Well, it has been a strange three or so months since I returned home from Germany in March, and it has been an even stranger two months since the program officially ended. Once we finished the Enmodes projects, I felt that I had a wealth of free time to finally do the things I have been too busy to accomplish. Sadly, I spent the month of May playing videogames. That is really all I did. I remember very little from that month since there really is not much to remember. June was a bit more eventful, as my parents finally got sick of my shit and demanded I get a job. My biomedical internship got cancelled, so I decided to find work doing the next best thing: packing panties in a lingerie warehouse. From the beginning to the end of June, I woke up at eight each morning to pick out lingerie and pack them in small cupboards to be shipped nationwide. This truly was a learning experience, as I had never realized how many people wore male thongs and other strange assortments of dicey clothing. I had to leave my dream job after a month when one of my coworkers contracted Covid. During June, I also partook in a technical business writing class. I am thankful I took that class over the Summer, as the coursework was definitely less of burden than it would have been had I took the class over the Fall semester. I am now taking an online chemistry lab (it really does not work too well as an online course) and a BMEN class. Both classes are alright, but I definitely found our courses in Germany to be much more interesting. Honestly, the only enjoyable thing I have done since my stint at the panty warehouse is binge six seasons of House, but even that is starting to get a bit old.
I feel that my time in Europe really opened my eyes to how much fun being adventurous can be. Before Germany, I never really left my comfort zone. I honestly just wanted to hang with my friends at a house. I now realize that if I live like that, there are so many opportunities I will miss out on. I was considering backing out of the Germany program a few months before we departed because I was too nervous about not really knowing anyone on the trip. I am glad I decided to go, because I made great friends and got to experience so many things that I otherwise would not have gotten to experience. Although I have not really been able to get out of my comfort zone recently due to the mass spread of a worldwide pandemic, a few of my friends and I are planning to go sky-diving soon, which is definitely not something I would have considered doing six months ago. Those two and a half months were some of the best of my life, and I cannot wait someday return to Europe.
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Final Post
After getting settled back into the U.S. and finishing my last semester of school, I finally had free time to do some reflecting on my time in Germany. While it took some time to appreciate my time in Germany and Europe for what it was instead of what it was not, I am grateful for all the things I learned about other cultures, adapting to new environments and having patience.
Right now I am living in Austin, starting in a new role at a the hospital I work at and finishing up my last couple of medical school applications. Getting settled back in Austin, I have found establishing the community of friends and family I used to have growing up here has been a lot slower of a process due to social distancing. However, I have found that the patience I learned to have while abroad, and through coming home unexpectedly, has made this acclimation much easier. This patience has also been useful as I have been completing the series of my medical school applications. While I am nearly done with my applications, I will not know anything for quite some time. As I train for my new job at the hospital, I have also been challenged to help cover for the person who schedules all of the pre-surgical testing. However, due to the recent changes in protocol caused by the pandemic, every patient that is going to have anesthesia is required to get COVID-19 tested within 3 days of their procedure. This means that we have to schedule for our regular surgery patients along with the electrophysiology, endoscopy, radiology, cath lab and labor and delivery patients. We also are challenged with the constantly changing restrictions put on elective surgeries in Travis county. In this way I have been able to use the things I have learned about patience and adapting to new environments from my time abroad in Germany.
Seeing how much I grew while I was abroad, I am inspired to continue challenging myself so I can grow in other ways. I am so thankful I got to utilize my last couple of months before the quarantine period traveling and immersing myself into other cultures and look forward to a time when I am able to do that again.
Monday, June 29, 2020
Hey Bonn, imy :(
I have now been back in Texas for a little more than three months. A lot has happened since coming back. These days feel like a totally different life than the life I lived in Bonn. I still keep up with my host family; we message online weekly.
I read this blog post that stated, "You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place. Like you'll not only miss the people you love, but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again."
There is a lot of truth for me in this quote. This past semester was more for me than just a study abroad. This semester made me part of another family. This was the semester that concluded my college experience. To anyone who may be reading this and has been apart of this journey with me, thank you.
It has been hard reflecting on my time in Germany, because part of me feels that the program was ripped away from us. Aside from that, life has forced me to carry on. Since being back, I have graduated from Texas A&M, I have struggled with the emotions of living in this pandemic, and I have battled with the fact that the world around me feels more broken than ever at times. It's a lot to reflect on in just three months.
This journey I started back in January is far from over.
The biggest part of the trip that I am still applying to my life currently is practicing mindfulness and meditation. With so much going on at the moment, I have to force myself to take a step back daily and just breathe in this world that can feel so suffocating. I take time everyday to get lost in the things I enjoy.
I am so very grateful for the short time I did get in Germany and I'm hopeful that the benefits of this experience will continue to reveal themselves for many years to come.
I read this blog post that stated, "You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place. Like you'll not only miss the people you love, but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again."
There is a lot of truth for me in this quote. This past semester was more for me than just a study abroad. This semester made me part of another family. This was the semester that concluded my college experience. To anyone who may be reading this and has been apart of this journey with me, thank you.
It has been hard reflecting on my time in Germany, because part of me feels that the program was ripped away from us. Aside from that, life has forced me to carry on. Since being back, I have graduated from Texas A&M, I have struggled with the emotions of living in this pandemic, and I have battled with the fact that the world around me feels more broken than ever at times. It's a lot to reflect on in just three months.
This journey I started back in January is far from over.
The biggest part of the trip that I am still applying to my life currently is practicing mindfulness and meditation. With so much going on at the moment, I have to force myself to take a step back daily and just breathe in this world that can feel so suffocating. I take time everyday to get lost in the things I enjoy.
I am so very grateful for the short time I did get in Germany and I'm hopeful that the benefits of this experience will continue to reveal themselves for many years to come.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Retrospect
It’s been a while since i wrote one of these. Time haven’t necessarily been tough since we’ve been back but they have been slow and chaotic. I’m not sure what i’m waiting for but i have a gut feeling that there will be a new challenge/journey in my near future i just need to be ready to spring into action like i did when deciding to go to Germany. I haven’t done much recently besides spend a lot of time with family, study summmer classes and workout occasionally. I have yet to get sick from covid so that’s a great plus. I am headed back to cstat for the first time since last fall, i miss that place. All this sitting around at home has made me want to do something great. Going from living life at full potential to be stuck at home for months really puts a damper on the mind.Im excited for what the future holds and i want to make the most of it. I am thankful all that has happened to me and i am ready for all that will.
