The end is near

This week the reality of how close our departure date is really hit me. I wanted to soak it all in and enjoy every moment but at the same time we have tests to prepare for and school work to finish. Nevertheless, I was determined to enjoy this week! 

On thursday we had to chance to visit Bingen and Andernach. I had been especially excited for this trip because we specifically went to see the Hildegard von Bingen museum. Hildegard is a saint in the Catholic church, and I had heard about her spiritual teachings before, but I had never known how much of an impact she had on the medical community. I enjoyed this excursion a lot! 

On Friday we had our lab exam and when it was over I headed to Cologne to meet my best friend from high school. She had planned a trip to Europe before I had decided to come on this study abroad trip, so it really worked out that we were able to see each other. We spent the weekend in a small town in Germany called Olpe at a Franciscan convent. It might not have been the traditional way to spend a weekend, but I loved every minute of it. My best friend Eileen is joining the convent in the states this coming September, and she had met some of the nuns in Germany when she was on her study abroad two years ago, so we were able to stay with them. It was a quiet weekend which I really enjoyed because it helped me to reflect on everything that I had experienced thus far. I was also grateful for getting to spend time with Eileen!

I got back to Bonn in the afternoon on Sunday and spent the rest of the day studying for my physiology test monday. I was glad to be able to have gotten back so early to study. The trip was very much worth it, even though I had a test two days after. 

Snow in April, Champagne in Aachen

Week 14

               This past Saturday, I met up with a friend in Cologne that I’ve been planning to see since November. He is a fellow Terry Scholar that graduated from Texas State and worked as a sound engineer. He got his Master’s in Germany after working for a few years and ended up meeting his wife here on a Flixbus to Vienna for an acoustics conference- so he ended up staying here, marrying her, and moving to Cologne. I asked about what he does now, which is much more about gardening and environmental awareness. We talked about my Terry experience and just got to know each other a bit in Café Nale.

               As we were talking, it started to snow outside. I was in awe, because it was sunny out and definitely not cold enough for water to freeze. It was at least 44 degrees F. My friend told me that in Germany, they say “Der April macht, was er will”: April does what it wants.

               I left Cologne with Kevin, went shopping at Lush and Sephora, and went to Starbucks to write in my journal until it closed and I went to AIB and drank some wine with Lindsay and Kevin.

               Sunday, I spent all day at home, and the rest of this week has been full of nothing but enmodes.

                After normal class Monday morning, we delved straight into perfecting our project. Tuesday and Wednesday were the same. After staying at AIB until 1 AM multiple times, everyone was exhausted. Though, the Ethiopian food on Wednesday was a great pick-me-up. I also finished my Paris book while laying in the biergarten with Adriana during Tuesday's lunch break- which was another highlight of the week.

All I had for the presentation was the intro, but I felt nervous because I was the opening face of the group and it was important that I effectively sold our idea. I had to convey as much confidence as possible- which has been hard for me ever since I started college. Public speaking did not used to shake me so much, but I was having trouble stuttering and remembering my points. After enough practice, recording myself while alone and reciting the intro to others while doing something casual, like playing volleyball, I had it down pretty well. Even with such a straightforward task, I was proud of my slide- it was simple, fitting, and effective. I had found the perfect images and my speech was smooth and convincing. When I said it to Wasser, my team was impressed since it was also the first time they had heard it. I don’t know why it gave me so much joy, but their enthusiasm made me sure of myself.

I went home Wednesday night and didn’t finish showering until halb drei, but I still wanted to straighten my hair. I had a goal that I would straighten my hair at least once this semester, and now was the time to do it. I ended up going to bed at nearly 4 am.

The presentation went perfectly. I was so proud of my group and had so much fun working with them, and the champagne was a pleasant surprise. With the conclusion of the project, the nearness of the end of the semester seemed all the more real.

We engineers ended our day after Math class with a beer in the garden next door. It was only the second time all semester where only engineers were hanging out together- outside of doing homework! We had a blast, and we ended our night only to prepare for our Easter trips the next day.

