Hannover

We had a great week in Hannover and I wish we could stay longer. We arrived late on Monday and just had time for quick introductions and assignment to our host students. My hosts were Kerstin and her boyfriend, Martin, and they made my stay relaxing and fun. As Martin handed me the lunch he packed for me one morning, I told him that he was taking better care of me than my Mom does! Also included in my host family were Aisha the dog, two cats, and two bunnies (reminds me of home!).

Tuesday we made the trip out to the Stallion Testing Center first thing in the morning which was something I have always wanted to see. I had a German riding instructor growing up who imported Hannovarian horses and I’ve always heard about how nice the stables are in Germany. The facilities were very functional and located in a beautiful setting. I was disappointed we didn’t get to watch the morning exercise, and maybe next year more time should be scheduled for the stable visit. After the stallion center, we took a city tour of the small town of Celle. This was a very cute, old town and we were lead around by a very cute, old tour guide. After Celle, we took the bus over to Bergen-Belsen. I don’t think it matters how much you have studied the Holocaust, actually standing in the place where so many people died is still a suprisingly chilling experience. We finished the day with the TiHo barbeque full of good food and good times. Once we got back to my host students’ flat, we walked the dog (which became our nightly ritual). I also listened to Matin practice his economics presentation he had to give on Wednesday to help him correct some of the English.

Wednesday we attended several lectures in the morning on various topics including swine fever, steptococcus suis, and lyme disease. We then went to the vet school cafeteria for lunch. The food was… edible. We then went to the Museum of Veterinary History which has a vast collection of veterinary tools from the past. One of my favorite items was the first ever machine that would combine ether and oxygen to administer anesthesia to horses. After all of these academic activites, we headed over to the sportsfest to watch the soccer games and dog races. My host students’ dog got tackled by a pug while she was running the course which was quite humerous. After we left the sportsfest, my host students gave us a mini tour of the city on foot and by car. I was glad we had this opportunity because we didn’t get any other chances to explore downtown Hannover. I think adding a city tour early in the week would be a good addition for next year so the students know a little about the town and can find their way around better. Later that night we went to the sportsfest party but we were too tired to stay very late.

Thursday we visited Lohman Animal Health and learned about their advancements in feed additives and vaccines which was very interesting. I was unaware that the use of antibiotics in animal feed was outlawed in Europe and they have developed various other techniques to achieve rapid growth in their livestock species. We then had a delicious lunch at a seafood place and headed over to the fish inspection lab. Honestly, the fish inspection lab was not very interesting but the people giving us the tour were very nice and clearly intested in their work. On the ride home we stopped in Bremen to tour around and have dinner. It was yet another cute town with lots of interesting buildings and history.

Friday was my favorite day in Hannover because we got to visit the clinics! I went to the small animal clinic and spent most of my time watching a mandibular salivary gland removal surgery on an Old English Sheepdog. This was a very interesting surgery that I have not seen before. It was clear the surgeon was very skilled and I couldn’t believe how fast he was able to ligate vessels and meticulously cut out the salivary cyst despite the fact that the incision site looked like a big, bloody mess to my eyes. They were also using electrocautery which I hadn’t seen used before. After clinics, we headed over to the train station for lunch and Steffi took us to the Herrenhauser Garten. It was very beautiful in the garden and a we had a nice, leisurely stroll through the area. We finished off the night with the opera, Carmen. Despite the fact that I didn’t know what was going on most of the time, I had fun and enjoyed the music. By the time we got home and showered, it was about 1:30 in the morning and we had to wake up at 4:00 to make our train to Paris. It was a bit of a hassel making it to Paris, but I’m writing this blog at the end of the weekend and it was definitely worth the trip!

Tune in next time for “Why I Love Paris” and “Studying Bugs in Basel”!