Chivalry is dead and tram doors killed it.

Finally, I get to post this goofy thing!  From Roncesvalles, Spain none the less, where I finally found a desktop computer.  
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As a self described southern gentleman (and 'self' being the only one to describe me as such) there's a touch of culture shock to traveling as I've found out in the past two weeks.  Oh, right, the past two weeks and how I've not been blogging about it.  Guess I should start with that.  

Well truth is it's hard titypepp in atabket (the corrected version of that is 'its hard to type on a tablet'), so my desire to constantly correct the auto correct and finagle with a virtual keyboard is next to nil.  But since Ive an hour train ride and a guilty conscience, guess what I'm doing?  So I guess thatd be the first thing.  Either bring a laptop or dont buy a Toshiba thrive if you plan on blogging extensively because even the simplest posts take upwards of an hour to type.  

Anyhow, the story so far:  we started in Bonn where we got used to the German life (drinking good beer for cheap), sampled the local foods (asparagus.  Lots and lots of asaragus), and got rained (hailed) on.  So that was fun.  Nice town with a good bit to keep you entertained.  Even climbed up to see the ruins of Drachenfels,  twice.  The views are worth it.  And just as I began to figure out the subway system and not ride around in circles for an hour, we left. 

Onwards to Leipzig where we spent a lot of time at the Leipzig veterinary school.  First, we saw their historical collection of veterinary implements which was very cool, though I've always been a fan of history so we don't have to repeat it.  Hand cranked centrifuges, while beautifully geared, are something I'd rather avoid.  After that we toured their campus and then broadened our horizons to the city tour.  I must say, I really enjoyed the city tour.  Learned a lot about a town I'd previously only heard of in passing.  We also did an anatomy session with a group of Leipzig students, which was interesting in i own regard because their are several differences between the two systems.  I really hate that I brought a tablet instead of a laptop because I can't expound upon things in any decent amount of time, so again: bring a laptop.  
We then saw the Leipzig zoo, which is a nice facility, though a bit small in my opinion.  Also learned that blowdarting animals will not be a valid fall back olan for me if the whole vet thing ends up not working.  

After Leipzig we went to berlin, which is a pretty amazing city and perhaps the largest I've ever been in.  On the first day we went to the Leibniz institute, which may be my favorite part of the trip so far, though I couldnt tell you exactly why.  Just an enjoyable facility as a whole.  It did, however, further reiterate that blow darting is not my cup of tea. 
After leibniz we went to the Berlin zoo, which is quite massive and well worth the visit.  We did typical zoo stuff their, so not a lot to say really.  

On the second day we hung out at the Berlin vet school where we split into groups.  I ended up in the large animal group (which is theolace to be when wearing flip flops) where we saw mostly equin cases.  We also got to attend a farrier class which was most excellent.  Learned a lot and got to see some techniques I'd not seen used over in the US.  Though take that with a grain because my farriering experience basically doubled in a one hour class period.  

On the third day we took a bike tour of the city which was nice, but somewhat nerve wracking as the cars expect you to be ok with them whizzing by just inches from your body.  I guess thats why health insurance is part of the program fees.  Oh and I lied to you.  Leibniz wasn't my favorite part of the trio.  The museum of natural history in Berlin gets that qualificatio thus far and I dont see anything thats likely to usurp it in the future.  That place was amazing and I could spend an entire day in there I'd wager.  Unfortunately w only got about 2 hours....


Anyhow, now we 're all caught up and I'm in a train to hannover.  So what's all this about chivalry?  Well, really not a while lot, just some weird bumps along the way for the southern gentleman.  My first encounter with this was on a bus in Bonn.  Now, back home, when a lady gets on the bus and you're sitting down, you stand up an offer her your seat.  Not so in Germany.  I did this to a young lady and got a rather curtling glare usually only seen from exes and Black Friday shoppers.  So what shouldve happened, as far as I can tell, is for me to remain seated and enjoy the millimeter thin cushioning.  Standing up to give someone your seat is reserved for the elderly and young (as in children) here, evidently.  