Enmodes Marathon

Monday was the last normal day of class before our major research week began. After our morning classes, we enjoyed a workshop on the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique, named after the actor who developed it, is all about awareness of one's body positioning and movements to achieve better performance. Our professor wanted us to learn the basics of this technique before our presentations, and I think alot of the students benefited from the process. It was a nice break to the classes and gave us a relaxing afternoon before the final marathon began. As soon as the workshop ended, we began working on the Enmodes projects. Our final push over the next few days would see our presentations go from "good" to "amazing", as our professor put it. We ironed out the last details of the research and began sharpening our presentation towards the end of Tuesday. Most of Wednesday was spent finishing the PowerPoints and getting the green light on our final project. Tuesday and Wednesday were both very long days; work began at ten in the morning and went until past midnight both nights. Finishing on Wednesday around 1:00 AM was a relief, and a short cab ride home allowed me to grab a few hours of sleep before the next morning. We met at our normal bus stop and departed for Aachen. We were dressed and ready. We arrived at the hotel where we met the Enmodes representatives. After a short introduction from Dr. Wasser, the three groups presented their projects and fielded questions from the Enmodes engineers. Overall, it was a flying success. We celebrated afterwards before returning back to Bonn, and I rushed home to pack and get ready for the Easter weekend.

Bonn Boys after the Enmodes Presentation

Enmodes Marathon

Week 12 (Bonn Half Marathon)

Apr. 6: Big Event:

Each year at my university during the spring, tens of thousands of students come out to participate in Big Event, the "largest, one-day, student-run service project in the nation". As it happens, most of the international programs associated with A&M participate in their own miniature version of big event to give back to the communities that have served as their home for the time that they've been there, and our group was no exception. For the group that I was in, we were tasked with the repainting of an elementary school a little bit out side of the main city. I'm always reminded of how much I enjoy volunteering, especially with people who make the work fly by.

After we were done with our work, we decided to head to the north west side of downtown to see what Bonn is apparently famous for. Back in the 1980s, ornamental Japanese cherry blossom trees were planted along Breite street. Each spring, the streets come alive with a pop of color. The lack of rain and persistently cold weather created the perfect environment for this year's bloom, making it one of the best in recent years. 

Apr. 7: Bonn Half Marathon

Crossing the Finish Line

Running a half marathon here in Bonn is easily one of the most unique experiences that I have had while studying abroad. A year ago, I never thought that I would spending this semester in Europe, much less running a half marathon here. The weather couldn't have been better and my new medal will surely be one of my most prized mementos from this experience.

Germany full circle (Bingen, Andernach, and Remagen)

After our exhausting Easter, class was in full swing again. This time with some breaks for day excursions. Tuesday, Lindsay held the Muster ceremony and I thought it was so cool she took the time to allow everyone to honor Aggies all the way over in Germany. I was still sick this whole week so I didn’t do much but sleep and study for the lab exam we had Friday as well as the physiology lecture exam on Tuesday next week. But in between the busy school days, finishing up my last lectures in college ever (!), we had excursions to go on. First, we went to Bingen and Andernach. Bingen was so cool because the monument across the river we say was where I spent my Rhein curse when studying abroad before in high school! In high school, we took some cable cars over the wine fields, hiked to the monument (see picture, and took these forest seats down through the trees. It was beautiful and one of my favorite things I did so it was super cool to see it again. We were in Bingen to learn about Saint Hildegard aka the baddest Saint. She made sure she got what she wanted when convents and monasteries were controlled by the male priests. She was famous for her visions from god and is one of the patron saints of medicine. It took the church a while to make her a saint but they did what was right and one of Hildegard’s convents is still in operation today. Dr. Wasser sang for us music that she possibly wrote before leading us to the medical garden. We saw some plants they used in apothecaries but unfortunately it was still too early to really see them in bloom.

              We then headed to Andernach for lunch which was interesting. It was good but had a little too much of the tart cherry-based sauce. All the little German towns I’ve been to are similar yet so unique. They’re all so cute and it’s a joy just to walk down the streets. On our way back we drove through Koblenz which is a city Ana and I have been meaning to visit. So, it was nice to at least see some sights we planned on. The tour of the medical equipment museum was better than some other museums we went to because the garden was so nice.

