Still At Home

Now that i’ve been home for over two weeks i feel like i’ve gained a new routine which is good. I have multiple tests this week and next week, so now it’s time to put my at home studying skills to the test. 

I have grown to like online classes quite a bit. Zoom is a great program and i love to use it recreationally to talk to friends or to create a study group. It works great! Even after this virus hysteria passes i still may continue to use zoom.

I got kicked out of a basketball court yesterday by health officials. My brother and my best friend were the only ones at the basketball court with me, so it made me kind of angry when the health officials said we had to disperse. There was no one who could receive or give the disease to me because there were only THREE of us. The official just said its the mayors orders. I miss being able to go play basketball or doing things in public. It’s sad how scared and fragile our community is. I can’t even imagine how bad things would be if corona was more deadly.

I don’t know i’m tired a lot too. If these blogs don’t make sense sometimes it’s because  i write my thoughts as they come. I think that’s what we’re supposed to do right?😅

Anyway, that’s all i got for the last week sooo, i’ll update y’all next monday. Hasta luego!

Week 6 - Celebration!

This week was a week of celebration! I got to truly experience what Karneval was like this week, and it was absolutely insane, but also a lot of fun! On Thursday, we all participated in a parade where we got to toss candy to people. Some of the students were trying to throw candy up to people in the second, or even third, stories of their houses! It was quite funny watching people try to catch the candy with anything they could. Someone even used an umbrella to catch candy! On Sunday, I went to watch the parade in my neighborhood with my host family! Everyone in the family dressed up. My host mother was a frog, my host sister was a bee, and I was a sailor! We all collected a lot of candy and snacks, more than I will ever be able to eat. The floats and costumes were all so colorful and wonderful! I really enjoyed my time with my host family this weekend!

Week 5 - Surprise Extra Day

This week, we were supposed to leave Prague on Sunday, but due to bad weather our flight was canceled. We ended up having to find an emergency hotel, as our flight didn't leave until Monday! It wasn't too stressful though, as I was more than happy to spend an extra day in Prague! We walked the Charles Bridge on Sunday, and I picked up some earrings for myself and my mother! They are beautiful and unique, and I'm very happy with them! When we got back to Bonn, I immediately had a Genetics test and then went straight into shadowing at the University Clinic. I was able to watch an eardrum repair and a cyst removal surgery,  both of which were very interesting! The surgeon for the cyst removal even taught me how to do a basic suture and let me try it myself! Not on the patient, of course, but on some spare pieces of gauze. It was a new experience that I'm thankful for. I also found out on Friday that I was accepted into the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2024!! It was an amazing end to the week, and it makes me even more excited for the months to come!

Week 10 - Quarantine days

How my quarantine is going summarized in a Haiku:

I am very sad

Being away from friends sucks

How much longer Rona?

Texas Week 2

My official quarantine is over, which is nice, but the whole country is on lockdown so it's not like it's doing much good for me. I got to go to the barn and that was nice because I missed Carlie and Allison, but again: they could've waited until May if it meant I got to stay in Europe. I watched Tiger King with my sister and that was fun, and our cats are getting along better, so that's good. Really I just don't want to be home. It's hot and sticky and I miss my friends and travelling. It's hard to focus in class because it's so easy to get distracted. Oh well.

Week 3/22/20 to 3/28/20

I've had a full week of adjusting and it's been nice to be home. I missed my mom's cooking along with having my own personal decorated space. If I could I would've rathered stayed in Germany seeing that the U.S has more cases FOR A VIRUS THAT STARTED OVERSEAS. OVERSEAS. Let that statement marinate a little. There's no reason to why it should've gotten this extreme, but hey at least the U.S is number one at something right? I get so frustrated because I feel like some people just feel so entitled or are ignorant of being out and about not treating the disease seriously when people are losing their family members to this virus. People are running with people around them and want to go out in public than ever before but why now? Why now that we have a pandemic on our hands? It doesn't make sense. I see people on social media posting the dumbest of opinions, and even being racist about this whole situation and I am not shy at all to tell them off or educate them a little.  I don't mean to sound any type of way but it is frustrating to even have our president call the coronavirus the Chinese virus. The cracks in the system are finally showing to some people. It's sad to see that it has taken a pandemic for some people to see the reality of other's people's lives and the flaws in the system. Today a teenager died from the coronavirus due to medics refusing to treat him because he had no insurance. I really hate it here. I have a feeling this is going to last longer than August. I'm not really complaining about having to stay in because growing up in a Hispanic household it feels like I've been in quarantine my whole life.

