Whether
I am travelling within Texas or globally, half the fun is anticipating the
adventures and excitement that I will have exploring new places. Before the
trip to Germany, I tried to imagine all the things we would see and do. Frankly,
it was a great mental escape from studying. What I failed to think about was
all the knowledge I would get on this trip. Yes, I learned a few fun facts
about animals, but what I really learned was how many possibilities are out there
for veterinarians. I got to see how interconnected the veterinary field is with
all other aspects of life. Of course you think of farming and ranching, but
public health, government, research, wildlife preservation, and many more
opportunities were presented. I knew about a lot of these careers in a
peripheral way, but I got to meet with individuals working in these fields and
really ask them questions. Furthermore, I got to see how much they loved their
jobs, and how passionate they were to share that with our group. What really
intrigued me was that some of these people were in their second (or third)
career within veterinary medicine. They may have been a large animal practitioner
and were now working on government policy. It made me realize that the choices I
make now in regards to my path within veterinary medicine are important, but
not final. Lastly, after returning home I started an internship. I had a mentor
doctor who was polite and nice and we worked well together, but we weren’t
social. One day not long after I started, I brought my lunch in a canvas tote I
got at the Cologne Zoo. I walked in the door and my mentor doctor got really
excited and started asking questions about my trip to Germany. It turns out
that she had gone on the same trip 5 years previous to mine. After that we became
friends and I got lots of experience working with her. I guess it goes to show that what you get out of an experience isn’t always
immediate. Sometimes you have wait and see where the experience takes you...
