3 month reflection

 A whole summer has gone by since coming home from Germany. 

It's still almost hard to believe it is over. When I think back to all the experiences I had, the places I went, and the people I met, I am shocked it all happened in the blink of an eye. 

The beginning of my trip was very hard, I remember celebrating that I had been there for one week, terrified that I had 15 to go. Slowly but surely as I started to let go, connect with the people around me, and make the decision to try new things with an open mind. There was a moment I knew I never wanted to leave. 

I learned so much on this trip, more than I can understand at this moment in time for sure. 

Being home has been pretty chill compared to the whirlwind trip, I've been working and doing school. But even though I went back to the same world I left, it is not the same. I have this knowledge now of other cultures and places, and even the knowledge that I am brave enough to be a world traveler.

I miss my host family every day, and I miss the atmosphere of Bonn more than I thought I ever would. 

I can't wait to go back someday.

12 Weeks Later...

When I was in Germany, I missed having the commodity of a car, but now, I miss having a (somewhat) reliable source of public transportation.

When I was in Germany, I missed my hometown, but now, I miss the comparatively cold weather that I grew accustomed to in Bonn.

When I was in Germany, I missed seeing my friends and family, but now, I miss the family that we built in classroom A-8.

I can only remember the whole experience fondly, even though not everything was sunshine and rainbows. I was used to grocery shopping by myself, walking way more than I used to, and seeing the same people every day. Alas, that ended, and it was rough to readjust. At first, I felt a bit empty as my days were not the same as they were for the past 4 months. During graduation, I ran into Vic, and for a second, my mind believed that I was in Bonn again. Then, after some time spent with my family, I was able to go integrate the changes I experienced into the person I was before January, and life felt normal again. 

When I started seeing all of my friends after four months, they would ask me how it went, and all I could say was that it was amazing. I wouldn't want to bore them with all the details and long stories, but I would recommend that if they had a chance to do it, they must. Most of the friends that I made in College Station were in the last two years, so part of me felt sad that I would not get to spend as much time before we graduated, but I will never regret studying abroad.

If I could go back and give myself advice, I would tell myself to not take everything so seriously and enjoy every moment.

Three Months Later

It has been almost three months now since I got home from Germany. I have to say, the adjustment period wasn’t what I expected it to be. It took me about a week to get over the jetlag, but I didn’t necessarily mind getting up at 6am every day. Other than that, though, it was like I never left. Maybe that was because I jumped right into a busy month with graduation, a trip to Cabo, a friend’s wedding, and starting grad school. However, I did miss Germany quite a bit. I still do. I found myself constantly talking about different experiences I had, and I always felt like “that friend” who can’t stop talking about her study abroad experience. I particularly missed it when I found out another friend of mine was in Bonn for a summer program during June. Now, I reflect on my time with such joy and nostalgia, and I can’t wait to go back and visit as soon as possible!

This summer, I have been busy with grad school. The business world is quite different from the STEM world and threw me for a loop at the beginning. I did find, however, that skills I gained from the Enmodes teamwork and presentation translate well to the team projects and presentations I do in grad school. I can’t wait until I return to the STEM world next year, though. Hopefully, that’ll be in the form of medical school… fingers crossed. Anyways… we have a Spring Break study abroad for grad school, and we’re going to PORTUGAL! I’m so excited to go back to Europe and explore a country I haven’t been to yet, even though I won’t have time to swing back by Germany. Until that time comes, I am so thankful for my time in Bonn and miss it every day.

Reflection

 After being back in the states, I experiences something called reverse culture shock. I hated the hot summer and how I had to drive everywhere and I couldn't take public transportation and see all my friends everyday. I missed the cool weather and my lack of allergies. But I was grateful to see my family and to have a break from school and stress. 

This summer I haven't done too much. I shadowed a bit, decided not to study for the mcat this summer, and am getting certified as a phlebotomist. If I'm being honest I've mostly read this summer. I also went to Scotland for a family wedding and then to Iceland. If you ever have a chance to go to Iceland, you should do it. Peri and I hang out pretty much everyday. I'm so glad that we met and became such great friends because of this program. We even started a cooking blog together! (We have already made some gluten free schnitzel). It isn't ready to be published yet but will be soon. Be on the lookout for the Gluten Free Foodie(s)!

I don't really know what to write except that I'm thankful for the program and that it will have a place in my heart forever. I feel like my options for life are more broad after this program. I learned to be thankful for things as simple as being able to walk down hills (and to dread aging). I know I can live in different cultures and even make a life among unfamiliar surroundings. I am really glad I did it. Part of me wants to go back and relive it over and over again, but I also know that I'm ready to move on and take on other challenges and experiences. 

11 Weeks to the Day

     It's been exactly 11 weeks to the day since we left Germany and returned to Texas. So much has changed since I've been back, yet it's hard to believe that I've already been back that long. I remember getting off the plane, saying goodbye, and watching the scenery pass outside my window. All I could think was that it wasn't nearly as green as it was in Germany and that I felt like I was torn between two different versions of my life. It's not like that anymore though. Don't get me wrong, I still miss Germany and the routine that I had settled into there, but I've also created a new one for myself here in Texas. I'm working at a job I love, spending time with my family again, and hanging out with friends. Erin and I have stayed in touch and see each other all the time too. So it hasn't been a bad adjustment, it's just different. I'm happy with where my life is right now.

    I will forever be glad that I participated in this program and that I got to experience all the things I did. I was able to see some amazing things, learn about different cultures, and make connections that I can't imagine my life without now. I will never forget what an incredible time I had in Europe, but I have also kept moving toward what the future holds for me.

10 Weeks Home

 I MISS IT. Everyday I am grateful for the experience that I had. I am able to tell amazing stories about my trip and share what I learned with those around me. I am also so grateful for the relationships I have gained through this experience. I see Colby 3 times a week in ochem, hangout with Mason in College Station, I now work with Erin, I am continuing to work with Blanche, and Peyton is one of my best friends. If anyone ever asks me about my experience and what it is like to go abroad, I can only say positive things. I am so thankful for this program and hope that the next group of students can enjoy it just as much as I did. 

Week 16: Going home

 The last week leading up to going home was very fun and rough at the same time. I was excited to go home and see all my family and friends but also heartbroken about leaving Bonn and all of its people. Finals and Enmodes were a blur so once that was finished I felt pretty relieved only to worry about fitting all my stuff back in my suitcase. Once May 2nd rolled around, I was pretty busy getting ready for my flight. Obviously, I ran to Theos to get one last Schokocroissant (and an extra to take home for my sister). A car ride, train, and plane later I was finally back home with my family (and yes I was reminded how much I hate terminal E in IAH). After finally getting some rest and re-adjusting to life back in Texas I became even more grateful for the opportunity I had to go on the study abroad trip. Telling all my friends and family about all my adventures really showed how much I had grown over those four months. I still do not think I could thank my host mom enough for how kind she was to me during my entire stay and how much that meant to me (yes, I still miss her a lot). I've already found myself wanting to go back to Germany, so that will definitely be in my future.

