Looking back

June 27^th 2011

After the program ended I stayed over in Europe until the 20^th. A group of us stayed in Berlin through the weekend before all heading our separate ways on Monday. On Saturday we went back to the Berlin Zoo and wandered around. This time we also got to see the Aquarium, which was interesting (the reptiles and amphibians are also in there). Sunday was spent at the cultural festival that was occurring in Berlin. It was full of vendors from around the world selling food, clothes, jewelry, and more. Sunday night we all had one last dinner together which was a lot of fun.

Monday morning I headed off to Ireland for the next week J After a 4 hour plane delay I finally made it to Dublin and met up with one of my friends. The next week was packed full of travel, but a ton of fun! We rented a car and drove all over Ireland. It was very weird driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road! In one of the cities we stayed at a B&B and the house was on a farm. I told the owner I was a veterinary student and he showed me their farm! I got to see all their cows and sheep and he told me all about their animals and some of the diseases they have had to deal with in the past. It was AMAZING! I definitely recommend staying longer after the program ends to see more of the world. It was worth it J

I’ve now been back in the US for a week and it still hasn’t fully set in all the things I got to see and experience. The class definitely gave me some insight to the differences in Veterinary Medicine in the US and Europe. I’ve always thought that international medicine would be fun and the trip helped me to understand a little better what it would be like to practice outside the US. Throughout the trip I got the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I hope to stay in touch with several in the years to come.

All-in-all this trip is a trip of a lifetime! It’s something I’ll never forget J

It's been 4 weeks already?!?!

June 11^th 2011

Yeah, today we didn’t need to be at the school until 10:30 so we got to sleep in a little. We also rode bikes to school versus taking the bus because by the time we were heading home that night the busses wouldn’t be running. Miki and Anne rode the bikes and I got to experience sitting on the back of a bike for 35 minutes. Needless to say it’s very Dutch and my butt hurt a lot when we arrived! We started the day with a tour of the equine animal clinic. The lady who gave the tour was very animated and made the two hours go by very quickly. Then it was time for a quick lunch and then we were off to our tour of the small animal clinic (companion animals in the Netherlands). In the small animal clinic we got to go change into scrubs and go into the surgery suite! It was fun seeing everyone dressed up in green with our blue hats J After the tours ended Anne picked Miki and I up and we headed to one of her friends house nearby for dinner before the soccer games. The soccer games were a form of intermurals. All the students playing were vet students and the games were the finals for the season. The team that Anne played on was the “blood factor 13” and all of the players were a different factor number! For the first game both Catherine and Diana played. However, the blood factors lost. The second game Diana played and she scored the only goal for the game! The students were so excited when she scored! After the games were over there was a party right near the soccer fields. It was a lot of fun, but the Dutch music was very interesting. There was a lot of techno and they played a lot of songs that the crowd would sing along with- it was a lot of fun! Anne’s twin sister joined us for the soccer game and the party. Her name was also Laura, which I found hilarious since my sisters name is Anne! When we headed home that evening Anne and Laura rode the bikes and Miki and I got to sit on the back. We rode home through the city center of Utrecht which was really pretty at night. Just past the center of the city there was a massive windmill! Again, when we had arrived my butt hurt after sitting on a bike for 30 minutes.

Friday morning we said goodbye to Anne in the morning and took all our stuff to the school for the day. Today was the first day I felt semi okay! We started the day with a lecture on public health in veterinary medicine. The guy who gave the lecture was very entertaining and I felt I learned a lot about veterinary medicine in Europe/ the world. Afterwards was lunch then another lecture on animals in science and society. This lecture was a bunch of short lectures and overviews of the different areas in the research departments of the university. After the lectures they showed us a few of the rats, hamsters, and mice that they use for teaching in the university. Their mice were definitely more behaved than some of the mice I’ve worked with before! Then it was time to head off to Berlin. We grabbed our bags and headed to the train station. When we got there we said our goodbyes to Dr. Wasser and gave him a gift as a thank you for the past 4 weeks. The train was packed when we got on- luckily we had reservations! One guy refused to move until he could see the reservation card and even then was slow to move from the seat. It all worked out in the end. We arrived to Berlin and made our way to the hotel. At the hotel we said goodbye to everyone who was leaving early in the morning to head back to the US. It was very surreal that the class was finished, we had been traveling all over Europe, and all the things that we got to experience. I think Dr. Wasser put it the best when he said right now we don’t realize all we did, but once we get a chance to think about it all and reflect we will realize how much we got to see and accomplish!

