May 31, 2010
Norderney surprised me. It started off just like the rest of the trip so far. We visited the seal center in Nordeich where were taken behind the scenes to see their veterinary facilities and learned about some new veterinary products being used there, including a portable machine for blood work. We also visited the Walloseum, which contained a skeleton of a huge whale. Then we geared up for our hike to Norderney, the part of the trip that really caught me off guard. It was not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up for this study abroad trip, but it was truly an amazing experience. Norderney is one of several small islands just a few miles off the coast of Germany and the Netherlands. At low tide, the water between the mainland and the islands is completely receded and people can walk through the mud to the islands before the tide comes back in. This is assuming they are in good shape, however. Having spent the past two weeks running around Europe carrying my luggage, I already knew I was not in very good shape. Veterinary school forced me to study instead of work out, and I had not been feeling one hundred percent since I got sick in Hannover, so I really wasn’t sure I would make it. It was also very cold and windy, and I hate the cold. However, our guide showed us many different plants and animals that I had never seen before, and after just a few minutes into our trek I quit thinking about the cold wind. The mud was the deepest, stickiest stuff I have ever tried to walk through, with “tried” being the key word. It was like quicksand, and I fell flat on my face a few times. We got to “shore” tired and covered in mud, but there were still several miles between us and the bus to our hostel. We had to walk through the uninhabited region of the island, and at that point I was feeling sick to my stomach and could not keep up with our guide. I made it to the bus but not in time to clean up at all. Then our bus dropped us off at the wrong hostel, so after we finally made it to the hostel I took medicine, got cleaned up, and went to sleep.
Next morning, I rode a bike for the first time in probably ten years! I felt alright in the parking lot, but shortly after starting the bike tour of the island, I wished I hadn’t. We had the same guide who took us across from the mainland, and I really enjoyed hearing about the wildlife on the island. However, I still was not feeling back to normal and without dinner the night before or breakfast that morning the bike was just too much work, especially through the hills with the blustery wind blowing me back and forth across the path. I did eventually make it to the ferry in time and in one piece, and it was incredible to be riding a ship through the ocean over top of where we had walked across the day before! I had fun, but I definitely would have enjoyed it more if I had been feeling like my usual self.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Genevea – Free Time
30/05/2010
Another weekend and more free-time! I made arrangement to stay in Genevea with a classmate where we were originally planning to do a little hiking and some sight-seeing. Unfortunately my fellow classmate had become sick. We booked beds on a night train, but some man had decided to spread his belongings over the beds we had reserved. This upset the conductor who said a few choice words to the man, but then unlocked his own private room on the train for us. There were two freshly made beds, plenty of room for all of our belongings, and a door that locked. I slept quite well!
When we arrived in the early morning, we decided to go back to bed. After sleeping in late, we made a trip to the grocery store and I cooked some fresh linguini. We then went for a pleasant walk along the water. A huge fountain sprayed water high into the air as several swans graced the water’s surface. We stopped for ice cream on the way back and washed our laundry before bed.
In the morning we caught up on more sleep and visited a pharmacy to purchase some medicine. That afternoon we made it back to the train station and boarded a train to Basel to meet the rest of the group.
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
Another weekend and more free-time! I made arrangement to stay in Genevea with a classmate where we were originally planning to do a little hiking and some sight-seeing. Unfortunately my fellow classmate had become sick. We booked beds on a night train, but some man had decided to spread his belongings over the beds we had reserved. This upset the conductor who said a few choice words to the man, but then unlocked his own private room on the train for us. There were two freshly made beds, plenty of room for all of our belongings, and a door that locked. I slept quite well!
When we arrived in the early morning, we decided to go back to bed. After sleeping in late, we made a trip to the grocery store and I cooked some fresh linguini. We then went for a pleasant walk along the water. A huge fountain sprayed water high into the air as several swans graced the water’s surface. We stopped for ice cream on the way back and washed our laundry before bed.
In the morning we caught up on more sleep and visited a pharmacy to purchase some medicine. That afternoon we made it back to the train station and boarded a train to Basel to meet the rest of the group.