Week 16

 The final week came by after the semester, and I could not wait to finish my finals. I started with the physiology examination, which to my luck, was way easier than I thought it would be. The final examination was a not-so-complicated test due to the great amount of effort I spent on studying and focusing for this test. I took the test and I felt really confident will all of the questions since they had the content I prepared for specifically. I finished the test after 20 minutes and was set to keep studying for my genetics final the upcoming Monday. After finishing the final and the day was coming to an end, Dr. Wasser gathered us around and we went to have dinner at a very nice Greek food place in Bonn. I had a very nice time as it was my first time trying authentic Greek food and was with my peers chatting, drinking, and having a fun time. The weekend came and I kept studying for my Genetics final. Additionally, I also spent as much time as I could with my host parents since the program was coming to an end. My host parents were very kind and took my roommate Brady and me out for dinner to a very nice pizza place in Bornheim. We had dinner and chatted and talked about all of the good memories we had while being with them. My host parents also gave us some Beethoven shirts, which is the one I wore during my Genetics final. The final was not really what I was expecting but I was glad I was finally done with the semester. After the final, we then went and climbed the Drachenfels one last time and enjoyed the view on top from the beautiful castle on top. 

Week 15

As the final week was just right around the corner, we first had to take care of our final examinations. This week was even more stressful than the previous one as we all now had to focus on our final tests. I started the week studying for physiology as we were going to have both the third and final exams in the same week. This was a very stressful week, however, I was very excited to finish it as we were heading home the following week. In addition to physiology, I also had the genetics final, which was probably the test I was most focused on as our professor did not exactly tell us what to focus on. Despite the final examinations heading our way and the great amount of time studying, I knew that this was the final lap of this semester and it had to be finished with the proper attitude. All of my classmates knew this as both Bmed and Bims majors were highly focused on all of our tasks as we also had to finish the DHF since my group had to edit the final document.

Week 14 (April 10-16)

The flight back to Bonn was the most anxious I had felt during a flight. I definitely don't like flying, but I assume I will get used to it by the end of this. We went to a bar to watch the Champions League game between Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich played so bad. Our German teacher is amazing, and we played a trivia game again. I answered the Formula 1 question correctly, and I was so proud. Unfortunately, the three Hispanics and the ginger didn't win, but we tried. Remagen was a nice trip, and on my way back home, I walked with a smile. The road trip to Binge and Andernach was slightly less pleasant because the bus was stuffy, but Colby, Jack, and I made our music video debut. Saturday was my lazy day. I just went to a fancy Edeka, and it was the nicest one I had seen. Another Sunday, another guys' night. It was another fun time with my closer friends.

Week 13 (April 3-9)

Another mini hike before heading back to Bonn. I went to Basel to meet Victoria, and we got very unlucky with our train being canceled. Also the worst customer service ever. We had to look for our own way home, and I ended up getting home really late. I don't know why it always seems to be me with the late or canceled trains. The next day, I had to go to the doctor to get my cyst drained. It took 7 hours (I'm sorry Finn). I didn't eat until after, and I got home and fell asleep. I had not planned anything for Easter break, but somehow we managed to get book London within a few hours. A few of us had a small football session and darts at our favorite bar. We arrived in London and had fish and chips. It was good, and then we explored a bit before going back to the rest a little at the Airbnb. We ate Nando's for dinner (as recommended by Pat), and then Peri, Erin, and I went to the F1 arcade. I had SO much fun. We raced each other hard but fair (Erin crashed into me twice). I got to see Wimbledon, and it was a dream come true. I had always dreamt of attending a match, but being on the actual premises was also special. Big Ben was not as big as I thought, but everyone says that. This weekend passed by so fast. 

Week 12 (March 27-April 2)

France week.

It started off in Bonn. I rode my bike to school and tried riding the bus back, but I got kicked off. The next day, we headed over to Beaune (pronounced like Bonn). We got some burgundy wine and watched a rom-com at night. A quick stop to Colmar for the foldable painting, which was magnificent. We finally got to Paris late at night, and a few of us went to dinner near our place. This night, we watched About Time (Jack left mid-way because it was too cringe for him). Next stop, Paris. The Louvre was impressively massive. The Raft of Medusa was my favorite thing. Then, I got to see Musee D'Orsay, where I saw a lot of Monet and Van Gogh. At night, we decided to go to the Eiffel Tower. We got to see it sparkling and got to the second floor. The night view of Paris was breathtaking. We also got to see the Sacré-Cœur, which included a short hike. After Paris, we went to Lyon, which was a bit soured by Vic's phone getting stolen. Peri, Erin, and I decided to go hiking in the Black Forest through Freiburg, Germany. We took a short hike, and I fell in love with the greenery. After that, we had the best schnitzel ever. There was also a gluten-free option for Erin, which she enjoyed as well. After all that, we got some gelato and went back home to sleep. A highlight of my trip will definitely be the Black Forest.

Week 11 (March 20 - 26)

Being back from spring break made me realize I sort of missed Germany. I missed having a bed to myself and having a good night's sleep. There was another strike on Tuesday, and this saw me taking my host family's bike to get to school on time. Unfortunately, I fell on the way to school. I didn't look at the impact until I got to school and realized I had a massive cut on my right elbow. I waited for Peri to get to school, so she could help me (she's a real one). We cleaned it up and bandaged it up. I went the whole day without feeling pain, but once I got home, I realized I could barely go up the stairs and sleeping was difficult because of the pain. I will have a scar to remember my time here in Germany. Another movie night where we didn't get to finish Moonlight due to some circumstances that we won't go into. We finally got to see Dr. Schnavel in Bonn!! The tour was nice and lunch was nice too. I appreciate everything that Dr. Wasser does for us. During the weekend, I invited a few of the guys to my host home, and we made tacos and had a great night. The guac was phenomenal. The beers were great, but the conversations were amazing. One of the most memorable nights that I have had. Jack's guac, Pat's tortillas, Peri's mojitos, Milo's cooking, and Colby's plate-washing skills (minus the sauerkraut) all came together.

Week 10 (13th Marsch - 19th Marsch)

We left Sevilla to Madrid. We only had time to walk around Plaza Major and eat dinner. Then, we headed back to watch Ted Lasso. The next day we went to the cathedral, Royal Palace of Spain, El Retiro Park, and Tiki Tacos (the best tacos I have had since on this trip). Wednesday was exciting because we went to the Prado Museum, Reina Sofia, and a champions league game. Real Madrid FC vs Liverpool. Not the best game, but it was fun to attend regardless. We also went rowing, in which Patricio did most of the work. The next city was Barcelona. My favorite part was going to the Sagrada Familia. It was magnificent and even more impressive than the Cologne Cathedral. My flight back was to Maastricht due to certain reasons (thanks Pat), and it was the worst plane ride ever. Too much turbulence. Too much anxiety. I met some Spanish people and talked to them a little bit. I ended up leaving the Netherlands at 1am and got home around 4am. These night buses are not it, and they will not be missed.

Farewell/Reflection

From waking up at 4:45 am in Germany on Tuesday morning to the point at which my head hit the pillow in Gunter at around 9 pm local time, I was awake for almost 24 hours straight, excluding a 2 hour nap on the plane. This offered a lot of time for myself to ponder upon my four months in Europe and the lessons I learned along the way. As my plane hovered above beautiful Greenland and Newfoundland, I jotted down some thoughts in my journal that I hold about this season of life:

"I can say with confidence,..., these four months were incredibly successful. It's crazy to look back at that day that I was studying in Zach at the onset of my Fall '22 semester and came across Dr. Wasser's email encouraging us to apply. This trip was a leap of faith, a prayer that God wholeheartedly answered. My biggest fear before this trip was my separation from community- God provided more in this regard than I ever could have dreamed of. ...I've learned so much from these incredible [friends on this trip], people who I cannot wait to continue [my] friendship with back in College Station..."

As I've been back for a week now and have seen so many of my closest friends and family since I've been back, a statement that I routinely use to highlight the goodness of this trip is this: "This trip was powerful and colored with memories, not just because of the places I was, but because of the people that I was able to spend those moments with." I will always be thankful for my time in Europe, and will always share of the joys of this season. Until next time- Tschuss!