The Netherlands

June 8^th 2011

June 8^th 2011

Tuesday started off with us taking our bags back to the train station and storing them for the day. We then took a bus to the Arnhem zoo and had a tour of their Bush and Ocean exhibits. The tour was nice, but again, I would have enjoyed a shorter tour with more time to explore the zoo on our own. After the tour we only had about an hour to have lunch and explore on our own L I did get the chance to see a Blue Duiker walking around an exhibit! The Duikers I used to work with usually hid in the underbrush of their exhibit, so it was really cool to see. After the zoo we walked and took a bus to the De Hoge National Park. There we grabbed a bike (a famous white bike!) and rode to the museum located in the park. The ride was nice, but long when you aren’t feeling well and having trouble breathing! I was so happy when finished the 10+ km ride. The museum was interesting. The building is set back in the woods a bit, which was nice. However, the artist that they had on exhibit was disturbing. He was definitely a modern artist and his choices of materials to use were bizarre! I can say I’d never pay to go back and see his works in the future. The permanent works of art were nice to see- all the Monet and Van Gogh’s J After the museum we headed back to the station and took a quick train to Utrecht. There we met up with the veterinary students who would be hosting us for the next few days. Miki and I ended up staying with Anne (pronounced Anna). She told us that on Tuesday nights she was part of a painting group and asked us if we wanted to go. I’m so glad we went! The group is a group of veterinary students in their farm animal club (sort of like our BP and SRP) and they were painting pictures of animals that they would auction off in the fall. All the money they get from their paintings will go towards funding for vaccinations in Uganda! Their paintings were very good and ranged from cows and pigs to tigers and peacocks J While we were there Anne took us on a tour of the farm. We got to see the sheep and the cows- and even got to pet a few, including Mona (the students favorite). We then took the bus back to her apartment that was on the other side of the city. By the time we got back I crashed for the night.

Wednesday morning Anne introduced Miki and I to a typical Dutch breakfast topping- chocolate sprinkles! They are fantastic on toast with peanut butter J Our morning at the university started off with two lectures about Utrecht University faculty of veterinary medicine and the history of veterinary medicine in the Netherlands. Both lectures were interesting. After the lectures we went on a quick walk around the campus grounds- a lot of what we got to see was what Anne had showed us the night before. Following the tour was lunch then off to another lecture about the history of veterinary medicine and a tour of the museums that are located throughout the different buildings on the campus. Unfortunately, I spent most of the day not feeling all that well so I just wanted to make it through the day. After the day was over all the host students made us a Dutch dinner of mashed potatoes, endive, and bacon. It was really good- I’m going to attempt to make it when I get home. We then watched Wall-E and headed home for the night.

Ciao Bella

June 6^th 2011

There were seven of us traveling to Italy, but heading towards two different towns. We had some issues trying to get to each of our cities because they were smaller locations. So we ended up heading to Milan, Italy on Thursday night and staying there. We got in after 1:00 AM and had to leave by 8:30 in the morning to get to our destinations. Bill and I had some time to kill before our train left so our original plan was to walk around the city. However, it turns out there isn’t a whole lot to do in Milan other than shopping. So we hung out at the train station, which was very impressive, for a while. Our train to Riomaggiore was beautiful- The area around the train stop in Genova was beautiful and would like to return there sometime in the future! After leaving Genova the train drove along the coast which is absolutely breathtaking J When we arrived to Riomaggiore we headed to our hostel and checked in. After dropping off our stuff we headed out to explore the city some- the last time I visited I stayed in one of the other cities. About 10 minutes into our walk it started to rain some, but luckily it cleared out relatively quickly. The cities were as amazing as I remembered and it was great to see places that I’d seen 4 years ago still around. After walking around it was time for dinner- gnocchi and a glass of wine was perfect. Dessert was gelato- yumm J We headed back to the hostel and met our roommates for the next few days. They were two girls from Australia who are traveling around Europe for the next 4 months- later we also had a guy from France join us (he had missed the last train back to Genova- where he was staying). It was a relatively early night for me since it had been a long day traveling and tomorrow was time for the hike!

Saturday morning we headed out bright and early. First we took a train up to Monterosso (the first of the five cities). There we walked around and grabbed a bite to eat at a café that had freshly baked croissants and bread. Then we bought our tickets for the hike and headed off. For everyone who doesn’t know Cinque Terre is a nature preserve located along the northwest coast of Italy. It is best known for it’s costal hike that you take between the 5 cities- it is about 11 km, takes around 5 hours, and costs 5 euros and is 100% worth everything! If you start in Monterosso and head to Riomaggiore the hike starts off hard and then gets easier as you progress through the different cities- so that’s what we did. When we bought our tickets we found out that overnight there were two landslides that occurred and closed down the parts between Vernazza and Corniglia (the 2^nd and 3^rd cities) and Corniglia to Manarola (the 3^rd and 4^th cities). I was glad that the first section was not affected. Though the hike is the hardest, the views I feel are the best! The hike starts off with a TON of stairs heading up the side of the cliff then you outskirt the cliffs for a while until you reach the next city. My favorite part is when you round the last part of the cliff and there before you is Vernazza- it’s absolutely beautiful after an hour plus of hiking. After reaching Vernazza we walked around the city some and explored before deciding to head back to Monterosso and go to the beach since the other paths were closed. In Monterosso I bought a beach towel and clamed a place on the beach. The weather was perfect, the water was clear and cool, and it was perfect to just unwind! Following the beach I headed back to Riomaggiore to do some laundry, shopping, and just relax. The day was absolutely perfect and a great way to re-energize for the upcoming week. That evening we gained two new roommates (in addition to the Australian girls)- they were two guys from Ohio. There were also people staying in a room just below us from Washington DC, Canada, and Dallas! It was fun to all hangout and talk about everyone’s travels.

