Looking Back.

It is hard to believe that it has only been three months since I was carrying my super heavy pack around Europe. Where did the time go. As soon as the trip ended, I felt strange..as if I should be going somewhere and doing something each day. It was hard to slow down at first, but as time passed, I had time to share my photos with friends and laugh about Nordeney. Which is still a bad word among some of my fellow vet students.

Unlike some of the other students, I only stopped in the states for 2 weks and then headed to Obihiro, Japan to study dairy cattle reproduction and medicine. Because of this, I really didn't have much time to reflect or to think about all of the wonderful experience and feelings that I had along the way.

Looking back and thinking now, it was wonderful, strange, hard, and beautiful all at the same time. I am a big believer in the fact that Americans do not go aboard often enough and that learning and experiencing other cultures is paramount to our growth as human beings as well as veterinarians.
I am thankful daily for the opportunity to take this trip and I hope that others will be able to continue to experience Germany as I have. Thank you Neils and Dr. Wasser for a wonderful experience that I will never forgot. Long live Spagel, Sausage, Black forest cake, and of course the large amount of German beer!!

Kris
Class of 2015
August 29th 2012

Reminiscing = More fun than studying parasitolgy

It's already been almost 3 months since I landed back in Houston, but I still find myself saying, "When I was in Germany..." at least a couple times a week. I'm sure people are sick of it, but oh well.

So there are a few major lasting effects this trip had on me, and they are as follows: First, the horseback riding on the beach in Nordeney gave me the little push I needed to start riding again once I got back to the states. I found an awesome dressage trainer and am so thankful we didn't cancel that riding trip due to a little rain. Or a lot of rain. But who cares if you slosh around in the saddle a bit? Not I. Second, I seem to have caught a little German language bug now...I'm trying to figure out the best way to start learning some more of the language. I still like the idea of Dr. Wasser teaching a little German language course, but he's probably too busy :p Third, I constantly find myself wanting to go back. My boyfriend and I have already decided to take a trip to Bonn/Cologne, the black forest region (CAKE!), and maybe Berlin in the next year or two at which time I will get to practice the German I will hopefully have learned, yay.

I definitely learned SO much on this trip, and I accomplished one of my major goals which was learning how to get around in Europe. I'm a whiz at using public transportation now! I can say that when I go back I will feel confident and at ease using the trains, trams, buses, and subways to get around. And of course I learned a lot about the veterinary profession and how it's different in Europe (they have a whole class on bee medicine apparently...).

So, in summary, I can't wait to go back! If you're thinking about going on this trip, DO IT. There is something for everyone, and you get to practice using a blow-dart gun, what could be better?

Back then lost the blog!

           Wow it is hard to believe that it has been so long since we went to Europe! There are still times that I think that I will turn around and we will all be following Nils like good little ducklings. I learned so much about the veterinary profession, our overseas colleagues, and the differences while there.  This trip opened my eyes to verity of facets within the veterinary profession that I hadn't even dreamed about. Also, the opportunity to see place steeped in history older than our country.  You hear about buildings, places, and objects in history books for centuries past but it is another think to walk into one of the building or bike through one of those cities or even touch some of those objects, was amazing. Here in the states we really don't have anything, at least to the scale of what is in Europe, that is man made and that old. Yes we do have the odd Native American stone structure but they all have an abandon feel while Europe's old structures are lived in and used.  There is so much that I enjoyed about this trip but I have already put off reading Radiology to long. This trip will make you catch the international travel bug, I did!

P.S. I promise group members the recipe for Pistachio Chicken.

Chicken breast, pounded flat
Pistachios chopped finely

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and pre-heat the oven to 300 F. Sprinkle a small amount of salt and pepper on each side of the chicken breasts. Coat the breast in chopped pistachios.  Place chicken in the skillet allowing it to cook for 5-7 minutes on both side (pistachios should brown).  Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and allow the chicken to finish cooking. Note: depending on how thin the chicken is you may not have to put it in the oven after it is cooked in the skillet.