Love
Jack
Friday, May 8, 2020
Week 15: Enmodes
I have a lot of feelings about this week, my main one being that I’m normally a time efficient person and waiting until 2am to finish a presentation isn’t the highlight of my week. This week was especially gruesome to me because I had a lot of things to study for and work on but the motivation and the feeling of being stuck at home during a pandemic really got to me. I did the work and did what needed to be done but at the end of the day I didn’t feel better about it and it just felt like I was distracting myself from reality. It really sucks.
Week 14: Nothing Special, Again
the only thing exciting about this week: I got to take my car in for servicing and it was the only time i got to feel some sense or normalcy for weeks. everytime i go out to heb (cause that’s the only place i can go) i am hit with speakerhead warnings over coronavirus and to stay apart from other people. so being able to go to service my car and see other people (closer than 6 feet shockingly) was a sense of normalcy that I craved. besides that my entire week was exceptionally boring and consisted of nothing but schoolwork and stress. It reminded me of high school where all I did was school and it was the worst time of my life.
Week 13: March 5 - 11
This is where school started to kick in. More and more work. I starting going for bike rides to keep my spirits up but honestly, I went maybe once or twice in the week. I spent my days just working on homework, studying, going downstairs for some coffee, etc. I really don't know what else I could write about because 1) I don't really remember what happened and 2) I probably didn't do anything exciting anyways.
Week 12: Quarantings
March 29 - April 4
This was the week of our 253 exam and our math exam, the first exams fo zoom university. For the 253 exam, I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I accepted the grade. For math however, it was surprisingly well. Considering the fact that it was the first exam that was administered online AND my internet went out during it, I ended up with a pretty decent grade. Besides that, this week was the end of my mandatory quarantine and I was finally able to go back to my real home with my family. When I finally go home it wasn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be, mainly because everyone else was so tired and bored of quarantine just as I was. So even though I was back home and seeing my family for the first time in awhile, the situation really dampened everything and made it difficult to be excited.
This was the week of our 253 exam and our math exam, the first exams fo zoom university. For the 253 exam, I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I accepted the grade. For math however, it was surprisingly well. Considering the fact that it was the first exam that was administered online AND my internet went out during it, I ended up with a pretty decent grade. Besides that, this week was the end of my mandatory quarantine and I was finally able to go back to my real home with my family. When I finally go home it wasn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be, mainly because everyone else was so tired and bored of quarantine just as I was. So even though I was back home and seeing my family for the first time in awhile, the situation really dampened everything and made it difficult to be excited.
Week 11: First Week of Zoom University
So this is the week where things stopped being exciting. The excitement of going back home had died down, the couple days of already being at home had settled and now I just spent my days working and doing nothing but sleep and homework. Thankfully, I had no exam this week so I didn't have to have that added on stress. Honestly the only things exciting this week were being able to see most of my friends through zoom, even if it was during class. It was still nice to see my friends.
Don't know what else to add, everyday feels the same.
Don't know what else to add, everyday feels the same.
The End
Thy semester has now reached its end. As a sheep reaches the end of the fence, there are two options for me. I can continue to roam in my pre-defined pasture, or i can choose to not be a sheep and instead be a horse who jumps that constricting fence and makes his own path. I have learned plenty from this semester. I learned who I am, who I want to be and what I appreciate most. This semester was a whirlwind of turbulent changes. My ability to adapt and grow to the world has strengthened. I ended my classes almost to the point of expectations. However, with everything that happened over the last few months I will say that I am not disappointed. I miss everything about Germany. I miss the people, the cities, my classes, my professors, my friends and even my host mom. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I am still sad it had to end early. I want to thank Dr.Wasser specifically for creating such a beautiful study abroad experience for all of us, it wouldn’t have been the same with any other professor. I plan to return to Europe someday, and hopefully stay for much longer than a couple months at a time. Summer 2k20 is here now and i’m ready to make it great. I already have a lot of plans for this summer, i want to check off as much as i can. I have summer classes as well, but just one(Ochem) so it should be a breeze. I think i am also going to try to learn a new language this summer. I have a basic foundation in spanish so i think I will try to become as fluent as possible. I also want to get back into piano. I used to play a lot as a kid, but I’ve kind of lost the heart to play. I miss playing an instrument and it’s a great skill to have! The world is great the world is round and as long as i’m around I will be the great the world needs. As a fish swims in a school through the vast ocean, it’s the one who ventures off and mutates legs to walk on shore that changed everything.
I am that fish
I am that fish
Signing off
Jack Gibbs
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Final Post... For Now.
APR 27th-MAY 5th:
And here we finally are. 5 months from the beginning of my journey abroad, and there is no denial that a transformation had taken place. I had met some friends that I can say without a shadow of a doubt will be people I speak with for the rest of my years. And my professors and TA's? Could count on them for anything.
Getting down to the actual week breakdown, it really consists of late study nights caused directly by procrastination during the day, using grade calculators to find out threshold grade for each of my finals, and one good ol' all-nighter. Wouldn't be finals week without one!
In addition to the 4 finals I would have to take across Thursday to the Tuesday of the next week, we also had a third physiology exam to take on the Tuesday prior. I was actually very much in favor of this though, as it would help even out my first exam that went a little too rough, and the same material would be tested on the following week. So I really didn't have to study much at all for the final.
Across all my classes, I was able to clutch up in all of them except one: my arch-nemesis, 211. Will definitely be pass/failing that one! But hey, I'll take the A's everywhere else!
I know this won't be my final blog post as we will be coming back to this some months down the road, but I still want to take a moment to thank everyone that made this program abroad possible. I had the most fun I have ever had in my life, and that is no understatement. I'd give any amount of money to run it back just one last time, but no amount could get me to give those memories up. I'm beyond grateful that this was the group I got so lucky with meeting.
Once again, I cannot thank our Biosciences family enough.
Peace out.
And here we finally are. 5 months from the beginning of my journey abroad, and there is no denial that a transformation had taken place. I had met some friends that I can say without a shadow of a doubt will be people I speak with for the rest of my years. And my professors and TA's? Could count on them for anything.
Getting down to the actual week breakdown, it really consists of late study nights caused directly by procrastination during the day, using grade calculators to find out threshold grade for each of my finals, and one good ol' all-nighter. Wouldn't be finals week without one!
In addition to the 4 finals I would have to take across Thursday to the Tuesday of the next week, we also had a third physiology exam to take on the Tuesday prior. I was actually very much in favor of this though, as it would help even out my first exam that went a little too rough, and the same material would be tested on the following week. So I really didn't have to study much at all for the final.