Farewell

Colby Wilkens

05/09/23

Week 16- Finals Week & Pre-Departure

 After enmodes week, I was struggling to focus and retain as I prepared for finals on Sunday and Monday. I went into my Tuesday physiology test feeling drained, and I was pretty frustrated with myself as a result. Thankfully, I made it through the week and was able to refocus for the rest of my exams. Finals have developed into a massive mental roadblock for me throughout college, but thankfully it was a much smoother week this time around. I was able to spend much of my study time with friends, which was so sweet and productive. I remembered much more more German for my final than I thought I did. Thursday night, after math, we had our History of Medicine final, which was a fun time to come together as a class and celebrated all that we had learned. We had an excellent Greek dinner afterwards. Friday, we went to visit the Marksburg, the only castle that was not conquered and destroyed in the region. Saturday was spent in Köln, as I had lunch with friends and then spent the afternoon in a coffee shop working on my end of semester project for Diff Eq. Friday and Saturday as a whole offered a nice respite and a time to reflect as we prepared to return to the states. I studied on Sunday for my last final, Diff Eq, as Amanda & I grinded to figure out our new content for the exam. Monday morning's exam was pretty tough, but I was able to finish. With that, sophomore year was a wrap- a challenging year that proved to be very fruitful in the end, even if it didn't seem to be drifting that way at times. For our farewell event, we once again visited the Drachenfels and had a nice lunch on the hill. We were even able to explore the castle this time around. This week was a great way to end the trip on a high.

The Drachenfels once again did not disappoint

Colby Wilkens

05/09/23

Week 14 & 15

 Week 14

The last week has been very chaotic. After paris, a few of us took a trip to Lyon and Geneva. I got my phone stolen in Lyon & I was so upset because I had a feeling something bad would happen soon & I had been guarding my purse & phone so well the entire trip, but of course a fake waiter stole it while picking up our menus while i was in the bathroom… Pat, Jackson, & I went to Geneva the next day before heading back to Bonn. We went to a fondue restaurant & you wouldn’t believe how much fondue we ate. It was way too much & the guys even finished my fondue. Jackson ate his pot of fondue so fast that I was genuinely worried about his intestines. It was easily a whole block of melted cheese.

Week 15

My Enmodes group is doing pretty well, I think! Our group works well together & I think we made good progress every day. I was really nervous for my part of the presentation, but I felt relieved after I spoke. I do wish we got feedback on whether they’d actually implement any of our ideas though! I really want to know what they’ll do with our ideas. It was also cool to finally see the RAS-Q that we had been talking about the entire semester! Working with Enmodes was an experience I’ll never forget & I’m so glad we got to work on this project. The next week, I had two exams followed by two finals one day apart. I was really overwhelmed especially because I need a higher anxiety medication dosage, but decided to wait to go back to the U.S. Overall, the tests were okay, but I know I should have done a lot better on the physiology 2 exams so I was disappointed with myself & felt super anxious my last week of classes.

Week 12 & 13

 Week 12

It’s time for France! I’ve been to Paris, but I’m looking forward to visiting the two small French towns we’re going to. The French were a lot nicer on this trip than I remember them being 4 years ago. In Beaune, we ate at a French restaurant that had a 3-course meal for about 23 euros. We shared a bottle of wine & I ordered escargot, a cheese & chicken main plate, & a fancy brownie. It was actually really good & actually had flavor, unlike some other meals I’ve had in Europe. Peyton & I saw a cat cafe with the funny cats that look like pugs (the ones with the smushed faces) & there were sooo many of them. They were all the same breed of cat so it felt like a fever dream.

Week 13

Paris was so pretty in the spring. I visited in the winter about 4 years ago, but it’s way prettier in the spring. Celeste & I went to lay in front of the tower the first night we were there with a bag of Mcdonald's food and two bottles of wine! We took cute pictures together, played music, drank our wine & just talked about life. Love her so much! The Eiffel tower at night is one of my favorite sights ever. It just feels so magical to me. Definitely romanticizing the city lol! Oh, & I’m obsessed with the game Flash invaders!!! The concept is so cool & I love that a random man created the game decades ago. Now, I look for them everywhere! The disappointing thing is that I won’t get to keep playing in Texas.

Week 10 & 11

week 10

 I just shrunk a top I just bought from Zara… It’s so small that it wouldn’t even fit my six year old host sister. I sent my friends a picture and all of us were shocked at how small it shrunk (like it’s so comical). I can’t believe spring break is coming up so soon! This whole trip is going by so fast, but I love the European lifestyle of being laid-back and being able to travel whenever you want to. I’m excited to see my family, but I know my brother will have bad jet lag at some point during our break & when he goes back to Texas. Random, but I started making memes of Amanda’s dog, Bumby. I thought he was a small dog, but it turns out that he’s gigantic (at least compared to the version of him in my head). 

week 11

Spring break is finally here! I LOVED Barcelona so much!!! I need to live there. I’m looking into master's programs in Spain now. We were all surprised my brother was enjoying himself because he’s still a moody teenager. He was actually taking pictures of everything & liked this part of our trip (Paris, not so much). My dad hated the paella & kept talking about how much better my mom’s paella is. He was ranting about it the whole trip & genuinely never wants to eat paella again (unless it’s my mom's). There were sooooo many weiner dogs in Barcelona! I saw multiple every day…

Week 8 & 9

 Week 8

My camera roll consists of pictures of Lakka. She’s just so photogenic! My birthday was conveniently not on test dates which I really appreciated because Most of the other people’s birthdays were on or around our test days. Celeste & Kass went to a club in Cologne with me & it was actually really fun. We went to one club first and after they ID’ed us, they asked how old we were & we said 22 & then they said “oh it’s 23 & up only”........ We were very confused & it sounded so fake hahaha! The area of Cologne we were in had a few other clubs down the street so we just went to another club. The music wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the kind of music I listen to. We still made it really fun though & pre-gamed with a bottle of wine from Rewe! My host family made my birthday really cute & I felt really happy. The girl’s made me cute little drawings that I’m going to scrapbook!

Week 9

This weekend's trip was to Amsterdam! I was super excited before visiting because it looks so cute & like a little storybook town. I really, really liked it. It wasn’t too cold & the food was AMAZING (especially compared to German food…). We took a girl's trip there & ended up in the ER (for Perri) before going to get Mexican food. Perri was fine, but the ER wouldn’t take her as patient because she wasn’t European & they were trying so hard to get rid of us. We tried samples of Dutch cheese from a huge cheese store, saw the flower market, & took a wine canal tour. The tour had unlimited wine & cheese & it went by so fast. Oh and I saw silly pugs. :)

Week 15- Enmodes Week

 Week 15 was enmodes hell week, something that we knew was coming for the trip's duration. Simply put, this week was difficult, even as we tried to make the most of a tough situation. Despite being in a good spot going into the week as a group, we spent much more time at AIB than we originally realized was coming. Most of my week was specifically spent refining my Solidworks model. I enjoyed working on the visualizations, but I think the blue light from my screen was getting to me by the end of the week, and I didn't get home until after midnight multiple times. Thankfully, our presentation on Friday went very smoothly, making the week worth it, but we were absolutely exhausted heading into finals, which we unfortunately already had very little time to prepare for. On Saturday, we had AIB Charity Day, which was a wonderful time. My group spent the day at a retirement home in Bad Godesberg, where we helped them redesign a section of their landscape by weeding, pouring mulch, and planting new flowers and saplings. Our hosts were wonderful, and they even made us BBQ for lunch. I think that I fell asleep at 8 pm that night. I was not well on Sunday.

