Week One

Probably my favorite thing at this point is getting to know the students that live and study in Europe.  So far, we have met Leipzig students and next week we will live with Copenhagen students.  My host was extremely helpful in showing me how to get around and very interested in America and what I do in school.  I’ve enjoyed every city, Basel, Leipzig and especially Budapest.  I visited Budapest with Brittney over our free weekend and we absolutely loved it! It’s definitely a place that I recommend for everyone to visit and really want to see again. 

The architecture and history of the cities are something that I find most interesting and I always look forward to the city tours.  It’s absolutely breathtaking and beautiful but with such a sad history, especially in East Germany.  Learning about its past was tragic, yet fascinating. I’m looking forward to learning more about it, in Berlin.

For me, going to Novartis was perfect because I am interested in research.  However, it would have been great if we were able to get on the main campus and take a tour of the entire facility.  Basel, itself, is gorgeous and very clean, plus the transportation system is right on time.  I also really enjoyed the train ride to Leipzig, the country side is stunning and it’s a pretty comfortable ride.  Leipzig was a wonderful place to visit and the city center was very enjoyable to walk around.  Visiting during Bergfest was such an experience and it was a great way to meet Leipzig students. 

Overall, the first week was a great experience and only made me more excited to visit other European countries and learn about their history and culture.