Sunday was the start of a long 48 hours of traveling. When I woke up that morning my throat was very sore and it hurt to talk L I hoped it wouldn’t be too bad of a day! We left Cinque Terre around 9:00 am to catch a few trains over to Venice. In Venice we would meet up with the other group that had been in Sacile, Italy for the weekend. After close to 5 hours of trains we made it to Venice, dropped off our bags, and walked around Venice. I’d been to Venice the last time I was in Italy as well, so again, it was a lot of fun to see the city and the places I’d been to in the past. I went to my favorite glass shop and bought a gift there J After shopping we meet up with everyone else before dinner and of course gelato! We then picked up our bags and took a train to the other station in Venice where our night train would leave to take us to Munich. When we were waiting in the train station it began to pour rain!! There was thunder and lightening going on all around us and the wind began to blow so hard that the rain was reaching us in the center of the platform. We all decided we’d had enough and went to take cover in the underground where you switch trains. Not long after getting down there and finding a place out of the way to place our bags a huge “waterfall” came pouring down the stairs next to where we were sitting. Luckily, the underground was slightly tilted the other direction and the water flowed away from our bags! By the time our train was to depart the rain had stopped, but little did we know that the rain was just the start of the adventures we were about to face! Our train arrived a few minutes late and when it arrived it was PACKED. We were all confused because we believed that the train started at our stop, so we didn’t know why there were so many people on the train. When we tried to get on the train- which we had reservations for- no one would move to let us on. The train conductor was trying to get people to move, the other people on the platform were pushing to get on, and the whole thing was a mess. Finally, after a lot of pushing, shoving, and force we all made it on to the train. We made it to our “room” and found the car packed full. We explained to the people in the room that we had reservations for the seats, they also explained to us that there was a strike going on and that there were 3 trains crammed on to one little car of the train. The other cars of the train were 1^st class sleeper cars and the doors to the cars were locked. So we made the best of the situation and tried to get to know everyone. In the room I was in there was a couple that was very unhappy and didn’t talk to anyone (they got off at the first stop), there was a family visiting their daughter (originally from NYC but now lives in Verona, Italy), and a family (mom, dad, and 4 children) that had been on vacation but took the train instead of driving to avoid traffic! Everyone was very nice, the people outside the room started singing at one point, and the best was made of a bad situation. Everyone, except those with reservations to Munich, got off in Verona to head home. At that point we were able to sit down and attempt to get some sleep. We also realized in Verona that half of our train disappeared! The train connected with a train from Rome to make one train to head to Germany. The train departed from Verona around 1:30 am or so. Sleep was off and on at best through the night. Around 4:00 am we were woken up by boarder patrol to check our passports, an hour later we were woken up to have our tickets checked. When we had our tickets checked the checker informed us that we needed a ticket for Austria- we were very confused because we had checked when booking the ticket that the train did not go through Austria since our Eurail’s did not include Austria. After a little bit of a scare we were able to buy the ticket for Austria on the train and luckily it only ended up costing 23.60 Euros. Somehow, after all the issues the night before, our train arrived in Munich on time at 6:30am. We quickly transferred trains to head to Dusseldorf. Again, sleep on that train was off and on. At this point, the sore throat I had was just getting worse and I really needed sleep! In Dusseldorf we grabbed a bite to eat, I grabbed some throat lozenges, and we headed off to Arnhem! When we arrived in Arnhem we took a bus out to near our hotel. When we got off at the bus stop there wasn’t a whole lot around- we found a sign for the hotel and it said 400 meters away. Not bad we all thought, until we realized it was a mostly uphill walk! When we arrived we checked in, I took a shower and then crashed for a much needed nap. Dinner that night was in the hotel since we were located outside the city almost in the middle of nowhere. I had some soup, took some medication, and got a goodnight sleep in hopes of feeling better the next morning.

Munich

June 2^nd 2011

What can I say about Munich? I love it!!

We arrived to Munich bright and early Sunday morning after taking an overnight train. After dropping our stuff off at the hostel and grabbing a quick bite to eat we took a train out to Dachau to visit one of the concentration camps from World War II. The best way to describe the visit was disturbingly peaceful. It was surreal to see the barracks, the crematorium, and where the prisoners lived. There were signs up all over the place showing what life was like for the prisoners during the war. I was amazed to find out that the barracks where the prisoners lived were meant to hold 200 people, but towards the end of the war each one held over 2,000 people! I’m glad we took the time to go. It will definitely be something I won’t forget.

Monday- another bike tour! Today we attended Mike’s Bike Tour of Munich- 5 hours of riding around the city. We met our tour guide, James, under the Old Town Square Tower and it was immediately apparent that the tour was going to be very informative and fun! The tour took us to some of the major tourist areas including the Hofbäuhaus, the Hofgarten, the Chinesischer Turm Biergarten, Munich’s surfers, and the Friedensengel (peace angel). Our tour guide provided us with a lot of information and kept the tour light and funny. It was definitely worth the time and money- I would highly recommend the tour to anyone going to visit the city. After the tour we walked around the city and did a little souvenir shopping before a few of us headed off to check out the Olympic Park from the summer Olympics that were held in Munich. The Olympic park was amazing- the architecture of the arenas was very impressive considering it was designed in the 70’s. It was neat to see what they have done with the buildings so they are still in use today. The old swim hall is currently open to the public as a gym. If we were staying longer it would have been fun to go work out in the Olympic swimming pool J That night we went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant near a family friends home of Katy. The food was fantastic and it was nice to be outside the hustle and bustle of the city for a little while.

