Last week ):

This is so sad ): Our last week in Bonn was great! We finished up all of our classes and had a fantastic weekend. We got to go on a Rhine cruise on Saturday and had our farewell party on Sunday. I had such a great semester and this last weekend with our program was amazing. I am so thankful for everyone on this study abroad and everything I have learned. While I am sad that it is over (rip I cried the entire farewell party, I'm so sry), I am so thankful that it happened. I am looking forward to going home and telling my friends and family all about this program. Best semester yet!

To everyone on this program:
You have all been so amazing. This semester was made incredible because of each and every single one of you. I could not have imagined going through this year with any other group. You are all so hardworking and loving and are role models to me in so many different ways. I cannot wait to see what you all do!

Wholehearted, Final Reflection

Final Week

I really want to put my sincerity into this last week blog post.

Reflecting back on the past four months in this study abroad program, I’ve been so blessed in so many ways that I have so much things to gives thanks to my God. He led me to achieve all my goals I set at the start of the program, and it has given me wonderful, wonderful experiences, learning, ideas and growth that I will never attain in any other means. I want to list down the things that I am really thankful for, my final reflection.

*Cultural-wise*

During this study abroad pragram, I been interacting with three totally different cultures: German culture, Korean culture, and American culture. As a South Korean student who studied in America only for past two and half years, I was not even familiar to the American culture. While getting involved in this group with awesome twenty-one American friends and interacting every day, every hour constantly, and even going to trips for several days together, I learned a lot about the American culture and learned how I should position myself in the middle of any conversation, or what my attitude I should take in this group. My English-speaking skills improved dramatically, I learned slangs like “fat nap, salty, savage, came in clutch, GOAT” which were very fun to use and make friends happy. I was also constantly interacting with a Korean culture, a culture that I am most used to, by involving in a Korean church and the church choir, meeting them every Sunday, having meals together sometimes during the weekdays, visiting Mandu, a Korean foodplace, where some of the members of the choir works and get free food and drinks, and many others. I was very touched when the church members prepared a gift for me and prayed for me wholeheartedly wanting me to come back at any point. Lastly, I interacted everyday with my host parents and learned a lot from them about the German, standardized, planned lifestyle, and learned life lessons of being a good husband and maintaining a good marriage, and living a healthy elder life. I once went to my host dad’s friend’s house and watched a soccer game with 4 German 60s men, and found myself able to interact and enjoy the moment, while not making them uncomfortable and enjoy too. I also once went to a host mom’s choir concert which had a party afterwards with drinking and singing. I also was able to be a part of it and make good interaction with the German people. And obviously, living in the country itself taught most of the German culture.

*Academic-Wise*

I am actually, really glad that I was able to learn the major subjects of my major through this program. I really am thankful to Dr. Wasser because he really did a good job on explaining all the physiology lessons, which were really good for me to understand them. He was not reluctant to answer my questions, which are silly sometimes, and really helped me to understand the human body. Also, I really thank to my awesome friends, every single one of them, because everyone was very studious in this entire program, as if all the smart ones in A&M had come in this program. Because of my friends, I was also able to follow the studious atmosphere which really helped me to not just memorize, buy actually learn somethings. For this, I am thankful to everyone, but I want to give special thanks to the Anki fellows, Lindsay (challenging overnight study mate), and Ariella (my personal teacher and partner). Also, I cannot miss the learnings I got from Enmodes in terms of presentation preparation, team discussions, splitting of works, research methods, and additional details about cardiovascular and respiratory system.

*Relationship-Wise*

As what Dr. Wasser emphasized during his brain lecture, I am so glad that I had constantly interacting experience under the age of 25, before my prefrontal cortex -responsible for personality and relationship- fails to develop. In my entire life, I been exposed to so many different situations and relationships, that made me always be interested to characteristics, relationship and community roles. This study abroad program was like a little world, where everyone takes their own role with all different personalities, which indeed turned out to be a beautiful harmony. As a relationship-interested person, observing how we interact helped me to realize how a bigger scale community such as organization, country, or even the entire world is likely running, and therefore learned what position I should take as an observant, relationship-focused, Christian individual. As a result, I found that every individual personality is important and precious in a community. There should be leader-type people, who can challenge and find new things; critics-type people who can direct the group to the right way by making necessary but shrewd comments; peacemaker-type people who maintains the balance in discussion and positivity; enthusiastic-type people who can positivity and energy to the entire group, follower-observant-type people who smartly judges what decision should the group take and be essential factors for majority decisions, and object-focused people who never miss the objectives and make sure the group achieves the goal. With all these, I just want to give thanks to everyone in our group for being a good contribution to ultimately produce this wonderful program. I personally chose representative adjectives to best describe each one of my awesome friends. I love them all, every one of them, such a wonderful, precious people of the world. Thank you for everything.

Josh K

- Brilliant

- dependable

Kevin

- Comforter

- friendly

Madyson

- Righteous

- compassionate

Sid

- Extraordinary

- intuitive

Yoong

- Undisturbed

- observant

Vivian

- enthusiastic

- Tenderhearted

Lindsay

- strong

- joyful/cheerful

- Simple/uncomplicated

Ryan F

- ingenuous

- Helpful

Adriana

- Love people

- vivacious

Marcus

- easygoing

- Gentle

- kind-hearted

Katarina

- discreet

- Religious

Ariella

- kind-hearted

- frank

- Calm

Ryan B

- Likeable by anyone

- harmonious

Melania

- Self-disciplined

- sweet in friendship

Sean

- entertaining

- Confident

- achiever

Jessica

- Balanced

- expressive/sincere

Masha

- positivity

- Lovely

Sebastian

- Passionate in anything

- enlighten in relationship

Ana

- Wise

- peacemaker

Josh C

- peacemaker

- Companionable to anyone

- courteous

Very personal, so may not agree with me... Thanks for reading!

