Taylor's Blog Numero Uno

My first week in Germany, and let me just say that jet lag is killer. 7 hours ahead here means that even though my body told me it was 1 in the morning and I should be sleeping, the clock said 8 a.m. and time to start the day. So the first day was exhausting and I honestly remember very little of it. The program actually started on our second day there in Bonn. Bonn is a beautiful city that reminded me a lot of College Station in that it was definitely a college town. I felt comfortable and I think that this was the perfect place to start the program. With the program we were in Bonn for 4 nights with our last day, Friday, spent in Cologne. While in Bonn I got my first taste of real German food which I have to say is delicious. I haven’t had a bad meal yet.

We visited an organic farm in the middle of Bonn that was home to some adorable baby lambs. (And other things but obviously the baby animals were the best) We also got to visit with the vet that runs the animal research facilities at the Bonn medical school. We also got a lecture on alternative medicine and homeopathy which was interesting. The city tour of Bonn was…fun. We spent most of it huddled under a tree freezing, attempting not to get hailed on. For twenty minutes. Fun. Next was a dairy farm which was really cool since there aren’t too many smaller ones still in Texas. We also visited a history museum in Bonn which, considering German history, was extremely interesting if a little somber.

Our day in Cologne started with a behind the scenes tour of the Cologne Zoo. This included getting to go into the elephant enclosures and watch the trainers treat and practice training the elephants. (There were babies!) The zoo was a lot of fun. I learned that the people of Germany really like raccoons, they have them in the zoo since they’re not native to Germany though apparently they have a tendency to escape and end up on top of apartment buildings…go figure. We also got a guided tour of Cologne which included one of the impressive cathedrals that I have ever seen. It was massive and gorgeous and famous for holding the tombs/bones of the three wise men. Some of us walked up to the top of the cathedral. My legs protested the truly ridiculous amounts of stairs but it was worth it in the end.

So concludes my first week of the program.