We had a lot of classes this week so the excursion gave us a break. We had more physiology classes planned than we had material so that was also a pleasant surprise. History of medicine covers so much I hope our final goes well. In addition to my last lectures, I did chi gong and tai chi for the last times this week. Everything is coming to a close, it feels omniscient.

              After the lab exam, I laid in bed to recover and binged a Netflix show. When Monday came around, I was well enough to go on the excursion. My cough was better which was good considering our excursion was to bike 22 km to Remagen. I had been thinking about going to Remagen so this was a good opportunity for me. I haven’t biked in years so I was off to a rough start but eventually got the hang of it. Only issue then was how much my behind hurt for the next few days. After learning some German war history, we went to group lunch and Dr. Wasser treated us to ice cream! This past week of school and excursions was fun but I need to make sure I have time to study and souvenir shop next week. See you then!

Berlin and Bingen and Andernach (4/22)

So right after enmodes was over my boys Sid and Ryan B. and I got an early flight to Berlin. We were part of a larger group of about 10 people who were gonna stay in Berlin. We were the first ones to get there. Berlin was amazing. Mats had told me that he doesn’t like Berlin, but being in Berlin I actually loved it. I think most of that had to do with how comfortable I was being there. The fact that it’s still in Germany was comforting. I feel like I have a new home in Germany, and traveling around here is easy and fun for me. In berlin we saw every single sight there was to be seen. One night we went ballroom dancing! I wanted to dance, but I was terribly nervous. I told the group that I was going to use the restroom, and when I got up Lindsay dragged me out to the dance floor. I was shaken up because I have only danced alone in my room before. Well we started dancing and she seemed to be impressed with the dance moves I was making up. I had no clue what to do, and was really just stepping in beat while moving my hips around. It turned out to be lots of fun, and I wanted to keep doing more partner dancing but it turned into just individual or group dancing. The history in Berlin was amazing. I got a new appreciation for life in Berlin back when it was divided. The wall was interesting to me. I saw all the hatred for it, but yet they managed to embrace what happened and leave some parts of the wall. As a testimony to what they went through. I also saw some street art on the wall that had something to do with no longer building walls. It related to the issues happening in America right now, with Trump building the wall. And I saw how people here don’t agree with that either. It made me feel more appreciated as a Hispanic person. More appreciated than I do in places like College Station. We visited many museums. We spent a whole day just in the museums in Berlin. Berlin was so good to me. It was very stress free, and I felt like I was fully able to enjoy myself.

Later in the week we went to Bingen and Andernach. Bingen was very nice and the museum with Hildegard was very cool. She was a very strong and confident woman. A true inspiration for anyone. Whilst in Bingen I had a conversation with a local about guns. He said that he is a gun owner and still thinks the idea of having people carry guns in public is absolutely absurd. I thought that was nice to hear, because most gun owners I speak to are very ignorant to not allowing people carry guns in public. Andernach was alright, the museum was nice but I already knew most of what was told to us. It was still nice to see the instruments that were used in older times.

Research and Studying

After the Bonn marathon weekend, we had another busy week of classes. Alot of our time was spent on the research project, as we only had a week and a half until the final presentation. We met nearly every day. Tuesday, we traveled to Aachen to consult with some of the Enmodes staff on our projects. After we presented our progress, the engineers asked questions and gave feedback to each of the groups to help direct our final changes and research. It was a tiring day, but very helpful to get their feedback. My group was especially encouraged when they told us that much of the material we were researching was related to alot of questions that they were trying to answer themselves. Most of the class days were long, but we were enjoying good weather in Bonn, so Ana and I would often play volleyball during lunch or between classes. It was also during this week that I ran for, and was elected, president of TAMU Men's Club Volleyball. I love volleyball and my team, so I was excited to run, even from Germany, and even more ecstatic to win. Also between the very busy class schedule, I was trying to get as much online paperwork and orientation modules for my summer internship completed. That Thursday, I interviewed for a job as a peer mentor this next year for freshmen at TAMU, and shortly after learned that I had received the position (which added to my online paperwork to complete). Overall, it was a rewarding but exhausting week, so Friday night some of us went out for the evening. Saturday, I decided I wanted to experience some of the local culture, so I went to an opera with Madyson and Ana. It was an interesting experience, and while I am glad we went, I probably would not pay to do it again. Other than the opera, I spent the weekend studying and catching up on schoolwork and research. By the end of Sunday, I was feeling ready for another busy week.