Across all my classes, I was able to clutch up in all of them except one: my arch-nemesis, 211. Will definitely be pass/failing that one! But hey, I'll take the A's everywhere else!
I know this won't be my final blog post as we will be coming back to this some months down the road, but I still want to take a moment to thank everyone that made this program abroad possible. I had the most fun I have ever had in my life, and that is no understatement. I'd give any amount of money to run it back just one last time, but no amount could get me to give those memories up. I'm beyond grateful that this was the group I got so lucky with meeting.
Once again, I cannot thank our Biosciences family enough.
Peace out.
All Things Enmodes
APR 20th-26th:
Here it is! Only two days of classes this week with the rest set aside for the design project!
Oh, and that design project?
Couldn't have gone better in my opinion. To see our collegues from Enmodes so focused in on what we had to say with so much respect for the work we put into this was one of the most rewarding feelings to experience. We had poured HOURS upon HOURS into this, so when they reacted so positively to our solution, we couldn't help but be absolutely ecstatic.
I am so very grateful to the parties that were able to give me the opportunity to participate in this internship, and I will not be taking my experiences lightly. Hell, I feel bad for all my friends who have to hear me tell them over and over again about it.
The sign-off at the end of the meeting was rather sad as it was the first real event that forced us to acknowledge that our study abroad was truly about to be over.
Here it is! Only two days of classes this week with the rest set aside for the design project!
Oh, and that design project?
Couldn't have gone better in my opinion. To see our collegues from Enmodes so focused in on what we had to say with so much respect for the work we put into this was one of the most rewarding feelings to experience. We had poured HOURS upon HOURS into this, so when they reacted so positively to our solution, we couldn't help but be absolutely ecstatic.
I am so very grateful to the parties that were able to give me the opportunity to participate in this internship, and I will not be taking my experiences lightly. Hell, I feel bad for all my friends who have to hear me tell them over and over again about it.
The sign-off at the end of the meeting was rather sad as it was the first real event that forced us to acknowledge that our study abroad was truly about to be over.
Getting Close...
APR 13th-19th:
The school year is really starting to come down to an end! Crazy how slow these weeks went day by day, but now it's as if it was no time at all?
The biggest struggle through the week has been the DHF hands down, this thing is a monster! And the depth of the material? Oh I'm sure you can imagine it's pretty intense when talking about a system that is one day going to be used to keep someone alive.
Next week we will be presenting to Enmodes. Wow! Lots of work still left to be done.
The school year is really starting to come down to an end! Crazy how slow these weeks went day by day, but now it's as if it was no time at all?
The biggest struggle through the week has been the DHF hands down, this thing is a monster! And the depth of the material? Oh I'm sure you can imagine it's pretty intense when talking about a system that is one day going to be used to keep someone alive.
Next week we will be presenting to Enmodes. Wow! Lots of work still left to be done.
Quarantings
APR 6th-12th:
Another day, another dollar, another week, another exam. Or two.
We start the week off swinging with a physiology exam and a 211 one. Really kicking myself about the 211 one still. Horribly misunderstood a problem that costed me 20 points right away. Would've had an A on the exam had I gotten those.
On the other hand however, physiology went good for the first time this semester! Thank gosh for that because I was REALLY needing it after the first exam we took post-Karneval.
Daily life has been classes and working out, TV watching here and there, and LOTS of time spent with my brother. I feel like we have definitely gotten closer through this haha.
This was also the week of our pharmacology workshop which I found very interesting!
Until next week!
Another day, another dollar, another week, another exam. Or two.
We start the week off swinging with a physiology exam and a 211 one. Really kicking myself about the 211 one still. Horribly misunderstood a problem that costed me 20 points right away. Would've had an A on the exam had I gotten those.
On the other hand however, physiology went good for the first time this semester! Thank gosh for that because I was REALLY needing it after the first exam we took post-Karneval.
Daily life has been classes and working out, TV watching here and there, and LOTS of time spent with my brother. I feel like we have definitely gotten closer through this haha.
This was also the week of our pharmacology workshop which I found very interesting!
Until next week!
Reuniting With The Pup
MAR 30th-APR 5th:
Our two week quarantine has finally expired, and it is time to see my family for the first time since I left. We all head home, and that's the last I see of my friends in person for at least a month. I have to do my schoolwork in the dining room since I don't have a desk in my room. All very different scene from just three weeks before.
I was really happy to see my dog again for the first time in 3 months. Like really happy. Her name is Bella :)
This was also our first week of online exams. We took one for differential equations and then another for medical device design. Both could have been better prepared for. Oh well. I'll figure it out.
Our two week quarantine has finally expired, and it is time to see my family for the first time since I left. We all head home, and that's the last I see of my friends in person for at least a month. I have to do my schoolwork in the dining room since I don't have a desk in my room. All very different scene from just three weeks before.
I was really happy to see my dog again for the first time in 3 months. Like really happy. Her name is Bella :)
This was also our first week of online exams. We took one for differential equations and then another for medical device design. Both could have been better prepared for. Oh well. I'll figure it out.
Not a Fish Anymore
MAR 23rd-29th:
Haha, sorry about that last blog post in terms of content. Wanted to emphasize how big a change of lifestyle this Corona virus living really has been. Plus who doesn't love a little comedic relief in a time like this, right?
Well classes finally started back up this week. Never thought I would've been so happy to hop back into it, but I was desperate for something to do at this point... Might I remind you this is after just one week of this.
The transition to online classes goes very smoothly and I couldn't be happier to be seeing all my friends faces again. Gosh how I missed them so much already.
The quarantine house has just been the 3 guys, myself, and John's dad. It's been non-stop between the board games, video games, basketball games, and weight room gains. That's right, John and his father went back to their house to steal their weight bench for us! Grade A+ team move right there!
Haha, sorry about that last blog post in terms of content. Wanted to emphasize how big a change of lifestyle this Corona virus living really has been. Plus who doesn't love a little comedic relief in a time like this, right?
Well classes finally started back up this week. Never thought I would've been so happy to hop back into it, but I was desperate for something to do at this point... Might I remind you this is after just one week of this.
The transition to online classes goes very smoothly and I couldn't be happier to be seeing all my friends faces again. Gosh how I missed them so much already.
The quarantine house has just been the 3 guys, myself, and John's dad. It's been non-stop between the board games, video games, basketball games, and weight room gains. That's right, John and his father went back to their house to steal their weight bench for us! Grade A+ team move right there!
A Fish and That's It.
MAR 17th-22nd:
Literally the ONLY cool thing that happened to me this week was seeing this big fish.
Literally.