The other hiccups I've had are in regards to trams, buses, an subways.  The German and, to a lesser degree, Czech, public transport system is very efficient and theyre leaving the estation regardless of your proximity to the train.  So when you have the opportunity to get on a tram or what have you, you take it instead of waiting for the lady next to you to go ahead.  Elsewise, you're going to end up with the tram doors shutting literally on you as you are boarding.  Three times now and counting.  Or the more fun option:  closing in front of you after you let the little old lady get on in front of you and the train speeding away when you were about 2 cm from the door.  Oh well, there's usually another one coming down the line and the east side gallery ( very cool by the by) will still be there in a few minutes...

Oh and bring a laptop or at least a keyboard that will work with your tablet.  Took an hour and 15 minutes to type this whereas it should've taken only 15 minutes.  And watch out for tram doors, they're out to get you.

P.S.  another update since weve not had wifi for several days now.  We went to norderney which was nice, but very wet and rainy, so bring at the least a rain jacket since were talking  Soaked through to the bone kind of rainy.  On a similar item have plenty of changes of clothes on hand. 
The mudwalk was very cool though and if you've the option, you should most definitely do it barefoot.  As for hannover' we really didn't do to much there',  the most notable thing being the BBQ with the German vet stoudents.  Good food nd good compapny (plus beer) always makes for a good evening though.  Currently on the way to basel.  

P.P.S.  belgian waffles are amazing.

P.P.P.S.  this post just keeps getting longer and longer.  Lost the password to my blogger account so typing this in another document right now until I can recovdr out, and so I have to update as the days go by.  So, remember what your blogger credentials are...
Were in Utrecht now and just a few days short of the end of our trip.  Today we visited the utrecht vet school and played a friendly game of soccer against the visiting Israeli students.  The Fighten' Texas Aggies actually beat the Israel team at soccer 3-2.  That may be the only time you ever see that sentence.

P.P.P.P.S.  to come full circle, bring a laptop over a tablet, or at least not the Toshiba thrive.  Its ridiculous how much trouble I've had posting this.  I can't do it from my tablet because blogger evidently doesn't allow me to paste into the text field with this tablet, and I can't do it on a desktop because the hostel's are currently unavailable.  Its now the last day of the trip (departure day) and this goofy thing still remains unposted.  Maybe tonight will be the night...

Last day :(

Today is the last full day of the program...that is both a happy and a sad thing. On the one hand I can't wait to get back home to see my boyfriend and find a place to take riding lessons again; on the other hand, I'm going to miss Germany so much, and Texas is going to seem boring in comparison.

I'm kind of behind on the blogging thing so I need to catch up on some of the experiences I've had over the last couple weeks. I think Nordeney really needs to be discussed...I will remember those few days forever with a mixture of fondness and revulsion. It would have been great if not for the weather. I sincerely hope that next year's group of students is blessed with better weather because rain, wind, and cold are not conducive to an enjoyable bike tour, wattwanderung, or horse riding experience. I have no desire to ride a bike again for awhile after that. The wattwanderung was still a wonderful experience though despite the weather...walking barefoot over the mudflats was a liberating feeling. It made me feel like a kid again digging clams and worms out of the mud. And then there was the part with the knee deep mud :) I won't go into too much detail about that since I want it to be a surprise for next year's group. It was a ridiculously strenuous few days, and I really hope they ease up a little bit for the next group so they can enjoy it more!

I think the horseback riding on the beach was really one of the highlights of the trip for me. I used to be a really competitive jumper rider, but it had been over two years since I'd sat on a horse. I was really concerned that I would have forgotten everything and be back to bouncing around in the saddle like a beginner. It turned out that when I got in the saddle it was like being home again. It felt perfect. My pony was really wound up, but you could tell she had some dressage training :) This was just what I needed to push me into finding a trainer in college station to start taking lessons again. So that was one of those epiphany moments that trips like this are good for I guess.

Anyway, we're in Utrecht now, which I wasn't too sure about at first, but it's starting to grow on me. I got to play soccer with the Dutch and Israeli students! I haven't played soccer since I was in 5th grade, but most of us sucked so it turned out to be really fun. It's sad that I'm this sore after a game of soccer though...

Tomorrow is my last day here, and then it's back to Texas. It's been an amazing month and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat :) That's all for now!

