While I am a vet student at the University of Tennessee, I actually was born and raised in West Michigan and studied Zoology at Michigan State University. It was there I met Rebecca, the other UT student joining us, on the polo (yes - horse polo) team. We both ended up at UT entirely by coincidence; I had been planning on going to MSU CVM since I was about 6 years old, but I really fell in love with UT when I came to visit for my interview last year. I've just finished my first year of vet school, and I am primarily interested in equine/large animal medicine.
In two days time, I will be on a plane to Germany! It still feels a little unreal to me, even though I've been waiting to go to Europe for probably over ten years now. Mostly I'm extremely excited and ready to go, though I am slightly concerned about waiting on some funds to come through and frustrated with trying to change our return flight date (as Rebecca and I are now planning on staying an extra two weeks as part of an exchange program at the vet school in Giessen). Our contact at school has been busy and out of the office, so it's a bit stressful trying to get in contact about these important details. I think it will be even harder to do once we are abroad, but we may not have any choice at this point. I also feel a considerable amount of guilt for leaving my dog and boyfriend behind... but I also keep reminding myself this is a goal - a dream, really - that I have always wanted and it's amazing that I can go to Europe and get some veterinary experience there as well! It will be worth every penny and every moment away from home.
Overall, my excitement overshadows every single one of my concerns. I'm especially eager for all the zoo visits and the stallion center in Hanover!!! And of course experiencing the history, culture, arts, food, and everything about central Europe. I joked with my friends that if I don't come back it's because I've become a European hobo in one of the castles. (I was just kidding...kind of...)
Home in Michigan these past couple days has been a mixture of terrible allergies, cold temperatures, visiting old friends and of course my horse, and frantically getting everything I need while attempting to learn some German (naturally my four years of high school Spanish is proving unhelpful). The pile of luggage strewn across my bedroom floor may beg to differ, but I am definitely ready to take off and enjoy my summer!
I expect my next entry will be from Germany, so until then... tschüss!
~Andrea
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