Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof

"Life is not a pony-house", one of the German expressions we learned this first week in Bonn. I'm currently on the high-speed train to Paris, sipping coffee and eating pastry. So far, all of our travels have been going smoothly and Europe has been everything I've hoped for. Rebecca and I flew into Frankfurt last Satruday, took a train to Mainz, and stayed in a hotel on the Rhine. The first day we were struggling to stay awake on a river boat cruise, but I adjusted after the first night. 

The hilly vineyards in the Rhine river valley

We met the group the following morning with an AIB student worker, Maren, who was happy to tell us about Germany and her own experiences in the US ("Do you have trees in Germany?" I'm slightly embarrassed how stupid that particular American was). The Texas students have all been great and we seem to get along very well - but I was never worried about that in the first place since we are all in vet school. 

First night in Bonn. With gelato of course.

Since I knew virtually nothing about Bonn before arriving, I actually found the town to be pretty interesting. It is known as Beethoven's birthplace and as the former capital of West Germany. After the first day of exploring the city a bit and finding the hotel, Bonn was very easy to navigate. I honestly never felt lost or unsafe the entire time that we were there, and it's the kind of small city that I could almost picture myself living in. Some of the interesting things we did in the area included visiting a very nice animal shelter, touring the exotic animal zoo at Museum Konig, visiting the Center of Integrated Dairy Research in Frankenfrost, drinking the local Bönnsch beer at pubs, visiting Beethovenhaus and the German contemporary history museum, and working in an equine clinic outside of town for a day. My internship was at Kottenforst where it was a surgery day - I got to watch 5 laproscopic surgeries on warmbloods! The veterinarian actually knew one
of my teachers at UT from when he was in the States, so he was pretty friendly and explained what was going on in English to me. Another intern from Egypt (a vet with his PhD in reproduction) was there to learn more about these surgeries, and he spoke English so we were able to talk extensively about what we were interested in. Three of the other girls got to work at the enormous and beautiful rival clinic some-20 minutes away.

  

The horse clinics outside of Bonn

The final day was spent in Cologne, and it was my favorite so far. As soon as we entered the central train station, the cathedral towered into view through the glass ceiling above us. I knew it was tall, but I was still stunned by its size. We had a city tour and learned about the history of Cologne, went inside the cathedral, then climbed up one of the 500-foot spires. It was a tight stone spiral staircase, with a landing about halfway to see the enormous 24-ton bell. I was doing fine until the last set of stairs, which were an open wire spiral up to the top. I got a little nervous while looking out at the roof, but I clung to the railing and made myself keep going. The climb up was definitely worth it. From the top we had a beautiful view of the river, bridges, downtown area, and the church itself. The stairs down were even worse to navigate. It was a narrower stone spiral where I immediately got dizzy, and it felt even longer than the climb up. But I made it, bought a stupid amount of postcards and a rosary for my super-Catholic grandmother at the giftshop, then was happy to eat a giant bratwurst and drink Kölsch at a brewery. Afterwards, we went to the Cologne zoo and got to go tour their amazing elephant house! The keepers showed us how they train them to stand for various medical procedures and how they manage their captivity. It was probably the best elephant facility I've ever seen, and I got to feed and pet a beautiful female named Maha Kumari ("Blossom" in Thai I believe...) After they were let out of their stalls to roam and eat in the indoor exhibit, another one came over, reached through the gate and brushed my hand and camera with her trunk. It's pretty amazing how gentle they can be.

Cologne Cathedral

So after a night of the vet students being fuddy-duddies at the AIB welcome party, we're on the first free weekend to travel as we please. Rebecca and I are heading to Paris and the others will be in Brussels. The Germans are a precise, prompt, and friendly lot so I am interested to see how the French compare (I don't speak a lick of French so I'm bound to insult someone). I've been dying to visit Paris since I was in high school (10 years ago now, good God...) and now I'm somewhere in the Belgian countryside, only two hours away! But I am actually glad that I'm doing this trip as a graduate student, because I feel mature enough to navigate my way through a foreign country without panicking or making foolish decisions. I'm not so sure about the rowdy undergraduates in the other programs! Anyway, it's been interesting to see the differences between American and European dairies (for example, the individual feeding system and smaller herd sizes), clinics, zoos, and even animal husbandry (the dogs are so well behaved!). Life may not be a pony-house, but I'm lucky to be able to do what I love with the animals while learning about European culture.