Tuesday morning we had a little while to explore before heading off to Basel, Switzerland. Bill and I took a train just outside the city to go to Alliance Arena where some of The World Cup soccer games were held last year. The arena is also where the FC Bayron Munchen team currently plays. We were able to walk around the stadium some and see a little bit of the field. There was also a youth soccer camp occurring down on the field. It was cute to see three little groups of kids practicing! Upstairs they were doing a lot of construction and remodeling of the arena so unfortunately a lot of it was blocked off. They do offer tours of the arena daily. However, there is only one tour a day that is in English and unfortunately it was after we needed to leave to head to Basel. The rest of the day was spent on trains going to Basel. We arrived to Basel and checked into our hotel. It was freezing and raining outside- no more nice, warm, sunny weather L Dinner was a quick bite to eat at a pizza place and then off to bed. The hotel is amazing! We are very fortunate to have Novartis paying for us to come and stay in Basel!

I thought Wednesday was a lot of fun and very interesting! We spent the day on Novartis’ campus. The first location was right near our hotel so we walked over and got name badges to wear for the day. The first lecture we had was about the company itself- where it started, what it’s become, and where it is looking to make advances in the future. I had no idea about all the large animal options available from Novartis. They also talked about some of the new products that Novartis has developed and brought into the European market over the last few years. Two products are set to be released in the US in the next few years- which is very exciting! I was especially excited about the Onsior- finally a good NSAID for cats J We then learned about the different areas of testing a product goes through to get approved and toured the labs in the building. I thought the temperature and humidity set chambers in the basement was very interesting. I would have never thought a product had to go through so many tests to be proven safe and effective during all situations! It was amazing to see! After our tours we took a long bus ride out to Novartis’ location outside the city where they test their products on animals. At first I wasn’t very sure how I would feel about seeing the facilities, but Switzerland has very strict animal welfare laws and the animals are treated well despite being tested on. Afterwards we headed back to Basel and had the evening off to relax J

Thursday was a catholic holiday so a lot of the city was shut down. We started the day off with a walking tour of the old part of the city. The city itself was surprisingly beautiful- and the weather cooperated too which made it even better! After grabbing some lunch we went to the Museum of Natural History and explored around inside. All of the signs were in German, which made understanding everything difficult at times, but for the most part I was able to get a basic understanding. As we were about to leave the beekeeper for the museum came to remove the honey from the hive. It was interesting to see what he did, but I stayed towards the back so I missed out on a lot of it- not sure if I’m allergic to bees or not and didn’t want to risk it! After leaving the museum we headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags then it was off to Italy for a nice long weekend! I can’t wait to be back in Cinque Terre again J

Last Blog

So Im still in Germany on vacation with my dad after the program, it has been wonderful.  This program has been a whirl wind experience and I have learned a great many things about cultural differences as well as medical differences from school to school. The were so many interesting people that we have met and I hope to keep in touch with a few of them.  I think I have learned alot about myself and also alot about traveling.  This being said the next time will hopefully be easier and smoother (when it comes to train reservations).  Other than minor hiccups the class went off without a hitch.  I have seen so many different places and learned alot of history as well.  I hope to incorporate my learning experiences into everyday life!  I'm not sure what that will entail yet but time will tell.  Thanks to everyone on the trip, everyone was fun and helpful and it made the trip special!  Tschuss, bye, see you soon!

The end

Actually I am happy to say that I am currently still in Germany. I am fortunate enough to complete an internship at the University in Leipzig at one of the veterinary clinics this summer. I would like to say that I learned much more on this trip than I would have ever expected!

I think that the mark of a great program is the ability to teach students no matter what there level. I have improved my language skills, my knowledge of European and German culture, and my understanding of veterinarians in Europe even after already completing a year abroad and two internships in Germany.

I just can’t really explain how grateful I am to have been able to come on this trip. I really believe that the people putting this together did such an excellent job and I just consider myself very lucky to have been able to take part.

Follow Up Post

June 16, 2011

I have been home for several days now, and I feel I have recuperated from all of my sleep deprivation. I finished unpacking my big backpack today, and I started to do my laundry from the trip. My first few days at home were filled with drinks with lots of ice, visiting with and seeing my family and animals, and catching up on new news. It feels nice to be home, but, after a few days of rest, I actually miss traveling and seeing new, exciting things and places. I also have been craving croissants with honey, which I have prevented myself from buying for the time being, and I have found it hard to transition from days filled with activities to days with hardly anything planned. I also keep forgetting that it gets so dark much earlier here, and I miss seeing everyone every day, including Lena and her helpfulness.

I feel I have taken so much away from this trip, including being a more experienced traveler, understanding more about Europe, and learning about veterinary medicine in places outside the US. During the program, I was surprised at how many people knew English everywhere we went, even though it was not their first language, and it made me want to learn a second language. I also plan to go to the San Antonio Zoo soon to compare it to the many I visited in Europe, and , after visiting Norderney, I also want to visit Sea World to see the marine life there.

I am so glad I traveled with this program, and I feel it has given me many priceless memories as well as new friends. I look forward to seeing how this experience will impact/benefit my future role in the veterinary profession.

Last Day

June 10, 2011

Today is the last day of the program. As I am hurriedly packing my things for our flight out tomorrow, I am looking back on the day. The most interesting aspect was when we learned about the handling of laboratory animals and when we watched the hamsters fill their cheek pockets with food. Though I have seen hamsters do this many times before, I did not realize this was a separate compartment from their oral cavity.

Our last tram to Berlin was also a nice part of the day as well. I enjoyed looking at the scenery out the window and talking to friends, and the time went by much faster than I expected.