Back to normal

Today was our first day back in class, and it has been weeks since I returned from Europe. I was able to stay an extra 10 days after the trip just to travel, and I'm glad I did. We wound up going to Ireland and London, which was neat because we saw all of the decorations up for the Olympics! However, being gone about 6 weeks was far too long, I missed my family and my pets, and while I loved the trip, I probably will never choose to be gone for that long again.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this study abroad trip. I thought we had a good variety in different types of medicine and facilities in Europe, and it was neat to see all of the differences between Europe and the United States (as well as similarities).

One of my favorite places that we went to was IZW, it sort of caused me to think more about changing the career path I have always thought about. Now, I am much more interested in wildlife research, and thanks to this trip giving me an introduction into that sort of work, I'm hoping to go on another study abroad next summer to further my experience in that field.

What a long, strange trip it's been.

Just got back into the states about a week ago, and for the first time in two and a half months, am in a country where I can actually speak the language.  Yay!  Trying to speak cobbled together Spanish (and downright broken German) gives perspective as to how frustrating it is for non-native English speakers to try and communicate here. 

I find it hard to write this post, as it's hard to encapsulate just how, or even if, the traveling has changed me, but I'll do my best. I'm going to put lessons learned from both Germany and Spain in this, even though they were two distinctive trips.

I guess more trust in others would probably be a big part of it.  It seems here in the US we're always told how everyone's out to get you in some form or another, be it to steal your identity, steal your possessions, manipulate you, or what have you.  However, you can actually put stock into trusting strangers because 99% of them are just like you, and really don't have any interest in taking someone else's things.  When in Germany it wasn't such a big deal, as I had others I already trusted with me in case I needed someone to watch something, but in Spain I was traveling on my own and had to rely on strangers quite a few times to watch something (granted it was never my debit card, or passport, or anything like that.  At a certain point it goes too far in the amount of trust you put in strangers, but my pack or something like that?  Sure.) for me and I was approached quite often to do the same for others.  So turning the paranoia that is drilled into you down a notch is an important lesson. 

This may be more of an issue with personality, but another lesson learned was how traveling alone isn't such a big deal, and perhaps is better at times.  Traveling with people you know is fun, but you kind of are insulated from the culture of the country because you can 'retreat' into the familiar.  When you're alone, it's all new and there's no where you can really go to be around something familiar, except to try and find someone who at least speak your language.    That's eventually what I ended up doing and ended up meeting and traveling with people from all over the world.  Spain, Germany, UK, France, Korea, Russia, New Zealand, India, and so on.  All walks of life from the extremely rich to the destitute and you had to figure out how to relate to them all.  So that was an important and rewarding lesson.

Anyhow, just to keep this short I think I'm going to end it there.  Traveling abroad was a huge experience for me, as it was the first time I've ever left the country as well as the first time traveling alone without anyone I knew with me (in Spain).  Very glad I did it and I learned a tremendous amount about a variety of countries and lifestyles.  If one can swing the time and money, it should definitely be high on one's list.  It does come with a hefty price tag though.  $1,000 to even begin your journey isn't very conducive to traveling.  But oh well, will just have to find a way to make it work in the future. 

Alas, the journey has ended...at least for now.

It has been many weeks since my travels in Europe and I've had some time to reflect. One thing is for sure, my 2012 summer adventures have lit the fuse on my desire to continue traveling. I've enjoyed looking back on the pictures I took and thinking back to the many interesting people I met along the way.

Currently in the United States, the press is focusing on the upcoming presidential election. There have been many outspoken young people discussing the status of the U.S. in comparison to the rest of the world. All of the things being discussed are things I experienced while overseas. I am privileged to live in the U.S., but we are a fairly pretentious nation. I was humbled by the viewpoints of the people I met, and their opinion of my home country.  I now can look at my own country through the eyes of people from other countries. I still love the U.S, but now I see more clearly our downfalls.