Week 3/15/20 to 3/21/20

It was so unreal having to go home and pack just to go back to my real home. It was a lot of traveling to get back home and I'm sure I traveled for about 25+ hours without sleep. I cried leaving my host parents house because we have a lot of little jokes and laugh so much and it was so nice. Writing this I'm flashing the image of them standing on the curbside of the house as the taxi left at 3am to take my to catch my first train. It was sad and little things would make me sentimental but I stopped after awhile . For my first flight from Frankfurt to Chicago it was 8 hours and the first check in the lady made me stand in a premium line so ya girl got her flight seat upgraded for free and I had so much space for myself which was great. After that it was a lot of different flights and buses and I was so exhausted by the end of it. At Chicago we had coronavirus/ immigration screening which was surprisingly really fast. The people behind me almost got in a fight which I was low-key all there for it. The guy behind me was complaining because we were in line for about 30 mins and there were no workers to which was understandable to why he was upset and the old lady behind him was "I also have to catch my connecting flight you're not special" LMAOOOOO I was about to say something but once I start saying stuff it would've been a different ending so I just kept my mouth shut and they eventually stopped arguing. Mrs.Coronavirus really ended my study abroad program but I had so much fun and I wouldn't exchange what I learned from my peers from my teachers and to my own individual experiences for anything. I loved the 2-3ish months we had together.

Week 3/8/20 to 3/14/20

After Berlin we went to copehagen which I honestly liked a little better than Berlin since everything was much closer to each other. Everything was still expensive as heck but what can we do. We had brunch almost everyday which was lovely ! We went to a spy museum where I almost got my phone stolen hehe, but I got it back That night we went to a club called matrix and it fell on woman's day so we got free admission. That club was so much fun and I'm pretty sure I danced with someone's mom and dad LMAOO. I don't judge or discriminate so we had a fun time. I met 3 best friends from the UK and it was just a random/wild night overall.  The next day we had more brunch and more siteseeing which was the best and the same week we also went to Amsterdam and met up with one of Carley's friends who studied abroad in the U.S. She was so nice and had a great fashion taste. More than I could ever have in my life! Lots of walking, lots of admissions fees, lots of Mexican food and lots of live music. I really appreciate the live music. FINALLY, March 12, 2020, I will not forget at 6:13 am I found out we had to go back to the united states and I was so shook for a good 5 minutes and then it hit and I started crying. I was really loving my experience and it sucked that we had to go back so soon. Stealing this quote from Jen, I'm glad I had such a good experience that I had a hard time saying bye to.

Week 3/1/2020 to 3/7/2020

This week was filled with some test as well as with some traveling. It was the beginning of spring break which I was looking forward to. Our original plans of going to Italy got cancelled which was sad but I mean what can you do. So we Lost some money but made new plans. That same night I also went to the karokee club but it was so slow and left around 12 am . The next day I packed and got ready to leave for Berlin! It was cool to see how one could travel from place to place so quick. This day I saw the Berlin wall and got involved in a protest I had no idea about. I have a video about it and it just seems so random haha. Carley and I spent the whole day walking and site seeing which honestly cool but exhausting. The hostel was BEAUTIFUL so I was glad to make it back and take a nap. After that we went to a Mexican restaurant which was bomb. We went to a club that same night and ended up making a friend and talked to them until 3 am. It was crazy haha but they were really nice and I was so happy to meet them! It was just a lot of traveling for this week and some test to start the week beforehand.

