We spent Wednesday morning visiting the veterinary clinics at Berlin’s Free University. Because as a tech I have enjoyed watching surgery, I opted to go to the surgical suite in the Small Animal Clinic with Diana. There, we watched a splenectomy on a lab with a tumor the size of a football, a neuter and anal sac removal, and a laryngeal paralysis repair. The hospital was well organized, there were always enough students around to monitor anesthesia and help the doctors, and the techs kept the surgical prep running smoothly. The surgeons were extremely welcoming toward us, and when they realized that we were American students, they explained several of the procedures to us in English.
After lunch, the group set out on a bike tour of Berlin, and Sarah and I headed to the Neues Museum on Museum Island. We enjoyed exploring the Egyptian collection there, and we were even able to get English headsets for an audio tour. After a great deal of searching, we found the bust of Nefertiti just before the museum closed.
On our way back to the hotel, Sarah and I indulged in a bit of shopping. Then, for dinner, everyone decided to try a local Turkish restaurant. I had my first taste of doner served in a pita wrap similar to a gyro. Delicious!
To get to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp on Thursday, we walked along part of the path taken during the 1945 Death March. My experiences at the memorial sparked in me an interest in World War II, and as a result, I picked up a book about the unethical medical practices that occurred in the camp.
Thursday afternoon we visited the remains of the Berlin Wall. Much of the wall now looks like any ordinary part of the city; in one small area, it even encloses a sand volley ball court. However, we got to tour an original guard tower, and we saw the memorial site where the stretch of gravel between the eastern and western walls, termed No Man’s Land, has been preserved.
I remember when the Berlin Wall fell. I was nine years old, and I was sitting on my mother’s bed watching the news on television. While I was too young to understand all of the history behind the wall, I knew its fall was a very good thing. My mom explained to me that the wall had separated families and friends for years and now those people could be reunited with their loved ones.
Again, Berlin seems to have sparked an interest in history for me.
Because all of the museums stay open late, and offer free admission on Thursday evenings, we decided to head back over to Museum Island. Diana and I took an audio tour of the Pergamon Museum where we saw the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate. Both were fantastically impressive; between my interest in Greek mythology and ancient civilizations, I was a very happy Kat.
After our tour, Diana and I caught up with several other people from our group for dinner. The Pergamon Cafe had excellent tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, wine, and chocolate shakes.
After dinner, we walked to the Reichstag, but it was too late to get inside. So, we walked by the Brandenburg Gate, and then headed back to the hotel for the evening.
Friday morning we visited the Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research where we learned about their efforts to save the Sabah Rhino. The small talkative rhinos are critically endangered due to the destruction of the rainforests in order to produce more biodiesel fuel. Learning this upset me because I had always thought of biodiesel as a more environmentally friendly form of fuel. Just another argument for going electric, I guess.
After the morning lectures, we got to go outside and learn to shoot a blow dart gun. I had a bit of beginners luck and nailed the target! :)
Next, we took a behind the scenes tour of the Berlin Zoo with the zoo veterinarian. We got to see the hospital area, learn about hippo birth control, feed the hippos, and see Knut the Eisbar.
Finally, the trip ended with a fantastic dinner at the Kasbah, where I tried couscous, creme brulee, and some fantastic Moroccan wine.
Overall, the entire study abroad trip was an amazing experience that I am so glad I got to enjoy!
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