Besides this newfound viewpoint, I also attained plenty of chocolate, jewelry, and beer. I'm still enjoying my riches from afar, and my family was also very appreciative of my spoils! I still miss the quality of the food and drinks. I would kill for some good apfelschorle or some steamy, fresh pasta right now.

The last few days overseas, I made the decision to travel alone. Although it was very stressful, I feel a sense of pride that I would not have achieved otherwise. This trip was my first time out of the country, and to be able make my own way through a foreign country was a big step in developing my confidence and skills in travel. I met more people this way and these adventures impacted me more than any others.

I'm so glad I made the decision to travel this summer, no matter the cost. It was an eye opening experience and it's something that can't be recreated or fabricated in any way. I came back a more open person, a person more willing to try new and exciting things.

TiHo Teaching and Research Farm

Recently we had the pleasure of visiting TiHo Teaching and Research Farm Ruthe with Dr. Surie.  It's so interesting to see what is emphasized in the education system for veterinary students in Germany. They are required to spend two weeks on the teaching and research farm in order to study and actively participate  in the care of a variety of farm animals. They are responsible for the health and maintenance of the poultry, swine, and cattle during their time there. I think this is a great opportunity for the students who aren't familiar with agriculture to get some hands on experience. I feel like this would be extremely beneficial for students in the United States, because there is a giant disconnect between the processing of food and the consumer. The role of agriculture is the most basic and important aspect of a society, and it is vital for the everyone to understand not only the role they play, but how the entire process functions. 

In these last few weeks, we've learned that Germany's animal right laws are much more strict and modern than in the United States. For example, they aren't allowed to cage chickens anymore for egg production. Dr. Surie explained the difficult balance between the need for maximum production and animal welfare. Ultimately, caging hens is the most efficient method for egg production, but it is completely lacking in regards to welfare for the chicken. Because of the laws established for Germany, they are forced 

to buy eggs from other countries because the consumers don't want to pay the extra cost associated with the new production methods. This interaction has destroyed the egg production in Germany. Thus, the balance has favored animal welfare in this circumstance. 

On a lighter note, there were several things I enjoyed seeing on the research farm. They had a massive turkey production, which I haven't seen before. When 

Dr. Surie explained the efficiency of the poultry production at the farm, it was astounding. They are on such a tight schedule and it seems to run flawlessly. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, since we are in Germany, haha. Even the pubic transportation is run by precise clockwork here. 

I was also amazed by the 'Robo-Milker'. Germany mainly has dairy cattle, and we've had the chance to visit several places with dairy cattle. But this facility was the only time we've seen technology this advanced. Cows are able to be milked whenever they please; the machine runs completely without human interaction. This way, the animals trust the system and freely go into the chute. The milker finds the teats with a camera, cleans them, and then milks each one. The machine calculates the milk production from each teat and can determine if the cow is allowed to milked based on time between milkings. It was a very impressive piece of equipment and I can see how this could help boost production and the general health of the cows. 

One thing that Dr. Surie discussed was also fairly interesting to me. He believes that companion animals are not useful to society and they actually are detrimental in some cases. He feels that all animals should have a practical purpose. I fully understand why he has this point of view, based on the condition of agriculture in today's society, but I also reminded myself that he is in the role of the farmer, not the veterinarian. From my point of view, both small and large animal medicine are important to my career. As an companion animal owner and veterinary student, I find this concept almost inconceivable. From ancient times, people have been domesticating animals not only for food and production, but also for companionship. Though it is more logical to maintain animals only for practical purposes, we will always be drawn to animals for other reasons and they will continue to serve us as companions. Of course, this is only my opinion and I respect his point of view as well. 

Overall, the TiHo Teaching and Research Farm Ruthe with Dr. Surie was a blast. We got to see a higher level of production and how the students experience farm agriculture in relation to veterinary medicine. I'll always remember Dr. Surie's fun disposition and his passion for farm animal production.