week 2/23/20 to 2/29/20

This week we had the 8 hour Solidworks course and since I procrastinated it felt like forever to complete it. We had a few assignments and test which I was stressed about so I decided to go outside and walk along the rhine river. TELL ME WHY, I got lost haha, so I spent more time outside than I intended. It was beautiful outside though. I could never walk late at night like that in Houston. It was amazing I felt so safe and at peace. It was also my roommates birthday back at home so I ordered some wings for her via doordash, the world is such a pretty place haha. It was my brother's birthday back at home the next day and I wished him a happy birthday and chipped in to buy a gift for him. The day before I stayed up studying for a test so I was exhausted when I got back home and fell asleep so I didn't call my mom to ask how his birthday went. I called the next day to see how it went and tell me why she told me she forgot thinking it was tomorrow. Long story short, she forgot, my dad forgot, and so did my sister LMAO. The gift and food after made up for it. The next day I shopped at TK max ! I bought a perfume and some shirts and treated myself to a nice hot chocolate. I was really stressed about all the assignments so I have no idea why I went out like that. I also got my nails painted but that ladies at the nail salon were so rude but I made it out. When I got back home I watched a movie with my Host sister and yeah.

Week 2/16/20 to 2/22/20

So the Bmen 211 Test was over and now the main focus was our Math test and Karneval! So I was studying for that math Test and I was feeling pretty good about it after an all nighter and a few energy drinks. I know haha not the healthiest but you gotta do what you gotta do. The day of the math test we also presented the enmodes which was a bit intimidating, but I was able to calm my nerves down a bit. We presented and then my group got split up and now taking a different approach and look which I am happy with. After the math test I went to a Mexican restaurant with Carley and Carol. I have never been so disrespected in my life! I got 2 tacos with rice and beans for almost 21 bucks! It was insane! The tacos weren't even that good and I kinda wanted to complain haha but I stayed chilled ate and left. The day after it was the Karneval parade and I wOKE UP LATE! I took an uber in which was almost crashed if I hadn't told the driver to stop! But I made it to the new AIB and that was that. I saw my host sister during the parade and gave her a bunch of candy haha! I bought a wig and some rhinestones for my face to dress up as to hit some clubs up during the weekend. Carley and me ended up meeting 5 paramedics who were also Hispanic! I loved that for us so we were just with them club hopping all over the place.

week 2/9/2020 to 2/15/2020

It's been a minute but here is my blog post about this week! I decided to come back from Vienna because we had a BMEN 211 assignment due that Monday and I was like "lemme get a head start". I did not get a head start because I slept the whole weekend haha! Huge upside though was I made traditional dishes with my host mom, so good food for the cheap! That Tuesday I saw a leg cleaning? If that's the word, they took off the man's skin since it apparently got stuck in a machine and they were waiting for it to heal so they just changed the wrapping/bandaging on it. It was cool, but also stressful to watch. I was also stressed because of the upcoming BMEN 211 exam but we were pulling through. That same day I went to a Jonas Brothers concert with Carley! That same night I also discovered that I do not like the Jonas Brothers, but we live and we learn haha. It was fun! I almost got in an argument with some German girls but that's a discussion for another day. That same week my Host mom gave me a mask to start wearing, I guess this was the beginning of the Coronavirus and literally nobody would get close to me! WHICH I LOVED HAHA! I need my own space on that bus. That Saturday my host mom took me to buy flowers so we could plant them! I picked some out and we planted them and she asked me to get water from inside to water them. I didn't know how to water worked so I accidentally water the flowers... with hot water... it was scary. I was scared because back at home my mom would've scolded me but my host mom laughed and so did my host dad. They told me I could help them in the backyard if I wanted to but I had work and cleaning to do so I didn't.

Week 8 in Europe (aka Last)

Hello from America :(
That's right, you read correctly, from America. Sadly, due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, we had to get sent home. However, before we did, I am so grateful that we still got to go on Spring Break to Spain. I left a day later than everyone else in order to celebrate a friend of my host sister's birthday on the Friday before Spring Break. We went laser tagging, and it was so hard to understand what was going on in German. Then on Saturday I flew to Madrid. I absolutely loved the architecture of Madrid and we kind of just roamed around aimlessly. We went to one of the coolest night life spots I have ever seen. 7 Stories and a giant cool air fan. Unfortunately, I got my phone pick pocketed, so I didn't get to see as much of Madrid as I would have liked due to having to figure out a new phone. But then we got to go to Lisbon, Portugal. And it was one of my favorite cities I have ever been to. We went on a food tour and had the most incredible food and drinks. We spent another day on a gorgeous beach just a little outside the city. Then we got to Barcelona, where we enjoyed one day on the beach followed up with a trip to a Dine in the Dark experience where you eat in complete blindness. It was such a cool dinner. However, at this point we got news that we were getting sent home so the rest of Barcelona was spent social distancing and stressing about getting home. So now I'm at home in quarantine, a little sad. But hey it's all apart of the Hero's Journey.