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
Moin Moin Norderney
28/05/2010
Early in the morning we boarded a train. I slept the whole way. We eventually arrived at the Sealcenter in Norddeich to find an employee feeding the seals and speaking a lot of German, which I did not understand. The facility rehabilitates stranded seals. We had a detailed tour of the whole facility. We then continued the tour at the nearby Walloseum where an assembled whale skeleton rested in a center room. For lunch we visited a seafood restaurant where I ordered a variety platter of fish. The raspberry cream dessert was delicious!
The afternoon was quite a surprise! After meeting our tour guide, we then proceeded to walk into the intertidal zone. I figured this would be just like walking on the beach during the low-tide, but I was quite mistaken. We headed straight out on a cement wall covered with marine snails. I carefully tried to step on as few as possible. When we reached the end of this structure, we then stepped down into a plain of thick mud. This was quite difficult to walk through and before long it seemed as if we were walking in circles. It was very fun to pick up the sea life we found and listen to the guide give a brief explanation of its lifestyle. To make things more interesting the guide decided it would be enjoyable for a few of us to wear blindfolds. With a blindfold on, I did in fact walk in a circle. We finally reached the island where we found rabbit bones scattered everywhere. After much more walking on the island, we began to see live rabbits running around. We finally made it to the bus, but were told to sit on the floor because we were all covered with mud. The bus then dropped us off at the wrong hostel so we waited for some taxis to take us to the correct destination.
The next morning we all received bicycles and again met up with our tour guide. The bicycle tour covered much of the island. I stayed near the rear of the group so that a fellow student would not get left behind, but we both were left behind anyways. Luckily Olaf, the program guide, decided to pedal back and find us. After some more biking and some cold rain, we arrived at a nice restaurant to have lunch. We ate outside and the food was delicious! After lunch we had another long bicycle ride back and we boarded the ferry to return to the mainland. We were all very glad to not have to walk through the mud again!
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
Early in the morning we boarded a train. I slept the whole way. We eventually arrived at the Sealcenter in Norddeich to find an employee feeding the seals and speaking a lot of German, which I did not understand. The facility rehabilitates stranded seals. We had a detailed tour of the whole facility. We then continued the tour at the nearby Walloseum where an assembled whale skeleton rested in a center room. For lunch we visited a seafood restaurant where I ordered a variety platter of fish. The raspberry cream dessert was delicious!
The afternoon was quite a surprise! After meeting our tour guide, we then proceeded to walk into the intertidal zone. I figured this would be just like walking on the beach during the low-tide, but I was quite mistaken. We headed straight out on a cement wall covered with marine snails. I carefully tried to step on as few as possible. When we reached the end of this structure, we then stepped down into a plain of thick mud. This was quite difficult to walk through and before long it seemed as if we were walking in circles. It was very fun to pick up the sea life we found and listen to the guide give a brief explanation of its lifestyle. To make things more interesting the guide decided it would be enjoyable for a few of us to wear blindfolds. With a blindfold on, I did in fact walk in a circle. We finally reached the island where we found rabbit bones scattered everywhere. After much more walking on the island, we began to see live rabbits running around. We finally made it to the bus, but were told to sit on the floor because we were all covered with mud. The bus then dropped us off at the wrong hostel so we waited for some taxis to take us to the correct destination.
The next morning we all received bicycles and again met up with our tour guide. The bicycle tour covered much of the island. I stayed near the rear of the group so that a fellow student would not get left behind, but we both were left behind anyways. Luckily Olaf, the program guide, decided to pedal back and find us. After some more biking and some cold rain, we arrived at a nice restaurant to have lunch. We ate outside and the food was delicious! After lunch we had another long bicycle ride back and we boarded the ferry to return to the mainland. We were all very glad to not have to walk through the mud again!