Friday Morning's Sunrise

Colby Wilkens

05/09/23

Week 14- Remagen, Bingen, & Andernach

After returning from England, my travels outside of Germany were concluded for the trip. School and the enmodes project were to become my main focus over the last couple of weeks, but there were still some fun excursions to come. On Thursday, we took a day trip to Remagen, where we saw the remnants of the town's former bridge, destroyed in the Battle of Remagen at the end of World War II. The museum at the site was very informative, and I even had an awesome bowl of Lasagna for lunch. We also finally went to the Lego Store in Bonn. The next day, we visited two more cities along the Rhine, Bingen and Andernach. Bingen was the home of Hildegard, one of the most important figures for the history of medicine in Germany, among her many accomplishments. Andernach had another museum that highlighted many of the key points that Dr. Wasser has taught us about throughout the semester. After these two short day trips, I stayed in Bonn over the weekend to study and work on my Solidworks model for my group's enmodes project. I ran a half marathon Saturday night.

The Remnants of the Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen

Colby Wilkens

05/09/23

Week 13- Easter in England

 The week leading up to Easter offered a really nice reprieve at home, as my host family was on vacation in the Netherlands, meaning that I had the entire house to myself. I must say, it was really nice to be able to cook again and do homework at the kitchen table. We had our second Diff Eq exam and a call with enmodes on Thursday. Most of Good Friday was spent in the Düsseldorf airport, and I was able to knock out a lot of work as I awaited my afternoon flight to London.

My time in England was absolutely amazing. By the time we left on Monday, I felt that I could've spent a further week in London and still barely scratch the city's surface. After I landed Friday afternoon, I hopped on the tube to meet up with Kass, Peri, and Erin, who had caught an earlier flight, On my way to Buckingham Palace, I began my personal side quest for the weekend by stopping at Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage, home to Chelsea FC & Fulham FC, respectively. After our stop at the palace, we had Nando's for dinner, which lived up to the hype, in my opinion. 

The River Thames

On Saturday, I was able to fulfill the item at the top of my bucket list, going to a Manchester United game at Old Trafford, My favorite sports team since my childhood, this day meant so much to me. After leaving London at 6 AM and switching trains in Derby and Stoke-on-Trent, I finally made it to Manchester. After I made my way to the west side of Manchester, I was able to grab some pre-match scran of fish & chips before making my way inside the Theatre of Dreams. I ended up having incredible seats that were essentially pitchside by the halfway line. The game itself was entertaining, and ended in a comfortable 2-0 result against struggling Everton. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Manchester, including Manchester City's Ethiad campus on the other side of the city.

Manchester United vs Everton 04/08/23

Easter Sunday was spent back in London with the group, and we were able to see quite a bit: the Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, the Museum of Natural History, and the London Eye were all stops throughout the day. I was also able to add the London Stadium (West Ham United), GTech Community Stadium (Brentford FC), and Wembley Stadium (the England National Team) to my list of stadiums visited, bringing my total up to seven. I woke up early Monday morning to make sure that I was able to catch the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal FC) and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham FC) before heading to the airport. London was incredible, my favorite city in Europe hands down, and I hope to be back in the near future.

Colby Wilkens

05/09/23

post departure post

 Saying bye to everyone was such a strange feeling, especially saying goodbye to my wonderful host family. I got them a cute goodbye card with a bunny on it & I made little suitcases with little gifts in them for Antonia & Emilia! Making their gifts was a fun study break for me in the middle of my finals. I'll miss the girls' chaos, my favorites of my host mom's dinners, & their home! I seriously had the best host family ever. They were funny, warm, and comforting. 

The friends I made on this trip are each so different & I'll really miss the energy they have everyday. We celebrated Perri's 21st birthday at our go-to bar & played darts (which I'm soooo bad at). I feel like it was a good way to end our trip because we spent the night celebrating & playing "hot seat". 

The flight wasn't too bad. I watched the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the plane, napped, read two books, & listened to music. It was so nice to finally hug my mom again & eat Tex-Mex! I felt tired the first few days back, but the jet lag wasn't as bad as going to Germany. Now, I'm just waiting for graduation :)))

Dr. Wasser was truly the best & made our trip so amazing. I'll miss Lakkita <3

week 7

 This weekend’s trip was to Berlin! I didn’t expect it to be as huge as it was. There were so many things to see & do. Carol, my cousin who lives in Berlin, sent me a list of must-see things & we actually got to see everything on the list! This is definitely a city where I could come back & do completely different things each visit. We went to landmarks, museums, and a beer garden (even though it was closed). I’ve missed Mexican food so much so when Carol asked what I wanted to eat, I immediately said tacos. She took me to such a good restaurant with amazing birria tacos and guacamole. Bunny is THE cutest dog ever! He even dressed up in a little tie to come meet me and he was seriously adorable. I love him so much.

Back in the States

 Oh my gosh! I miss Germany, but I really miss London and Amsterdam. I miss being in Europe so very much. As soon as I landed, we immediately went and got Tex Mex!!! Something I never thought I would miss so much. Ugh AND sweet tea, absolutely amazing. Amand and I only went a couple of days without seeing each other, we ended up getting CAVA about 2 days after being back in the States. I really miss Burgermanufaktur, Isabellas, and honestly even the Backwerk coffee. When I got home, my cats actually loved on me and let me pet them. I was so surprised because they are the moodiest cats that I have ever met. I immediately started working again too and will be catching up on my book reading lists. I have been waking up between 4-6 AM, so hoping I can really sleep soon. 

This was an experience that I will forever be grateful for, and will always cherish. Germany, and Europe in general showed me so much and made me so much more appreciative. It brought me Amanda and I am so glad to have her as a best friend. 

I will be back in Europe eventually, but until then... Texas will have to do. 

Thank you Dr. Wasser for everything! ◡̈ 

week 6

 After Vienna, all of the girls (and a few of the guys) went on our planned trip to Prague! I had very high expectations because everyone I’ve talked to who has been to Prague loves it. Honestly, it didn’t reallyyyy live up to the hype. It was cool to visit, but I don’t think I would go back… unless it’s to go to the Mexican restaurant we went to on our last night there because it was AMAZING. The first night, we ate at an amazing restaurant. Literally everything was so good. We all ordered cute cocktails too & they were really unique. Erin & I ended our dinner with the best espresso martini I’ve ever tried! Amanda found a coupon for a bar crawl so we all signed up for it, but nothing could have prepared us for the night we had……….. It was honestly a miracle that we stayed safe that night. That’s all I’ll say about that…

Sightseeing was interesting. It wasn’t really what I expected & it was different than any place I’ve been to. I feel like I saw everything I needed to see in one or two days so it was a good weekend trip. Definitely a once in a lifetime trip!

week 5

 Celeste & I went to a cute little bar to get a drink after class before our trip to Vienna. I still don’t really like beer, but the cherry beer I tried was actually really good. We had a really early morning to catch our train to go to Vienna. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was beautiful! The sun shone on the cream buildings, making everything look golden. While in Vienna, I absolutely had to go to the art museum where “The Kiss” by Klimt is. It was amazing in person. I think it was the highlight of my trip & I’m so glad a few of my friends decided to go with me because they ended up loving it too! I do wish Dr. Wasser was there to give us our tour, but he tried his best to make it fun for us even though he was sick at home. 