The Bonn Cherry Blossoms

Week 15: Its almost the End Game

          On Monday, I had an early flight out of Berlin so I got up earlier then everyone else. I tiptoed around the hotel room since there were about 6 of us sleeping there! I then went to go get breakfast from the executive lounge (thank you Lindsay!). When I got back to the room, Lindsay was awake and I asked her is she could put the Berlin licence plate that I had bought this weekend in her duffel bag since it was sticking out of my backpack... She was cool with it so I gave it to her and then left.
          I felt like a fugitive on the buses because half of the time I would just get on and just act like I was supposed to be there and that I had a pass and they wouldn't question me. So I didn't buy a pass the whole way to the Airport and I was a little skeptical that someone was going to check for a ticket but I was fine. I got to the airport and I saw a HUGE line... I thought that was the line for security, but it was just the line for check-in which I had luckily already done online. I headed to security and it literally took me less then 5 minutes to get through. I was already an hour early so I just sat at a coffee shop and tried to figure out my plan for the Köln zoo and how I would buy a ticket and get there. We then boarded and we were on the tarmac and ready 15 minutes before the departure time. It was probably the easiest and most laid-back boarding that I have ever been through but it was great. I got asked to move to the emergency exit since it wasn't a full flight and there was no one in that row.
          We landed about 25 minutes before we were supposed to and then I took the tram to the Köln zoo. The zoo was really cool and there were so many animals there. It took me about 3 or 4 hours to go through the whole thing When I was done with the zoo, I still and a pass to the aquarium but I was so tired that I just got on the tram and headed back to the house. I took the 18 tram all the way from the zoo to the Bornheim stop but it took forever, probably an hour or so. once i got there, I took a nap for about an hour and then had some dinner with Petra.

          On Tuesday, I didn't set an alarm since I thought we didn't have class until 11:45, but Sid woke me up at 9:20 saying that we had BMEN 253... I guess Mats slipped the class in there and I didn't realize it because it wasn't on the initial schedule. Luckily I can take the 9:48 tram and still get to class at 10:15 on time because there was no way I was going to make it to the 9:28 tram.
          In the 253 class we went over what we had to do for our final DHF for the project and then for the rest of the class period we worked on those changes. In history of medicine, Dr. Wasser gave us an interesting lecture on the medicine properties of saunas and how they have been important throughout history. He also made the mistake of saying that Qigong was optional today and literally 6 people went out there to do it with him, including me because I knew no one else would go... I quite enjoy Qigong because its relaxing and just something different.
          A few of us went to Mandu after that and I sort of zoned out after I ordered and when Seb asked me if some dish was number 5, I said yes because I wasn't thinking and apparently it was wrong and he got something completely different...
          We had a math tutorial later that day and he basically went through most of the questions that Dr. Roque Sol gave us to review for the final. After that I went to the Haribo store since I had ran out of gummy bears and I needed some for the rest for the semester. I then went to the DM next door to get a "healthy" snack since I have been chowing on candy for pretty much the whole semester.. I got some muscli, which is basically granola, and headed back to the AIB for our math class...
          Later that night, we had Aggie Muster. We got pizza ordered for everyone before we did the actual ceremony and everyone chowed down. Marcus and I always eat a lot, with him eating 14 slices while I only at 9. The ceremony was really nice and one of the coolest things I have ever done. It was my first muster and I was not disappointed. It doesn't seem all that significant, but the meaning behind it is so powerful.  It only lasted  about 15 minutes but it was amazing to honor those that we lost in the past year.. It was also a really special one since we were recognizing President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara Bush.
          We then waited at the AIB until it was time to head over to Bad Godesburg to go to the movie theater to see ENDGAME!!! Somehow we are seeing it a whole two days ahead of everyone in the US. I felt so powerful when the movie was over because I could spoil it for all of my friends but of course I didn't do that. It was one of the best movies I have ever seen. Even though it was 3 hours long, never did it feel like that. There was always action or some story element that kept pulling your attention back to the movie. I don't quite like the ending of the movie but it definitely brings the whole thing to a close really nicely while leaving a few things still open for other movies. When we got out, it was 3 in the morning so we waited for a train to come and then took it back to the AIB and I slept there for the night while some people went back to Kevin's place for the night.