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Hannover
May 30, 2010
After the long weekend which I spent in Amsterdam, I met my host student Johanna at the train station in Hannover, along with the rest of our group. Johanna and I quickly got separated from the group in the crowded station, but this just gave us more time to talk. We made it to the restaurant on our own eventually. I really liked staying at her place while we were in Hannover; she took really good care of me. I’m not just saying this either: I actually did get sick while I was there and she nursed me back to health! We also had more free time than usual, most of which I spent hanging out with Johanna. I think it gave me an excellent opportunity to experience life in Hannover, an opportunity that I would not have gotten if I had stayed in a hotel or hostel.
Tuesday we were given a tour of the veterinary school’s small animal and farm animal clinics and visited the school’s teaching and research farm. Their small animal clinic is huge and very nice. My favorite part of the tour was seeing their pack of beagles, which they use as teaching dogs for their students. I had a beagle growing up, and they are some of my favorite dogs! I think I enjoyed seeing the research farm more than the farm animal clinic, which surprised me, but then again there wasn’t much happening that day at the clinic. At the research farm, not only did we see the way livestock are raised on commercial operations, but Dr. Surie also explained the rationale behind these practices. For instance, laying hens are kept in very close quarters in an effort to keep them from having enough room to fight and kill each other. When hens are given more space but still kept in large groups, they are actually more violent and have enough room to cause serious damage. I was not aware of this and had always assumed that chickens were packed together so tightly for economical reasons alone. We also learned more about the differences in how livestock are raised in Europe versus the U.S. For example, in Europe alternatives to castration are being developed, since this practice is considered inhumane and unnecessary. My favorite part was definitely the ingenious milking machine, which is fully automated and eliminates the need for workers to be present for any portion of the milking routine. Each of the cows, which are loose in the paddock, wears a collar containing a chip that the machine reads to determine how often she should be milked. The cows approach the milking area freely when they feel like they need to be milked, and the machine reads the collar to determine whether or not it is time for her to be milked. The machine cleans the cow before and after, attaches itself and then detaches from each quarter as it empties. It even takes milk samples and records somatic cell counts to monitor for mastitis. I milked dairy goats by hand twice a day everyday all through high school, so I am in awe of this machine and would love to see a goat-sized version someday!
Later that afternoon, a group of us went out with our hosts to see some of the city. The Hannover students took us up to the top of the capitol building, where we could see the whole city. It was such a beautiful day, and the view was great, but it was very windy! The interesting part, though, is the elevator, which runs right up the side of the building’s domed roof. This means it runs at an angle instead of straight up and down, and the floor never feels level. By the time Johanna and I got back to her apartment I was feeling very sick, so I stayed home and went to bed early, missing the barbecue the students had for us.
Wednesday we were able to get some hands-on experience with some of the veterinary school’s teaching cows, performing rectal palpations and collecting eggs. I had not palpated a cow since before I started veterinary school, so this was a good refresher for me but more than a little humbling. I had never successfully located an ovary before, so having someone walk me through it was an invaluable experience. I watched as a couple of my classmates succeeded in collecting eggs from one of the cows. Afterwards, we visited a stud farm full of beautiful well-groomed stallions. I was surprised to see all of the training facilities, but we soon learned that the stallions kept here undergo a lot of training, especially in dressage. We watched while they collected a stallion and then went through the whole process with us of preparing the final product.
I spent the rest of the day with my host and a few others from our group touring the city. That night the Hannover students had a party, and even though I stayed out way too late again, it was worth it.
After the long weekend which I spent in Amsterdam, I met my host student Johanna at the train station in Hannover, along with the rest of our group. Johanna and I quickly got separated from the group in the crowded station, but this just gave us more time to talk. We made it to the restaurant on our own eventually. I really liked staying at her place while we were in Hannover; she took really good care of me. I’m not just saying this either: I actually did get sick while I was there and she nursed me back to health! We also had more free time than usual, most of which I spent hanging out with Johanna. I think it gave me an excellent opportunity to experience life in Hannover, an opportunity that I would not have gotten if I had stayed in a hotel or hostel.