week 4

 This week has been pretty chill. I’ve been studying for our first round of exams which we have right before we go on our class excursion to Vienna. I’m nervous to have a physiology 2 exam followed by a physiology 1 exam the same week, but at least we know Dr. Wasser asks straightforward questions. Celeste invited me to go get out nails done & mine were really unique. I chose a purple-brown color that was also chrome & I had never seen the color before! We literally took like an hour to choose our colors & designs (pretty sure the nail technician was confused/annoyed). Oh & the workers at the nail place only spoke German so it was a bit of a struggle to tell them what we wanted. I’ve gotten the chance to hang out more with Antonia & Emilia this week! We drew together after dinner a few nights & had lots of giggles!! :)

week 3

 I’ve been in Bonn for two full weeks now & I feel pretty good about taking the bus & finding my way around the city center. Antonia found out I love to paint & draw so she asked me to draw a husky for her! She’s adorable so of course I had to. I searched for photos of huskies & she chose her favorite for me to draw. What I didn’t know, was that she chose a photo of two dogs… but I still drew them & did them justice (if I do say so myself). After lightly sketching them out, I painted them with watercolor which is not my favorite medium. She painted her own drawing next to me and it was such a cute drawing! Emilia drew on her own, across from us, while we painted. My host mom asked what my favorite food was earlier in the week. I said I really love my mom’s tortilla soup & that I miss Latin food (especially my mom’s cooking). She asked for the recipe & we made it the night we painted! I was nervous that it wouldn’t turn out well or that my host family wouldn’t like it, but it was so good! They said they’d make it again because they all liked it, even the girls!

Week 12- France

 After a relatively light day of school on Monday, we woke up at the crack of dawn Tuesday morning to begin our second long-term group excursion of the trip- France. After a couple of hours on the bus, we stopped for gas in Luxembourg. Due to the fact that we got out of the bus and walked around a bit outside (& even bought food), I consider this enough to count it on my list of countries visited. An underrated part of our time in France was the amount of time that we spent on the bus, which allowed me to be very productive in working on some projects. After arriving at our first destination, Beaune, around midday, we settled into our hotel and then toured the Hotel-Dieu de Beaune, a former hospital for the poor in Burgundy. Now a museum, this building's architecture was beautiful, both inside and out. The next day, we visited the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, which most notably contains the Isenheim Altarpiece. Both museums contained quite a bit of medical history that Dr. Wasser had discussed at lengths in History of Medicine. I really enjoyed these first two days, but Paris was awaiting our arrival.

The Isenheim Altarpiece

After a relatively short train ride from Strasbourg to Paris, we settled into our hotel that evening. The next day proved to be one of the craziest of the entire semester. After visiting the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, we worked our way towards the Louvre. The Louvre was incredible, but the first thing that I will always remember about this experience will be my furious struggle in trying to register for classes while I was sitting in the same room as the Mona Lisa. That afternoon, me & Milo explored quite a bit of Paris before our group dinner at a creperie. Afterwards, a group of us decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower on a very windy and rainy night, which is up there for the coolest thing I've ever done. Unfortunately, our trip to Versailles the next day was canceled due to ongoing strikes, but Julien, our tour guide, showed us another part of Paris. After the excursion ended, some os us had weekend plans in south France. 

An Overcast Thursday in Paris

Legendary View from the Eiffel Tower's Summit

After arriving at our AirBNB in Nice, we spent a day in Monaco and a day in Antibes. Monaco was beautiful, and we were able to explore most of the country in a day trip. When in Antibes, I was able to swim in the Mediterranean. France week was another great week spent with the people on this trip, with many memories that I will never take for granted.

Monaco Skyline

Colby Wilkens

05/06/23

Week 16: All Good Things Come To An End

     C. S. Lewis once said “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when we look back everything is different.” So much is different now. I didn't realize how much I had changed in the past four months until I was talking about it with Erin in the Cologne train station. We both realized that we are so much more comfortable with the uncomfortable. After taking night trains that had transfers at 4am, running around cities on three hours of sleep, and just being willing to go on a trip without really having a plan on what to do I realized I don't stress over the little details anymore. I am perfectly content just seeing what an experience will have in store for me and just letting things happen. 

    This week started out with a lot of time spent in Starbucks as per usual. We had a third exam and four finals that we had to prepare for. All of the exams, except for genetics, went very well. Genetics blindsided all of us with the way the questions were asked and the material that was covered. I still think that it went alright though. 

    I turned 21 this week too. Several of us went out for Indian food and then went to John Barleycorn to drink and play darts. By the end of the night I was definitely drunk thanks to my friends but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Erin made sure I got home okay too. It was nice just going out and enjoying just one night off from studying. Plus I got to play darts which has quickly become one of my favorite things to do. Looking back at the pictures Jackson took at the end of the night makes me laugh every time. Erin and Kass both got me little gifts that were incredibly sweet and everyone else wished me a happy birthday. I couldn't have asked for better people to call friends. 

    I went on date with this guy that knew me from Starbucks and had been working up the courage to ask me for a few days. He was super sweet and it was interesting getting to know more about his home country, Iraq, and about his life in Germany. I can't say I felt anything special or any kind of spark though. It was just cool getting to talk to him before I left the country.

    It's hard to fathom that I've already lived this life for 16 weeks and now it's time to return home. It almost doesn't really feel like home anymore though. I've missed my family and friends but I've also made friends over here and experienced so many new things. I don't have anything that is seriously pulling me back to the US yet. It's going to be an adjustment settling back into life in Texas. I know I'll miss the greenery of Germany. I'll also miss being able to hop on a train to visit a new country for the weekend. Returning home means that I have to face reality again and start making things happen so that I can get where I want to go in life with my career. My host dad helped put it in the perspective for me though. I told him that I wasn't necessarily ready to go back but that I knew I needed to. I was trying to find the words to explain how I felt and he said that it might be that I'm not ready to leave but that it's okay to leave. And it is okay. It's okay that I'm leaving this chapter of my life. It's okay that it's time to go back to Texas and pick up the life that was on pause. Things change, but that's life. All you can do is smile for what was and for what's still to come.

Week 11- Adventures in Bonn

 After Spring Break, our school schedule began to ramp up, and from this point forward for the rest of the time that we spent in Bonn, it seemed like I was at AIB all day, every day. The big news this week was that the BMEN department at A&M redeveloped our course schedule, which caused a bit of chaos but is something that I ultimately think is going to be a very good thing for our major. Most of my free time was spent watching the now A&M-less March Madness, although my dad's alma mater, K State, had a very nice run. Friday night, Matt & I went to Makiman, which had some of the best food I had in Bonn. On Saturday, Dr. Wasser led a fun little excursion throughout Bonn, which made for a great time. I really appreciated this adventure, especially because I loved anything we did as an entire group throughout the trip. I was able to catch up on some rest and started feeling a lot better this week.

Colby Wilkens

05/03/23

Week 10- Spring Break

 Spring Break began early Saturday morning, as Pat, Milo, Kass, & I's flight to Seville left Cologne at 5:45 AM. To preface: my health wasn't super great this week, either, but we still had an awesome Spring Break. After settling into Seville, we were able to explore so much of this incredible Spanish city. Plaza de España was probably the highlight for me, along with the excellent weather, delicious food, and authentic Spanish vibe throughout the city. We also visited Palacio de las Dueñas and Plaza de Toros de Maestranza. I wasn't feeling well enough to use my camera much these first few days in Sevilla, but I will always recommend this beautiful city to anyone looking to visit Spain.