Week 10 in Texas

Week 1 of quarantine is over and I'm still mourning the loss of my study abroad in Europe. I know that sounds dramatic but it really is a huge loss to me. I don't really know when I'll be able to have the time off that I can spend traveling Europe like I was doing for the last 2 months. Anyways, quarantine isn't so bad. I've been going out twice a day for runs and bike rides so I can stay sane as well as spending time with my family and my dogs. I'm looking forward to classes starting again so I can have some structure in my life. That's all that's going on. Not as exciting as a week ago.

Week 9 in Spain

Well, this week started off great, and ended with some devastating news. We were enjoying a nice week in Barcelona going between the beach and seeing the sights including some amazing art by Gaudi. On Thursday morning, we woke up to the news that we had to return to the US by next Tuesday at the latest. I felt like I was in shock. I never thought that the program I had been planning and waiting for for 3 years would be cut short by almost a half. We decided to go watch the sunrise at the beach since we were up so early and we sat there just trying to process this abrupt ending to one of the best experiences of our lives. I was very sad the next few days, especially when I thought about leaving my host family so early. I tried to enjoy my last few days in Barcelona, but these days were filled with the stress of finding flights back to the US, and threats of getting stuck somewhere due to the growing number of coronavirus cases in Spain. When I finally got back to Bonn on Sunday, I enjoyed a lovely final day with my host family. I quickly packed all of my things and spent the day walking along the Rhein river, having my last German beer and playing games with my host siblings. We left on Monday and returned back to our homes for 2 weeks of quarantine.

Week 8 in Bonn

This was a pretty short week and we had our first lab exam before leaving for spring break. The exam was not too bad and after that I was rewarded by a trip to Spain! We flew to Madrid on Friday night and spent a few wonderful days there before heading to Barcelona for the rest of the week. Madrid was amazing and I was so relieved that a lot of my Spanish knowledge from high school came back to me. We saw sights such as the Palace of Madrid, Retiro Park, the Botanical Gardens, and sampled sangria an churros. I really like the culture of taking a siesta in the afternoon and staying up late for a leisurely dinner. Spain is very beautiful so far and I'm looking forward to the beach in Barcelona.

Week 7: Carnival

So this week was the week of carnival baby. I had such a good day this day, I went to Cologne to celebrate and wow do they go hard there. It was especially nice because I got to see a lot of people on the program and hang out with them, as well as talk to many Germans there (in English) and just have a good time overall. I was there pretty late, some of us ended up getting a little lost but overall we all made it home with no hiccups. It was one of the best experiences I could have asked for in Germany and I'm grateful I at least got to experience it before the crisis of Coronavirus.

However, after that Monday I had to go straight into school mode again because I had a some 253, 211 assignments due and I also had the first physiology exam to study for. So essentially from Tuesday onward I spent the time cramming for my exams and trying to get everything done on time. I think it was my hardest week in the program, academically speaking, but I still managed to get through it pretty easily.

Week 6: The Week of the Math Exam

For this week, I had my first math exam. To be fair, I've always been pretty decent at math, so I thought, yunno, this would go as smoothly as the past 12 years of my schooling. However, I was dead wrong. It was rough. It threw me around the room, kicked me, told me I'm stupid, then held my family hostage kind of hard. I spent what felt like hours just on one or two problems that ended up being taken off the exam in the end. Besides that math exam, that week was utterly boring. That's all I did all week. I prepared for my math exam.

The weekend, however, was entirely different. It was carnival weekend, so that Thursday of the week, we had finished classes and we got to go contribute in carnival parade. That was one of the best days in the program honestly. Nothing can really beat throwing candy at kids. That Thursday of carnival was really fun so it was a great entrance into our weeked in Brussels.

On Friday morning I went to Brussels with Brianna and Hannah (girl's trip!) and although it wasn't as touristy and fun as I imagined, it was still nice to hang out with the girls and be away from some boys for a bit. We were only there from Friday to Sunday so that we could have some time on Monday for rose monday of carnival. And that I will explain in my next post....