Lab Exam and Bingen/Andernach

           This week was normal class days, except with Bingen and Andernach excursion on Thursday and our second lab exam on Friday. The day of lab exam 2 has been widely discussed with Sarah and among the BIMS students and we finally decided to have on the day after our Bingen and Andernach excursion. I would like it anytime so I agreed to follow the majority. Anyways, the Bingen and Andernach excursion day have come, but I did not have any idea of what we are doing in these places. I was just right on time to take the bus and we end up in a beautiful mid-Rhine in a beautiful weather. Dr. Wasser told a legendary story in Bingen that a man who killed a lot of people was punished with so many mice following him everywhere he goes and end up being drown in the Rhine river to escape from the mice. It was very interesting to hear. We also went into a museum and learned things about Hildegard and saw some drawings of her visions that she had. Honestly, I was not able to interpret any of those. We then went to Andernach and had apple salat and a roasted beef with some kartofel and wine for our lunch, and it was very nice. I especially liked the wine that Josh had, and he kindly gave me some of his. We then went to a Johann-Winter museum and also explored some history in medicine, which honestly was hard to focus after having a good meal and tired of walking. On the way back, I studied for the lab exam the next day, maybe for 10 minutes, then I had a fat nap. The next day, I felt I did pretty good, but my grades were not pretty good. Anyways, I am happy. The grades does not make it depressed because God leads my way.

To the Bonn Boiz: sappy superlatives

To the Bonn Boiz: sappy superlatives

As I travel this continent for two months, I will have a lot of time on my hands. To write, to read, to listen, and to think. I've already done quite a bit of thinking, and much of it has been about you all.

You have all inspired me. I hope to always keep a small piece of you in my heart by reminding myself to improve in areas that you are already good at. You have given me joy and shown me a plethora of strengths that people can have. Here are some things I want you all to hear.

Ana- I love you to pieces, and sitting next to you in the first Germany informational was the best thing I could have done before this semester. Your passion and devotion to God and Jesus will stick with me forever. Your voice comforted me when I was anxious. It was always a joy coming home and speaking to you, and I could go on for hours, but I'll just stop and say you are a blessing.

Sebastian- You treat every person as your equal. Respecting others is important to you, and I appreciate that. You are considerate, intelligent, and you value education. Your adventurous spirit makes life fun, and I will definitely channel that within the next few months and think of you.

Madyson- You are so honest and refreshing. You are bold and contemplative. I had so much fun whenever I spoke to you, you're funny and easy to talk to and you make your beliefs and passions clear. I will miss you so much in College Station. Sorry about your belt. :/

Lindsay- You are head strong and independent. You are very comfortable with who you are and no one can dull your flame. I know things are hard, but remember who you are. You are never concerned with opinions, so don't let yourself or anyone else question your worth. Keep going strong.

Melania- You're a cutie. I enjoyed the conversations we were able to have with the few times we had the chance to be together this semester. Thanks for being a good listening ear, for laughing with me, and for inspiring me to work harder. I commend your strong ethical values, your ability to take care of your priorities, and I love your laugh. Good luck and have the best gap year. You deserve it.

Ariella- Your independence astounds me. I absolutely will be traveling and thinking "what would Ariella do" through out this trip. I wish I had gotten to know you better. I respect your views, your work ethic, your spiritual devotion, and your fearlessness. Good luck in your own travels, I'm not worried about you at all <3

Jessica- you brought me so much comfort this semester. You are the best at having good, flowing conversation. You give so much attention to who you are with. You make others feel loved and important and never uncomfortable or unseen. You are a cheerleader and your smile is delightful.

Masha- I have never met anyone like you. You are unique. You are funny and goofy and gorgeous. You turn different parts of your personality on like a switch. You are contemplative and independent and I admire your ability to plan and execute your desires. You are quirky and I loved seeing what your next move was, they were unpredictable. 

Park- Dear Youngjun, if I never meet another person as wonderful as you, I would not be surprised. Your presence this semester changed the entire program. I valued our time and conversation together tremendously-on the bus and in Berlin and any other time. I admire how fully you plugged yourself into the local community in Bonn and constantly brightened everyone's day. You are funny and sweet and I wish to work harder and be kinder because of you.

Adriana- I am SO glad that we got close over the course of the semester. I love talking to you, I love hugging you, I love laughing at everything you say. I love your habit of waking up early, enjoying the mornings, showing kindness to animals, and being comfortable with yourself. You are hilarious and you don't even mean to be. You are a delight, and you will do great things for the world and for others. I hope you realize that.

Kevin- my soulmate. When things got rough, I had you next to me to share a laugh. I rarely feel so comfortable with others as I do with you. If you weren't in Germany, I have no clue what I would've done. You work hard and you play hard and there's nothing I like more than that. I loved your laugh and smile and your playful spirit that never takes anything too seriously. I can't wait to be in college station with you.

Joshua- Joshua Korb, I see now what everyone in college station raved about when they talked about you. You turned out very different than I expected, and I like it that way. I'm glad I feel confident in saying we are good friends now. I am comfortable with you and admire your intelligence, but I admire your thirst for knowledge more. And believe it or not, I enjoy our debates. Thanks for always having an answer to every one of my curious questions. And thank you for always saying good morning.

Katarina- You are the sweetest, purest, most hardworking gal. I love your ability to push through difficult circumstances and I was glad to have you in Germany. I'm so glad you were a given a host family with hearts as big as yours. Your dedication to your family, your goals, your religion, and everything you do is something I hope to grow in. Your smile brightens a room. Obrigada, linda!

Sean- You are passionate and confident. Your sense of humor is so unique to you and I loved every sassy joke you uttered. Thank you for always being there when I felt like singing with accompaniment. Thank you for beginning my quest in learning guitar and piano. Music is the only time I felt your patience. I admire your passion for it and knowledge of it. 

Josh- Your confidence in front of a crowd is fun and inspiring to watch. Your work ethic in spite of frustration is absolutely unmatched. And your bounce back abilities are, too. Because of you, I talk more to my family. I think more about my need to improve. I care more about finishing things that I don't like. Thank you.

