

Admittedly, I was a little reluctant to go to another place since I was tired and my feet were starting to feel funny. Thankfully we didn't have a choice, and I'm so glad we went. Two gentlemen, who both looked young enough to be my classmates, led us in two seperate groups around the cardiovascular engineering department. Prior to the tour, I hadn't really considered going into biomechanics. After seeing all the various types of artificial valves, hearts, and oxygenators, I realized that I could be happy working and researching in the field of cardiac engineering. It was really neat to see all of the labs and machinery that was used in their institute, and even cooler knowing that Lois' dad used to be there. We finished the tour by taking a group photo in front of the institute doors, then getting back on the bus again. I fell asleep three minutes into the drive back home, and didn't wake up until the bus stopped at the Hofgarten in Bonn. On the walk back home I was almost positive that my feet would fall off. Thankfully they didn't, and I enjoyed a nice evening of drawing and movies before going to sleep early. Overall, the day was a success and I still have a bruise on the bottom of my foot from my dumb shoes.