Week 8

Aside from further studying and testing, week eight was relatively mundane until the weekend. On Friday morning (very early that morning), Jen, Jack, and I set off to the Cologne Bonn airport to catch our flight to Zurich, Switzerland. We then caught a train to Engelberg, a small ski village situated next to the beautiful Titlis mountain. Upon arriving to town around noon, we all spent an exorbitant amount of money on skis, helmets, and mountain passes and hit the slopes as quickly as we could. Jack and I realized immediately that this mountain was more difficult than those back in the U.S. as we watched Jen fall down one of the easier slopes on the mountain. Thankfully, she got a ski instructor the next day and quickly improved as the weekend continued. Jack and I challenged ourselves by traveling to close to the top of the mountain on Saturday. While the slopes were listed as "reds", which are considered moderate slopes, some of them would probably be considered "blacks" in Colorado, which was definitely a struggle for someone like me who has not skied in two years. I managed to make it down the slopes without dying (or falling until Sunday), but my feet were absolutely killing me, so we all called it a day and bought extremely expensive pizza and cheap wine. On the final day, Jack and I did one trip from the top of the mountain to the bottom. The top slopes were steep, and I managed to survive by butt sliding through the portions that were seemingly 90 degree drops. After making our way down, we agreed to stop skiing for the day as our feet were in excruciating pain. We met up with Jen and took a gondola to the highest point on Mount Titlis. We all ate and looked out at the beautiful Swiss landscape until we had to return home later that night. Overall, this was the best weekend travel trip of the study abroad.

Texas Week 1

I'm bored and I don't want to be here. I got buffalo wings. That was cool. It's nice to see my cat and my parents, but they could have waited if it meant I got to stay in Europe. This week has been a whole lot of nothing. I watched several seasons of Community. That's about it. I accidentally dyed my hair ginger instead of dark brown, which I'm not super happy about. Thankfully I got to go to Austin with Bri, Katrina, Dany, Enrique, and Cash, even if Enrique's car struggled a bit in the rain. That Austin trip was a saving grace; at least I was back in an Airbnb with my friends, even if it was in Austin instead of Europe. My sister and parents were all home when I got back, and it's nice to have everyone home, especially since my sister has been living out of state for a while. I still wish I was in Europe and I think I'll feel that way at least until the semester is over. Maybe longer. I don't really know what to say here anymore. I only really get out of bed to move to the couch and watch Netflix on the TV instead of my laptop. School might make it better but who knows. At least it's a global pandemic and not a less important reason, but god it sucks. I've had too many things to mourn in the last few months, and it's exhausting.

Week One Back Home

At this point, i have officially been home for one week. I do miss Germany quite a bit. Actaully, i miss it quite a lot. I wish i was still there. Being at home is kind of nice but having quarantine makes it feel like prison. I felt so much more free in Germany when I was on my own going everywhere and seeing everything. That’s what I miss the most. Online classes start up tomorrow and while i’m curious how they will be, I am also really unmotivated to get back into things. I really enjoyed the routine I was in and now I don’t know what i want to do. Part of me wants to go to my apartment in college station for the summer but part of me wants to stay because it’s home. I’m hoping I can start going to the gym again, going to restaurants and being able to not worry about how much freaking toilet paper i use. I also miss seeing all my people everyday. I need to find a new routine. I need to find something to do besides study. 

This last week or so i’ve gotten pretty sedentary. As soon as classes start tomorrow I will be working out in my garage consistently, studying and hopefully other things to keep my mind together. 

Psychologically I haven’t yet begin to hate being at home all the time. But physically i think i want to do more. I haven’t done much in this past week so there isn’t much to tell. Next week i will explain how the online classes went. 

✌🏼

Bonn: Week 7

This week started off with Rose Montag!

We went to Cologne early on Monday and had the craziest time! It was such a fun experience, and I loved hanging with all of my Germany friends! We met some really cool people too!

This week we had our first physiology test also!

On Thursday night, I left with my host sister to visit Hamburg for the weekend! It was SUCH a fun trip! We got to see so many cool places, the weather was sunny and warm, and the food was amazing! Hamburg was one of my most favorite cities, and was definitely the most beautiful harbor city I've ever been to! It was really fun spending time with my host sister, and I think my German definitely got better!