Ryan Blanchard- Your character development was something else. You are quirky and unpredictable- I never know which Ryan I will interact with that day. Thanks for putting up with, and sometimes embracing, my overly touchy, affectionate, and in-your-face self. I know we are opposite on that spectrum, but I enjoyed our conversations nonetheless. Also, you will never know how much it meant to me when you apologized and said I could lead and plan well. It was very genuine of you.

Sid- Here come the compliments!! You are not just intelligent, but you use it in the best way possible- to help others. This is an invaluable trait. You are funny and fun and easy-going, and your appreciation for friendship and quality time is clear, and will take you far and impact the world.

Marcus- Right away, your ability to stay calm and content during trying times stuck out to me. Every difficult thing that happened to you this semester never once took your (fake-toothed) smile away from you. You are not just unique, but special. Im glad to have laughed at all your dumb jokes and meet someone that knows more memes than I do. You are smart, funny, and kind. Thanks for always capturing my good side.

Yoong- You work hard and handle every circumstance without anxiety. You are independent and I love to see you smile. You are a big ball of feist and it would come out in the funniest ways at unexpected times, and it was always hilarious. Cam on for always letting me try to speak Viet with ya!

Ryan- My sweet, sweet boy. I am so glad to have had you shine your light this semester. When I was flustered or frustrated, you were always there, and vice versa. We struggled with the same things and your presence helped me through it. Rock those summer classes and this degree, you have so much potential and it takes a belief in yourself to unlock it. And sometimes I need to take that advice, too.

Have fun in America, yall.

Can I really do this?

The answer is yes.

As the week came to a close, I became more and more apprehensive about my travels. What was I going to do? I was alone for the first time in months, and I would be alone for weeks. As I watched all my friends say goodbye to Bonn, they were sad to leave but happy to see their families. I was leaving Bonn, but I would not be seeing my family. I didn't even know which city I would go to first. I didn't know my path. I didn't know where I would sleep.

I had known since December that I would be in Europe until June. That end date has since extended into late July, but nevertheless I always knew I would be traveling alone for three weeks and away from my family for 6 months. Nothing about it EVER scared me, until now. Now, nothing was planned out for me. I wasn't heading into a pre-determined program full of Aggies and Americans and English speakers. Now it was up to me.

It is not my first solo trip, but it is the most daring, and up until Tuesday, I was mostly nervous and not excited. That was until it dawned on me how absolutely free I was. I saw flixbus tickets to Paris and realized I could pack up and leave at this very moment. I saw flights to several countries, I saw cheap hostels and I realized

I 

Am

Free

I had no responsibilities. Nothing tying me to a place. No people wanting to go one place instead of another. With the loneliness came freedom.

And although there have already been bumps in the road- like realizing I had to book an extremely last minute flight to Portugal if I wanted to make it to Sevilla in time for Feria without paying $300, and not checking in on time, and missing my connection and having to throw away some luggage, and only having a Deutsche Post Marathon drawstring bag and my pink Magellan to sustain me for two months, and- it didn't matter. It worked out. And now I'm taking an unexpected trip to a Portuguese beach and staying in a 10 dollar hostel. With no data, but a downloaded google translate language and a maps.me navigator.

And I think I'll be just fine. If anyone knows how to make it through tough and abrupt situations, it's me. Can't wait for you to hear all about it. Tchüss.

The Happiest, Sappiest Days of My Life

Here I am, sitting on another RyanAir flight as the rest of the program (save a few travelers) have officially all made it back to America.

A recount of the past week, our last week: finals were hard. It was a lot to take on at once, but that is every finals week. When Friday came, and our evaluations were in, Sebastian and I finished at the same time and he took me down to the kitchen to tell me some good news. I was so happy, I couldn't stop crying. Watching other people's lives come together reminds me so much of God's goodness, and it makes my heart joyful like nothing else can. 

We were given uniburger for free, which was great. After interviews were over, I went back to the dentist to fix a chip in my tooth on the last possible day I could (since insurance ended Sunday- although the the dentist told me the fix would not be charged as part of the guarantee, so maybe I didn't have to do it that day). I went back to AIB for a bit before going home to get ready for Shaker's that night. By this time, I had already cried three times. Once on the bus, as I realized it was one of the last times I would get to look out over the forest near my house. Then with Sebastian. Then on my walk to the dentist as I reminisced the semester. Then again and again. Little tears here and there.

After Shaker's, Adriana, Seb, Masha, Kevin and I went to buy things for the Rhinecruise the next day. Kevin, Seb and I went to McDonald's after, just us three again, and had a really honest and genuine conversation. I went to bed around 2:30 that night to wake up at 5:50 the next morning for the Rhinecruise.

Saturday- Happily Ever After

Unfortunately, Seb and Ryan didn't make it in time and we had to leave without them. Ana made it on the bus after waking up with 2 minutes to spare. I did my best to wake them up and give them all the information they needed to find us. 

The Rhinecruise was unbelievable. Germany is captivating. Even in the cold and windy weather, the fog settled on the hills were a beautiful sight. The History of Medicine final was fun even though they cheated Gryffindor out of winning, and once we docked and saw Ryan and Seb, we went to lunch and I had my first Schnitzel. We hiked to the Bacharach castle and overlooked the river. After the tour, we went back to Bonn and I used the bus ride to take a much needed nap. I was exhausted all day but didn't want to stop looking out at the landscape.

We decided to go to the very convenient event, Rhein in Flammen, that night. I called my host mom and sister to ask for tips and gave the plans to everyone in the program. We chilled in the Biergarten, then went for Italian food and to Zebulon until hopping on the very packed tram into Rheinaue.

Only Ryan B had data, and I was very stressed while trying to make sure everyone could find each other before the fireworks started. Somehow, though, it all fell into place perfectly. Even John from Viz found us. The fireworks began at the perfect time and I was so overwhelmed with good feelings that I cried again. Harder this time than the rest. I remembered my family as I looked at the sky- and our beloved Fourth of July tradition, shooting fireworks over the lake. I missed them. I remembered my happiness and excitement to come to Europe. I remembered my struggles through the semester. I thought again of what a dream it was that it all came together as it did. I cried because of it all, and because I was surrounded with people feeling the same way. It was such pure bliss. 