Until next time, au revoir, 

~Andrea

Week 1: Bonn

We've hit the ground running here in Germany! The first week so far has been amazing and filled with a lot of new experiences. We started off our first evening in Germany with Bönsch and all you can eat schnitzel night at a brauhaus and got settled into our hotel.

The first excursion we went on was to the animal shelter. It was neat to see the similarities and differences between the U.S. shelters in Germany. This one had a lot of outdoor and interactive space for the animals. The cats had a big room entirely to themselves to climb and play. The whole second floor was full of rabbits and other small pocket pets, and they had lots of room to hop around and move. Each of us got to watch two procedures done by the shelter vet, and we also got to play with some pretty cute puppies. Later we went to the exotic animal museum and got to see what seemed like a million snakes preserved in jars, as well as live turtles, bearded dragons, and pythons.

The next day we took the bus to a place called Gut Frankenforst and the Center of Integrated Dairy Research. Two graduate students presented their projects on emissions from dairy cows and gene expression and fertility rates. We then toured the facilities and got to see all the Holstein cows, including a red Holstein, and some sheep. In the afternoon we learned some veterinary terms in German with Dr. Wasser, and went to the Hause der Geschichte (Museum of post WWII history). Dr. Wasser was our tour guide and taught us a lot of history while we viewed all of the artifacts. What impacted me the most was the section about the beginning of the Berlin Wall. They had pictures of people crying at the wall and it showed the huge discrepancies between East and West Germany.

On Wednesday we listened to a lecture from an animal homeopath. I disagreed with a lot of what she had to say, but it was good to hear the information because clients will ask about that information in the future. We then went to Beethovens birth house, which I loved. It was amazing to listen to excerpts of music from such an influential composer while standing in a place where he stood. The  museum had pieces he had written, his viola, violin, and the keyboard from the organ he played. We then went on a tour of the city led by a precious older British lady named Jane. She gave us the history of the gorgeous buildings we'd been walking by every day.

Thursday was my favorite day of the week so far. I interned at an equine clinic for the day and it was an amazing experience. Not only were the grounds and barns beautiful and the horses gorgeous, the vets were really good teachers and let us help with a lot of procedures. The day started off with surgeries, including castrating a cryptorchid horse, removing sarcoids, and removing the urachis and umbilical vessels from a three day old foal who also had enteritis. I also helped take radiographs and put a cast on a pony who broke some of his tarsal bones. The clinic served us lunch, then later in the day a horse came in with respiratory problems. The vet had the horse exercise and listened to its lungs and then measured blood gas levels.

I'm looking forward to the trip to Cologne and Brussels this weekend!

Auf Wiedersehen Texas, and Howdy Germany!

Hallo!

I am Sarah, one of the Texas A&M vet students about to study abroad in Germany! I'm a Texas Aggie at heart. I completed both my undergrad degree and my master's degree at this university, and I am thrilled to say I just completed my first year of vet school here as well!

I have been wanting to study abroad in Europe ever since I started taking French in high school (but I'm going to Germany?!). That experience, combined with having amazing history teachers really sparked an interest in Europe and history for me. When I heard about this trip during the first few weeks of vet school, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine learning about several of my favorite things; veterinary medicine, languages, and history.

The past few days have flown by. I am feeling mostly excited, but a little nervous as well. Between finishing finals, taking a short vacation, and trying to get ready for this trip I have been busy! I keep making lists and think I'm remembering everything I need, but of course I never do, which has made for quite a few trips to the store! I've been trying to pick up a few German words as well. Some of my favorites so far have been ausgezeichnet-excellent, and entschuldigung-excuse me.

This trip is going to be filled with amazing trips to zoos, vet schools, and cultural sites. I think that I am most excited for our internship day. Each of us gets placed in a clinic that practices the kind of veterinary medicine we are most interested in. I was placed in an equine clinic. I am very interested in seeing the European breeds of horses, how they are trained, and how their health care compares to that of the US (both the similarities and the differences).

I will be sad to say goodbye to my loved ones here in Texas, but I know how supportive they all are of this trip, and of making my dreams a reality. This study abroad will not only make me a better person through learning about different people and different cultures, but a better veterinarian as well.

Germany Day 0

Hallo!