Week 6

This week was the beginning of Karneval!

On Thursday, we got to be a part of the Karneval parade in Beuel, which was one of the highlights of my week! We threw candy to children and the whole atmosphere was so fun!

At 4:45 am on Friday morning, I took a train to Cologne-Bonn airport and flew with Langley to Berlin, where we met Olivia who had taken an overnight bus! We had such a fun weekend trip!

On Friday, we saw the Brandenburg gate, Reichtag, rode Lime scooters around a big park, saw a memorial for the murdered Jews in WWII, Victory column and had to work on our essays (Sorry Olivia.) Friday night we also had the best BBQ since we had left the US!

On Saturday, we went to the East side of Berlin, where we saw the East Side Gallery, Berlin wall monuments, and had the best brunch.


Sunday we came back to Bonn, and got ready for Rose Montag!

Bonn: Week 5

This week was especially uneventful! On Monday, due to bad weather, our flight in Prague was delayed. We were "forced" to stay in Prague another night, and splurged for a four-star hotel on the nice side of town!

On Tuesday, I had my first genetics exam, which went as well as it could've considering the Prague adventures. My host sister came back from her England study abroad, and we finally got to meet!

On Wednesday, we spent the day at the university hospital in Bonn. I was able to see several day surgeries and learn a lot more about Germany's medical school process and healthcare systems.

The rest of the week was very relaxed. I studied for other exams, finished homework, and ventured into Bonn to see some of the pre-Karneval shenanigans!

Week 7

Rosenmontag is an awesome holiday! It's the epitome of Carneval and I highly recommend celebrating it in Koln. The only downside was that the next day we had our German final at 8:45am. BMEN had many classes that would start at 8:45am which was a great burden to everyone especially following Rosenmontag. Despite this, the week was pretty short but I got to try out some more food in the Marktplatz. This weekend I'm going to Berlin to check out the history there and celebrate my birthday.

In Berlin, my friends and I saw many cool attractions and memorials. Firstly, we went to the museum  district but decided not to go in because it would've been too expensive for us but we instead took some good pictures. We then walked to check out the Jewish Holocaust Memorial which was super intriguing because the artist left no reasoning behind why he designed it in such a claustrophobic and ominous sensation as one walks through. We then checked out the East Berlin Wall Memorial which was pretty neat. Seeing all the different artworks was interesting because they all had some sort of political messages behind them. For my birthday we went out to explore the nightlife and had a great time!

Overall this week has been exciting but there is rising concern about the coronavirus which may end my vacation plans to Italy.

Week 6

This week we got to meet with enmodes and presented each group's ideas which was interesting to learn about the different aspects of the ECMO device. However the same day BMEN had a math test and so the same day and night before everyone was exhausted of studying and wanted to just take the test, but had to wait for later in the day. The problem I'm finding out is that the long class days makes taking tests at the end of the day more difficult because of how long and tiring some days can be. After taking the test, I knew my long weekend started because of Carneval! It's the equivalent of Mardi Gras but German and celebrated for months before Ash Wednesday. All of AIB got together to then go participate in a parade where we threw candy, popcorn, napkins, small toys, and saw smiles and cheering everywhere. Seeing Carneval from this perspective of the parade would come to mind when me and my friends go out to Koln to celebrate a larger version of a parade. Everyone is so nice and actually cares for each other's health. The nightlife of Koln during Carnival is amazing and filled with everyone relatively our age which was cool! Clubs, bars, and restaurants all open and filled to the door as everyone is having fun. This was truly a sight!!

Even my host family were into the entire Carnival celebration. Though they didn't have a costume they still went out to the parades and collected candy for all of us to enjoy as a treat which we have a lot! My host mom and dad are pretty cool people and I enjoy being with them and talking about each others' days and memories and families.