As we hugged and shouted which fireworks were our favorite, I had the thought that this was the happiest day of my life.

The fireworks fell into the water and the only light was the neon from the carnival rides below us. We group hugged and exclaimed our love for each other and we rolled down the hills until we decided it was time to go, and then we walked all the way to museumsmeile-with many bathroom breaks along the way- until we all made it home.

Sunday- 

I did not expect to cry at the farewell party. There would be too many people around. Too many strangers. Too many friends that could see my face as I cried. It wasn't dark out. I don't tend to cry in these conditions.

And I didn't for a while. As we all said goodbye in the lounge, I was very quiet. Sad, but stressed, and just taking it in as people around me told each other what they felt. I said goodbye to each person as they walked out one by one. And I didn't cry.

But then Jessica hugged me and told me I would do great things. And that was it. That's all I needed. I cried and hugged her back and then Ryan Frampton was next, that sweet boy. As he held me, I cried harder, remembering all the times he gave me comfort this semester when I was feeling incapable. And that was the first time I sobbed. 

We went out for ice cream and Ana and I went home with Park as he poured his heart out about this semester and said goodbye to us and our bus for the last time. I fell asleep immediately and went with Ana the next morning to help her with her bags and say goodbye to the rest.

Monday- 

After saying goodbye, Kevin and I had breakfast and went to the lake; a hidden gem that Sebastian found earlier that week. It was beautiful- I just wish it were warm enough to get in. Finally, we went home, and my host mom and sister and I went to Hans im Gluck for my last meal in Germany. Coincidentally, it was my first meal in Germany, too. I loved that.

Enmodes Week and Easter weekend in Bonn

This week was the Enmodes week, and I would say the week that we have been waiting for long. Dr. Wasser has been really emphasizing that we really have to work hard in this first three days of the week, and I was a little concerned about that. I found our last Friday presentation went well so I was not really worried about the content. Actually, it was a lot better than I expected. Most likely, we had free time to edit and strengthen our presentation, also a time to study for the genetics test for me and my genetics friends. Our exam was scheduled on Wednesday, but since I was totally not prepared with all the excursions and trips I had, I really needed time. Practicing for the presentation was fun and informative, and I think I really improved every time I perform it. I believe our presentation was well-prepared and nicely done, I went back home with night bus memorizing the script to say on the D-day. The morning of the day, I dressed up and went to a barbershop to get a fresh haircut, and it really added me some confidence. Then when we went in to the meeting place, I found it so funny to do a Tai Chi with us all suited up and ready for presentation. The presentation really went well, in my opinion, and all the members of every group did a pretty good job and I really liked that it finished successfully. Having a celebration wine afterwards will be a good memory.

           Then starting from the day after the Enmodes presentation was our Easter Weekend! Everyone seemed so excited, but I was not because I’ve got some writings and studies to do including 1500 words for my genetics class for extra credit, and 1000 to 1500 words for my biomedical writings class. I once thought to myself “You should have done that earlier!” but I also knew I did not enough time for these writings and I also had to rest for the past days. Also, everything was really expensive during the Easter because it’s a worldwide holiday when everyone leaves for travel. So I chose to stay in Bonn and it was actually not bad at all just relaxing while doing some works and spent time with watching TV and with host parents. Also, I did not want to miss Sunday in Bonn with my church during the Easter weekend. It was actually rewarded me because they prepared some special Korean food for celebration. I am very happy and thankful for all these :)

Mutter Konzert and Soccer Night

           Several weeks ago, my host mom told me that she will be singing in a concert in a week in April. Since I knew that she had been practicing every Tuesday in a choir, I knew that this will be a good moment that I can actually participate in her daily life. So it was this week, and thankfully I had nothing scheduled for the weekend, so my host dad and I drove together to Konigswinter where the concert will be done. When I got there, almost everyone was German and I really felt like I really into the culture in this moment! It was not just my mom’s choir but few other choirs, one from university of Bonn, one by a men’s choir, and many others. The singing and concert itself was so good that really satiated my ears, and I was so glad that I told her I would like to go. But the thing was, at that same day, a important soccer game was scheduled, which is a rival match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munchen. And because my host dad is also a fan of soccer game, we really wanted to watch the game too. Fortunately, since my mom’s choir was singing only in the front and the last song, my host dad had planned a game night with his friends in Konigswinter, and we drove to his friend’s house. When I got there, there were three other men in the age of 60s (like my host dad), and at first, I felt like I may make them feel uncomfortable. But as we sit together, and each having a beer, I felt like I am actually making good atmosphere out of it and this was very exciting for me! Because I was actually able to be involved with not only a Germans but them in 60s! The fact that everyone was capable of English helped a lot but still, I was very happy that I was comfortable and I did not make them uncomfortable. The game was really fun and we went back to my mom’s concert. When we got back, a party was going on in the concert hall with band playing and people holding pizza and bottles of beer. This was another very good experience that I got to sing together with them being really into the culture and get to know some of them. I believe I am really blessed that I got these experiences and thank God again for this week.

Big Event and Marathon

Big Event, Marathon

It is already the first week of April and I felt that the time went really fast. There were two major events happening in this week. The first one was the Big Event where the AIB gets involved to a volunteer works for the community for their needs in different areas. So I woke up early in the morning, and the AIB participants were all gathered in the old AIB. I was assigned to the Kita, and I thought we will be playing with the kids or doing some babysitting, but it was not. When we got there, shovels and dumpers were ready, and we started shoveling the playground to change the old sand to a new fresh sand. I felt it would be a easy work with these 20 plus people, but it actually took long time and effort to finish the work. I should have rested more in between just to not get fatigue with my muscles but I rushed to hard just because I was too excited to work. I don’t know why. Then I was very tired after the work, and realized that I have Half Marathon tomorrow, which will be affected by my over work today.