          I woke up Wednesday with walking into the library while I was sleeping on the couch. She asked me a question but my mind was still asleep so I said something but I don't think it was even an answer😂.
          I went back to the house around 10:20 since I didn't have to go to 211 anymore! I searched through Sid's room for like 5 minutes trying to find his German book since it was due today... His room is such a mess, I don't know how he ever finds anything in there (sorry Sid!). My train was a little late today so I didn't get back to the AIB until about 5 or 10 minutes into the History of medicine lecture...
          After that class, we went to Uni-burger and Seb had told the guy that works there that we were leaving in 2 weeks and he was really sad cause we were some of his favorite customers! After we got back, we had a double block of math tutorial and it was super helpful. He went straight through the problems and went through how all of them worked. I'm glad that he did that cause I'm not too keen on some of these topics... In between the two blocks, I took pictures of the German book so I had a "copy" of it so I could continue learning it even after I leave if I wanted to.

          I forgot to set my alarm again on Thursday, but it wouldn't have done me any good because I forgot to put my phone on the charger again... Thankfully Sid was gonna take an earlier tram so he woke me up with just enough time to take the next tram. Somehow I ran into Sid at central station and I don't know how that happened since he took the tram before me. We were going to Bingen and Andernach today, so we took a charter bus there. for the first hour or so, I read one of my books that I brought with me. For the rest of the ride, I took a nap since we got up "early" for this bus ride.
          When we got there, we walked over to a museum where Dr. Wasser changed into a new costume and assumed another personality of a monk and gave us a lecture outside about the castles that were on the Rhine next to us. We then went into the museum and he told us about the life on Hildegard von Bingen. He also sang to us in some Latin ceremonial song inside of the museum that Hildegard would have sang. We then went outside into the "Hildegarten" where he had us run around and find a certain plant that he wanted to tell us something about.
          We then got back on the bus and rode to Andernach. I read my book again on the way over since my phone was still dead... Once we got there, we went to the restaurant that we were eating lunch at and we all ordered beers. Both the beer and the schnitzel that I got there were pretty good. A few people didn't want their drinks so they gave them to our table to drink.
          We then walked about half a mile or so over to the museum that we were here for. The group I was in went first and it only took about 30 minutes. Once we were done, we switched with Dr. Wasser's group and we sat outside while we had a few snacks. We then waited there for at least an hour and a half to two hours for the other group to get through... While we were waiting, we all talked about anything and everything just trying to pass the time. There was also a dog on the upstairs balcony that was really fluffy. I tried to convince Sarah and Mats to let me climb up on top of a shed to pet it. I knew they would say no. and I just wanted to mess with them, but if they had said yes then I for sure was gonna do it!
          Once we were finally done, Dr. Wasser talked to the guide for another 15 minutes and then we headed all the way back to the bus. For the whole ride back,  read my book and got pretty far into it. We got back about 25 minutes before our math class, so I read my book until Dr. Roque Sol got on the web-stream. I tried to pay attention in class, but it was just confusing me even more so I just went back to reading my book. I ended up finishing my book while I was in class (I finished the whole thing in one day!) and then I worked on the DHF through the end of class.
          Reagan stayed there with us to answer any questions that we may have had about both the DHF and the math homework.
          Around 9, we got hungry so we went over to over to Miss Siam  to get some crispy chicken but apparently they close at 9... So we ended up just walking back and getting some Uni-burger since that's the only thing open at this time of night. Once we got back we just kept working on the DHF until it was time to take the last tram back to our house...

