Very glad I decided to go on this trip!

The closer this trip came up, the more nervous that I got. I'm still not 100% comfortable flying on airplanes, and being in places where I don't know where anything is at is very nervewracking for me. I flew in a few days early to visit London with some friends, and I'm so glad I did. At first the Victoria station was overwhelming because there was so many people and they were all in such a hurry. But once you get away from the station, it mellows out and the scenery is just amazing. We rode the London eye and then went to the Tower Bridge and Tower of London. We were supposed to get the Thames river cruise back to our hotel, but it was over sold! So we ended up having to take a taxi back, which was actually very pleasant. We arrived in Basel this morning, and after riding several different trams, we finally made it to our hotel. While I miss my family back home, it's really hard to get extremely homesick when there is so much going on around here. It helps to pass the time quickly. I am looking forward to the rest of our journey, and I'm sure time will fly by.

Watch out Germany, here we come!

I'm normally a last minute packer but for this trip I was done packing 2 days in advance which if you ask anyone is pretty incredible. Also the fact that I was able to get everything I needed for 5 weeks into one 24 inch suitcase was pretty much a miracle. In all the craziness of being prepared ahead of time I never really got the chance to get nervous and it wasn't until I was saying goodbye to my mom and husband at the airport security line that I realized how nervous I actually was. Along with being nervous, I'm also beyond excited to get such a great opportunity. As I'm sitting at the gate I'm still constantly going over mental checklists because I always feel like I'm forgetting something even though I know I went over my checklists, my husband went over my checklists and my mom went over my checklists before I finally shut my suitcase.
Some of the big things I'm excited for are learning more about veterinary medicine, especially in the international setting. I'm also excited I get to share this experience with two of my best friends and make some new ones! I went to Germany with my mom when I was 12 and can't wait to get back and experience it in a whole other way. This will also be the first time I really travel on my own where it's my responsibility to make sure I get where I need to be with everything I need and while this is very exciting it's also what I'm most nervous about.
I'm definitely sad to be leaving my family, especially my husband because this will be the longest we have ever been apart. I couldn't be more thankful for such a sweet and encouraging husband who took the last 3 days off of work just to help me prepare for this trip. I will also miss all my animals but since my mom and husband are babysitting them I know they will have a blast and are in great hands. Hopefully we will be able to keep in touch despite the time difference while I'm gone so we can stay updated but thanks to Facebook that probably won't be a problem.
Other than that I'm ready to go, so goodbye America and hello Europe!!!

Backpacking adventure

  I can't beleive In 2 days I will be in Switzerland! I remember first hearing about the Germany study abroad program and I knew that I was going to do anything I could to save up enough money to make it on this trip. The day is finally here! I have such mixed feelings. I am so excited to travel and see what veterinary medicine is like in Europe and I am anxious at the same time. This will be the first time I have traveled this far away from my family on my own. I have been to England twice with my family so I do have a little experience traveling outside the US. I just know there will be so much culture and history over there and I can't wait! 

   I think the thing I am most excited about with this program is getting to visit and meet the host students. I'm interested to see how similar our interests are and how similar our vet school programs are. I know there will be times I miss home, my family and especially my boxer lexie but I know that I will get to see so many amazing things. I think this trip will be a great experience and I'm hoping to get even closer to some of my classmates :) 

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!