Uniklinik & Istanbul, Turkey

School this week was interesting. We were able to shadow doctors at the Uniklinik of Bonn. The first day I went was a massive let down. I was so excited to see a surgery, but the wing of the hospital I was assigned to did not have much going on. We got to see a brief part of a tumor removal from a parotid or salivary gland and left before the surgery was complete. A few others and I sat in the hospital break room and were given a tour of the hospital. Other students saw open heart surgery, spinal surgery, and other cool things. Thankfully, my group was allowed to return the next day. I shadowed a surgeon in Urology. We saw part of a procedure where a man’s urethra was being scraped out. Then, I watched an entire surgery of a kidney tumor being removed. It was so cool seeing the doctors at work. The team worked so efficiently together. During the procedure, the surgeon accidentally cut part of the peritoneum, the sac containing the organs. He turned to us and said “it doesn’t matter what you cut, as long as you know how to fix it.” I really enjoyed shadowing surgeries. It definitely helped me realize that medical school is something I want to do.

On Friday that week, our program went to the anesthesia museum. It was cool seeing all the old methods and devices used for anesthesia. Old devices used to anesthetize patients would leak vapors and occasionally knock the surgeon out too!  I am really thankful for modern medicine. That evening I left for the airport to fly to Turkey.  My flight ended up being delayed, and delayed again, and delayed once more. Everyone was getting fed up, one man started banging on the door to the gate and yelling. It was an interesting night to say the least. Our plane ended up taking off 5 hours later.

When I made it to Turkey, I was exhausted but happy to see my Dad. We walked around Istanbul together. One of the main things to see in Istanbul is the Blue Mosque.  The first mosque we saw was pretty big, so my dad and I thought it must be the blue mosque. We walked in for a few minutes. When we walked out we both said how we expected it to be nicer and a bit bigger. What we didn’t realize is there are over 3,000 mosques in Istanbul. My Dad and I went up in the Galata tower and went on a touristy helicopter simulation tour of Istanbul. Later that day we found the actual blue mosque and laughed at how stupid we were to think the first mosque we saw was it. For dinner, we met up with two of my dad’s colleagues from work, one of whom is Turkish. We ate at a traditional Turkish restaurant. The meal was magnificent. There were so many sauces to dip a variety of meats and vegetables in. A platter of Turkish desserts was brought out after the main course. I like Turkish food.

On Sunday, me, my Dad, and his two coworkers went to the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), a massive old church/mosque/museum built almost 1,500 years ago. While waiting in line to enter, a Turkish man approached us, claiming he would give us a tour and skip the line for a reasonable price. We agreed, and he said to follow him. The man walked straight through the line pushing others out of the way, all the while holding an ID overhead. I guess he looked official to people in line, as we skipped all the way to security to enter. It was a funny experience, and the guy was a great tour guide. The Hagia Sophia is incredible and had been rebuilt three times after being destroyed by fire, rioters, and when the central dome was added. The building began as a church, was converted to a mosque in the Ottoman Empire, and was turned into a museum in 1935. It has both Islamic and Christian decorations inside, including preserved mosaics of Jesus, and large medallions with Allah and Muhammed written on them. Afterwards, we visited the Blue Mosque, which is just across an alley from Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see inside because of restorations, but the mosque was still worth seeing from the outside. It is huge and can fit around 17,000 people. Next, we stopped by the Basilica Cistern. Originally used for water storage in the 6^th century, the Basilica is located about 150 meters below the city. The Basilica Cistern has many columns and stone carvings, including two medusa heads, which were stolen from a Roman building. Afterwards, we stopped for Turkish coffee and baklava. During our short break, a friendly cat came up and sat in my lap for about 30 minutes. Istanbul has a whole population of free cats it cares for, used to control the rodent population. We had lunch in a restaurant along the Bosporus and hopped on a boat for a tour of the Strait. The tour was great; we saw an old city wall, a palace, mosques and other buildings on the banks. Next, we headed into the Grand Bazaar to buy some souvenirs and gifts. Luckily my dad’s friend from work was Turkish, so he was able to keep vendors from over-charging us. We had a very interesting interaction with a shop owner, in which hazelnuts were used to bargain a price down. My Dad and I ate dinner together at our hotel and went to bed early, as I had an early morning flight back to Cologne. I went straight to class from the airport, and began another week in Bonn. I had a wonderful weekend seeing my Dad. I really enjoyed exploring Istanbul with him. I’m looking forward to seeing my family again when I our program ends.