It's almost over :(

I can’t believe the program is almost over! It has definitely been a busy four weeks, but I have loved every minute of it. I have really enjoyed learning how the veterinary world operates in Germany, and I can say that there have been many similarities and differences. I noticed one of the more distinct differences when we were at the small animal teaching hospital in Berlin. In the majority of vet clinics in the U.S., veterinarians are not comfortable with owners restraining their own cats and dogs. One reason for this is to avoid liability if the animal were to bite or scratch its owner during a procedure or examination. In Germany, however, it seems that this doesn’t cause as much concern because people here are not as likely as Americans to file a lawsuit. I found that interesting. In contrast, the experience working with German vet students in their anatomy lab showed me that there are many similarities between us. Watching them struggle to find certain structures and then subsequently getting excited because they figured it out looked just like us when we took anatomy.

We have also done many things that were not associated with a vet school or clinic. We visited an organic farm on the first day of the program, and I loved it! Everything there was so fresh and healthy, and I wish I could live that way at home! We have also visited several zoos, and we got behind-the-scenes experiences with elephants and hippos. At the Cologne Zoo, we arrived early in the morning and got to go to the area where the elephants are housed and talk with the handlers. They explained how they train them to cooperate for veterinary treatment and the general behavior of elephants. I have never been that close to elephants before, and it was amazing! At the Berlin Zoo we got to feed the hippos pieces of bread, which they really seemed to enjoy. We visited the polar bears at the Berlin Zoo as well, and that was a special experience for me. I had never seen one before in person, and they are one of my favorite animals!

                In addition to official program activities, we have traveled on the weekends outside of Germany. Several of us traveled to Rome for the first free weekend, and it was absolutely worth every penny of the airfare to get there! We saw the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. We also ate authentic Italian food, and it was so good that it will be hard to eat it anywhere else now! We went to Prague for the second free weekend, and it was a very neat city. The architecture was beautiful and the culture was unlike any I have experienced. Finally, for the third weekend we visited Zurich, and the view of the Alps from across Lake Zurich was breath taking.

                So, it’s sad that the program is almost over. The good news is that it isn’t QUITE over yet, and we still have more to experience here in Utrecht, the Netherlands!

Hello again. I would like to report on my trip to Hannover veterinary college and the trip to Nordeney. I was really pleased that we had the opportunity to participate in a dehorning procedure. I had never done this procedure before, so it was very interesting for me. To explain, when Aaron cut through the horn and cut the cornual artery, the veterinary students showed us how to use toothpicks to stop the flow of blood. I would have never thought of that!! Also, the party in the evening with the veterinary students was fun and I got to see a German drinking game. I would have liked to have played, but I had already had to much to drink and I am currently fighting a cold.
Nordeney..what to say but cold, wet, windy, and fun!! The day began with a tour of the island with Niles and Dr. Wasser. Appartenly the island's fresh water supply comes from a freshwater pocket under the island, which also explains its yellow brown color. At midday, we all tied up our shoes and handed towards the mudflats to discover lugworms!! Alex convinced me to take off my shoes, which, due to the cold weather, was something that I didn't want to do. I am glad that I did because the feeling of the mud under my feet was incredible. The best parts for me were the feeling of the deep pudding like mud under my feet and the trying to walk towards a yellow pole blindfolded. Everyone told me that I first walked straight and then made a sharp left turn. I always knew that I had on sense of direction so it was no surprise to me that I couldn't find the pole. As the day wore on, the rain began to fall harder and the temperature became colder. Inspite of this, we all decided to go horseback riding along the beach. I love horseback riding and have been riding since I was 5 years-old so for me I was excited to go despite the weather. I was in the second group so we rode our bikes to the meeting point and met the other riders, During the choas of people getting on and off and trying to hold horses, I forgot to give my key to Dr. Wasser. I later discovered that he had to carry his bike half way back to the hostel because of my mistake. I felt really bad about it because I did not mean to forgot to give him the key. Inspite of that, I did really enjoy the ride and my horse whose name was Raven. I hope that Dr. Wasser continues to take students riding despite the choas of this first year. In the evening we got the opportunity to talk with a husband and wife team that is in chage of all of the veterinary work for Nordeney. It was very interesting to learn of their practice and the work that they do. I liked the idea that I female veterinarian can still work and have children and have a sucessful practice. If the opportunity came up later, I would very much like to return to Norendey and work with this veterinary team.
On our final day at Nordeney, we went bird watching in the morning. I enjoyed seeing the diural owl and the many many oyster catchers despite the song wind. In the afternon we went to the seal rescue center and poor Niles had to carry my heavy bag all the way to the center...Thank you Niles!! I enjoyed watching the 1 year-old common seals play and learning about the feeding, mating, and birthing habits of the seal. It was also interesting to note that the seal population declined rapidly in the late 1990s due to a virus that wiped out half of the population. I would like to learn more about this virus and why it was so deadly. I am heading to Basel a day early and will most likely find a chocolate shop and chow down. Until then, take care and I will Blogg soon.
Kris