Antibiotics

June 9, 2011

Today, during the tour of the small animal clinic, our guide explained that soon veterinarians in Holland would no longer be able to prescribe antibiotics in their practice. This surprised me since antibiotic prescriptions are such a staple in all of the clinics where I have worked, and it made me wonder how the veterinary profession will have to adapt to this new challenge in this country.

Our last bike ride on the trip

June 7, 2011

Today we had our last bike ride of the trip. At first, I was apprehensive about doing another bike ride since I am not the best at biking, but I actually enjoyed this trip. It was a nice temperature outside, and the forests provided a nice landscape to bike through. There also were a lot of hills to coast down (and it didn't seem like too many hills to bike up) which was fun because the momentum from downhill carried the bike a long way. The pace was very easygoing, and it seemed like a nice bike ride with which to end the trip.

Burger's Zoo

June 7, 2011

Today we went to the zoo in Arnhem. I enjoyed our guide and there were many aspects about the tour and day that are worth remembering. First, I was so surprised and excited to see the manatees in the rainforest. I had not ever seen one before, although I have learned/read so much about them, and I thought it was interesting when our guide explained that they were actually the most expensive animal to keep at the zoo because of their slow digestive system and the quantity of lettuce/other food that they eat.

I was also amazed at the extensive aquarium the zoo had, especially the tunnel aquarium located near the exit. It was awesome to watch the fish, sting rays, and sharks swim next to, over, and above me, and I tried to take as many pictures as possible. I was also surprised to learn the sharks of the zoo were hand fed with a stick and that the hammerhead sharks were the slowest to learn how to feed from this method.

Monday 6/13

On Tuesday, we went to the Arnhem Zoo and the national park. The zoo was really cool. We had a tour of the indoor rain forest area. The animals were free to roam for the most part. It really reminded me of the Dallas World Aquarium, so I loved it. I had a chance to see Asian river otters. They were SO CUTE! There was a capybara as well and I have decided that I definitely need one as a pet. The bike ride through the national park was nice. We rode to an art museum... which was interesting. The Van Gough paintings were beautiful! The statues were odd. I can't say that I liked them or that I understood the point. Whatever floats your boat I guess. Afterwards, we head to Utrecht and I got to meet my host! Her name is Elissa. She is really nice and has two super cool rats.

On Wednesday and Thursday, we toured the small and large animal clinic. They were both really impressive. I was half thinking about doing an externship there when I remembered that it would be crazy expensive and I don't speak Dutch haha. The vet students made us a traditional Dutch dinner on wednesday night, which consisted of mashed potatoes with a special type of lettuce chopped up and mixed in. It was tasty. I loved having the opportunity to get to know the Dutch vet students! All of the American vet students went to the Dutch students soccer championship games on Thursday night. We all just hung out and had a good time. It was nice to just hang out.

We saw the lab animal part of the university on Friday and headed back to Berlin. I stayed in Berlin for the rest of the weekend with a group and flew out today. We wandered around the Berlin Zoo for most of Saturday. It was a great day, even though it started raining at the end. We went to a culture festival on Sunday. It was really awesome and reminded me of a fair. The weekend was a great end to the trip.

Sunday 6/6

I stayed in Basel for another day with Julie, Rachel, and Erin. We went to some Roman ruins in the morning and then wandered the city in the afternoon. It was nice to not have a plan after having everything scheduled the last few weeks. We left for Lauderbrunin the next day.
A friend of Julie's met up with us in Basel and drove us to Lauderbrunin. This is a very small little town located up in the Swiss Alps. We walked to see one of the many local waterfalls and had some lunch at really good cafe. After we checked into our hostel, we took a gondola to Murren to take pictures and look around. This is another
small town that is located higher up on the same mountain. The scenery was stunningly beautiful. Absolutely amazing!
We went on a long walk the next day to another town. I really spent most of the walk trying to take in all that I was seeing. It was peaceful. I couldn't get over how many wild flowers there were all over the place! Loved it! We walked by the river and put our feet in. Bad idea! My feet went numb within about 30 seconds. It was some seriously cold water because the river was fed by a waterfall coming down off the alps. We all decided to just hangout and relax after we got back around 3pm.
I'll be on a train for the rest of the day in order to get to Arnhem in the Netherlands.

Thursday 6/2

We rode the train to Basel to meet back up with the study abroad group on Tuesday night and got to check into our nice hotel. It was awesome to have a hot shower and a comfy bed after taking cold showers at the hostel in Munich! On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, we had absolutely awesome breakfasts! They even had Coco Krispies... Seems like a silly thing to get excited about, but they were amazing.
We went to Novartis on Wednesday and saw all of their facilities. I definitely liked seeing the farm they use to keep the animals they test some of their products on. I was nervous about going to see it because I thought it would make me sad. It ended up showing me that the animals really are treated well at the facility. They even had mandatory rest periods in between tests and had room to run around.
On thursday, we went on a city tour of Basel. It was a lot of history, which does not generally interest me. The tour guide was very nice and did give us some fun facts. There was a fountain that had a lot of moving pieces was called the fountain of Tangley. It was made of scrap parts from the old opera house, which had been torn down and replaced by a new one. We had a free weekend after the tour. the only sad thing was that it was a holiday, so Everything was closed.

