Week One

Basel

Being in Basel was an awesome way to start. I am glad I was able to get in early to acclimate to the time change. The city was amazing. One afternoon for lunch waiting of Sam to get in, we were in a park and a little boy kept slowing walking up to us to see what we were doing, he eventually asked is for our numbers. He was too funny and his parents were really nice. The first day of the program we saw Novartis and I never realized how much work goes into the packaging of their products. Every month I just use a knife to cut open a pill for my dog. The city tour was also really good. I loved walking around a medieval town. It is impressive how they were able to do things like that without technology.

Leipzig

The train was pretty cool but long and hot. It was my first time on one and being able to see the countryside was so amazing. We got in a little late to Leipzig but met Kathrin, my host. She was so sweet and hosted Courtney last year. After dropping off my stuff, I experienced Bergfest's first night. It was pretty impressive and a really cool thing. This years class was the deer. On Wednesday, we started our first full day. In the morning we went on a tour of the city center and saw different things. It was interesting to learn how big an influence Leipzig had on the Baroque era of music. We then did an anatomy lab with the students, which was interesting because the facility was very nice. I really liked the tables with individual drains on them for easy clean up. We then took a tour of the non-human primate facility where I got to feed a marmoset!! Talk about the coolest thing ever! I loved how they reached our their hands to grab mine closer for the food. After that, Kellen, Sam, and I had a relaxing evening in the city center getting lost. First we got on the wrong tram back to main station because I wanted to see the Russian Orthodox Church by the school. But, we made it. We had dinner and some wine and beer. The next day was the zoo. I thought it was pretty nest to learn that their primary objective was breeding. The baby gorillas were adorable! We also saw the Leipzig veterinary history collection, which was very interesting. It was so neat to see the hundreds of years of history. Last day in Leipzig was nice and laid back. The large animal facility was really cool. To be so modern in a hundred year old building was impressive. Then came our first trip on the train by ourselves to Prague. Everything went well until we get to Dressden and get off at the first train. Thank goodness a man sitting with us told us we were at the wrong one and were able to hop back on with no problem. Until next time... The fun never stops.

Germany Day 4

It's day 4 of our wonderful Germany trip. I have seen many beautiful places and met many beautiful people. It's hard to believe I have traveled within and between so many countries in the past four days considering that a week ago I had never traveled over seas. 

So far, my favorite part of the trip was our city tour of Basal and our interactions with the Leipzig University students. Basal seemed to be a city full of history, especially in terms of pharmaceuticals. I enjoyed learning how the city came to be a major center for pharmaceutical research and its role in animal health. Additionally, I have loved spending time with the Leipzig students. They are so wonderful and welcoming. Today, we participated in their anatomy lab. I enjoyed getting to compare how they are required to learn veterinary medicine and how we are required to learn it. There were very many similiarities in terms of classes and terminology but there were also many differences. I noticed there were some discrepancies on the terms we used to describe certain anatomical parts, but we very easily understood each other after a little bit of explaining, describing, and pointing.  I also really enjoyed the tour of the University's experimental monkey research facility. I have never been in that close of contact with monkeys, so it was interesting to see how they interacted with us as well as their environment. I really enjoyed listening to the students and veterinarians speak of their role in research and the medial advancements they are working towards. I specifically was interested in the research involving the offspring of mother's who were injected with dexamethasone. These offsprings were found to have difficulty with lipid metabolism. I know we're on a tight time schedule, but I definitely would have loved to learn more about that!

Tomorrow, we are visiting the Leipzig historical collection of Veterinary Medicine and the zoo. Also, there is another Bergfest celebration tomorrow night that the students have spoke wonders about, so I am SUPER excited. 

Study Abroad Trip Eve!!

It is the night before our departure for our study abroad trip overseas!!  Stormie, Brenna, and I are leaving out of Houston tomorrow, headed for London for a couple of days before joining the rest of our class in Basel, Switzerland.  I have never been out of the United States (with the exception of the Bahamas for 4 days), and I am beyond excited!  I will admit that I am a bit nervous, but the idea of being in a different country is much more exciting to me than scary.  Learning about different cultures and seeing the way other people live their lives will be very interesting, and learning more about veterinary medicine will be icing on the cake.  I honestly have no idea what to expect, but I picture beautiful buildings and countryside, menus I cannot read, people who will probably be frustrated with me because I cannot read/speak the language, and also people who will be more than helpful to help me learn about their culture.  I realize that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I plan to make the most of it.  If I leave this trip with more of an understanding of European history, culture, and veterinary practices, then it will have been a success.  Visiting Europe is something I have wanted to do since undergrad, and I am not only finally getting to do it, but I'm also able to share it with some of my best friends.  I am really looking forward to it!

Pre-Abroad Excitement

I am incredibly excited about this opportunity and can't wait to visit the various countries listed on our schedule.  I have always wanted to visit Germany. I've heard its beautiful, the people are very nice, and the architecture is breathtaking. I've been to Rome and Paris, and after that I definitely caught the travel bug and have wanted to visit other European countries ever since.  I'm very happy that Auburn has been given the chance to tag along and the fact that it's a veterinary related excursion is an incredible bonus.  I'm looking forward to experiencing veterinary practices over seas and how they run there businesses.  Plus, it's going to be great to see how veterinary medicine is taught in Europe and be able to meet students abroad. Of course, I'm a little nervous heading into the trip. I hope I don't get lost and I'm able to get to trains and airports in a timely fashion.  I think the actual traveling part is going to be the most difficult.  However, sometimes it's the most difficult parts of the journey where you learn the most and get the best stories.

Once in a Lifetime

This trip is one I have always dreamed of going on since I was a little girl. My father was born in Frankfurt, Germany and I have become obsessed with the country, culture and people. I have been wanting to visit but never had the opportunity. When I first learned of Dr. Wasser's study abroad opportunity last year, I knew it was the one designed for me. I was unable to go last summer and since this is my last summer of freedom I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity possible. I am so excited that my two best friends are joining me in this journey, and I am sure I will make many more. With all the women going on this trip and not a single man to offset our estrogen I'm sure it will get interesting! We started our quest in London to see the sights and get acclimated to the time difference. It was a blast!! I hope that the rest of the trip is just as exciting and smooth sailing. I am pretty good with a map as long as there are street signs and a person I can ask directions if I take a wrong turn. So hopefully I will not wind up in a different city. I look forward to learning a lot about veterinary medicine, cultures and myself. I know this experience will change my outlook on life and I cannot wait. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience!

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!!!