My host dad is such a runner; He runs around 15 km every Monday afternoon in his age of 62. Even more than that, he makes it really fast with less 5 minute per kilometers consistent throughout the run. Therefore, he was a good adviser for my preparation of marathon. He told me several times I have to train at least five times with 15 km but I did only twice with just 10 km. Therefore, the day before, he told me “you should definitely stop when you reach 10 km.” He is the professional and it really persuaded me. On the day of running, I missed my bus because I forgot the bus schedule is different during Sundays, and was in hurry to prepare for the marathon. So I started running, met Sebastian and Yoong on my way, and reached 10 km. But I felt like I don’t want to stop in here. So I just run more and more, and as my host dad said, I just felt really bad after like 15 km. But I did not want to stop really, so I just ignore the pain and went on and on. In the last 300 m, my muscles got me. My both thighs and left calf got cramps, and I was not able to move. But the finish line was visible! I literally cannot give up here. So I was stretching in my place and suddenly, people called out my name “Youngjun” and added “You can do it! You are almost there!” They were totally a stranger to me but they just saw my name under my marathon number on my chest. It was one of the moment that I will never forget, and my legs started to get better, and was able to finish it while running. I was so happy when I finished it, and when my host dad said, “I am really proud of you.” It was very awesome weekend including my walk to Church right after finishing the half marathon.

Biking to Remagen and Finals

Biking to Remagen and Finals

Biking has been something I’ve hated for a long while, so when I heard we had to bike a long distance I wasn’t very happy. In addition, we had to ride from the busy central station to the Rhine river which was a very crowded busy area. So since I’m not a fan of biking it’s been a while since I’ve rode one. So that morning I went to central station loaded with layers of sweaters on me and ready for my hands to freeze while biking. When all of us were present we walked over to a bike shop and rode over to the Rhine River. This was a little hard for me since there were so many small hills, people, busses, cars, and fellow biking friends that I kept bumping into. When the bike ride lasted longer than two hours my thighs were starting to burn after riding for so fast. It wasn’t until we all stopped that I was able to catch up to everyone. It was just so hard to keep up with everyone when the view was so beautiful and there were so many different animals to look at and admire. However, biking and getting to hear the birds chirp and seeing the water glisten in the sun made the bike ride way better than any train could ever make me experience. 

Finals for Genetics were coming up which meant a bike ride wasn’t what I wanted to do on my free day. I wanted to go home and study for all my classes that had finals left. I had a feeling physiology would be easy since Sarah made it sound like the final would be repeat questions, however I wasn’t sure about Genetics. My grade was borderline between letter grades and my essay grade still hadn’t come in yet. So that week I studied, but not enough to make myself miserable. Which I paid for when my grades came back. But Finals will soon come to an end. 

Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend

My first choice for blind booking wasn’t to go to Berlin but at the same time I didn’t want to make the price for a cheap blind booking expensive by cancelling out most destinations. So when the website said I was going to Berlin I was a little disappointed. However, I knew a few of my friends were going to Berlin so once we were going many others joined in a soon it was 8 of us all going to Berlin. So I booked a hostel with my good friend Melania for the weekend so we could travel all around Berlin together. When we got there our first thing we did was go to a free walking tour that started at Burbenburg Gate. After learning some history about the gate we passed Tear garden, the hunting grounds many years ago. We then walked over to the memorial for murdered Jews which was many blocks with different heights all together. We then walked over to some old apartment buildings where Hitler’s bunker was. After learning about that we walked over to see the second largest amount of Berlin wall. This area was filled with educational posters to help the views understand its significance. Very close to this was checkpoint Charlie, which used to be a division between the east and the west on the American territory. This was probably the most touristy thing in all of Berlin but was an important thing for me to see since I am American. After that we made our last stop at some churches. A French and German Church rights across from each other. The next day we went to Berlin’s botanical gardens which was huge. It took us over two hours to get through it. But I loved going there and getting to see some nature in a large city like Berlin. There where huge greenhouses that had so many different kinds of climates and plants. Before dinner that day I went to go see east side gallery, which is the largest amount of Berlin wall to see. There is murals from artists on them that usually have something to do with freedom. Overall Berlin was a blast and it made my top three cities I got to see while on study abroad. 

Enmodes

Enmodes

My group was trying to find a solution for RAS-Q patients to become more mobile. Our idea was that we would equip a walker to have all the necessities for the ECMO patient without it being ugly looking and heavy. We decided on many things for the walker. Our main idea though was to use an oxygen concentrator instead of oxygen tanks. This oxygen concentrator was so light that it only weighed about 7 lbs which was perfect to place underneath the seat of the walker. The concentrator took air from outside and converted it to 90% oxygen. In addition to it being light it also was more convenient for the patient due to them not always having to replace the tanks but instead replace a filter for the concentrator once a year. This saved the patient money, time and energy. The walker also had an emergency oxygen tank that would have been used in case of emergency. The second component to the walker was the vest. The vest was stylish and easy to use. The tubing from the patient would have to be covered so that nobody on the outside world would stare or make the patient feel uncomfortable. It also served another purpose. It was used to carry the RAS-Q, tubing, and blood filters near the patient to the cart. When we present these ideas Enmodes loved it so much they wanted us to go more in depth in the project. We made our powerpoint and explained our ideas to Dr. Wasser who told us that we should instead use mixed gas for the main project instead of using the tanks just for emergency’s in order to get my oxygen pressure inside the patient. We stayed for two days at school just trying to do research on mixed gas. We put on bullet point stating our idea for mixed gas and a team member changed our picture to two oxygen tanks instead of one. We stayed till 2 am at school presenting the project to our professor and perfecting the powerpoint and our presentation skills. So when we went to Aachen the next day and presented to the engineers for Enmodes. They seemed to really like the idea and the other groups ideas. I was happy when the whole thing was over because that project was long and exausting. I hope that in the future they could use our design and attempt a better mobile technologie for ECMO patients. 