Three weeks past...

Needless to say, I'm not so good at this blogging thing.  The program had been a whirlwind of sights, smells, adventure, beauty and humanity... everything considered, blogging is the last thing on my mind usually (sorry Dr. Wasser :)

Our last day in Hannover we visited a part of the veterinary school that housed the research dairy cattle.  At first, the facilities seemed to be your run-of-the-mill barn, with-run-of-mill cows, eating their run-of-the-mill feed.  Then we were introduced to "Robert".... or rather, the robot.  This fantastic robotic machine that milked each cow perfectly to her exact needs.  Everything about the milking process is automated with laser sensors, individual records of every cow and tracking mechanisms to determine how often each cow steps up to be milked.  The human element, and the stress on the cow, is completely eliminated.  When a cow wants to be milked, she steps up to the machine (the cows were literally waiting in line to visit the robot), it reads her tracking device and if it has been a sufficient amount of time since her last milking, it obliges her by lining up her udder with its ... milkers?... and goes to town.  The robot can determine when a particular quarter is finished and will detach that milker while still working on the others until the cow is completely and comfortably milked.  It is such a wonderful system that caters to the cows needs while decreasing stress.

I was exceedingly grateful for the warm welcome the students and professors at the veterinary school in Hannover gave us and enjoyed the time I spent there.

Well, we've been here three weeks now, and I'm struck by the oddity of Europe.  It's strange having so many languages and cultures in what is, for a Texan, such a small space.  The first weekend, we went to Rome, and I bought something at a small shop owned by an Asian woman, who was speaking something not Italian to her other employee.  She gave me my change, and I, out of habit, said, "danke," which is German for "thank you."  I stood there for a moment pondering the strange multicultural moment I'd just had: I, an American, was in Italy, speaking German to an Asian woman. 

Another thing I've enjoyed is the history and beauty around every corner here.  It seems Europe has an overabundance of those things.  For example, again in Rome, we turned a corner after we got off a bus and there was Trajan's column, just sitting out in the middle of everything, being all historical.  The first week, we visited an organic farm in Bonn, and our guide referred to a building on the property as "not that old, only from the early 1800s."  What?!  This farm had been in documented continuous use since the 700s AD.  And it's still there, being farmed, in the middle of the city, with everyone just going about their lives.  I still haven't gotten used to the weight of history here, and how people just take it in stride.

Trying it catch up on blogging...