Amazing Surgery

This week was very exciting! I got to see a full knee replacement surgery on an elderly woman. At first I was supposed to watch a spinal fusion but was then told to watch a knee replacement surgery because I apparently didn't have some sort of permission, it was weird but I was okay with it at the end because I saw a knee surgery. To some, surgery and blood in general can be gross but I didn't mind it because of what was actually going on. After the doctors draped the patient and organized the room, it was time to proceed with the procedure. As the orthopedic surgeon was opening the knee, I could smell the scent of burning flesh because an assistant was cauterizing to prevent bleeding. I was a bit uncomfortable with this but soon got used to it, sounds weird. The entire knee was then exposed and I could see the muscles and bones from a distance, which was super cool!! They then cut the fibia and tibia end with a saw. This saw looks like one you'd get at Home Depot but they all work the same with the same purpose. After sawing, the surgeon used pieces of metal fitting piece to determine the size of joints the patient will need. Once the piece was determined, an assistant would go out and grab the correct sizes for the permanent joints. The joints were then glued to the bones and I got to keep a piece of glue. This glue has an exothermic reaction to solidify and so as it hardened it got warmer which was cool. Once the knee cap and joints are properly set, the orthopedic surgeon's job is done and he then scrubs out while his assistants close the knee up. Overall, this was an eye opening experience because I saw first hand how important and effective medical devices and prothesis are, especially from a biomedical engineering perspective.

Vienna-Budapest

Visiting Vienna was an exciting and amazing moment so far. Although having classes the day before and then waking up very early isn't so ideal, I think it may have been worth it. While in Vienna we learned about the history of the city and its delicious food. Walking around in the cold and windy days were not a problem because the buildings, people, and food were amazing. Goulash, a popular dish, was very good and I was impressed by the way it was served in a copper pot lit by a small candle!! We stayed in a pretty good hotel and was pretty close to all of our tours and main attractions especially by public transport. Overall, I enjoyed Vienna a lot!!

The same Friday, I traveled to Budapest with a group of friends and we spent 2 nights there. While in Budapest we explored the city and even went to a thermal bath. Though it was too cold to be outside, the thermal baths were awesome and very relaxing! We then got back to the Airbnb and relaxed until it was time to go out and explore the nightlife. The next morning, we made our own breakfast but became worried about a hurricane approaching Bonn. A hurricane in Bonn??? Sounds very strange but it happened. Because of this our flights were canceled and we had to stay another night in Budapest which was irritating because we had class the following Monday. Despite this we went out into the city and kept sightseeing and ate good food at a nice fancy restaurant, where I ordered a quad scooped ice cream bowl. It was delicious!! The following Monday, I was tired but ready to go back to Bonn. It took all day to get back to Bonn due to a lay over in Hamburg but we eventually got home late but tired. Now onto classes at 8:45am....

My last two weeks In Europe(8&9)

The last two weeks have been mostly a blur. I went from finishing week 8 with a test in bmen 211 and then metting my family that weekend in Bonn. In week 8 i didn’t know much muy study and workout because the following week would be spring break. Little did I know it would also be my last week in Europe.....

My family came to visit me for spring break. First we spent a few days in Bonn. I was able to show them around and tell the some of the cool facts i knew about the town. They loved how small and beautiful Bonn was. We even had dinner together with my host mom.

Of course, i had to show my brother the best store in the town. After Bonn we went to Brussels, Belgium where we spent the next three days.

Belgium had some of the best food I ate during my time in Europe. We stayed in a nice hotel right next to the Square. 

The square here in Brussels was gorgeous. The buildings were all leafed with gold, restaurants and street performers lined the edges of this large square. We walked around this area a lot and went to shops. We even found the famous pissing man. I thought it was odd that he was wearing an outfit, i think it took away from how funny the statue is naked.

Another place in Belgium we went to was called Brugge. Brugge is small town but it’s a tourist town.

The two. has a lot of old fairy tale type building. We took a one hour train there on Wednesday. Of course like Brussels the food was great and the sun actually came out. There isn’t a lot of sunshine in Belgium but Brugge got some and it made the town that much more magic. 

After this day we found out about the Declaration by the US to close its borders in response to the Corona Virus. At this point we travelled back to Bonn and my parents stayed in Köln. I packed my things and said good bye to the city and Saturday morning I left to come back home.

THOUGHTS:

At first I was in complete shock. I just did what i needed to do and went where i needed to go. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the taxi on my way to the airport that it hit me what was going on. I was leaving Europe, where I was going to be for the next two months, and was on my way home. At this point i began to get real sad because I didn’t feel like i was ready to go. I felt like my hero’s journey still had more to go. Maybe this was part of the journey and it hasn’t ended yet, just changed and now i need to adapt once again. I’m upset too. Upset in the mass hysteria by media, people, and the government. I felt like it would have been easier and safer just to keep every one who is international where they are. The last few days have been a mess. Between traveling last minute and worrying about classes and the virus i’ve just been so discombobulated. I have no idea what is going on with my classes or what i’m doing. Maybe i’ll spend some time in cstat? I’m not sure, but what i am sure about is that i wish i was still in Germany. 