Plaza de Espana (03.12.23)

After a few days in Seville, we took a train up to Madrid on Monday afternoon. Madrid was probably my favorite Spanish city, although all three were excellent in their own right. Liverpool were in town for the second leg of their Champions League tie with Real, and the atmosphere in the city was incredible our entire stay as a result. I probably could've spent an entire week reading all of my books in El Parque de Retiro, and I spent over four hours with Milo in Museo del Prado, probably my favorite museum of the trip as well. This museum featured a ton of Biblical art, which I found particularly fascinating. The Royal Palace of Madrid was stunning, both inside and out, and Milo was even able to buy a beer at McDonalds. We also had possibly the best Mexican food that I've ever had at a restaurant for lunch one day. Our AirBNB nearly flooded one morning, and Pat had to save the day, using a coffee pot to control the water overflow.

El Parque de Retiro (03.14.23)

Our final destination was Barcelona, the Catalan capital on the northeastern coast of Spain. Our friend Peyton joined us for this portion of the trip, and the five of us had a great time over the last few days of Spring Break. Barcelona's city center is incredibly pedestrian-friendly, and we spent much of our time outside at coffee shops and cafes due to the gorgeous weather. Among the highlights, we visited Camp Nou (unfortunately missed El Clasico by a day), Park Güell, and Arco de Tiunfo de Barcelona (the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona). La Sagrada Familia is, for me, undoubtedly the most beautiful church in the world.  The best paella that I had in Spain was in Barcelona. I also was able to get some really cool bird photos. 

Feeding Frenzy (03.17.23)

Spring Break was an incredible week with some of my closest friends on this trip, who were so incredibly supportive & patient with my fatigue and headaches throughout the week. Thankful for my time in Spain. 

Colby Wilkens

05/03/23

Week 9- Fickle Weather

 If I'm being honest, one thing lingered in my mind this entire week: Spring Break. With exciting travels to Spain to look forward to, I had an end goal in sight for the week's grind. This week featured quite a bit of work on our research project, as our team presented our preliminary design to Austen at enmodes. I struggled quite a bit with my health this week, and my stamina was certainly limiting my productivity each day. Mentally, this messed with me quite a bit, and looking back at it, there just wasn't a lot of color or thought that existed in my mind this week beyond school work. I really struggled to keep up with my blogs from especially this point forward in the semester, which was something that I was really bummed out about. On Wednesday, we were greeted with a beautiful layer of snow on the ground, which always makes my day a bit more cheery. 

One of my good friends back home called me as I was walking home from school on Wednesday and offered some encouragement, which was the highlight of my week and definitely the spur I needed to finish the week strong heading into the break.

Colby Wilkens

05/03/23

Week 14

 This week was simply, stressful. As we were getting near the end of our program, we were getting into what was going to be the most challenging week during our study abroad experience. We needed to finalize our project, which included the final presentation an the DHF. My group and I worked very hard to complete all of the required parts of the project, and each of us contributed to the project equally. As the week progressed, the stress went through the roof when my group and I found out that the calculations were off and our device was not going to work. As soon as we confirmed this, Amy and Elizabeth did their engineering magic and managed to mathematically solve our issue, with our device now being mathematically accurate. We then finished our final presentation and the DHF, which we then proceeded to practice our lines for the presentation. As Friday arrived, we went to Enmodes HQ in Achen, where we had our final presentation. My group and I first had a tour of the building and then proceeded to have our final presentation. Although I was very nervous, the presentation went very well and I was able to answer all of Austen's questions regarding the microneedle array. We then all finalized our presentations and headed to eat some currywurst for lunch and then go back to Bonn. We finished the week by going to a bar my friends and I, where we celebrated the end of the Enmodes project. 

Week 13

 As depression conquered myself due to my girlfriend's departure, I started the week just a bit sad. However, I knew it was time to get stuff done since the final presentation was due the following week. The week was nice yet very busy, as exams started to pile up and the presentation was getting closer each day. My group and I worked in our final project designs in order to then start developing our final presentation. I was in charged on reaserching all about the Microneedle array we were implementing in as our blood temperature measurement device. Although we were all started to get stressed about the projects and exams, at the end of the week, we went to Remagen and Bingen. In Remagen, we went to a unique museum along the rhine river, where we learned about the nun that would use plants and other active ingredients to work as drugs to fulfill a medical purpose. The views along the rhine were simply amazing, with beuatiful hills and nature being the protagonists. The next day we went to Bingen, where we visited the iconic peace bridge in which American troops fought against the German army. This week was sucessful, but I was still very afraid for what was upcoming the following week with tests and the final presentation coming up. 

Week 12

This week has to probably be one of the best weeks during my stay in Germany as my girlfriend was crossing the Atlantic to come see me. She came to Bonn on the Tuesday and I was so happy for finally getting to hug her. We went to Bornheim so that she could meet my host parents and then proceeded to have dinner with them afterwards. After this, we then went to Bonn to show her the city of Bonn and I showed her the Aib and even introduced her to Dr. Wasser and Lakka! We had some beers, well I did since she hates beer, and she had some wine. The week passed by and I wanted each day to last longer so I could spend more time with her. As we had Friday off, we headed to our planned destinations for easter weekend, Munich and Berlin. We started our journey in the Barvarian capital, where we got to see beautiful architecture from medieval architecture and learned more about the city's history by visiting the Residenz museum. We also visited the Olympic park, the BMW museum, and where in the city's center where the cathedral was at. After this unique time in Munich, we went ahead an took an overnight train to Berlin. We slept a total of 9 hours in that train as the ride lasted 10 hours. As we arrived Berlin, we headed over to Germany's political core, the Bundestag building. After this, we headed to the Brandenburger Tor and took some cool photos. We then explored as much as we could of the city of Berlin and its beautiful sites. After Berlin,we headed back to Bonn, where we spent our last days together relaxing on bed. It was an amazing week, the best week of this program for sure. 

Week 11

 This week was an exciting one for two things. One, we were heading to France, and two, my girlfriend was coming in just one more week. We started the week by having class on Monday, where I had to bike all the way to the AIB as another strike occurred, this time affecting trains as well. We had an Enmodes session, in which my team and I worked together on our new design and enhanced it based on Dr, Wasser's suggestions. On Tuesday we headed to France, where we took the big bus and had enough space to stretch my legs as much as I wanted to. We passed through Luxemburg, which counts as another European country visited. Our first stop in France was Beaune, where we stayed overnight and had a nice time exploring the town's iconic hospital which has a ton of historical significance. After Beaune, we went to Colmar, where we had an amazing experience in the local museum and got to see some of the most beautiful art galleries in Europe. We learned about ergotism and analyzed a painting that had a humanoid form suffering from this disease. We then headed to the city of love, Paris. Here, we went to the Louvre, took a walk across the city, and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night. This last one had to be the best experience of this trip as we got to see the beautiful city of Paris from the top of the highest point of the city, simply astonishing. As the week came to an end, I went back to Bonn, where I was desperately waiting for my girlfriend's arrival the upcoming week. 

Week 10

 This week started off a bit sad that we were not in Spain anymore but still ready to get some work done. It was a pretty busy week, with physiology and pharmacology being my priorities as I needed to turn in some assignments for these classes. The week went by and I started to get really excited as my girlfriend was coming over for easter, which made me want the days to go by faster. During this week, I went out with my friends to a local bar called Johnny Barleycorn, where we hung out and played some darts. As the week came to an end, my excitement became significantly greater as we were heading to France the upcoming week. Where after two years, I was going to see the Eiffel Tower once again. The week was nice, I connected more with my fellow Lafayette roommate Brady since we started having dinner every day. 