          On Friday, we just had a few normal classes. I thought I would have time to work on the DHF during the second class since it was supposed to be due at "midday" whatever that meant (it wasn't actually due until midnight...), but the schedule got changed and I had to take notes in both classes. We had a physiology review after our last class today and Reagan went through pretty much all of the material that we covered in the past 2 months.
          We then went into the library and worked on the DHF some more to try and finish it... I talked with Reagan a few times to make sure that my parts were up to standard. For the rest of the night, I worked on the math homework that was due. I was really stressing about it since it is actually a big part of our grade and I knew I would have to put a lot of time into it to actually understand it...

          Saturday was a chill day since I didn't have anything due today. I slept in a bit and then went downstairs and made some breakfast with muscli and yogurt and apples. It was actually really god an if it didn't take so long to make, I would have eaten it a lot more often! For most of the day, I played video games of watched Netflix. I was going to just play video games for a few hours and then study for the rest of the day but of course that didn't happen. It just so hard for me to stop playing video games since there is just so much to do and they are so captivating...
          I went down for dinner around 9 and had some quiches that our host mom had made for us a day or two ago. Once I was done eating, I took the tram into town to meet up with a few people for Jessica's 21st birthday!!! When I got to the bar, the bouncer asked me something in German and then asked if I was looking for my friends. I said yes and that I didn't know if they were here yet and then the waitress came out and asked if I was looking for Jessica Lawrence. I said yes and she gave me directions to the table like she was a celebrity. When I got to their table, I ordered a drink adn we all talked for about 45 minutes or so while we slowly got through our drinks. Lindsay and Sid got there around that time and we ordered another round of drinks. The second one that I got was not very good, too minty for me, and we talked for a bit linger. We then tried to get Jess to finish her drink since they wanted to go to a club before they had to take the trams home.
          Once she was done, we went to Mcdonalds to get some food. Since it was Jessica's birthday, I paid for her food and she told me probably 4 times to send her a Venmo request tomorrow so she could pay me back, always forgetting that she had already told me that. I just kept telling her "Ok I will" since I knew she was pretty drunk from that last drink. Once we were done eating, I had to take my tram home, but the others went to the club since they still had another hour until their tram/bus.

          I sort of wasted most of Sunday by sleeping in until 1... I woke up at 10 and I was just gonna sleep for a few more minutes and I ended up sleeping for 3 more hours... When I finally got up, I went downstairs to make some "breakfast." I tried to make a boiled egg, but couldn't figure out how to turn the stove on to boil it... I spent probably 15 minutes pushing random buttons, trying to figure out how to turn it on but I finally gave up and just had some cereal.
          I was going to study for physiology, but I got distracted by this book that Petra gave me that she wanted me to write a message about my time here to her. She had done that for most everyone that had stayed with her on a study abroad, so I wanted my message to be good. I spent probably 2 hours writing a rough draft in my notebook on what I wanted to write to her and finally got it down and transferred it to the journal.
          After that I finally got to work on physiology, going through the powerpoint that Reagan had given us for her review on Friday. I worked on that until 8 or so and then I went downstairs to see if Petra was about to make dinner. She was just going to make some salad so I had the Quiches again but they were so good that I didn't mind. We talked for about an hour and I finally went back upstairs when she had a guest over. I tried to work on physiology after that but since I was laying on my bed studying, I was getting pretty sleepy. So I ended up just putting up all of my stuff and going to bed.

Weekend/ Bingen Excursion

April 19th- 22nd, 2019

The weekend after the craziness that was enmodes, I went to a church youth conference called Youth in Mission. I really needed that conference. I was able to forget about school, make new friends, listen to great music, sing worship songs, hear inspiring messages about prayer, and go hiking! The hike had incredible views and a castle! I also would like to think I got better at reading in German because many of the songs were in German. But, I am pretty sure my pronunciation still sounds very American.

Down a Vineyard Path

Castle Tower Views

Sunset on Sunday Night

April 25th, 2019

On Thursday of the following week, we finally went to Bingen to learn about Hildegard von Bingen and see "Das Binger Artzebesteck."