Tuesday 5/31

We made it to Munich and had lots of fun! I travelled with Rachel, Erin, Julie, Laura Nicholson, and Bill. It worked out to be a really good group because it gave us the ability to split up into smaller groups easily when we wanted to do different stuff. We all went to the Dachau concentration camp on Sunday. It was really intense and sad, but it was
definitely a good learning experience. A friend of mine who is from Munich was in town visiting his parents, so we met up with him after we went to Dachau. He showed us places to eat and gave us advise on which beers were local and tasty. It was nice to have someone to answer questions about the city. He went with us to a beer house on the first night and ordered a few amazing desserts. The blueberry pancake/beignet thing was "absolutely fantastic" in the words of Laura.
We went on a bike tour on Monday and it was awesome! The weather was perfect... Sunny and warm! Our tour guide was really funny and convinced Bill to jump in the freezing spring fed river that runs through the English garden. The garden was so beautiful. I would love to go back to Munich and just spend a whole day in the garden relaxing. I would just have to avoid the "free spirited" part of the garden where people lay around nude because it still makes me feel awkward. (Silly I know.) I accomplished getting a few gifts for people as we walked around Munich. I can't wait to give my brother his real one liter beer stein from one of the beer gardens we went to on Sunday night with Lovis and a few of his friends. Erin and I even went to a club on Monday night with Lovis and his friend. They played some pretty funny 90's music that had been remixed into dance/techno-ish music and the people watching was great, so we had a lot of fun. I just really enjoyed Munich and definitely would like to go back sometime soon! We are off to Basel, Switzerland next!

Saturday 5/28

I was so excited to see Katrin at the train station after our long train ride on monday! It was so comforting to see a familiar face and stay in one city for a few days after moving around a lot the past week. I got to see her apartment and finally understood the lofted bed that she told me about. I even had my own room! On Tuesday, we toured the horse clinic and the teaching farm. I was really impressed with the horse clinic. It was awesome! Each area of specialty had it's own little stable and they had some really impressive medicine and technology. The farm was interesting because we learned a lot about how farms have to be run completely differently because of all the strict animal rights laws like no cages for chickens. I definitely don't agree with a lot if the policies because I think they are too extreme.... and I really surprised myself. I mean I'm a vegetarian and I love animals, but I heard about how they loose money producing eggs and chickens end up killing eachother. The thought, "passing laws that kills an industry is just stupid" passed though my head. I guess I'm more of a terrible capitalist American than I like to admit to myself after all. I mean I don't like the chickens to be in a tiny cage where they can move, but there should be a way to find a happy medium where money can still be made. On Wednesday, we went to the vet school's cattle clinic and a private stallion testing center. The cattle clinic was not as new and fancy as the horse clinic, but still very cool. I got to palpate a cow for the first time (a very weird feeling) and got to feel the ovaries! It made me feel like a really vet student, which was nice since this last semester completely whipped my ass. The stallion testing center was the best part of the day though. The horses were absolutely gorgeous. They were the kind of horses I've dreamed of riding. It was amazing to see how these guys (and girls) were able to handle and rode them. I didn't
know anyone rode stallions outside of racing. Very cool. On Thursday, we went to a private veterinary museum and a Wasserschloss (castle with a moat). To be honest, history isn't my thing for the most part, so a lot of the muesum wasn't very interesting to me. The wet specimens were pretty cool though. The place also had an old water mill that still work and that I found really interesting. Odd I know. The place also had a bunch of animals, which makes me super happy. They had a Bernese mountain dog that I really wanted to steal and was really awesome. I went out with Katrin that night, which was interesting. We went to a couple parties, but the vet school one was absolutely crazy!
Next time someone tells me that Americans party too hard and are crazy, I am going to say, "False! German vet students are!" On Friday, we left for Norderney. I was sad to say goodbye to Katrin. I managed to leave my cellphone and not realize it till I was on the train too. Epic fail. We ended up not doing the mud walk, which I must admit I was not sad about. The weather was nasty and cold. I really enjoyed the tour we took instead, even though I lost sensation to my legs because we all thought we needed to wear shorts. Live and learn I guess haha. I was pleasantly surprised how much i really enjoyed the tour. We saw tiny shrimp and creepy mud worms. I put on a blindfold and try to walk towards a pole to simulate what it would be like to try to navigate though fog. I actually did surprisingly well and so did Rachel! Bill and Catherine would apparently be screwed though because they both ended up
walking towards water haha. We all mastered the penguin huddle method of staying warm while waiting for the bus and started singing... I'm sure we looked like complete nut cases! Afterwards, we rinsed off at the hostel and went to dinner. The place we went to dinner at was really relaxing. I had fresh salmon with tortolleni, a glass of Merlot, and a pumpkin seed and ice-cream dessert. Amazing! Best meal I've had so far. Today, we went on a bike tour lead by the same guide that lead our tour yesterday. It was a lot of fun to see all the birds, lighthouse and different areas of the island. We had lunch of the hostel, which kind of sucked because they didn't have vegetarian option. It was the first time that it has happened on the trip and we figured something out, so I really can't complain. The rest of the day we spent going to the seal center and whale museum. The German word for seal is seehund (sea dog), which I thought is a very accurate name. We saw them fed and looked at different things around the museum. The whale museum was interesting because they had a complete sperm whale skeleton from one that had beached after getting lost and the tide went down. It was amazing. We all went into vet nerd mode and started noticing the anatomical differences between it skeleton and land mammals. It was pretty funny and once again made me start to feel like a real vet student again. I'm on the train at the moment and we had an interesting encounter with some characters on the train. I'm really starting to appreciate the no open containers in public law in the states haha.

