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.