Hildegard von Bingen was an abyss, musician, healer, counselor to Kings, and received visions from God in an age where women were treated as second class citizens. She was truly an incredible woman and became a saint in 2012. She used herbs and also precious stones to heal people (the later of which I thought was very unique). After our museum tour, we searched for herbs in a beautiful garden outside the museum.

Herbs in the Garden

Herbs in the Garden

"Das binger Artzebesteck" is a collection of an ancient Roman doctors tools. Many of the surgical tools from back then are very similar to today's materials (with the exception of the materials) because the human body has not changed since those days.

Some of the Roman Doctor's tools

Bingen also sits right next to the Mouse Tower, castle ruins, and beautiful wine country. Germany is truly gorgeous in the spring!

More Beautiful German views!

The Countdown Begins (Week 15)

This past week actually had a few big events taking place. On Tuesday, we held a small Muster ceremony at the old AIB. Lindsay was the one responsible for putting most of it together and she did an excellent job. I really enjoyed being able to participate in an Aggie tradition even though we were so far from campus and even a few days late. But the meaning of the ceremony holds more weight than time and distance, which is one of the reasons why I was surprised none of the previous groups in Germany had held a Muster ceremony.

Thursday, we went to Bingen and visited two very different museums. The first museum was for Hildegard of Bingen, one of the only females we learned about in our History of European Medicine lectures. Even though a lot of her theories were wrong, since she believed in humoralist practices, she still sounds like a very strong individual and was very influential in the area. The second museum was in a man's house, since the city hadn't gotten the museum it's own space yet, and had a wide variety of pieces. It was kind of like a highlight real of a lot of what we covered in lectures and some of the pieces were actually impressive, considering the size of the museum.

Friday night, I went to see Avengers: Endgame with Joshua, Park, Ryan B., and Josh. It was a long movie but so so good. My favorite part was when Captain America finally used Mjolnir - I've been waiting for it for so long! Saturday, I watched another Harry Potter movie with Astrid, so there's only part two of the Deathly Hollows left in the original series, plus the Fantastic Beasts movie. The rest of the weekend wasn't very productive, outside of a bit of studying for the third physiology exam and the genetics final today.

What's 13.1 miles in kilometers?

After returning from the France excursion, we had a full week of classes to make up for our time away. Classes went well, and there was alot of emphasis on the Enmodes research projects, as we now only had two weeks until the final presentations. My team was doing a great job. We had divided the work into teams of two, and our project was moving forward at its fastest pace yet (unfortunately I cannot share too many details here as the information is proprietary). We had several meetings that week to work on our project as a group, but most of my time outside of class was spent on the project individually. Schoolwork started to pile up, and I was finding myself spending more time on school than at any other point in the semester. Outside of class, I was still going to my gym and preparing for the upcoming half-marathon.

That Saturday, we students participated in Charity Day, put on by AIB. Like the Big Event at TAMU (Charity Day was actually started by TAMU students who wanted to have a Big Event here in Germany), we were divided into teams and assigned to community service projects throughout the community. My group spent the day painting a primary school. The project took several hours, but it was a fun way to give back to the community that has welcomed us with open arms and hang out with my fellow students.

AIB Charity Day

Seb and I painting

After finishing at the school, several of us went to the Altstadt to see the world famous cherry blossoms of Bonn. Although they only bloom for a few weeks, Bonn is famous for its many cherry blossom trees lining the streets of this part of town.

Altstadt Cherry Blossoms

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After enjoying the views and the weather, I headed home to work on schoolwork and rest.

The next morning, I woke up relatively early and caught a bus to town. I was running in the Bonn half-marathon. Many of the students had signed up to run, most in the relay, but a few in the half-marathon and one, my friend Sebastian, in the full. After grabbing a light breakfast, we got in line and before long, the race began.

Half-marathon runners

An hour and forty four minutes later I finished. I was thrilled with my time, as I had been shooting for an hour and forty five minutes. After finishing, I headed to the food court to enjoy the free refreshments, then spent most of the day cheering on the other runners. It was fun watching the relay runners trade off and cheering them on, and I made sure to catch Seb at a few places to cheer him to the finish. He completed the race strong, proving alot of people's doubts wrong. Considering the lack of time to train, everyone ran very well, and we all had alot of fun.