Big Event and Bonn Marathon

The Big Event and Bonn Marathon

For the Big Event I got placed in a group that was assigned to replace old sand from a playgroud at an elementary school with new sand. This was way harder then it sounds. This activity required me to shovel sand by bending down and scooping it into a wheelbarrel. This was a lot of work but it only took about a few hours due to there being so many of us. I loved that there were so many students, it gave me an opportunity to meet new people from the study abroad program. After all the work was done we all sat together and ate a huge lunch. Even though I was sore the next day from bending over so much I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else that Saturday morning besides doing an aggie tradition like the big event. It was especially cool that I got to participate in the big event abroad and show Germans what aggies do. 

I participated in the second part of the relay with three other of my great girlfriends. I woke up especially early so that I could cheer on my friend Melania who was doing the first part of the relay. After she was done doing 5 miles she passed on the chip to me who was doing 7.5 miles. I ran past the Rhine river and ran to the tallest building in Bonn and then went through museum mill and back to hofgarden. I completed my run in a little over an hour which is what I expected since I hadn’t practiced at all beforehand. When I was done with my part I passed the chip to my friend Masha who ran the second shortest part. Midway through her run I was able to cheer on her, and other students in our program. Once she was done the last leg belonged to my friend Jessica. We waited for her in the Markt so that we could run with her to the finish line. Overall we did pretty badly compared to all the other teams, but at the same thing it was kinda cool how all of us completed a marathon together without any training. I’m so proud of all of us that did this. And the best part of this was the free food at the end.

Paris

Paris

Visiting the Palace of Versailles was probably the best part of Paris. I got to see another beautiful palace in Europe while getting to bond with some more of my friends. I spent the entire time with only one friend when we were inside the palace due to it being so crowded on the inside. It was a blast I got to see so much gold painted stuff and pretty paintings. If the place were less crowded I would have liked it more, however; I got to spend the entire time with Sid and Sebastion which made everything better. We eventually got tired of seeing the palace and decided to walk outside to see the gardens. We walked weird paths to see many different secluded areas with elaborate statues and plants. My favorite part though was just sitting out on the grass and talking to them while still getting to watch ducks and other tourist. Eventually we had to meet up with the group to have a group picnic. Before we could eat anything our tour guide gave us an explanation of how the French make their sandwiches. This picnic consisted of so many different meats and cheeses. I only tried out things I was familiar with, like my favorite sandwich meat procutoo and goat cheese. Afterwards we ate chocolate mousse with strawberries and cookies. And the highlight of this picnic was that it was on pull out day. This meant that the sophomores would be officially able to “whoop” out loud for that day. It also meant that the juniors like me would be able to practice our new wildcat. And while doing these Texas A&M chants a fellow aggie heard us from a distance and ran over to participate. He was on his honeymoon with his wife in Paris and both of them had graduated from Texas A&M. This experience made me appreciate the reason I chose to go to a large university. To become part of the aggie network and to meet others aggies from all over the world. 

The second best part of this trip was getting to visit the Notre Dame. Getting to see this huge cathedral was breathtaking, especially since I got to see it two weeks before part of it burned down. I was expecting it to be not crowded on the inside since I had visited so many other famous cathedrals that weren’t very crowded, but I was very wrong. The cathedral was very packed. I went through the cathedral once and was probably pushed and shoved more then I ever have in my life. However, I was still so lucky to have been able to see such a remarkable church that is such a big part of history. 

Week 17

Ahhhhhhh!! Finals week.

It seems to be the week that you can always count on to be at least a little bit dreadful. Before exams though, we rode bikes to Remagen. That was awesome. I had been there once before but only because of a wrong-train mishap.

The first exam this week was not at all that bad. However, it was not really a "final exam." Later that day, I got a phone call and long story short, I was accepted into medical school. I didn't know how to feel but I was ecstatic. The next day, I skipped the optional finals review and I went on a bike ride around Bonn. I found this awesome lake pictured below:

There, I met some locals who were "just chillin-" we related in that- and also spent some time reading some books. It was such a beautiful time and place.

The week progressed and I was able to perform well on the last final (the final, final). Overall, it waas a great week and a great way to wrap up my college experience.

Week 16- Good Eating

Burg Eltz
Schloss Stozenfels
Köln
Aachen
Bad Honnef

Siebengeburger/Drachenfels
Frankfurt
Heidleburg

This week my parents and sister flew from Texas to visit me. The former list above are places that I "sent" them to while I was at school taking exams (two exams this week) and going to class. The later list is where I went with them.

They absolutely loved Germany. They didn't really have an idea of what to expect and they left with the best possible image of the land and culture. The whole week was great. My sister turned 24 and my father was on his first vacation in a long time and my mother was seeing me, so they were all in a great mood.

We went out to eat almost every night and it was absolutely awesome. Good food really is one of the best things in life

Fortunately, the previous weekend I focused on school and was able to study in advanced for these exams so I had time to spend with my family while they were here.

Here's a picture of Heidleburg because it's beautiful:

Week 15- Spanish in....Belgium?

This weekend I traveled to Belgium to meet a friend. Neither of us really knew what to expect besides the fact that it should be a good time. Well, it was. The city itself was really quite nice and very large. Every street seemed to be a piece of ancient European history. The real fun we had though happened at night. We went to Delirium Cafe, known for having over 2000 types of beers on deck, and met some very cool people. We actually met up with them the next day and hung out. The second night was our first bar crawl where we met some solo travelers from South America. They were all solo travelers yes, but united by the Spanish language.

Long story short, we spent about 10 hours with them. It was extra funny because the friend I was visiting does not speak an ounce of Spanish, however, he still enjoyed every moment. I saw this as an awesome (and funny) example of the misperception of language barriers- they are profound and very real, but they are not impassable barriers. Each person on either side of the barrier is still in fact human, and we can connect by exploring the shared qualities we innately have- it was a great time.