My name is Kathleen. I am one of the three Texas A&M vet students going to the 2015 Germany study abroad trip. I am from Texas and went to Texas A&M University for my undergrad as a Biomedical Science major (aka BIMS). Very original hu? I am interested in small animal/ small exotic medicine.

I am excited for being able to do this trip. I was unable to do a study abroad trip in my undergrad and had regretted it once I graduated. When I saw a chance to do a study abroad in vet school, I jumped in the chance. There was several choices but I felt like I would experience more from the Germany trip. After the program, I am going to visit my godfather in Italy. I am so excited to visit him, I don't see him very often.

I will admit that I am more nervous than excited. I have only been out of the country once when going with my parents and sister to Venezuela to visit family a few years ago. I am glad that I am going with a group of people I know to Germany but I cant help being nervous. I have been scared by the stories of pick pocketers  and such. I pray that all goes well.

I am sad to leave my family after only being with them for a week after finals. I will miss them and my little hamster Phillipo.  I hope that I don't come back to a chubby hamster . . . I will miss most of all my fiance. I feel so bad for having to do long distance with him again after not seeing each other during April. I hope to find something nice for him in Germany.

Here is hoping that I will have lots of fun on this trip and everything goes well.

Ciao

Kathleen

Howdy Germany!

Hallo!

I'm Chris, one of the Fightin' Texas Aggies heading to Germany on this study abroad experience!

I've been at Texas A&M for the past 6 years and I just finished my second year of veterinary school. Its hard to believe that in just a year I will be entering my clinical year and actually start using some of the things I've learned in school all these years. I'm primarily interested in small animal medicine and may even pursue specializing in small animal internal medicine after graduating.

Right now I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my connecting flight to Dallas so Shannon and I can fly to Frankfurt! We are going to be arriving to Germany two days before the other participants, and we did this mostly so we can see some of Frankfurt before the program begins. I can't lie and say I'm not nervous, because I am a little, but I am so excited for this experience to begin. I have wanted to travel to Europe for the longest time and this is the perfect opportunity to experience everything I have dreamed of.  I'm most looking forward to the day when we actually get to work on veterinary practices in Germany. I'll be by myself in a small animal clinic and I can't be more ready. I'm curious to see how practicing veterinary medicine compares to the U.S. and I'm sure it will be incredibly eye opening.  I am also excited to meet all of the German students and experience the culture of several European countries.

I guess what I am most nervous about is just adjusting to being in a new country. I'm not worried that I won't be able to adapt, but it will definitely be an interesting transition.  I am also going to be staying 2 weeks after the program ends and there is still a little bit of planning to do once I'm in Germany. I hope I have enough free time to get the last of my arrangements made before its too late.

This trip is a dream come true and I can't wait for it to begin!

Bis Bald!

European Adventure

Hallo!

I'm Rebecca, one of the two veterinary students from the University of Tennessee that will be joining the Aggie's on this amazing adventure. The last few days have been a bit crazy trying to get everything done before I leave as well as making the trip from Knoxville back to Michigan to visit my family for a few days before leaving.

 While at this point I have pretty much everything packed for the trip there is still so much planning and things that need to be done in relation to an exchange program at a Veterinay School in Giessen that I will be taking part in for two weeks after the study abroad program, I feel a bit overwhelmed. I know that I have done everything that I possibly can at this point to get everything done it doesn't do much to ease the anxiety. I will just need to keep trying to get the details worked out and will continue to do so while in Germany if need be.

On top of that I also feel some guilt about going on the trip. I feel guilty and like a horrible pet parent for leaving my dog behind for such a long time. In the almost three years that Barley has been a part of my life, I have not left him for longer than a week at a time. I can't help but feel some amount of guilt over leaving him behind even though he will be very well taken care of and loved by my parents.

Even with the guilt and anxities I am mainly extremely excited about the amazing experience I am about to share with a great group of people. I am really looking forward to getting to know the vet students from Texas better throughout the trip. Some of the activities I am most excited for is the day I get to spend at a Horse clinic as well as Stallion collection. I am really glad that along with getting some great veterinary experience I will be able to learn more about the culture and history of the region.

My next entry will from Germany and I am really looking forward to it.

Auf Wiedersehen!
~Rebecca

She's Got a Ticket to Ride

I'm Andrea, one of the two Tennessee "Volunteers" tagging along on this trip, and first I thought I would write a little bit about myself.

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