Literally the ONLY cool thing that happened to me this week was seeing this big fish.
Literally.
0-100 Real REAL Quick
MAR 6th-16th:
As I sit here and reflect on my time in Spain, I have nothing but gratuity for my experiences.
Hectic?
More so than you could possibly imagine.
The number of times I had a flight cancelled on me requires two hands to count. The hours spent strictly on getting back after the news of the travel ban hit were greater than 48 hours straight. I thought the Sweden issue would hold the title of "most significant close call" for at least a couple years... guess not.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself here! Lets talk about the fun!
5:30 Friday morning and I'm outside Enrique's house. We take the rail into hauptbahnhof, bus to the airport, and it's Madrid here we come. Once we land, I part my ways with the rest of the group and meet up with some long-time friends from home. Three of my best friends from middle and high school, John Paul and Matthew, were having themselves a semester abroad as well, so there was no question about it when it came to me visiting them.
The following day my roommate Jonas was landing. Paul and I are up bright and early to go get him, and we are back at the apartment. Jonas was having some difficulty when it came to adjusting his sleep schedule, but we made sure to get that fixed right away the only way we know how...
By partying at a 7-story club until 4:30 in the morning!
Definitely the most intense night life experience I've had so far. Loved it! Unfortunately not all of us had as great of a time. Katrina got pick pocketed at some point on the dance floor, and it is quite dangerous to be without a phone in a foreign country where you are even further removed from your professors who would be able to help you. So the next day we spent getting the phone situation worked out. The real exploring of Madrid came on Monday, when Jonas and I made it out to El Parque Retiro, El Museo del Prado, and a few other big landmarks! Plenty of pictures I'm sure you can imagine.
Funny side story here:
One of my favorite things about Europe were the tremendous discounts to flat out free tickets when it came to student museum admission. One of my not-so favorite things about Europe? My roommate forgetting his TAMU ID in the United States... Nice.
So surely enough, being the problem-solving engineers we are, we formulate a solution: I would use my international student ID card that I received in the mail prior to coming to Europe, and Jonas would use MY university identification. Fool proof, I know. Don't you think we just look exactly alike???
So I'm up first. I walk up, hand her my ID, and there she is asking for my drivers liscense to cross examine... uh oh. That's not good.
We continue on with our plan anyways because what have we got to lose, right?
Apparently nothing at all. She gave him a funny look for sure, but no euros were spent on the admission of these fellas!
That night we hopped on a train bound for Sevilla. We would be taking the remainder of our day trips from that location as it proved the perfect spot to hit Granada and Cordoba from. We pull in around midnight and we don't take very long at all to get to bed as we'v got a 3 hour ride to Granada the very next morning. We would be on our way to check out the Alhambra and all of its beautiful architecture. Now I definitely do not recommend doing this, but funny story: forgot to buy the tickets till the night before... and it didn't cause any issues! woohoo!
We spend our day touring the Alhambra Palace with a guided tour where we were able to learn all about the history of the city. Very interesting information! Did you know the Alhambra was completely self-sustaining? No need for anything in or out.
After a long day walking around in the heat, we are ready to hit the hay for an even earlier morning the next day! Of course our train to Cordoba never even came in the first place, so waking up as early as we did was completely unnecessary. We hopped on the next one in the same direction though so it ended up being no big deal.
Cordoba was my favorite by a lot. So much to do in so little time!... But we always pull it off. We made it to roughly 15 different landmarks across the full day, ranging from delicious eateries to more wondrous monuments! Check some out below...
For lunch, we got to taste some bull tail, a local specialty! Very tasty I might add. In addition to that though, I tried swordfish for the first time! Best dang piece of fish I EVER had.
My favorite spot was definitely the Royal Palace of Alcazar! It was a huge garden with some of the most beautiful landscaping work I have ever seen. True art where nature and humanity collide!
We finished off the day with a few drinks at a nice little bar, and then got a few dozen more when we made it back to Sevilla for the night! Thank goodness we wouldn't have to be waking up early again tomorrow. Would've preferred that to what we DID wake to however...
Lockdown. Overnight, Trump issues a travel ban for all US citizens to Europe, and now TAMU is finally taking the blade to our program abroad. In the blink of an eye, the entire world is collapsing in front of me and I'm nothing but heart broken. Why in the world is it that when I decide to spend a semester abroad, it just so happens that this is also the semester that a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic breaks out and literally everything comes to a standstill?
Oh well. What are you gonna do about it, ya know? We get ourselves out of bed and make our way to a nice ceviche bar for some breakfast. I'l have you know, ceviche is probably my favorite dish, and this place did NOT disappoint. Literally ordered one to go even after I was already full just because it'd be my last opportunity to do so.
We then spent the next two days exploring our beautiful temporary home. Making it out to Plaza Espana, another beautiful Alcazar Palace with more beautiful gardens, an enormous park to relax through the afternoon in, and plenty more. An electrifying trip coming to a close.
As I sit here and reflect on my time in Spain, I have nothing but gratuity for my experiences.
Hectic?
More so than you could possibly imagine.
The number of times I had a flight cancelled on me requires two hands to count. The hours spent strictly on getting back after the news of the travel ban hit were greater than 48 hours straight. I thought the Sweden issue would hold the title of "most significant close call" for at least a couple years... guess not.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself here! Lets talk about the fun!
5:30 Friday morning and I'm outside Enrique's house. We take the rail into hauptbahnhof, bus to the airport, and it's Madrid here we come. Once we land, I part my ways with the rest of the group and meet up with some long-time friends from home. Three of my best friends from middle and high school, John Paul and Matthew, were having themselves a semester abroad as well, so there was no question about it when it came to me visiting them.
The following day my roommate Jonas was landing. Paul and I are up bright and early to go get him, and we are back at the apartment. Jonas was having some difficulty when it came to adjusting his sleep schedule, but we made sure to get that fixed right away the only way we know how...
By partying at a 7-story club until 4:30 in the morning!
Definitely the most intense night life experience I've had so far. Loved it! Unfortunately not all of us had as great of a time. Katrina got pick pocketed at some point on the dance floor, and it is quite dangerous to be without a phone in a foreign country where you are even further removed from your professors who would be able to help you. So the next day we spent getting the phone situation worked out. The real exploring of Madrid came on Monday, when Jonas and I made it out to El Parque Retiro, El Museo del Prado, and a few other big landmarks! Plenty of pictures I'm sure you can imagine.
Funny side story here:
One of my favorite things about Europe were the tremendous discounts to flat out free tickets when it came to student museum admission. One of my not-so favorite things about Europe? My roommate forgetting his TAMU ID in the United States... Nice.
