Week 8: February 27-March 5

We’re halfway done with the semester! That’s crazy. It really doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for eight weeks, but if the next eight go by even half as fast as the first eight, I’m going to be heading home before I know it. It’s kind of sad to think about, though, because I’m feeling very comfortable here and have adjusted to living a pretty normal day-to-day life. Anyways, that’s something to think about eight weeks from now. About this past week…

On Monday, there was another transportation strike… go figure. We had Zoom classes – history of medicine and physiology. After class, I went for a walk around my neighborhood. It was very cold, but the sun was out, and I was able to catch up with my parents. This week has been annoyingly cold, with temperatures below freezing in the mornings. I thought we were done with that. Hopefully, it’ll warm up for good soon.

On Tuesday, we had to be at the AiB early for our midterm evaluation survey. Then we had enmodes and physiology lab. Also, Jackson, Colby, Erin, Elizabeth, and I decided to go to Berlin this weekend. On Wednesday, we had history of medicine and physiology. After class, Erin, Elizabeth, Amy, and I went to Salvator. We got a bottle of the white wine Elizabeth had last time she was there, enjoyed the delicious apple strudel, and talked for a couple hours. It was really fun!

On Thursday, we only had physiology. Erin & Elizabeth brought me back spaghetti Bolognese for lunch. Even though I only had one class, I stayed at the AiB until about 5:30 working on homework. I got a lot of homework done and studied for the MCAT for a while. My plan to get up early and study hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped, but I have been able to study a bit every day, which is good. Next week, we have a physiology test, so I’ll probably have to put the MCAT studying on hold for the week.

On Friday, there was a transportation strike yet again. My host dad drove me and Erin to the AiB, but we ended up being a couple of minutes late because the main road from Bad Godesberg into Bonn was closed off for a demonstration. We had physiology lab, enmodes, and pharmacology. In enmodes, we were able to flesh out a few more details about our idea, and we started putting together our PowerPoint presentation for Austen next Friday. Next week, Dr. Fajt will be here, so we will start having pharmacology in person, which is exciting. Once home, I started packing for my weekend trip to Berlin.

On Saturday, I left my house at 6:50am to catch the S16 to Cologne. I didn’t see Jackson’s text that he was in the back car, so I got on the front car and then had to run to switch cars at one of the stops. Thankfully, I made it and wasn’t left behind. Anyways, we met up with Colby, Erin, and Elizabeth at Bonn hbf. In Cologne, departure was delayed by about 30 minutes, and then we had to kick a bunch of soccer fans out of our reserved seats. They finally moved, but for a minute, we thought they were going to stand in the aisle the whole time and drink. The wifi wasn’t working on the train, so we solved Rubik’s cubes the whole time. Once in Berlin, we ate at a very popular burger place in Potsdamer Platz. Then, we walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, saw the Brandenburg Gate, reserved tickets to enter the Reichstag on Sunday, and then saw Checkpoint Charlie. We rode the tram to Museum Island, where we saw the Berlin Cathedral, city hall, and the phone tower. We ate dinner at a taco bar that was very good, but the atmosphere was a bit overwhelming. It was in a very busy food hall, so there were no empty tables, and there was barely any room to walk around. Then, we checked into the hostel and went down to the bar to get our free drinks. We got invited to go out with some Canadians, but we opted to go to bed instead.

On Sunday, we found a café to eat breakfast, went souvenir shopping, and then went inside the Reichstag. My fear of heights was definitely activated by the glass dome and ramp going up to the top. But it was worth it for the view. We tried to go to the Pergamon Museum, but they didn’t have openings until after we had to leave. We walked through an art market while it was snowing, which was cool, made a quick stop at the Französischer Dom, passed the Ritter Sport store (which was unfortunately closed until June), and then went to the hauptbahnhof to catch our train home.

I wish we had more time to explore Berlin, but I feel like we did a lot for only having 24 hours. We could’ve stayed a few more hours, but with a busy test week coming up, Elizabeth, Erin, and I opted to get home earlier and get sleep. Only one more week until I get to see Wyatt for spring break!