If we are supposed to keep writing these blogs then perhaps you’ll hear from me in the following weeks. If not, and this is my last blog then farewell

and Tschuss!

Spring Break... unless?

The beginning of this week was hands down the most fun I've had in my life, and I would do anything to be back where I was.
When we woke up on our last day in Madrid, Bri and Katrina went to try to track down her phone while me, Enrique, and Dany packed up and got ready to leave the Airbnb. We ended up near the Apple store and bummed around a little bit, then found a little restaurant that was completely empty and got a booth, where we sat and drank sangria and ate mussels for hours. Eventually, Bri and Katrina joined us for more mussels and sangria until it was time to go to the airport to go to Lisbon!
Our first day in Lisbon, we found our Airbnb and then went to a nearby restaurant where they served us an absolutely insane amount of food and an almost equally insane amount of wine. Since it was late enough and we didn't want to go out, we decided to have a silent disco in the apartment. I'm pretty sure I was the only one not listening to Bad Bunny and honestly I should have. The next morning, we got up and went on a food tour and it was INCREDIBLE! I can't believe I'd never been on a food tour before when travelling but now I want to try it everywhere I go. We started off with the world's best chocolate cake (they're right about that), then we went to a market where we had Vino Verde, tinned fish and a cod/chickpea salad. I was shocked at how good the tinned fish was, especially because I'm not always a huge seafood person, but I wish I'd bought some to bring home with me. Next, we had fried cuttlefish and OMG it's my new favorite food; the worst part of calamari has always been the texture (which isn't bad), but the cuttlefish was so soft and I loved it. The next place was all about pork, which I usually try to avoid because it tends to upset my stomach, but I ate it anyway because I figured it might be different in Europe, and somehow it was, and I really liked it. The last stops were for mussels (delicious, but not as good as Madrid), then pastel de nata and espresso, which I also loved. I truly can't believe how good the food tour was, and I can't wait to travel again to sign up for more! We walked around a shopping area for a while after the food tour, then found a rooftop bar to look at the view, and Lisbon has to be one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited.
The next day, we decided to go to the beach, so we stocked up on some wine and beer, then figured out another public transport system and made our way there! The water was cold, but it felt so nice to be at the beach and in the sun. Dany and I bought swimsuits at the beach; I didn't bring one to Germany because I didn't think I'd need it, which was a bit of an oversight but also not completely wrong because Germany was very cold. We spent the whole day lying around and playing in the water, then got burgers at a restaurant on the beach and took a taxi home.
The morning after the beach day, I woke up to Katrina telling us that we were going home and a text from my dad with a record locater for my flight home. We knew this was a possibility with COVID-19, but didn't really want to dwell on it in hopes that the problem would go away, but I'm writing this at home and honestly my heart is broken. We already had tickets booked to go to Barcelona, so we got on the plane. My dad called me after we boarded and was pretty upset that I was on that plane, but I didn't know what to do. I booked a flight from Barcelona to Bonn and a train from Bonn to Frankfurt before the flight to Barcelona took off. I only had about 5 hours in Barcelona, so we stopped by La Sagrada Familia then got lunch before going to the Airbnb. We hung out there for a little while before I had to say bye to everyone and get in a taxi.
Packing up my room in Bonn was devastating. When I got home, Gesine was too nervous to hug me. I understood, but it was still sad. I miss her. I had a taxi pick me up from her house at 5 AM to take me to Bonn Hbf so I could catch my train to Frankfurt. I watched the sun rise over the Rhine and it absolutely, 100% broke me for a little while. I cried on and off all day. Jen and Jake were on my plane, and it was nice to be able to talk to them so I didn't feel completely alone on the way home. I got through customs faster than my parents expected, so I met them outside of the airport and broke down when I walked outside. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be in Texas. I was supposed to be dining in the dark with my friends in Barcelona, not in Dallas. This hurts a lot.