So surely enough, being the problem-solving engineers we are, we formulate a solution: I would use my international student ID card that I received in the mail prior to coming to Europe, and Jonas would use MY university identification. Fool proof, I know. Don't you think we just look exactly alike???
So I'm up first. I walk up, hand her my ID, and there she is asking for my drivers liscense to cross examine... uh oh. That's not good.
We continue on with our plan anyways because what have we got to lose, right?
Apparently nothing at all. She gave him a funny look for sure, but no euros were spent on the admission of these fellas!
That night we hopped on a train bound for Sevilla. We would be taking the remainder of our day trips from that location as it proved the perfect spot to hit Granada and Cordoba from. We pull in around midnight and we don't take very long at all to get to bed as we'v got a 3 hour ride to Granada the very next morning. We would be on our way to check out the Alhambra and all of its beautiful architecture. Now I definitely do not recommend doing this, but funny story: forgot to buy the tickets till the night before... and it didn't cause any issues! woohoo!
We spend our day touring the Alhambra Palace with a guided tour where we were able to learn all about the history of the city. Very interesting information! Did you know the Alhambra was completely self-sustaining? No need for anything in or out.
After a long day walking around in the heat, we are ready to hit the hay for an even earlier morning the next day! Of course our train to Cordoba never even came in the first place, so waking up as early as we did was completely unnecessary. We hopped on the next one in the same direction though so it ended up being no big deal.
Cordoba was my favorite by a lot. So much to do in so little time!... But we always pull it off. We made it to roughly 15 different landmarks across the full day, ranging from delicious eateries to more wondrous monuments! Check some out below...
For lunch, we got to taste some bull tail, a local specialty! Very tasty I might add. In addition to that though, I tried swordfish for the first time! Best dang piece of fish I EVER had.
My favorite spot was definitely the Royal Palace of Alcazar! It was a huge garden with some of the most beautiful landscaping work I have ever seen. True art where nature and humanity collide!
We finished off the day with a few drinks at a nice little bar, and then got a few dozen more when we made it back to Sevilla for the night! Thank goodness we wouldn't have to be waking up early again tomorrow. Would've preferred that to what we DID wake to however...
Lockdown. Overnight, Trump issues a travel ban for all US citizens to Europe, and now TAMU is finally taking the blade to our program abroad. In the blink of an eye, the entire world is collapsing in front of me and I'm nothing but heart broken. Why in the world is it that when I decide to spend a semester abroad, it just so happens that this is also the semester that a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic breaks out and literally everything comes to a standstill?
Oh well. What are you gonna do about it, ya know? We get ourselves out of bed and make our way to a nice ceviche bar for some breakfast. I'l have you know, ceviche is probably my favorite dish, and this place did NOT disappoint. Literally ordered one to go even after I was already full just because it'd be my last opportunity to do so.
We then spent the next two days exploring our beautiful temporary home. Making it out to Plaza Espana, another beautiful Alcazar Palace with more beautiful gardens, an enormous park to relax through the afternoon in, and plenty more. An electrifying trip coming to a close.
Told y'all I'd be coming in hot with the photos for this one! Favorite destination in Sevilla was of course Plaza Espana A.K.A. the Star Wars city of Theed! After spending 2 days straight familiarizing myself with the legendary films before coming to Europe, this palace became all the more exciting.
At the end of the day, we hopped on a train back to Madrid to meet up with my buddies one last time before heading back to the US. We had a fun night of kicking back and socializing non-distantly with one another one last time before it became outlawed. The city of Madrid would be placed on lockdown the following day, with nothing open but grocery stores and pharmaceuticals. Jonas was up for a 6 am flight and I had one last day with my guys before it was time for me to find the door as well.
As soon as the sun was up, I was dealing with travel issues. Tickets are cancelling, borders are closing, and my parents are losing their heads. Halfway through the day my friends and I make our way out to Retiro Park to try and unwind a little, but alas: closed. With nothing to do but sit at the apartment and worry about if we were going to be able to make it out of Spain in time, that's exactly what we did.
John's dad was there with us as he was visiting John when the whole situation began to unwind which really helped in taking some of the stress out of the situation... temporarily that is. Sunday morning comes and they're "wheels up" by 9... My morning flight got cancelled and rescheduled for that afternoon... 5 separate times. I'll tell you what. Nothing will have you on your knees praying for some divine intervention like this will. I spent my whole day at the Madrid airport where the only available food was from a vending machine.
Anyway, well I finally get out of there and am on my way to connecting in Munich. My flight from there to Bonn obviously had to be rescheduled after all the previous delays (due to a passenger present with symptoms might I add), and funny enough, it put me on the same flight as Enrique. So we grab a beer at the airport as a celebratory "at least we are in Germany" drink, and then we wait.
We don't get to the airport till roughly 1 am, and we literally have to sprint off the plane to catch the bus to Bonn in time... We clutched it, don't worry.
Coming back to Bonn was one of the saddest events I have had to experience. I knew I was going to be devastated when I would have to leave... never would have predicted this though. Hurts my heart to think of all the experiences this group was going to get to enjoy and grow through together that will not be taking place. The hardest hitting part is never getting my last ride over the gorgeous Rhine river.
That being said, I am so very grateful for the time I did get to spend with my newly made friends, and these are going to be some of my strongest memories through my life.
That night was spent in the apartments above our old AIB classrooms, and I have to say: it was very nice being able to see this building, where so much of our time abroad was spent, just one last time.
The next morning we are bused off to Frankfurt to be shipped back to the United States. Initially I wouldn't have even been leaving until the next day, but after my Tuesday flight had been cancelled, my parents and I decided to take it as a sign. Katrina and I were on the same flight back, and all was smooth sailing except for one tiny issue: We had exactly an hour to transfer flights in Atlanta... while also making it through the "advanced health screening" process.
So surely enough, we bust some booty making it through security, and just before we are all the way through... boom.
My bag gets stopped.
What in the world could possibly be in there...
Oh yeah. Maybe it's that Hennessy I bought at the Frankfurt duty free... oops.
All ends well and we run into Jackie and Carlie at the gate! So very nice to see some familiar faces!
Once we are finally back in Houston, of course fate felt it needed to cut me short just one last time: one of my bags didn't make it on the plane. Seriously. After 2 1/2 days straight of airports and train stations, I'm just ready to find a bed. I get them to agree to dropping off my luggage at the Tiki Island house my friends and I would be quarantining at, and then the guys grab me from the airport. I say my goodbyes to the girls and then it's off to the new hip lifestyle of not seeing anyone other than those of the same household for 3 months straight.