Week 9

 This week, I visited one of my dream destinations, Spain. All my life, I always wanted to visit this beautiful country due to the great influence Spanish social media has on Mexico and to learn about the country's culture and societal structure. We started our trip in Sevilla, where we visited the infamous Plaza españa, took pictures by the golden tower, went to the Plaza of Toros, and tried some very traditional beer and tapas. After spending 2 days there, we visited the country's capital, Madrid. I gotta say, Madrid is probably one of the most beautiful cities with massive global influence I have ever visited. This city has everything, tradition, good beer, good food, and very nice architecture. We went to this Mexican place that as I fellow Mexican, I approve. It had very very good tacos and quesadillas that reminded me of my home. In Madrid, we went to the royal palace, visited the infamous Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and went to my favorite place in this city, the Parque de los Retirados. In this park, you can encounter acres of pure green beautiful grass and you can get to walk and see ducks, geese, and a lot of squirrels. Finally, we also visited the Museum of el Prado, where we saw some of the most unique art pieces I have ever seen. After Madrid, we had our last stop in Barcelona, where we had an amazing time exploring the city's tourist area. We visited the old district, Camp Nou, and one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have ever seen, the Sagrada Familia. Overall, I had an amazing time in Spain and I hope to get back soon. 

Week 8

 I started this week by heading to Hamburg with Patricio. We visited this beautiful city and learned about its significant sites. We had an amazing time and I was so glad that we were able to visit one of Germany's most important cities. This was a busy week as I encountered tests and homework that were due. This week I spent most of my time focusing on completing all my assignments as they were plenty. I realized that the laboratory assignments were not that complicated for our physiology class and was able to do well on the one due this week. Furthermore, I connected more with my host parents as the semester went along. Mario and Cristina showed me their very cool mineral collection which they started more than 20 years ago. This week, the classes consumed me as I spent most of my free time in my room studying for my upcoming tests. Additionally, the presentation we had with Austen for the ECMO project went pretty smoothly due to the great preparation my team and I had. The presentation went pretty smoothly and Austen was very interested in the temperature measurement method we were planning on implementing. After the meeting, I went back to my place, got my luggage, and went to Colby's house to spend the night as we were heading to Spain for the upcoming spring break. 

Week 16

 Wow, last week. 

This has been such an amazing experience. Our last week here was just filled with exams, but Amanda and I made sure we went to our favorite places before leaving. We ate at Bono (got sick so that was fun), ate at our favorite Greek place, got our daily coffees at Backwerk, and just enjoyed each other's company a little more. Friday we went to Braubach and visited the Marksburg castle. It was so beautiful, and definitely a hazard to clumsy people. I think this castle was honestly probably one of my favorites. I loved the guide, the castle, and the vibe of the overall place. On Saturday, Amanda and I spent our last weekend in Cologne. It started off so badly. We both were wearing shorts and this older man sitting in front of us on the tram was taking pictures of our legs... we were so freaked out. We made the most of the day, ended up eating breakfast at Isabellas, and then ate a late lunch at a cute little Italian place. When we were leaving Cologne, we had another traumatic experience. We saw this poor man just collapse and hit his head so hard on the concrete. It is a sound I will never forget in my life, people rushed to help him and called emergency services but... Later that night we ended up packing and that was so stressful. The videos and pictures I took of us attempting to get our bags the correct weight will be forever cherished. On Sunday, we packed all day and just hung out. 

Just a few more days until I'm home with my best friend, my cats, and my momma! I have never been so excited to go home to Texas... 

Week 16: April 24-May 2

It’s the last week in Germany. How crazy is that?! I remember being one week into the program and still thinking that the 15 weeks left felt like forever. Now, here I am thinking that there is no possible way it has already been 16 weeks. I’m starting to get excited to see my family and friends, my boyfriend, and my dog (!!!), but I’m also sad that my time in Bonn is coming to an end.

This week was filled with tests. On Monday, we had our last physiology lecture, and then I spent most of the day finishing up our DHF. On Tuesday, I spent the whole morning studying for exam 3 in physiology. It went pretty well, thankfully. I then took Tuesday night and Wednesday morning off from studying because after Enmodes and the first test, I was tired of studying and needed some sleep. On Wednesday afternoon, we had our German final and then our last pharmacology class. After class, Erin’s host mom took me, Elizabeth, and Erin out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Bad Honnef. We drank margaritas and forgot about the stress of exams for a few hours. It was really fun! Then, on Thursday, I studied all morning and took my physiology final in the afternoon. It was my last day of class as an undergrad!

On Friday, we had an AiB-wide excursion to Braubach to visit Marksburg Castle. I was not expecting the hike up to the castle, but it ended up not being that bad. The castle was really pretty and had a cool history. I particularly enjoyed touring the living quarters and learning about the evolution of armor. I didn’t realize musketeers were called that because they carried muskets until our tour guide mentioned it. Who knew?! Then, we ate schnitzel and headed home. Thankfully, we beat the rain by like 5 minutes. Right when we pulled out of the parking lot, a torrential downpour started.

On Saturday, I went to Cologne with a few people to celebrate Jackson’s birthday. We had drinks, ate more schnitzel, and shopped. I learned that Sion is spelled with an S and not an L like lion and that I don’t hate Sion Kölsch as much as other beers. I headed back to Bonn around 3pm, did a little bit more shopping for last-minute gifts and souvenirs, and then went home to start packing.

On Sunday, I had a lazy day. I slept in a bit, watched Netflix, and continued to pack. I finished the final revisions on the DHF and updated my blog posts. Today is my host dad’s birthday, so I got to meet my oldest host brother, Felix, who was over for breakfast. Stefan doesn’t like to make a huge deal out of his birthday, though, so we didn’t do anything to celebrate.

Tomorrow, we have our last excursion to Drachenfels. It’s a full circle moment because, if you remember, we hiked up Drachenfels during our first week here. Hopefully it won’t be below freezing and raining tomorrow. Plus, we’re taking the cog train up the mountain this time, so that will be nice. Then, I’ll finish packing and have a nice goodbye dinner with my host family.

On Tuesday, I leave Bonn at 6am to head to the airport. I’ve downloaded 16 episodes of Suits for the plane, so that should be plenty to keep me occupied during the 11-hour flight.

So with that, goodbye Bonn, and goodbye Europe. It has been an incredible, life-changing experience that I will never forget. Until next time…

That's Life. Una experiencia inolvidable.

 

              Damn, this week has been interesting. It’s weird seeing that we are going to be leaving this country and not coming back for who knows how long. All the time spent here among friends, in local pubs and bars, in the gym, at Ali’s, at Theo’s will be a memory told to our kids. Amazing how fast 4 months rushed by, and I can say with happiness that a lot of things have changed in my life. For one, I became more cultured. Which is very weird to say but a big possibility considering the number of countries we visited and the number of people we interacted with during those excursions. It is something that I was expecting but not necessarily counting on changing me as much as I think it did. Was it so big a change that I would change my name to Patricius? No. But, it definitely got me thinking of the possibility of moving out here to Europe and doing vet school somewhere in the area which I had thought about before but not to this degree. In another aspect, I also got an appreciation for the languages spoken in Europe and the importance of language in communication and cultural appreciation. It is not an essential for traveling Europe but it is something that is essential in truly appreciating a culture. The way people speak and communicate with each other and describe things is something that can only be seen or heard when that language is being spoken and it is beautiful when you understand it.

