Week 2

This week we got our visas sorted (yay), learned more German, went to classes, and visited Cologne. 

    I've really liked my classes so far. Physiology and History of Medicine have both been very interesting. Going to Cologne was the highlight of my week though. The walking tour of Cologne, although freezing cold, was really interesting. The city has a complicated history and it was fun learning about its roman roots. The Cologne Cathedral was stunning and massive. It took centuries to build and so much money, but I think the end product was worth all the work put into it. For lunch we went to a german restaurant and I got mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and sausage. It was really good, even if sauerkraut is an acquired taste. It makes me so sad that I can't drink beer here because I feel like it might actually be good. After lunch we went to the gestapo headquarters where we toured the the offices and prisons below. It helped me understand the power and control that the Nazi's had over the people and how scared the people were. Seeing the pencil marks on the cell walls really resonated with me because it looks like any other graffiti that you would see on a desk. 

    A bunch of us got gym memberships this week which I'm excited about because I've missed working out and the gym is really nice. They only have community showers which was a culture shock for me because in the US women's community showers still have stalls and curtains. It snowed this week which was fun but I'm hoping it doesn't happen very often because it slows all the public transportation down. I've looked into possible ideas for the enmodes project but haven't made any progress. 

    This weekend I'm going to Switzerland with a group. I'm excited about seeing Switzerland but am nervous that it'll be too cold to enjoy. It's also very expensive there so I'm planning on packing lunch.