Week 17 in Texas- Final Blog
Welp, the semester is over and I am now a college graduate. I've been kind of bummed lately about study abroad being cut short since we were supposed to return home yesterday. I've also been bummed about graduation not because I'm sad to leave A&M, but because the celebrations possible in quarantine seem so lackluster. I really want to celebrate with friends, but I don't know how responsible that is at this time. I am glad to be done with school so that I can just focus on my future now, although I'm sure I will miss certain parts of college. That's all I've got, thank you Dr. Wasser for being so enthusiastic and adaptable through this whole process if you're reading this. Tschuss!
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Week 16/17: Finals
Well this is the end of our Hero's Journey. It has been a long and enlightening road but sadly all good things must come to an end. Taking finals was rough as usual but it's still bittersweet to see the end of another semester. I'm dismayed that our trip was cut short, but I'm still grateful for the adventures I did get to go on. This program has really inspired me to go see as much of the world as I can and I hope it can do the same for others in the future. Signing off for the last time! :')
P.S.: If you thought I was done uploading pictures because I'm stuck in quarantine guess again.
P.S.: If you thought I was done uploading pictures because I'm stuck in quarantine guess again.
Week 15: The End of Enmodes
This week was long and exhausting to say the least, but I am very proud of our group for making such an amazing project presentation and finishing it on time. I spent three days grinding out 3D-modeling to make the cannula design just right for our group's presentation and I was so happy to be able to accomplish it. In the end even dressing up just to present online turned out to be a really formal event and I believe we all did great in presenting our projects, I especially hope enmodes might actually take up our ideas to use in future devices.
Week 14: ...Boring
Sorry I don't have anything interesting to blog about this time being back home is just plain boring but the end of the semester is approaching and we've really started to step things up with the enmodes project. I found working for Doordash was a great way to pass the time and make a little cash for when this quarantine is finally over.
Week 15/16
The adventure is sadly coming to an end, but hopefully, the bonds that were made through this journey will stay and prosper for many years to come. It all started last week, with the pressure of finals around the corner. I had Math and Bmen on Thursday and Friday. The days before, I was getting barely any sleep, but I kept pushing myself with the understanding that school would be over in less than a week. Thankfully, I got through it, still awaiting the finals grades, but optimistic it went well. The weekend came and I got the much-needed rest. The remaining finals came and went like nothing and instead of thinking to myself that school is finally over, I was sad that my journey had come to end.
I have learned many things throughout this trip, from German hospitality to how to deal with stuff when it goes to shit. In the end, it was all worth it. I already know that this experience will help me further my education and increase self-understanding. I already miss all my friends, the TA's, Dr. Wassser, and the AIB family. Hopefully, this is not the final goodbye! :(
I have learned many things throughout this trip, from German hospitality to how to deal with stuff when it goes to shit. In the end, it was all worth it. I already know that this experience will help me further my education and increase self-understanding. I already miss all my friends, the TA's, Dr. Wassser, and the AIB family. Hopefully, this is not the final goodbye! :(
4/20/2020-4/26/2020
Enmodes Week! Mainly worked on enmodes this week and some other homework and stuff. It was a little stressful but my Enmodes group was amazing and everyone pulled their own weight. I was really proud of how we did in the final presentation and in the project in general. I thought our ideas were pretty cool and it was really cool to see everything come together in the end. Shoutout to Enrique for the awesome animations.
4/13/2020-4/19/2020
Nothing much really happened this week. Worked quite a bit on enmodes and some other homework. I got around to finally learning some more guitar stuff and painting with my sister which was pretty relaxing.
4/6/2020-4/12/2020
This week was pretty uneventful. We had an Exam and Registration. I spent most of my days working out, studying, and watching movies. One thing about this Quarantine that has really pushed my buttons is circling through the same 4 apps on my phone and not really knowing what other things to do. The news was progressively getting worse and sometimes I just had to remember to breathe and be thankful that my family and I were safe and healthy. The weekend was Easter and it was interesting to see how mass and Easter celebrations were held in Quarantine. My family and I watched the Easter mass held by Pope Francis on the TV. While I haven't really been practicing my faith as diligently in the last couple of months, it was a stark contrast to what I knew Easter celebrations to be in past years. It was a little sad and my heart honestly ached a little bit to see this and feel so far apart to others in the celebration.
3/30/2020-4/5/2020
I finally went home this week! My parents ended up picking me up on Monday morning because I had to study for my exams for the following days. I was also really sad because we were supposed to be in France this week and having fun and exploring Paris. Pretty sure my parents and friends got sick of me complaining about being in France this week but I still had the right to be petty and complain for this week. Otherwise, I just studied a lot and zoomed a lot of my friends to feel less lonely and isolated. One thing that was good about being home is that I got to eat a lot of really good food (my parents cooked all my favorite homemade foods) and I didn't have to cook for myself anymore. One bad thing is that it felt like I was back in High School except I couldn't really go outside or see my friends which was a little annoying sometimes.
3/23/2020-3/29/2020
Second week of quarantine! This week was a little better in terms of knowing what day it was. It was our first week of classes after Spring Break and it was nice having something to do and look forward to. My parents brought my dog to the apartment we were staying in which was really cool because I really missed my dog (anyone who hung out with me more than 20 minutes knew this). This also gave me an excuse to actually go on more walks and be outside more which was nice. Tuesday was my sister's 11th birthday so they left some cake on the doorstep. I was a little sad I didn't get to hang out with her this day but she was just happy that I was back in the US and would get to hang out with me sooner. She was a little sad because she had to cancel her birthday party because of corona so I called her and tried to make her smile and laugh. There were trails near the apartment, and a couple of my friends lived near there so Katrina and I would go running (socially distanced from other people). Katrina and I were pretty good roommates and I actually kind of miss her now that we aren't quarantined together :(
But yeah other than that nothing really exciting happened this week. I really missed my friends from Germany and my host family and traveling but was happy to be back for the most part.
But yeah other than that nothing really exciting happened this week. I really missed my friends from Germany and my host family and traveling but was happy to be back for the most part.