              On another aspect, I grew as a person by cultivating relationships with people in my program and strangers in other countries like the man in Lyon who sat us down in a bouchon. Something that I learned is that with every relationship there are different pieces moving, almost like a chess game. Not every move may make sense at the time, but as the game, time, progresses you begin to realize the importance of that once useless moving pawn. This “game” occurs in every relationship you create and every relationship you are currently cultivating. Sometimes, you win those games and sometimes you lose. I grew in accepting to lose some games, which before, I would have killed myself in an attempt to save the game and in that pursuit, destroying myself. Thankfully, these experiences here in Germany have helped me mold how I see relationships for good and bad and it is something that although painful at times, I would never trade for anything. On the good side, I have made some great friends over here and I am glad that I now have some friends that share experiences like mine. I will of course hang out with them back in CSTAT and continue our bar drinking every now and then, nothing compared to how it was here. My liver needs a serious detox after this experience.

              The experiences I’ve had over here ranging from my first Bundesliga game, first cigar, first time drinking beer in Germany, asking a girl out, eating the best French food I’ve had (apart from my grandmothers), ordering maseca and a tortilla press to make Mexican food here, getting stuck in random cities because of the DB, late night talks with my host mom, late nights at Barleycorn playing darts and others have been the highlight of this trip. Nothing stands out more than the other and they are all things that I will cherish till the day I die. I was lucky to have the opportunity to come out here and experience these things and nonetheless with friends who both humbled me, picked me up, and hyped me up when I needed it. With each day that we have been here, I’ve made new memories and created new friendships that at the beginning of the trip, I did not expect to have leading me to leave with more friends than I began with, something that I am eternally grateful for.

              At the end of the day, all I can say is that I am very happy with the things I have learned on this study abroad. I did not think that what Dr. Wasser said in the beginning of the trip would be true as I felt that it was something every professor would say during a study abroad, but I’ll be damned, he was right, I did grow a lot as a person. And as time goes by, I hope to maintain and even repair some relationships from my time over here. Thank y’all for this amazing opportunity and for putting up with us the entire trip, it was a hell of an experience. Hopefully, we will stay in contact with each other.

Week 15: April 17-23

Hell week is upon us… and it was exactly like, yet nothing like, what I expected.

The week started out with classes on Monday. We had physiology and our last history of medicine lecture. Then, we had our lab final… which was… something… After the test, our focus shifted to Enmodes, and it stayed there until Friday afternoon. We spent a few hours on Monday afternoon working to finalize our design and make progress on the DHF.

On Tuesday, we got started around 9:30am, and went full force on figuring out what the heck we were doing. Pat, Milo, and I started working on the presentation and continued the DHF, while Elizabeth worked on Solidworks and Amy did calculations. It was a busy day, but we headed home around 6 or 7pm.

On Wednesday morning, we were greeted with news from Amy that our design didn’t work. Based on her calculations, the length of wire we chose, when heated to 40 degrees Celsius, would only raise the blood temperature by less than half a degree. And since the point of the project is to raise the blood temperature back to normal core body temperature (which is an increase of about 3-4 degrees), this was bad. So, Amy and Elizabeth spent the next 5-6 hours reworking calculations and running Solidworks flow simulations with the help of Dr. Carrell and Scott. We finally got everything figured out and could put final figures into our presentation. It was a beautiful and sunny day, so we spent about an hour and a half outside. We gave our practice presentation around 5pm, and then got pizza courtesy of Dr. Wasser. After dinner, we spent the next few hours editing our figures and presentation slides to make them better. It was around 10:15pm when I finally left to go home.

On Thursday, we continued working on our presentation. We had another practice presentation around 3pm, and then made final changes to our figures and slides before our last practice presentation at 7pm. Thankfully, we didn’t have many cosmetic changes to make after that, so we got our final PowerPoint turned in at 8pm, and then we went home to get sleep before the big presentation!

On Friday, we met at Hofgarten at 7:45am. I got up early to grab Theo’s beforehand, of course. On the drive to Aachen, Elizabeth and I practiced what we were going to say for our parts of the presentation. At Enmodes, the conference room where we were presenting wasn’t big enough for all of us, so Dr. Borchardt took us on a tour of the clean room, lab, and other facilities on the property. Unfortunately, the tour took as long as both other groups’ presentations, so we didn’t get to see their final designs. But it was also nice to not have time to think about the presentation beforehand, since we presented basically the minute we got back to the conference room. Our presentation went really well, and Austen especially liked the single-use nature of our design. Afterwards, we got lunch and printen and then headed back to Bonn. I spent the rest of the night relaxing.

Saturday was Charity Day. I went to ZeSaBo and helped organize summer and winter jackets by gender and size. I really enjoyed the opportunity to give back to the Bonn community, but I would have preferred it to have been on a different weekend just because we were so busy. The rest of the weekend consisted of finishing the DHF and studying for the physiology tests.

Week 16

 The final countdown. 

Today is Sunday. We have our genetics exam 8am Monday morning. My grade is on the line. I'm tired. I am wishing I was a trust fund baby.  It is dismal out here. But I'm sure my lovely readers don't want to hear about that, so instead I will take you through my week.

We had physiology exams Tuesday and Thursday. I studied a bunch and I'm proud of the effort I've put in.  Both went well. I'm expecting an A in the class. I really enjoyed physiology this year. 

Peri's 21st birthday was Tuesday night. A group of us went and ate Indian food and then went to a bar and played darts and drank. It was very fun and we made sure Peri got very drunk. I think she had a good time. I went home with her to make sure she got home safe and didn't aspirate or something awful like that. 

One thing Peri and I noticed about our classes is that a bunch of previous classes have taught us things that we are being re-taught in our higher level classes. It is nice because even if learning those topics didn't pay off back then it is paying off now. Having a base to understand these physiology topics has been extremely helpful. 

I haven't seen my host mom for 2 or 3 weeks. I feel kind of bad. She turned 75 yesterday so I made sure to go to her birthday party. I know she appreciated me being there but everyone there speaks German so for 3 hours I pretty much just sat there and picked words out of the conversations going on around me. Her daughter Andrea and granddaughter Amerei (if she is there) always make sure to talk to me for a bit which I appreciate a lot. They certainly don't have to come talk to me. I think Anna enjoyed her party. I didn't mind it but it made studying at home pretty much impossible. 

I think it was a strategic move by those running this program to make the last 3 weeks so stressful and intense. How else would we be ready to go home if we were having fun and enjoying ourselves? 

On Thursday we had our history of medicine final. It was a big jeopardy game. I was placed in Slytherin with Mason, Jackson, and Victoria. I love and hate jeopardy because its so fun if you win but I become a monster when playing no matter the outcome. I was happy to see Mason on my team because I figured that whoever had Mason on their team would win. He is generally knowledgeable about random topics and (like me) paid attention during our history of medicine lectures. Slytherin did in fact win which was very fun. I would estimate that Mason got us 70% of our points while the rest of the team and I got the other 30%. After that all of us went to eat at a greek restaurant. It was nice to relax and talk for a bit. 

On Friday we went on an excursion to Marksburg. I really enjoyed the castle and learning little factoids about the customs and times. I thought it was very cool that the castle was still inhabited. I would love to live there. 

On Saturday, Peri and I went to Köln to study and do some shopping. It was a fun and relaxing day. We listened to an episode of one of our favorite podcasts (normal gossip), bought some clothes, and ate traditional German food for probably the last time. It was nice seeing the cathedral again. It is stunning. On the way back we were talking about how we are more comfortable with stressful situations and things we can't control because of this study abroad. For example: you have a 4am night train transfer? Only thing you can do is wake up at 4am and make the transfer. No point in freaking out about it. This kind of mindset has leaked into other aspects of our lives and I am appreciative of it. 

I am excited to go home and see my family. I am excited about not having school for a bit. I'm excited to rest and drive my car and see my dog. But I don't know if I'll ever be fully ready to leave Germany.