Finals and Fun - Germany Week 15

Four months have just flown by so quickly. I don’t even know where the time went. Our last full week in Bonn was spent taking tests. I had my physiology test on Monday and then my physiology final on Wednesday. But once those were out of the way, I was done with this semester, and what a great feeling that is.

Thursday, a group of BIMS kids went to the Botanical Gardens near Poppelsdorfer Schloss. The gardens were so beautiful! Everything was blooming and the trees were so green. I wish it would’ve been warmer but the plants didn’t mind the cold. They had a sequoia and it was so gigantic. They also had this section of flower bushes that was just bursting with different colors. We ventured into the greenhouse, which consisted of many different rooms. There was a hot a humid rainforest room. All I could think was that this is what it’s going to feel like when we get back to Texas. The cactus room was nice and dry. It was filled with so many different cacti, pleasing to the eye but harmful to the touch. Definitely not the place for a clumsy person.

On Friday, we went to Remagen, where we visited the Friedensmuseum Brücke von Remagen, or Peace museum – Bridge at Remagen. We were supposed to bike to Remagen, but we ended up taking a train and then walking along the Rhein. It was such a beautiful landscape and a gorgeous day. I am really going to miss the Rhein when I go back home. We walked into the city and towards the big towers that were along the Rhein. We learned about the Ludendorff Bridge and how it played a role in shortening the second world war. The “Miracle at Remagen” was when the American troops were able to capture the bridge and cross the Rhein. All other bridges had been destroyed, so many believe that the war was shortened by weeks because of this event. A few days after the Americans crossed the bridge, it collapsed, so all we were able to see were the big towers on each side of the river. One of the towers housed the museum, where our tour guide explained all the history behind the bridge. After our museum tour, we had a group lunch at an Italian restaurant along the Rhein. The food was absolutely delicious and we got ice cream as well. We headed back to Bonn to get ready for the AIB farewell party. It was so great getting to see everyone and their host parents. There was so much food to try. After spending longer than the AIB staff probably intended, we left and headed to Tacos for Happy Hour. We laughed and talked and tried to soak in every moment of our last weekend in Bonn.

On Saturday, some of us were back at the AIB working on the enmodes booklet. Luckily, I had very few revisions to do, so I was able to get it done quickly. Afterwards, Kate and I headed to some souvenir shops around Bonn to get some last-minute shopping done. The rest of the day was spent trying to fit everything back in my suitcase, and it still wasn’t finished by the time Camella and Lois and I went out to a bar. Another night was spent in Bonn hanging with friends and enjoying the nightlife.

Sunday was another day spent attempting to pack. It still wasn’t going great, but in the afternoon, Darby, Lois, Camella, and I headed into the city to walk around and see our favorite sights one last time. We walked through Munsterplatz, got ice cream at Eis Labor, and strolled down Altstadt. Then we headed to a Tapas restaurant that Lois and Camella’s host mom suggested. This was to celebrate Lois’ birthday, which was in January, but this was when we finally had time to go to a restaurant. The menu was such a strange mix of Spanish and German, which I had experienced when I went to the Spanish restaurant with my host family, but that didn’t make it any easier to order. When our food came out, everything was so delicious. I had these shrimps that were wrapped in French fries. Probably not the healthiest thing, but it was really good.

On Monday, we got up early and headed to the Hofgarten to get on the bus. We drove for about 2 hours to Bacharach. They gave us about an hour to stroll through the city and get breakfast and enjoy the morning. There was a really old chapel that was mostly destroyed, but it was really cool to see. There were also lots of hiking trails, but since we didn’t have much time, we decided to stroll through the city instead. We went into little shops and bought Dr. Wasser a sign that we found with turtles on it. We gave it to him today and I think he loved it. Out boat arrived and we climbed aboard to enjoy the Rheincruise. We sat outside, where it was really cold and windy but the view was great. While on the boat, we had our History of Medicine final, which consisted of Dr. Wasser sorting each of us into Hogwarts houses and then quizzing us on things we learned throughout the semester. It was a lot of fun and a great way to take a final. After a while, our boat arrived in Bornhoven, where we got back on the bus and headed to Brauchbach. We had lunch, which consisted of schnitzel and French fries. After lunch, we hiked up to Marksburg Castle. This is the only hill castle on the Rhein that has never been destroyed. It was remolded multiple times during the Middle Ages to keep it a really strong fortress. It was so massive and so much of it was original. We had a tour, where we got to see the inside rooms and chapel and kitchen. It was really cool. After our tour, we got on the bus and headed back to Bonn. I had dinner and cake with my host family, then met some friends to celebrate my 21st birthday. It was such a fun night with great friends and I am so glad I was here in Germany to celebrate. This was a great birthday, and one that I won’t ever forget. But celebrating my birthday made me miss my family even more.

This morning was spent at the AIB doing course evaluations and saying goodbyes to those not flying out tomorrow. Once I got home, I knew I needed to finish packing. I had to drop my suitcase off before 6pm, so I only had a few hours to get everything in. Yea, it didn’t really all fit. I am not sure how I got everything here in the first place. I finally got my suitcase zipped, but then the dreaded weight limit threatened to ruin things. My host mom let me borrow a scale it was so over the weight limit that there wasn’t really anything to do. At least I got everything packed up. At least I think I do.

I still can’t believe how quickly the semester flew by. I knew it would be this way, but looking back, it still surprises me. I have had such great experiences and made some great friends. This has been the journey of a lifetime and I am so thankful I had this opportunity. I am going to miss Bonn so much and I am hoping that one day I can return. As sad as I am to leave, I am so excited to get back to Texas and see my family. Auf Wiedersehen Bonn, es war großartig!