Wow it has been a busy couple of weeks here. We're currently in Basel and I'm going to attempt to catch up on my blogs. Rome was most definitely the best weekend trip I could have imagined. We decided flying was the best option, since we had heard some stories about less than reliable Italian trains, and ended up flying with Air Berlin, which is my new favorite airline - too bad they don't fly in the US. They arranged everything we needed perfectly, such as seating our entire group on the plane together despite the fact that we had booked our tickets separately and making sure our luggage was placed in the plane last so it would be easier to transfer to our other plane during our layover. They even gave you a warm full size pretzel in flight and a piece of chocolate at the end of the flight.  After some internet research we found a website called monasterystays.com where you can stay at a functioning monastery or convent in Rome, so we decided to try it out. It was very reasonably priced and worth every penny. The nuns made us breakfast each morning with a specifically set table for each room (which was amusing for us because James had to sit at a separate table since he had to be in a separate room). We also got to bond with the nuns in a unique way when the shower in our bathroom overflowed on the first night and we spent about an hour mopping up the water that had flowed all the way out into the hallway. From the stories I had heard regarding Rome and theft, I was also relieved at how safe and secure I felt at the convent. We had a nightly curfew at 11pm, which was fine for us because we had no interest in partying all night, and the convent had a gate and door that you had to be buzzed into to get inside.  As for the city itself, we managed to pack a whirlwind tour into a less than 48 hour stay. We saw the Colosseum, the tomb of the unknown soldier, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and many other ruins. We spent about 6 hours in Vatican City (I could have spent a week there, but with such a limited amount of time, 6 hours was significant). As a Catholic, being able to go to the Vatican was an amazing experience. While we were there, a mass was being celebrated in the Basilica and I was able to have about 20 minutes of prayer in the adoration chapel. It was so peaceful and meaningful for me to have that opportunity. The Sistine Chapel was beautiful, but I wish there had been less people in the chapel at one time and that the people in there had obeyed the no photography and no talking rules, because it was rather disrespectful to see so many people breaking those simple rules.  We finished off a great weekend with a family style dinner at a small Italian restaurant off the beaten path where the waiters barely spoke English and got to experience what we thought was a stereotypical Italian waiter that kept walking away every time we asked him for something. It was frustrating and hilarious at the same time.  Another unique Roman experience was figuring out the traffic and bus system. The traffic there was crazy, with vespas weaving through it hardly following any traffic rules and pedestrians going across roads whenever they wanted - we were sure that someone was going to get hit, but no one ever did. The buses were hard to figure out and did not seem to have any predictable schedule, unlike the very reliable German transport systems. We even asked a shopkeeper and he said, "oh, yeah, the bus you need comes around every twenty minutes or so, usually." It was quite different from what we had been used to in Bonn.  All in all our weekend in Rome was exhausting but worth every penny. I will never be able to eat pizza, pasta, pesto, gnocchi, or gelato in America again without remembering the superiority of these dishes in Rome and I can finally say that I have been to the Vatican, which was one of the top five places in the world I wanted to see. 

REFLECTIONS WEEK 2

Rome: Oh my gosh, ROME!!!!!! I think that Rome screamed history from the moment we set eyes on it.  Roman history is one of my all-time favorite time periods.  I read about it ALL the time (but maybe not as much as James ;) Even though we were only there for two days, we hit up most of the must see monuments.  I think my absolute favorite site was the Colosseum; there was just something about its amazing architecture and what went on there that sticks with you.  The fact that they were able to build something like the Colosseum so long ago astounds me.

One part of Rome I absolutely must comment about was where we chose to stay.  Rome is notorious for being “unsafe,” so the idea of staying in a hostel was not very appealing….instead we booked rooms at a convent! How crazy is that?  It was a great experience and we felt extremely safe with all of the hoops we had to jump through just to get into our rooms each time we returned.  The only hitch? We kind of flooded our room and the hallway with our faulty handicapped-accessible shower….oops!

Leipizig: Leipizig was our first European vet school experience.  I think what stuck with me the most was just how different the program was.  I especially enjoyed getting to practice performing a laminectomy in a clinical anatomy lab with second year students.  We talked about the procedure as well as about them.  I couldn’t believe how little experience in the veterinary world they had.  All of them went to vet school straight out of high school and had never worked with a veterinarian.  

Berlin: I loved, loved, loved Berlin!  It was definitely one of my favorite cities.  I think I really enjoyed experiencing the history of the city.  Even though I am definitely not a good bike rider, I thought the bike tour there was probably the best tour we got to take.  It gave you a great feel for the entire city instead of just certain areas.  I think the two sites that stick out in my mind were the Berlin wall and the Jewish holocaust memorial; the wall because of its historical significance and effect on Eastern Germany and the memorial because of what the holocaust means to me.

Prague: I thought Prague would be amazing based on all the praise it receives from other travelers, and although I thought it was beautiful, I did not love it.  It was a tourist city that was not exceedingly tourist friendly.  One thing I truly did like about Prague was its gorgeous architecture and its location on the river.   

While we were in Prague, we decided to take a bus out of town to Terezin, which was a ghetto/concentration camp.  It served as a half-way camp, a stop on the way to death camps for many people.  I have never been to any sort of concentration camp, so Terezin was definitely an eye opener.  Even though it wasn’t a death camp, death and suffering were rampant.