Week one

 This week went flying by and completely wiped me out. The Bergfest at the Leipzig University was incredible. It is nothing that I could ever explain to someone without actually being there. It was almost like the Aggie saying, "From the outside looking it, you can't understand it, from the inside looking out, you can't explain it." The first night staying with the hosts was really fun. The two hosts that I stayed with were so hospitable. They gave me their room, made space for me in the bathroom, and were very helpful when showing me how to get around places. They even laundered my clothes for me which I was very appreciative of.

As far as daytime activities go, I'm going to attempt to describe what I got out of the tours and things that we did. At our welcome dinner in a tiny little Swiss restaurant, I think everyone knew that we were Americans. The whole table was so loud trying to talk to everyone and figure out how to know each other better. The wait staff of the restaurant spoke very little English and it was interesting to see how they viewed us. The next day we went on the Novartis meeting, and it was absolutely amazing! It was sad to see that they are closing down the animal production unit of the company, but it was nice to see what the reasoning was behind the change. Talking to Dr. Horn was an irreplaceable experience that helped me to appreciate the pharmaceutical industry of vet med. After that we had a nice tour of the city of Basel, lead by a very nice lady, who was quite a great speaker and very knowledgable. The next day we went and toured the pharmaceutical museum of Basel, and that was very nice to see. It was quite interesting to see how the history of medicine has evolved and how even some of the products we use today have come from the very early times of veterinary medicine. After that we arrived in Leipzig, and that is where I started out this blog. The next day we had a tour of Leipzig, and it was interesting to follow along with the music walk that was there. Then we got to go to the anatomy lesson, and it was very good because I got to see in a different perspective how the students at Leipzig learn anatomy. I think it was almost better than the way we learn here at A&M because they had both the dog and horse limbs out, and not only had the cadavers, but also bone models. They had a large projector screen in the middle of the room, and then smaller monitors where you could see the lectures as well that were on the sides of the walls. I think A&M should teach this way because I think it would help to reinforce the curriculum better. Later, we got a tour of the research facility, which was quite fun. I got to see the vet pull blood from a marmoset! That is talent. The next day we went to tour the historical museum, which was amazing. It showed how all the materials and collections of various veterinary tools was accumulated throughout the years, and it was interesting to see how all the tools especially have evolved through the years, and how even back almost 100 years that people have used the basic tools that we still use today. It's amazing to think how clever people are and how we can improve the things that we have been using for so long.
After that, we went on a tour of the zoo, and there are no words to describe that. It is bigger than any of the other zoos I have been to, and the set up is just surreal. We rode on the boat through the simulated cinema of the time periods when the world was just 2 continents. We got to hear the experienced insight of Dr. Bernhard talk about each of the exhibits and what they are doing with each of the animals. The next day we got to tour the large animal sugury and internal medicine departments. This was really interesting because we got to see how they practice vet med in Leipzig, and how it compares with A&M. It's quite similar which is not surprising. We got to hear about the cases of the patients that were at the hospital at that time, and that was neat because we got to talk with the vets about what was wrong with them and why they got to be in that state. After that, we got to watch the Bergfest games, which was really entertaining. I wish they would do something at A&M that was similar to Bergfest. It really brings a new light to my appreciation of student activities and being a student in general. This trip so far has been eye opening for me in terms of lots of things. I never imagined I could walk so much in one day! But it's good exercise. I also have gained an appreciation for how big my house is! I loved my host house, but I could never live in anything so small! I have also never been so constantly sleep deprived, ha! It's a once in a lifetime experience, so I'll make it count.
We arrived in Prague for our first free weekend. We went to the Terezin Concentration camp today, and it was really eye opening into seeing what these people had to go through. It was a camp that was used as a "front" for the rest of the world to see, and the prisoners there were forced to live as if they were in their own town, and paint pictures and write about how it was such a nice town. Nevertheless, it was just a "Propoganda" to cover up what was really happening. I cannot imagine the sheer terror that so many people had to go through, especially the children. It was really an incredible experience that everyone should try to visit at some point. I'm getting ready for bed now, only to get up and tour Prague for the day and then head back to Berlin!