Tuesday we were given a tour of the veterinary school’s small animal and farm animal clinics and visited the school’s teaching and research farm. Their small animal clinic is huge and very nice. My favorite part of the tour was seeing their pack of beagles, which they use as teaching dogs for their students. I had a beagle growing up, and they are some of my favorite dogs! I think I enjoyed seeing the research farm more than the farm animal clinic, which surprised me, but then again there wasn’t much happening that day at the clinic. At the research farm, not only did we see the way livestock are raised on commercial operations, but Dr. Surie also explained the rationale behind these practices. For instance, laying hens are kept in very close quarters in an effort to keep them from having enough room to fight and kill each other. When hens are given more space but still kept in large groups, they are actually more violent and have enough room to cause serious damage. I was not aware of this and had always assumed that chickens were packed together so tightly for economical reasons alone. We also learned more about the differences in how livestock are raised in Europe versus the U.S. For example, in Europe alternatives to castration are being developed, since this practice is considered inhumane and unnecessary. My favorite part was definitely the ingenious milking machine, which is fully automated and eliminates the need for workers to be present for any portion of the milking routine. Each of the cows, which are loose in the paddock, wears a collar containing a chip that the machine reads to determine how often she should be milked. The cows approach the milking area freely when they feel like they need to be milked, and the machine reads the collar to determine whether or not it is time for her to be milked. The machine cleans the cow before and after, attaches itself and then detaches from each quarter as it empties. It even takes milk samples and records somatic cell counts to monitor for mastitis. I milked dairy goats by hand twice a day everyday all through high school, so I am in awe of this machine and would love to see a goat-sized version someday!
Later that afternoon, a group of us went out with our hosts to see some of the city. The Hannover students took us up to the top of the capitol building, where we could see the whole city. It was such a beautiful day, and the view was great, but it was very windy! The interesting part, though, is the elevator, which runs right up the side of the building’s domed roof. This means it runs at an angle instead of straight up and down, and the floor never feels level. By the time Johanna and I got back to her apartment I was feeling very sick, so I stayed home and went to bed early, missing the barbecue the students had for us.
Wednesday we were able to get some hands-on experience with some of the veterinary school’s teaching cows, performing rectal palpations and collecting eggs. I had not palpated a cow since before I started veterinary school, so this was a good refresher for me but more than a little humbling. I had never successfully located an ovary before, so having someone walk me through it was an invaluable experience. I watched as a couple of my classmates succeeded in collecting eggs from one of the cows. Afterwards, we visited a stud farm full of beautiful well-groomed stallions. I was surprised to see all of the training facilities, but we soon learned that the stallions kept here undergo a lot of training, especially in dressage. We watched while they collected a stallion and then went through the whole process with us of preparing the final product.
I spent the rest of the day with my host and a few others from our group touring the city. That night the Hannover students had a party, and even though I stayed out way too late again, it was worth it.
Hands-In in Hannover
26/05/2010
We arrive in Hannover by train and meet our host students. I am very excited to start seeing German veterinary facilities. Simon, my host student, seems very nice and we retire to his place for night.
After a tour of the new small animal hospital which was very nice, we took a tour of the cattle clinic, where many dairy cows were being treated. Lunch at a student café was great, the food was delicious and the cost was very low. We then visited a teaching and research farm. There was a very nice automatic milker as well as pigs, cage-free chickens, and large scale chicken and turkey facilities. The poultry facilities were very nice and clean. The day ended with a barbeque at the veterinary fraternity house.
The next day we visited the new equine hospital. The clinicians reviewed their cases in English so that we could follow along, which was very exciting. The facilities were beautiful! We then met with the veterinarian in charge of cattle reproduction where our “hands-on” experience was actually a “hands-in” experience. We first administered lumbosacral epidurals to two cows, which we then rectally palpated. We were allowed as much time as needed and then used some amazing equipment to extract eggs from the ovaries. Lunch was a bit rushed, but at the student cafeteria the food was good and the prices were low. That afternoon we visited one of the largest stud collection facilities for horses. The whole process of collecting and shipping semen was explained to us in great detail. It was helpful to observe the preparation of the semen for shipping. In the evening, I played two soccer games with the members of the veterinary fraternity at Sports Fest. I really enjoyed the opportunity to play soccer in Europe!
