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.
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
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.