3/16/2020-3/22/2020
This week was the first quarantine week! I got to Houston Monday night from Frankfurt/Bonn. Sorry to anyone who saw me that morning before the bus ride to Frankfurt, I was cranky and still half asleep and sad and all those combined do not make a fun Bri. A lot of us hung out in the Frankfurt airport together waiting for our flights. Our flight back to the US wasn't too bad. Langley's seat got moved up and the plane staff were super nice and let Dany, Matt, and I move up too. We were routed to Chicago for a checkup, which we were worried about being too long and missing our next flight to Houston, but it was pretty speedy and easy to get through. Katrina and I decided to quarantine together since our parents weren't comfortable with letting us stay home in case we ended up showing symptoms, so our parents rented an apartment pretty close to where my parents live. The next week was a little blurry with jet lag and nothing to do since online classes were being figured out. It was nice seeing my family again but a little sad since I couldn't really hug them or anything.
3/9/2020-3/15/2020
The most amazing week turned into the worst week
So backstory to my Monday morning: Katrina got her phone stolen at the club we went to on Saturday, so Monday morning I called the club to see if they somehow got it because (sorry Dany and Enrique) I was the best spanish speaker in this context. They then told me that they had turned it into a police station (didn't mention which one), then I proceeded to call 4 different police stations to see if they had it. When I finally found a station that had a phone similar to Katrina's, I asked for an address so we could go see if it was hers. Katrina and I took an Uber to a police station, who told us they didn't have it, and then walked to another station who said they didn't have it, and then took a car to another police station who said they didn't have it. So basically we gave up because we had a flight to Lisbon at 3 pm so we went and met up with the rest of the group to eat before we had to be at the airport. One thing I learned about strange cities is that the best restaurants and bars are tucked away in dark corners. Anyways, we went into this little restaurant and ate mussels and drank sangria until it was time for us to go to the airport.
Flash forward to Lisbon. We found this gorgeous Airbnb pretty close to the city center but not close enough that it was noisy or anything. The first night we were pretty tired so we went to a restaurant and ate (way too much food and wine honestly) and we didn't really feel like going out afterwards so we stayed in the Airbnb. We all ended up with our earbuds in and basically had a silent disco and we were all dancing around the apartment to our own music. Honestly one of the best nights of Spring Break. The next day we did a food tour! This was super cool and our tour guide was super super nice. We had a lot of really good food and wine and got to know some more local restaurants and places in Lisbon. Afterwards we went to the city center to where all the shops were and saw Placa do Comercio, which is where we got initial news that we might be going home. We kind of ignored it and decided to still have a good time. To end the day we went to a rooftop bar with a gorgeous view of the bay and the residential area. On Wednesday we decided to go to the beach! Honestly this was so fun and the weather was perfect for it. I love the beach so I was like a little kid running everywhere. We just had a good time swimming and tanning on the beach. All our stuff got wet when the tide went up though so that wasn't very fun, but that's just part of the beach. We went back to the airbnb and were too tired to really do anything else so we ordered a pizza (honestly super hard because none of us know Portuguese) and watched Netflix until we were all super sleepy.
Katrina woke us up the next morning with the official email from Texas A&M and Dr. Wasser that we were actually going home. We had an early flight from Lisbon to Barcelona, so we already had to be up early, and I was super cranky to say the least (sorry to all my friends that had to deal with me that day). We got to Barcelona and were a little sad and stressed trying to find a way home. Hannah's dad had already booked a flight for her from Barcelona back to the USA, so we touched down and went immediately to La Sagrada Familia church because she wanted to see it before she left. We sat down for awhile in a restaurant and called our families and STA about our flights home. We drank sangria and kind of cried a little bit before heading to the Airbnb because we were all emotionally and mentally exhausted. We just watched Netflix comedy specials and ordered some food that night. Friday we had a really cool brunch and went to the beach to relax and not think about the fact that we were being sent home. Olivia joined us that day because her flight wasn't until the next day, so it was cool getting to hang out with her too. Saturday we wanted to go see more of the city and appreciate it before we left, but when we went to try and get breakfast, we realised everything was closed. We were super confused until somebody looked on the news and saw that Spain was officially under quarantine. We got kinda scared because everything was eerily empty and so we decided to go back to the Airbnb to relax and watch Netflix movies. Our flights the next day were from Barcelona to Madrid and then Madrid to Bonn, but since Madrid was becoming progressively worse in corona cases and seemed to be going under hard Quarantine soon, Katrina, Dany, and I decided to book last minute flights from Barcelona to Cologne instead. I basically spent all day Sunday in the Barcelona airport which was not fun. So yeah the whole last part of the week was super stressful and a little sad. We were having the time of our lives before this and then we were really stressed about getting back to Bonn and the US.
So backstory to my Monday morning: Katrina got her phone stolen at the club we went to on Saturday, so Monday morning I called the club to see if they somehow got it because (sorry Dany and Enrique) I was the best spanish speaker in this context. They then told me that they had turned it into a police station (didn't mention which one), then I proceeded to call 4 different police stations to see if they had it. When I finally found a station that had a phone similar to Katrina's, I asked for an address so we could go see if it was hers. Katrina and I took an Uber to a police station, who told us they didn't have it, and then walked to another station who said they didn't have it, and then took a car to another police station who said they didn't have it. So basically we gave up because we had a flight to Lisbon at 3 pm so we went and met up with the rest of the group to eat before we had to be at the airport. One thing I learned about strange cities is that the best restaurants and bars are tucked away in dark corners. Anyways, we went into this little restaurant and ate mussels and drank sangria until it was time for us to go to the airport.
Flash forward to Lisbon. We found this gorgeous Airbnb pretty close to the city center but not close enough that it was noisy or anything. The first night we were pretty tired so we went to a restaurant and ate (way too much food and wine honestly) and we didn't really feel like going out afterwards so we stayed in the Airbnb. We all ended up with our earbuds in and basically had a silent disco and we were all dancing around the apartment to our own music. Honestly one of the best nights of Spring Break. The next day we did a food tour! This was super cool and our tour guide was super super nice. We had a lot of really good food and wine and got to know some more local restaurants and places in Lisbon. Afterwards we went to the city center to where all the shops were and saw Placa do Comercio, which is where we got initial news that we might be going home. We kind of ignored it and decided to still have a good time. To end the day we went to a rooftop bar with a gorgeous view of the bay and the residential area. On Wednesday we decided to go to the beach! Honestly this was so fun and the weather was perfect for it. I love the beach so I was like a little kid running everywhere. We just had a good time swimming and tanning on the beach. All our stuff got wet when the tide went up though so that wasn't very fun, but that's just part of the beach. We went back to the airbnb and were too tired to really do anything else so we ordered a pizza (honestly super hard because none of us know Portuguese) and watched Netflix until we were all super sleepy.