Here's a picture of a true Belgian waffle:

I had plenty of time to rehearse and complete the finishing touches on our Enmodes Presentation on the 10 hour round trip commute to a Belgium. The rest of the week was focused on finalizing the presentation. It went very well and I'm proud of our team.

Week 14- Edna Modes

The grind don't stop- it can't. This was the mentality during the Enmodes Week. A Part of the enormous team Michaelangelo, I had to keep my eyes on the prize and collaborate with 8 other individuals consistently in order to make our presentation the very best. While the topics of design and presentation are confidential (but we didn't sign NDAs...?), I can say that we were working on devices regarding the human cardiovascular system. Since this is an area of medical physiology which I admire, the work this week was actually enjoyable.

We had many long days and late nights. Some people complained of this because they could not take "safe rides" back home. I must disagree because paid-taxis were offered to take everyone home. We had some great food this week. Specifically the jalapeno pizza that Raegan "Bad Girl" Thompson ordered us was amazing.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with my team on this project. It made me realize the few projects that our [BIMS] degree puts us through; I don't quite understand why. It was very productive and an essential life skill we can all use in the future.

Week 16: On the Road Back to America, Our Longest Excursion

Alright. Last blog for a while. Maybe. We’ll see. Let’s go day by day. 

On Monday, we rode bikes with the program in Remagen. And by “in Remagen” I mean that we biked TO Remagen. This was definitely one of my favorite excursions. I’ve missed my bike this whole semester and being able to finally use a bike was really fun. We had some tours in Remagen which were interesting. Afterwards, we had Italian food for lunch, with Gelato for dessert. Thankfully I brought my German brand Lactaid. We had the opportunity to then bike back home, which I really wanted to do. But as soon as I got on the bike, I realized how sore I was and decided against it. It was one of the better excursions we’ve had for sure. 

Tuesday, we began our final(s) struggle. After days of studying, we took our second and last non-final physiology exam. When I took the exam, I felt kind of shaky afterwards. I wasn’t certain I got everything right and was slightly worried. There was one question where I knew what answer was the correct one based on just… what it looked like the question was supposed to ask. However, I bubbled the answer that was TECHNICALLY the correct answer. I was counted wrong. Should I have done that on such an important test? No. Am I fine with the fact that I did? For sure. Ok well, kind of. I ended up with an 89 and, had I not gone with the technically correct answer, would have been the only person in BMEN to make an A on either Physiology exam. Nevertheless, I got the class high on the exam, closing out the non-final-exams with a 50% on ownership of the class highs. Not that anyone is counting… 

Anyway, after the exam, we had our final review for 211 (where I realized that I, in fact, did not know how to do mesh analysis properly. I think I still don’t. Oh well.) and received the final. At first glance (aka looking at the first question), it seemed pretty easy. But oh man, first impressions are not always right.

Wednesday, we had the chance to review our two physiology exams in the morning, as our final would be largely composed of old test questions, allowing us the chance to get as high a score as possible. Apparently the average on the final is typically around 95%, part of why I didn’t worry too much about the second test and went with the technically correct answer. Anyway, after that was over, we had some time before the math final. We spent that time either working on the 211 final (mostly the people not in diff EQ) or studying for the upcoming exam. At this point, I still don’t know what I got but I hope it was enough to get an A. That was definitely one of the more difficult tests I’ve taken this semester. Especially since it included a problem that I had considered to be too hard to possibly be in the test. What matters is that I managed to finish the test with answers and hopefully enough are correct to get me an A. 

Thursday morning, Reagan let us look over the past physiology exams one more time before the final. Before the exam, Ryan B. jokingly said something like “if you don’t finish the final in 10 minutes, you fail.” 6 seconds a question? Seems a little harsh. But a challenge is a challenge, intentioned or not. We got the final and, somehow, I managed to finish it within 9-10 minutes (and even then, I was the third person to finish, after Joshua K. and Sebastian). A lot of it was questions we had already seen before so I recognized the answer pretty quickly. And the new questions weren’t too hard. I did, however, check over my test a couple times to make sure everything was answered as best as I could. So that brought the time up to 12-14 minutes. No one cares and I probably sound like I’m bragging but... too bad. I guess pride is my sin of choice. I ended up getting a 99 on the final, plenty to get the A I need in physiology. So, one more grade is in the bag. 

Friday, Mats held exit interviews and gave us back the goals we wrote in the beginning of the semester. We also wrote our Pica evaluations. For lunch, Dr. Wasser bought us Uniburger but due to how long it was between the making of the burger and us getting the burger, the burger got soggy and the fries weren’t hot. It was still delicious, as always. For dinner, I got Hot Pot finally, after asking people to go all semester. It was expensive but it was all you can eat and was just delicious. Totally worth the cost. 

Saturday was interesting. If I had written this part of the blog when I was planning to yesterday (it’s Sunday today), I’d probably be a bit more sour. Looking over the notes I wrote yesterday, I was upset over a few different things. Now I feel of a clearer mind and more . Anyway, here’s the rundown. The day started with getting to Hofgarten by 6:50 am. As we’d been told in class multiple times, we were leaving at 7 am and we should try to be there 10 minutes early. However, I had to get there around 6:30 to get to the Hofgarten by 6:50. So I got there early and waited at the AIB. I found out when I got WiFi that the email said to be here by 7:15, despite the constant reminding to be at the Hofgarten 10 minutes early at 6:50. 

Anyway, on the cruise we had our final and were categorized into Harry Potter houses. According to their algorithm, whatever it is, I am a hufflepuff. Funnily enough, Gryffindor was winning the game for most of the time. We had caught up at one point but then we fell behind and Ravenclaw was tied with Gryffindor by the end, pulling out a victory in the tie breaker. Aside from the fact that we were very, very cold on the deck of this boat, it was an interesting experience. 

After the Rhine Cruise, I went home and had dinner before going back into Bonn to see the fireworks over the Rhine (Rhein Im Flammen). A good portion of the program came and we watched the fireworks, thinking of it as a celebration of the work we’ve done and a successful and memorable semester. We were definitely some of the loudest people in the crowds (a woman in front of us turned around, looked at our group, and loudly told her friends “those people are drunk.”). I’m usually not a big fan of fireworks but I think that was one of my favorite displays, if only because of the attached feelings. 

