Monday morning, we caught an early flight back to Cologne
from Mallorca. I studied for 253 at the airport and during the flight. The final
was alright; I was just happy to have one less thing to worry about. I spent
the rest of the day studying for my physiology exam on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, there was a farewell party for our coordinator
Sarah. It was finally starting to hit me that our program was coming to an end.
I am not ready to leave. The physiology test that day was decent. It was a
relief to get the test over with. I worked on some blogs and the 211 exam that
evening.
Wednesday, I went to the AIB to review for the physiology final.
I’m really going to miss our small classes. I’ve enjoyed getting to know
everyone so much. Once again, I prepared for my finals and tried to blog some
that night.
The physiology final was on Thursday. I felt very prepared
for the exam, so it went pretty well. After the final, I went back home to eat
dinner with my family. I’m going to miss our daily conversations at dinner. A group
of us met at James Joyce that night. We had a great time hanging out and
reminiscing over all the amazing times we’ve had in Germany.
Our program had an excursion to Remagen on Friday. We took a
train halfway and walked along the Rhine the rest. Lauren, Madeline, and I went
a bit crazy and plucked just about every flower along the way. We were decked
out in flower crowns, bouquets, and necklaces by the time we reached the museum.
We had a guided tour of the Peace Museum. The bridge of Remagen played a
critical role in WWII, enabling the allied powers to move troops and tanks
across the Rhine. It is said that the bridge helped shorten the war by about 4
weeks. After the tour, we ate lunch at an Italian restaurant on the Rhine. I
had some delicious gnocchi, followed by gelato for dessert. Our waiter at the
restaurant was interesting. He kept saying “beautiful” when passing me, Lauren,
Madeline, and Ibk. We just smiled and laughed. That night was the AIB party. It
was such a nice event for all the students. My host mom and sister came; it was
really nice to have them there. Luise and I ate and talked with Madeline,
Lauren, and their host sister Naja. We all had a fun night dancing to the live
music, and enjoying each other’s company. After the party, a group of us went to
Taco’s bar, and later to N8 Schift. I’m so thankful I met all the people in our
program. I hope we all continue to hang out in College Station.
On Saturday, I went to Claudius Therme bath house in Köln with Madeline,
Lauren, and Mitchell. Dr. Wasser had lectured us about saunas in History of Medicine
earlier this week. We had a really nice time relaxing in the pools and saunas. We
even found a traditional Finnish sauna. We tried whacking each other with the
birch branches used by the Fins and laughed about the word Finnish word for steam:
löyly. Afterwards,
we ate at Gaffel am Dom. I love this restaurant. It’s located next to the Kölner Dom. We had
some delicious schnitzel topped with spinach sauce and an egg. Once we finished,
we walked around the Dom one last time. It was really sentimental being in Köln for the last time. I
have so many fond memories in this city.
Sunday, I worked on my 211 exam. Once I finished, my host
mom, Andrea, took me on a little tour of Bonn. We drove down to the Rhine and walked
by an old water tower, a huge hotel, and some private medical buildings. Andrea
works as a tour guide occasionally, so she is extremely knowledgeable of all
the history and stories behind the building and places of Bonn. We stopped for
a quick drink at a restaurant along the river. I have loved staying with my
host family. They are so welcoming and really made me feel at home in Bonn.
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