Katrina woke us up the next morning with the official email from Texas A&M and Dr. Wasser that we were actually going home. We had an early flight from Lisbon to Barcelona, so we already had to be up early, and I was super cranky to say the least (sorry to all my friends that had to deal with me that day). We got to Barcelona and were a little sad and stressed trying to find a way home. Hannah's dad had already booked a flight for her from Barcelona back to the USA, so we touched down and went immediately to La Sagrada Familia church because she wanted to see it before she left. We sat down for awhile in a restaurant and called our families and STA about our flights home. We drank sangria and kind of cried a little bit before heading to the Airbnb because we were all emotionally and mentally exhausted. We just watched Netflix comedy specials and ordered some food that night. Friday we had a really cool brunch and went to the beach to relax and not think about the fact that we were being sent home. Olivia joined us that day because her flight wasn't until the next day, so it was cool getting to hang out with her too. Saturday we wanted to go see more of the city and appreciate it before we left, but when we went to try and get breakfast, we realised everything was closed. We were super confused until somebody looked on the news and saw that Spain was officially under quarantine. We got kinda scared because everything was eerily empty and so we decided to go back to the Airbnb to relax and watch Netflix movies. Our flights the next day were from Barcelona to Madrid and then Madrid to Bonn, but since Madrid was becoming progressively worse in corona cases and seemed to be going under hard Quarantine soon, Katrina, Dany, and I decided to book last minute flights from Barcelona to Cologne instead. I basically spent all day Sunday in the Barcelona airport which was not fun. So yeah the whole last part of the week was super stressful and a little sad. We were having the time of our lives before this and then we were really stressed about getting back to Bonn and the US.
3/2/2020-3/7/2020
This was the week before Spring Break, which was mainly anticipating going on Spring break the following week. We mostly planned out what we wanted to do, what Airbnbs we were going to stay in, and how to get from city to city. Thursday evening I went shopping after classes and got some cool shirts that I was excited to wear during our trip. Thursday night, Enrique, Dany, Hannah and I all hung out at my host family's house and were just excited talking about our trip. Dany and Hannah stayed the night so we could all go to the train station in the morning together and then head to the airport. Friday morning we took a plane to Madrid and touched down pretty early in the day. When we first got there, we took an uber to the neighborhood that our Airbnb was in and ate some bomb tacos and margaritas while waiting for the owner to let us into the apartment. It was pretty close to Plaza Mayor so we spent some time there the first night. The next day we went to the Real Jardin Botanico and walked around the Botanical gardens. From there we went to Palacio de Cristal which was really cool and the park around it was beautiful too. The weather was beautiful and I think we were all happy to be in the sun and not wear a heavy jacket all day. That night we went to a really cool club that had 7 stories and a giant air fan that would blow cold air on us while we danced which was fun. On Sunday we went to a pretty fancy restaurant for lunch and then walked to the Royal Palace of Madrid. That evening, we met up with Cody and some of his friends studying abroad in Spain, we went to another really good taco place (I really missed Mexican Food). Me and Dany were still in the mood to go out and dance so we went to a small club nearby. Afterwards, we went to the airbnb and got ready for bed and to leave the next day.
Texas Week 7 and 8
Since the enmodes project, it's been all about finals, and I think they've been going pretty well. I've spent most of my time studying, which hasn't been super exciting, but it's alright. After the 3rd physiology test, I came back to Bryan, and I went back to campus again this week to hang out in a hammock in the Academic Plaza, and I ran into a couple friends while I was there. It was nice to see them and talk to people outside of my family, even if we were still social distancing. Rachel came with me to work on her roller blading, which was also pretty fun. I started re-reading The Kite Runner, and that book is really exceptional. Our last final was for history of medicine this morning, and now I'm writing this blog post while we're doing final evaluations for Mats and Dr. Wasser. I miss everyone a lot, and it's hard knowing that this might be the last time we'll all "be together." It's also hard knowing that today is the day we'd be leaving Germany and coming home, and instead we've been home for 7 weeks and haven't been able to see each other or go out to bars in Bonn or study at coffee shops or travel anywhere else. I'm still mourning the loss of the last 2 months in Germany a little bit, even though I've accepted it. I think it might be easier after today, when I would've been home anyway, but right now that just reminds me of the time we lost there. I miss Gesine and Mats and Bosse and Homei and the Korean BBQ restaurant and the pasta food truck, and I'm really sad that I never got to see the cherry blossoms in Bonn, but I know I'll be back someday. Hopefully I'll be able to go with friends from the program so we can finish out some parts of our experience together. To close it out, here’s a video that Gesine sent me a few days ago and absolutely made me cry. I miss Bonn a lot, but this definitely isn’t an experience I’ll ever forget.
https://youtu.be/tym8uqshX7s
https://youtu.be/tym8uqshX7s
Week 15/16
Our enmodes presentation week! After a lot of late night zoom calls, mobiliteam pulled through and we had an awesome presentation on Friday! It was a great experience and I was pleased with our result! Our last week was filled with finals and exams! I am overall so grateful for this experience, and though it didn't go as planned, I still got my Aggie gold delivered this week!!
Thank you to everyone at AIB, our professors, and TA's for all of the hard work you put into our study abroad! I had such a great experience and am thankful for the time we spent in Deutschland!
An update: I got sunburnt repainting our barn yesterday and cant move my arms
Thank you to everyone at AIB, our professors, and TA's for all of the hard work you put into our study abroad! I had such a great experience and am thankful for the time we spent in Deutschland!
An update: I got sunburnt repainting our barn yesterday and cant move my arms
Week 11/12/13/14
Miserable is the best way to describe these, except for the fact that I got a new car and also got YETI dog bowls for my new puppy. Adjusting to the online class was hard, but I eventually figured out how to adapt! I took a lot of walks with Molly, and played a lot of cornhole with my dad! Nothing too eventful happened!
Week 10
This week we got back from Germany! We were nervous that we would be standing in a CDC line for hours like had been reported the day before, but it only took about a half-hour! I was so glad to be home at the point! This week, I did a paint by number, was still recovering from being so sick, and slept a lot!
Week Nine: Spring Break
This was the most exciting spring break of my life! My mom and I visited Lucerne, Switzerland, and went to Interlaken! Interlaken was one of my almost highlights, had it not been snowing the entire time! We then visited Bavaria and Munich, which was my favorite place in Europe! We then made our way to Salzburg, Austria, which was one of the prettiest places I've been to! On Thursday, we found out we were being sent home! While I was devastated, things in Europe were becoming so different and I felt ready for familiarity. I spent Sunday, my birthday, with my sweet host family and celebrated with a walk to my favorite place near our house and a big lunch!
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