On Tuesday, we ventured back to Aachen. First, we toured the Hemholz institute. This was a really cool place because we got to see the different designs in the evolution of VADs (ventricular assistance devices). This was very cool to me since I work in a preclinical lab where these devices are tested back in College Station, so it was really neat to be able to learn more about these devices. We also got to see other pulmonary medical devices, which was also very interesting since they were relevant to our own design project! I was also very impressed by this one design they were working towards- a completely artificial heart!
After the Hemholz institute, we headed to the enmodes office to present our ideas and get some feedback on our projects before our final presentations the following week. We got really good feedback on our design proposal to improve patient mobility. I am excited to make these final changes before we present next week!
On Thursday, I went to watch Jordan Peele’s “Us.” I have heard really good things about this movie, and after watching “Get Out,” I knew his next movie would also be good. Let me tell you, he totally amazed me! It was the perfect mix of scary, funny, and thought-provoking. After my friends and I finished watching it, our minds were so blown that we went to a pub and talked about our own interpretations of the movie until the pub closed. I sprinted home from the bus stop because I was terrified of being murdered by my evil twin.
That weekend, my host mom took me to meet her “Syrian family.” They are refugees from Syria and she helped them integrate into German life once they escaped from Aleppo. They did not speak English, but they did speak my other language- food! They prepared an incredible feast for us with traditional Middle Eastern food- spinach rolls, taboulleh, rice, and more! Everything tasted so good. I finished my first plate, satisfied, but then they put another scoop of food on my plate before I could even take a break from eating. They told me that “it’s their culture to eat until all the food was gone.” I, of course, didn’t want to enter their home and disrespect their culture, so I took a breath and kept eating. I really tried to eat everything, but it was so much food that I physically could not eat any more.
Overall, it was a pretty great week! I am thankful for weeks like this where I do a lot, yet it's not so overwhelming that I have some time to breathe. This semester has been super non-stop, so I definitely enjoy taking my time where I can get it.
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