Sunday 5/22

Getting to Prague and our hostel last night was interesting, but we made it! We went to the castle, bridge and old town! It was super cool! It has been interesting because I have never been to eastern Europe before. It is definitely different than western Europe. I can't quite explain it. I really like the castle and everything we saw today! I got a pin for my friend on the bridge on Saturday and went back today to get a couple other little gifts. We went to the citadel and walked around the cemetery. All we did the rest of the day was look in shops and eat. It was a really nice and relaxing day.

Friday 5/20

I have a lot of catching up to do! The cathedral in Cologne was
beautiful! We had a tour guide show us around Cologne on Wednesday. He
was really interesting and told us the history of Cologne. I had no idea
that the city started as a Roman military outpost. It's crazy to think
the major streets layout haven't changed much since those times in the
oldest parts of Cologne. After our tour, we headed to Berlin and checked
into our hotel.
Thursday was long day. We went to the Berlin zoo... which was awesome!
The had wolves! And our tour there was lead by one of the zoo
veterinarians. He explained how they train elephants and Bonobo monkeys
to be handlable for basic maintenance such as toenail trims and for
veterinary procedures. There were wolves there! They were so cool! I
want one. On friday, We went to visit the Berlin veterinary school. It
was pretty cool. One of the male vet students (a rare species) randomly
waed up and started talking to us during the lunch break when we were
sitting on the grass near the cafeteria. He was nice and we all talked
about the difference between the vet school styles. I really liked the
tour of the small animal clinic, especially since I got to pet a little
bunny. My mom should be proud of me because they said that he needed a
home and I didn't take him. After the tour, we jumped on a train to head
back to the Berlin main station and then a group of us jumped on another
train to Prague.

Tuesday 5/17

It has been a crazy trip so far! The first day (days?) included a
whirlwind of flying and no sleeping, but we all made it here safe and
sound! On Sunday we went to a Catholic mass at a monastery and a castle,
which was pretty cool. I started feeling sick that day and was sadly not
prepared for how cold it got, but I definitely learned my lesson. I
ended up feeling very sickly that night and loosing my voice, so I went
to the doctor on Monday. One of the student workers from the AIB went
with me thank goodness because the doctor didn't speak any English. Her
name was Maggie. She was really interesting and made the wait at the
doctors office very pleasant. I ended up getting lots of drugs and
feeling better by the next morning. I'm so glad because that meant that
I was able to go to the Cologne zoo! The animal version of body worlds
was there and it was pretty dang awesome! We then went to the Cologne
Cathedral for a roof top tour.... I didnt realize it mean walking along
the gutters outside on the roof. I wasn't crazy about that part of the
day. A couple of other people were not either, so that at least made me
feel better.

Novartis' new NSAID

June 1, 2011

Today we went to Novartis in Basel. It was specifically interesting when they started to talk about Robenacoxib, a new NSAID that can be used in cats. This is very ground breaking as there are not many options for painkiller use in cats. Among the advantages discussed about the drug which make it effective and safe in cats include a rapid excretion time, a specificity for action on inflamed areas, and a quick efficacy time. The presenter also explained it was approved and coming to market soon in the US. I am so excited about this new opportunity to treat and help cats.

Home at last!

Well, here is my final post to the Europe blog. I have been home for 2 days now, and I think I have gotten over the jet lag... mostly. It is wonderful to be back where I can understand the language, and read all of the signs! I had a great time and many irreplaceable experiences in this past month. I got much better at the German speaking, and I have made many friends in many countries! This is something that I will never forget, and hopefully I will have many more opportunities to go to other countries and learn other cultures, the world has so much to offer, I hope we can all enjoy the different lifestyles of the world! Auf Wiedersehen fur die lastest zeit. Haben ein gutes leben, mit viel gluck und mach spass!

Going to Paris.....

June 2, 2011

Tomorrow, we leave for Paris.......so excited......although it is still a little surreal.

City tour of Basel

June 2, 2011

Today we had a city tour of Basel. I enjoyed the tour guide as well as the interesting pieces of information he had to give us. These include the fact that the Cathedral was changed from the Catholic to Protestant religion, the fact that you can see Switzerland, France, and Germany all from one location in Basel, and that the commuter boats/ferries on the Rhine are not powered, but rather use the currents of the river.

I also enjoyed the museum visit today. It was actually the first time I had ever been to a natural history museum, and I found the exhibits interesting, especially the dinosaur skeletons and their tracks. The Wooly Mammoth exhibit was also very exciting to see (they were such big creatures), and my favorite animal was the sea bear. Though I did not know this, this animal still has populations which exist and can be seen today.

Pannenkoek!! Noodle!!

June 20, 2011

I definitely liked the Utrecht portion of our schedule the most. Academically, the lectures were pretty interesting, especially the one about public health. To be honest, I think I learned more in that 2 hour lecture than I did all of spring semester! The clinic tours were also the most informative and entertaining, especially the horse clinic. It was really interesting to hear how and why certain aspects of the equine clinic were they way they were (both for logistical reasons as well as ease of care reasons) versus the normal “here’s the MRI machine….[walk to next room] here’s our CT scanner….[walk to next room] here’s our waiting room” dribble we heard at other clinics. The small animal clinic tour was also very interesting because we were guided by an actual surgeon who allowed us to enter the surgery suites donned in surgery appropriate scrubs.