Sunday, the final day. It was… interesting. I’ll start with the play. I considered not going because, at this point, I had yet to begin packing and my room... was an absolute mess. Like, real bad. I had everything everywhere. And today was supposed to be our packing day. So, I started the morning with working on this blog and having breakfast with my host family. I didn’t really end up getting much work done but when I figured that this play would be one of the last times I’d have a chance to see people on the program before we left for America, I hopped on a tram and headed into Bonn. 

First thing I noticed as I walked into the new AIB: there’s like 6 people from our program here. Uh oh. By the time we were leaving the new AIB and got the the opera house where the play was being held, we managed to get our total numbers up to 12 but that was still not the apparently expected full program. We get into this theatre that has… just a ridiculous number of lights set up and wonder what’s in store for us. My host mom had told me the day before (she’d seen the play on Friday night) that I needed to watch the socks of the actors and actresses to figure out who was each character as they frequently switched actors/actresses. She also noted that it was 2.5 hours with no intermission. When I mentioned that to the group, someone joked that it’s basically like Endgame but you’re not allowed to leave to use the restroom. Awesome. I’ll leave out the details but… why was this play mandatory? The acting was good and it was clear they had been working on it intently but the material was controversial at best. It seemed like the play was trying to be extremely sexual just for the shock factor. There was no explanation of the socks and even I got confused at times, despite my host mom mentioning it to me the day before. Some people in the group didn’t realize until after the play was over and were just very confused throughout. I had a grasp of the general overarching plot but definitely felt like either I or the play itself was missing connecting parts of the plot. A few scenes felt really out of place/ nonsensical, with the actions of the actors/actresses not at all matching up with the topics being discussed. 

After the play was over, we headed to the old AIB for the farewell party, the main event of the day for me. I’ll skip over the details and give the main points. The food was really good but, since many of the host families took our seats in the main dining hall, a few of us whose host families couldn’t make it sat in the lounge downstairs. The window was open so we could still hear the music (it was the student workers’ band ahhhhhhh) and we had comfortable couches to sit on. At one point, I went up to grab the barbecued food, getting extra to split with others downstairs. As soon as I got downstairs, I moved with a flourish, as I sometimes do, and displayed the food to the people in the room. But apparently I flourished too hard and the room watched in horror as I seemingly walked in the room only to immediately toss the food (that I’d waited in line for at least 15-20 minutes to get) directly off of my plate and on the floor. I watched with the remnants of a shattered smile and dead eyes as the food I was so looking forward to devouring decided it had had enough of friction and wanted only to cause me suffering. The only foods that stuck to the plate were the steaks (which were very good) and half a sausage that had rolled into the curry-ketchup (which thankfully did not go flying). I’ve got to say, one of the most soul-crushing moments I’ve had in the AIB. And I took the first 211 test in that building, so that building knows how to cause me pain.

After that fiasco, we had the requisite “Sidharth, you’re an idiot” discussion (as is per the norm) and relaxed and talked about the semester so far. People from the program slowly came down as they finished with their host families. We took group pictures, Dr. Wasser gave a speech, and read out the final votes for the superlatives we had decided on over the last few days. I wish that it had translated into a poster but it didn’t seem like that was in the cards. 

The TAs, professors, and Mats left the room and we were left to ourselves. As people started leaving, we began our goodbyes. Simply put, it sucked. Even knowing that I’d see all of these people again, as most would be on campus next semester, it was painful to admit that this chapter of my life was ending. I have plenty of college (well, 2 years, which isn’t that much, but I’m going to ignore that) left and I’ve got my whole life to live after that. But this semester was a break from the routine. A break from the constant planning for the future. A break from realizing I no longer have plans for the future. A break from the fact that I have left everything I need to work on (summer plans, housing next semester, research, which track to choose) fall by the wayside. A break from pressure to be the best in whatever field I choose, both from family and from myself (what a jerk that guy can be). This semester was simple, just getting by, practically day to day, with the excuse of the work of today preventing thoughts on tomorrow. I could pretend that the only thing that mattered was the 211 homework that was sitting in front of me, trying to figure out what-on-earth BIBO stability or nonlinear differential equations are, trying to remember the functions of the various portions of the GI tract. But that’s not life. Stresses in life aren’t always things you can just get through by thinking harder. Sometimes no matter how hard or quickly you think, the stress doesn’t get better any faster. And that’s something I need to learn. Shutting down in the face of long term stresses is one of the biggest flaws I need to work on. And that fact is itself a long term stress. Funny how that works, isn’t it? Nearly everyone on the program has been homesick on this trip, especially now that we are almost back. And while I understand that feeling, I don’t feel the same. I love my family but if going home means facing the fact that I am woefully unprepared for the future, I’d rather have a 211 and 308 assignment due every day. But, like I said before, that’s not life. That’s not a choice I get. That’s not a choice anyone gets. Time passes and you stay on top of everything or deal with the consequences. And as much as If like to avoid those consequences, they’re only going to get worse the longer I put them off. 

Wow, that was more depth than I was planning to go into. Uhh. Basically, the goodbyes were sad, I teared up in front of everybody and some of us got ice cream afterwards and then said goodbye. I was the last person in the program left in the AIB as I had forgotten some stuff there. There’s something poetic about that. Turning in the key to the AIB a few days ago was… a weird feeling. And this was not particularly comfortable either. After standing in the doorway for a few moments, I took a deep breath and took my last step out of the AIB. No more late nights piecing through homeworks. No more inadvertent in-class naps following too many of those previously mentioned late nights. No more walking into the library in the morning and waving hello to the room, followed by a mix of returned hellos, tired awknowledgements, and total ignoring. That’s all over. And that’s ok. There’s always more to come. May as well accept the changes and march on. 

Bonn Voyage.