Flying Across the Pond

I'm currently trying to cram in the last three episodes of Game of Thrones before our flight leaves tomorrow. Hence the late night post. I finished packing earlier this afternoon, but it still hasn't hit me I’m leaving for Europe - tomorrow. I spent the previous summer recovering from knee surgery, and I wanted to do something amazing and different for my last summer. A study abroad trip to Germany that involved veterinary medicine, culture, and classmates sounded perfect. The program dates were months away when I applied, and I couldn't even picture myself finishing the semester at that point. There were so many exams and deadlines to hit before then. Now I am finally leaving. 

This will be my second time in Europe, and actually my second time at an airport in Germany (only a layover), but this will be my first time without my family and without culinary convenience. I’m excited and nervous and all kinds of worried I’m going to hop on the wrong bus and end up back at the airport instead of the hotel. Luckily, I’m traveling with three of the other girls early to Basel, and I know one of us will figure it out.

I’m looking forward to experiencing veterinary medicine in an international setting (shadowing the vets in Denmark sounds amazing!) as well as the life and culture of the places we visit, meeting and staying with current veterinary students in universities across Europe, and traveling with friends. I have heard only good things about this trip from students who have gone on it the past two years, and I am eager to have good memories of my own to share back with them.

I’m going to miss my cats and my family like crazy, but that’s why they invented Facetime and Skype, right? After all, you should always “do one thing every day that scares you.” Well, Eleanor, let’s make this a two day thing, okay?

Before Germany.....

The last few days have been a whirlwind with all of the preparations for this trip. I think that I am more nervous about traveling such a long distance for such a long time than I am about having everything I need. This is my first trip out of the United States and not only that the longest amount of time that I have been out of Texas. Makes me sound kind of hokey but this is home and I love it here and can not see myself anywhere else.
So, What I am excited about on the Germany trip?
I am excited to see the cultures of the different areas and how this older country has been affected by it inhabitants. Having the opportunity to work with some local practitioners and have the chance to meet some locals will be interesting too.
I just hope that I am able to keep up and take in as much as possible while I am in Germany as well as the surrounding countries so that I can continue to expand my horizons.

Let's Get Our German On!

So, I finished packing roughly 5 days ago (I started 5 days ago too so, that’s pretty good and everything fit in a carry on *pat on back*), left College Station and headed home. I thought I was good to go but now as my flight approaches (t-minus 8.5 hrs) I am starting to stress out and can’t sleep. I have back-packed across parts of Europe and I have studied abroad but for some reason I think this is the most stressed I have been prior to a trip…ever! Yes, I feel like there are probably things I have forgotten and I am definitely going to miss my two furry punkins but, I think my biggest stressor is the fact that this program costs a butt load and I am beyond broke! Aside from that I am super pumped! Some of my closest friends, from school, went on this trip last summer and their stories were amazing! I can’t wait to do some of the things they did and go to all the places they did, plus we have an awesome group this time around!!!!

I really hope that I get to learn a lot about veterinary medicine from a different perspective, but I also want to learn about the culture and history of Germany. Each time I go to Europe I leave with a new appreciation for its’ historical beauty and now that I am going with a focus on the thing I am most passionate about I can’t wait to see what is in store for us! I am definitely tracking small animal and hopefully there will be an MPH somewhere in my future but I am super super hopeful that we will get to do surgery on a cow- like they did last summer :)…..hopefully the stories I have heard haven’t led me to have too high of expectations (that is impossible when one is going to Europe with friends, right?). I can’t wait to see the European vet schools and meet more students from ‘across the pond’; it is going to be a blast!

Anywho, I don’t think I am making a whole lot of sense and I am not entirely sure I completed this accurately but that is what happens when it is way past your bedtime. BTW I am excited that Dr. Pine is joining us and I am super excited about getting to travel around using the rails (I wish there were more metros/subways around here as they are very very very convenient and cost effective).

Pre-Germany Jitters

As the day approaches, my nerves are escalating. I have finally finished packing and am hoping that all is there. I am ready to get on that plane and just be in Basel already. It's going to be an amazing experience!
I am nervous because it is the first time I have done something like this on my own. Sure I have been to Italy and Greece but those were with family and a high school trip. Never going anywhere on my own.  I can't wait to be able to travel through Europe on my own! It is going to be the best. Germany has always been a place I have wanted to visit, partly because of  WWII. There is also the musical aspects, as well, that I am interested in. The thing I think I am looking forward to the most is the chance to work with clinicians in Denmark. That is going to be the best thing besides seeing the sites and trying the local food. :) Got to enjoy food always!
I am also a little sad. I don't know what I'm going to do without my dogs for that long. I will miss them a lot. I will also miss my family, but will get to talk to them so it won't be as bad as the dogs. However, our fast pace moving around will hopefully help me to forget about missing them so much.
Until next time, I will be getting some last minute sleeping, cuddling, and family time in. Soon I will be on the plane and the next stop will be Basel!

Before Auburn Takes Germany

So, I leave. For Germany. In 5 days. That is so crazy to even think about. I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. I've never been overseas, so it's definitely a mix-up of emotion: EXCITED, scared, eager, tentative. I've actually never really traveled anywhere, so this is a big stepping stone in and of itself. Secretly, I've always wanted to study abroad but have just never had an opportunity. So, naturally, I have a lot of expectations from the trip but at the same time, I literally have no idea what to expect. Confusing? Yes, I know. Basically, I am hoping to learn more about the veterinarian profession but also learn more about myself. I hope to expand my knowledge in the field of medicine but also of different cultures and people. I want this trip to give me a different, more understanding and knowledgeable outlook on what it means to be a veterinarian and be a part of that community. 

This trip is literally so out of the box for me. I've always been somewhat of a home body with a small part of me that wanted to travel. When Dr. Wasser offered this opportunity to Auburn, I had to jump on it. I decided within minutes of hearing his presentation that I just had to be a part. I had to see another part of the country and another part of our profession. I want to be a well-rounded doctor, and I believe this trip will be an incredible and valuable part of my journey to do so. It'll be a total adventure, and I couldn't be more ready to hop on the plane come Saturday.

Pre-Germany Nervousness

There is a little over one week until we leave for Germany.  I am excited, scared, happy, sad, and a bunch of other emotions all rolled into one.  The only other country I have been to is Mexico.  That doesn't really count, because it was spring break, and it was just a big party in another country, and everyone spoke English.  I am excited for all the learning opportunities this trip presents itself with.  Knowing classmates that went last year, I have an idea of how the program goes.  I am exited about meeting Veterinary students from other countries, working in clinics in Copenhagen, taking weekend trips, and having the opportunity to stay after and travel to Paris and London.  I am a little nervous about the weekend trips, being in a different country, with only a small group of girls.  I am scared for Nils, because there are 13 girls going on this trip, and frankly, that is A LOT of estrogen.  I am hoping that by the end of the trip we become closer and not want to kill each other.  I am sad that I am leaving my family.  I have a 1 yr old son and will miss him every hour of every day.  Just thinking about leaving is making me tear up.  I am worried he will forget me when I come back.  I am worried that I will not get to talk or see him as often as I would like.  I am worried that I will cry myself to sleep at night because all I want to do is hold my little boy.  I know this trip is the opportunity of a lifetime and he will not remember that I was gone for 6 weeks, but it is gonna be my biggest struggle of the trip.  I am also scared about the language barrier and the food.  Being a vegetarian, I am hoping I do not have to eat too much meat to survive over there.  Right now, I am thinking of the immediate future of packing and not having enough, or having too much.

Germany Summer Program

                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...