Now that school is starting again next week, I suppose I should write my blog before life becomes super hectic again. Choosing to go on this study abroad trip was definitely one of the best decisions I've made, not only was it a great learning experience but I'm so happy I got the opportunity to get to know some of my classmates better. Since I've been back I've been finding myself being the irritating person that starts every other sentence with "Did you know that in Europe they..." or "Well while I was in Germany..." and talking about how I can't wait to go back. I'm so glad we got to stay with host students in Utrecht and Leipzig, I feel like that made it much more of an immersive cultural experience and I loved talking with my hosts about how going to veterinary school there differed from how school is here and how so much is still the same. I'm also glad we got to be there during Bergfest because we absolutely need to bring that over to America and it was interesting to talk to the different students every night. Having to ride a bicycle with my host and talking with people who couldn't believe I hadn't been on one in 10 years also inspired me to bring a bike up to ride to class... we'll see how that works out.

It's hard to think of anything that I didn't enjoy on our trip but there are a few things that stand out. First off, my favorite was getting to go up to Büsum and do the seal/whale necropsies. I did primate necropsies every couple days during my internship this summer and enjoyed bragging about how I got help with a whale necropsy in Germany. Another highlight was feeding the baby elephant at the zoo, that was a once and a life time experience. In fact, getting to see so much behind the scenes stuff at all of the different zoos was pretty amazing. Also, even though I'm not really a large animal person, getting to assist in cow surgery was really fun.

This trip opened my eyes up to so many different cultures and to how veterinary medicine works in Europe. Things I miss the most since being back in the US: the food, the weather under 100 degrees, the super easy access public transportation, the fact that dogs can pretty much go anywhere, following Nils's orange jacket, and MARTIN! He needs to come visit us immediately. Going on this trip was a great experience, I'm glad I had the opportunity to take part in it and I can't wait to go back!