Hannover :)

May 28^th 2011

This week was a lot of fun! It was a lot of fun getting to know my host student. She was awesome! She has traveled all over the world so we talked a lot about traveling, where we’ve been, and where we would like to go. Her English was fantastic- it helped that she lived in London for over a year and her step-dad is American. I definitely hope that we will stay in touch after the trip is over. It would be great to stay in touch for years to come!

On Tuesday we took a tour of the small animal clinic and horse clinic for the university. The small animal clinic is relatively new (only has been open for a little over a year). The exam rooms were huge! I liked how each room was large, open, and had everything you would need in the room. The rest of the hospital was very impressive- they had separate areas for cats and dogs. I especially liked the ICU for the animals. It was top notch with the video cameras constantly monitoring each cage. I also enjoyed listening to a few of the doctors explain the research they are doing using MRI to evaluate kidney function. The horse clinic was similar to the small animal clinic in the fact that the building keeps animals separate. However, since it is just horses they keep the animals separate based on why they are staying in the clinic- internal medicine, ICU, etc. My favorite part of the tour was when we got to look through a window into the surgery rooms. In one of the rooms they were prepping a horse for a neurectomy! Unfortunately we were not able to stay and watch the surgery, but it was still impressive to see them prepping the surgery site and getting ready. After lunch in the school cafeteria we took a bus to TiHo Teaching and Research Farm Ruthe. There we learned about how they take care of their cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and pigs on the farm. Dr. Sürie explained how students come to the farm and live there and work. He also told us how they operate to make a living on a farm. It was interesting to hear about. The robot that milks the cows was amazing to see!! After the trip to the farm we headed back to Hannover and had the afternoon off- though it was filled with a trip to the grocery store, the Laundromat, and cooking dinner.

Wednesday was probably my favorite day of the trip so far J We started the day with a tour of the cow clinic. The twin calves that were 4 days old were adorable!! After the tour we went to learn how to collect follicles from a cow for artificial insemination. First the cow was given an epidural- good job Charlet! Once it was given some time to work the doctors showed us how to do rectal palpation and use an ultrasound probe in the uterus to collect the follicles. After the demonstration they let us try! Julie and Bill were the only ones who also used the ultrasound, the rest of us just got to do the rectal palpation and feel for the uterus and ovaries. It was AWESOME!! I’ve never done a rectal palpation, so it was really cool to be able to say I’ve done it now and my first one was in Germany J Again, we had lunch in the schools cafeteria then loaded a bus off to the Stallion testing center in Adelheidsdorf. We started with a tour from the head trainer and he explained how they train and test the stallions. The stallions were beautiful and it was interesting to learn about some of their bloodlines. After the tour we got to meet with the veterinarian who works there and see how they collect semen from the stallions for artificial insemination. We even got to see them collect from one of the stallions. Once we were done there we headed back to Hannover. That evening for dinner we went to a “BBQ” (basically grilling out/ a potluck) with all the other host students, my classmates, and other veterinary students from the vet school in Hannover. It was a perfect way to end the day!

Thursday was a LONG day! It started with a long bus ride out into the country to Badersleben-Huy where a guy has opened a Veterinary Medicine museum. Over the years the guy has collected numerous specimens, equipment, posters, and anything veterinary medicine that he could find. It was very impressive! The guy spoke very little English so a lot of it had to be translated to us- still very interesting! After the tour they fed us some cakes and coffee/tea. It was very nice of them to give us some food/drink! We then took a tour of the watermill that resides on their property and they showed us how it operates. It was a little nerve-racking when it was all working and we were standing upstairs with the floor shaking! After the tours we took the bus to Wasserschloss Westerburg to tour the castle/ chapel. It was ok- I think I would have enjoyed it more if my allergies weren’t bothering me as much and my head wasn’t pounding- all I wanted to do was get back on the bus and sleep. We finally got back to Hannover at 5:30pm. After eating and finalizing plans for the weekend I headed back to my host students place to attempt a nap. A nap didn’t actually happen, but I got a chance to relax. That evening there was a huge party being held at the vet school at the cow clinic. When we arrived there were people everywhere! It was packed inside and everyone was having a good time. I think we were all amazed to see this large, crazy party occurring on their campus and even more amazed that it was held in a room of the clinic! It was a fun time, but a late night.

The next morning we left Hannover bright and early and took a train to Norderney. The original plan was to do a 3+ hour Wattwanderung (a mud hike) from the mainland to the island during low tide. However, the weather was not cooperating. It was cold, windy and raining off and on. We ended up taking the ferry to the island, dropping our stuff off at our hostel, and then doing a modified Wattwanderung near the island. Luckly, by the time we arrived to head out it was still windy, but the sun had come out J The Wattwanderung was actually a lot of fun! It did rain quickly while we were out there, but didn’t last longer than 5 minutes. It was fun to learn about all the different species that live out in the water. That evening for dinner we walked to a restaurant down the dunes from our place (Weiße Düne). The sun had returned and the walk was very nice! The atmosphere was fantastic and the food was amazing. After dessert, we headed home by walking on the beach J Despite the entire walk home being into the wind it was nice to take a stroll on the beach- which I love to do!

Today we started the day with a bike tour of the island through the nature reserve. The bike ride started off rough because the first stretch was going into the strong wind. Once we got the wind blowing at our sides or behind us the ride became a lot easier- at some points with the wind behind me I didn’t even have to pedal J It was a lot of fun to see so many places on the island and learn about it’s history. I really enjoyed it. After the bike tour it was time for a quick lunch then off to catch the ferry back to the mainland. When we arrived we took a bus to the Seal Rehabilitation center. We a tour of the place and also got to watch the seals get fed J After that tour we went to the Whale museum and had a tour there. The sperm whale skeleton was really cool to see! The tour didn’t last too long since we all had trains to catch to head off on our free weekends J This weekend is Munich for me and I can’t wait!