The Utrecht students were also the most welcoming and planned the most things for us to be involved in! They cooked us Dutch food to eat during movie night and even had a huge football (“soccer” to us Americans) tournament and after-party. In order to get to the football game, I had to ride on the back of a bike…that was really interesting and actually quite fun! I literally had to jump onto a moving bike and then hold on for dear life as we biked our way to the soccer fields. Haha The football tournament was especially neat because we got to see 2 of our very own classmates, Catherine and Diana, play on the field! Diana even scored the one and only goal for their team!!! I don’t think I’ve ever heard such loud cheering and screaming than when she made that goal!

The food was fun and very interesting. I have to admit, Utrecht University’s cafeteria food far outranks Critical Care Café’s! They had soups, sandwiches, and special pizzas made daily! It was delicious! Our first official Dutch dish, however, was mashed potatoes with lettuce, bacon, and cheese. Just by these ingredients you know this tasted awesome! Our next dish was pancakes with bacon and cheese, also yummy! Then we had French fries…with mayonnaise. That was probably the weirdest thing because when I asked if they had ketchup, I got some genuinely confused reactions! Haha

Utrecht, in my opinion, was a great way to end this trip! It was educational, interesting, and really fun!!

As a funny side note, our host student, Tom, taught us how to tell someone they are an idiot or moron in Dutch, thus the title of this blog. “Pannenkoek” is pancake in English, and “noodle” is noodle. However, in Dutch slang, it can also be an insult. Haha!!

Interlaken

May 30, 2011

This free weekend we are in Interlaken, Switzerland, and it seems to be an amazing place. The people, both tourists and locals, are very friendly, and everyone is willing to help with whatever they can. A particularly helpful aspect about the community is the various "travel offices" which can be found in nearly every tram station around the city. This has been amazing, and, they have always been there to help, including, helping us find our hotel, giving us travel books on activities to do, as well as helping us with buying city transportation tickets. Travel offices as helpful and convenient as these should be in every city, and I am sure it would make traveling a lot less scary/stressful, especially in bigger cities.

While in Interlaken, we traveled by tram, then bus, then cable cars to Schilthorn Piz Gloria, a restaurant in the middle of the Swiss Alps. It was an amazing experience to see everything in the area, including the mountains, animals, countryside, and small town buildings. The next day, we visited Trummelbach, an area near Interlaken which has waterfalls which can be seen both inside the mountains as well as outside. It was fun to see such a beautiful aspect to this country and I am so glad that we came here!

Ciao!!

So we finally made it to Italy and are already having a great time! Getting here was a bit of a struggle because we had to catch a train from Nordeney to Milano, where we stayed for only a few hours, before hoping another train to our final destination, Venice.

We’re staying with Miki’s friend, Rachel (a fellow Longhorn!!), in Sacile which is only a relatively short train ride away from Venice. My goal in Italy is to try all the essential Italian foods in Italy. We’ve already had the pizza, which left much to be desired unfortunately, and the gelato, which was amazing!! We’re about to leave for Venice, our destination city, and I hope it will be a great time!

(A few hours later)

Venice was fun! I was a little surprised to see just how touristy this city was. It’s literally shop after shop after shop, not that I’m complaining. It just definitely wasn’t what I expected. The funniest thing that happened was that as Catherine and I were walking through the city, she pointed out that it was neat we didn’t have to worry about any cars in the streets. That was when it hit me. Since Venice is a city on water, there weren’t any cars around! We were literally walking in the streets of the city.

After purchasing a few souvenirs, we took a ferry to the island of Murano. Murano is known for its glass blowing and glass creations, so much like Venice, it was a city of shops on the water. However, Murano was so much nicer than Venice. It was cleaner, less crowded, and prettier. The people were friendlier, and overall it was just a more relaxed place to be. We got to see a glass blowing show where we watched a “maestro” (master) of the craft create a horse statue and vase out of a ball of glass! Then we enjoyed some Italian cuisine next to the small river running through the city.

Back in Venice, we decided to visit St. Mark’s square, on the very edge of the city. It was a huge area filled with people and restaurants and of course the dueling orchestras!! We decided to sit down, order dinner, and enjoy the music of the evening. The two orchestras were right next to each other in two different restaurants. As one would play, the other would rest. The ambiance of the square was great. Picture it being night time, with small lights all over keeping the square lit, orchestras playing beautiful music, and delicious Italian food in front of you. It was really a lovely evening.

(The next day/evening)

We got to take a Venetian gondola ride on the water!!! It was really fun and very relaxing. Being the silly tourists that we are, we decided to wave to everyone we saw, both on and off the water. Luckily for us, people seem to like to wave and take pictures of other people on gondola rides! Haha Our guide didn’t speak the best English, so whenever he pointed out something important, we only understand a few of the words he said. We ended up making up our own interpretations of the places we saw. Overall, I’d say this was the best part of the Italian trip so far!

Back in Sacile, we went to dinner at a local hotspot where I had, hands down, the BEST spaghetti ragu of my life!! Afterwards, we went to a small wine bar, enjoyed a lovely glass of desert wine along with scoop of Italian gelato before calling it a night!