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
We arrive in Hannover by train and meet our host students. I am very excited to start seeing German veterinary facilities. Simon, my host student, seems very nice and we retire to his place for night.
After a tour of the new small animal hospital which was very nice, we took a tour of the cattle clinic, where many dairy cows were being treated. Lunch at a student café was great, the food was delicious and the cost was very low. We then visited a teaching and research farm. There was a very nice automatic milker as well as pigs, cage-free chickens, and large scale chicken and turkey facilities. The poultry facilities were very nice and clean. The day ended with a barbeque at the veterinary fraternity house.
The next day we visited the new equine hospital. The clinicians reviewed their cases in English so that we could follow along, which was very exciting. The facilities were beautiful! We then met with the veterinarian in charge of cattle reproduction where our “hands-on” experience was actually a “hands-in” experience. We first administered lumbosacral epidurals to two cows, which we then rectally palpated. We were allowed as much time as needed and then used some amazing equipment to extract eggs from the ovaries. Lunch was a bit rushed, but at the student cafeteria the food was good and the prices were low. That afternoon we visited one of the largest stud collection facilities for horses. The whole process of collecting and shipping semen was explained to us in great detail. It was helpful to observe the preparation of the semen for shipping. In the evening, I played two soccer games with the members of the veterinary fraternity at Sports Fest. I really enjoyed the opportunity to play soccer in Europe!
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
Amsterdam – Free Time
23/05/2010
It is our first weekend and our first real free-time. I am headed to Amsterdam with most of the other students on the trip. I figure that while I’m still adjusting to traveling in Europe that it’s best that I stay with a group. After sleeping in late, we took a boat tour of Amsterdam, which was not worth our euros. We visited the Anne Frank House which I found very touching. I appreciated that the goal of the museum to combat discrimination still applies today and that active attempts towards that goal are displayed in an interactive room before the exit. I am very curious as to what changed between Anne Frank’s initial draft and her partial rewrite of her diary.
The next day we visited a small town with a wooden shoe factory. It was very pleasant. Later that day I visited the Van Gogh Museum with a fellow student. The museum was very nice and I really enjoyed Van Gogh’s landscapes. We then enjoyed a leisurely walk in a very nice park on the way back to the hostel.
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
It is our first weekend and our first real free-time. I am headed to Amsterdam with most of the other students on the trip. I figure that while I’m still adjusting to traveling in Europe that it’s best that I stay with a group. After sleeping in late, we took a boat tour of Amsterdam, which was not worth our euros. We visited the Anne Frank House which I found very touching. I appreciated that the goal of the museum to combat discrimination still applies today and that active attempts towards that goal are displayed in an interactive room before the exit. I am very curious as to what changed between Anne Frank’s initial draft and her partial rewrite of her diary.
The next day we visited a small town with a wooden shoe factory. It was very pleasant. Later that day I visited the Van Gogh Museum with a fellow student. The museum was very nice and I really enjoyed Van Gogh’s landscapes. We then enjoyed a leisurely walk in a very nice park on the way back to the hostel.
-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Looking Back...
It has been almost a month since I have returned from Europe and already I am ready to go back. It was interesting to come home and take back up with regular life as if I had never left. Being away I missed home but now that I am back I miss Germany. As daily life returned back to normal, I noticed that it seemed as if I had never been away except for the occasional movie I saw that had something from Germany in it like Frankfurt and other city names, a situation in which I would think of talking in Deutch rather than English, and other scenarios that reminded me of my fond time in Germany. It feels as if it was all a dream. Looking back, there is no comparison in the beauty of the landscape in Europe versus in the States. Never have I seen so much history in one small place nor can I just see gorgeous castles on the Rhine while riding in a train here because we don't really use trains. I have been putting together my scrapbooks and it's amazing how fast I forget things such as names of people and places and the order of events. I am definitely happy to be back home among familiar faces but I will absolutely have to go back very soon to Germany!!
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