Now that I've been here for almost a week, I figured it would be useful to summarize some key points for future program travelers that I've learned since I arrived. Wish I had known them earlier (but then I wouldn't have hilarious stories to tell everyone)!
1. Learn to like coffee BEFORE you arrive. That way, you can cope with the massive amounts you need to drink in order to keep moving on almost no sleep for 15+ hours a day.
2. Pack multiple sweatshirts in your CARRY ON. It is COLD, and when they lose your luggage you will have nothing to fall back on except your ability to shiver during your numerous outside activities.
3. Taste everything offered! Maybe you don't like beer, but you should taste it anyway because it dulls the pain in your joints after a day of walking and at least you can say you tried. Plus almost always the food you get is tasty even if it looks weird.
4. Be open-minded. Maybe homeopathy isn't your thing, but at least you'll know about it and when that crazy old lady walks into your clinic demanding it, you won't look like an idiot for not having any idea what she's talking about.
5. Conquer all your fears if possible. Yeah, the Cologne Cathedral is ridiculously tall, but when you reach the top and see the whole city spread out beneath you, your heart will stop. And it won't be from fear.
6. Talk to everyone. They have incredible stories, and you will learn a lot about them (and yourself) just by asking a few open ended questions.
7. Stay with host students! It is the most incredible experience ever, plus you might get a breakneck-speed bike ride at 3AM through the streets of Utrecht. Unforgettable.
8. Take good care of your luggage. Otherwise you end up looking ridiculous on the side of the street tying bags together with a scarf while trying not to get run over by Amsterdam bikers.
8A. Watch out for Amsterdam bikers!
9. Buy a decent map. Then you won't be stuck wandering around looking for that elusive hostel when you really want to just curl up in a ball and sleep.
10. Be able to laugh at yourself (and others). It makes those unplanned disasters much less disasterous, and gives you awesome stories to tell the people at home. It also relieves group tension and releases much-needed endorphins.
That's all for now, gotta go tear up Amsterdam while we can!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Let the adventures begin!!
The beginning of a great trip.... Well I started out at 6:30 a.m. the morning of the day I began my journey across the ocean. I left Austin at 8:45 a.m. to start a 5 hour overlay in DFW. What started as a 5 hour overlay, got shortened very quickly. Our connecting flight to Chicago was delayed 45 minutes due to bad weather which would have made us miss our flight to Germany and we would have had to stay the night in Chicago, which is no fun. So I decided to be adventurous and we got on a direct flight to Germany with the knowledge that there was a very good chance that my bags would not arrive because they only had 40 minutes to find them and switch them. Lucky enough, we got to Germany and my bags did too!!
We started in Heidelberg, which I fell in love with, the weather was very cold and wet and right off the back we had trouble finding our Hostel. The first day in Heidelberg we basically spent at old city center and viewed the shops. It's so beautiful here all of the building have gorgeous architecture. We went to the castle which was so beautiful!! It's pretty awesome to say that you have touched
something from the 12th century. We also went to student prison which was interesting. This was the place where students were held for minor infarctions such as duelling, they were starved for three days and only fed bread and water
and they lived in these tiny rooms with wooden beds and were very dark. All of the walls were covered in portraits of the different prisoners including them drawn with these goofy little hats that you can still see the boys wear today if they belong to different fraternities.
I noticed that the streets are very tiny here but that is because all of the cars here or just about all of them are so tiny. Another funny thing that is so different from the states is that people have the right away, all of the cars yield to you!!! Unlike in the states where if you don't pay attention you can get run over. Heidelberg turned out to be a great place to start out, but then the adventure really began. We were supposed to catch a train to Bonn and be there by 8:42 p.m.
We went to the train station at 6:00 p.m. just to make sure we could reserve a seat on the train to make sure we wouldn't be late. We noticed that the number on our tickets didn't match the number on the screen so we asked two different help desk people where we needed to be at two different times throughout our wait and they both said the same platform. So like obedient little tourists, we listened
and and after about a thirty minute train ride to a place that I can't even pronounce, half asleep already, the conductor comes to us (we were the only ones left on the train) to tell us that the train terminated here. After 3 trains, 2 buses, 1 subway and 5 hours, we made it to Bonn at 11:30 p.m. or something near then and made it to our dorms and into bed by 12:42 a.m. Needless to say in all of our travels, we somehow forgot to eat and had been without food since noon that day. The next morning we woke up starving and thought we would attempt to find some food by taking the subway to the City Centre in Bonn.
Well that turned into an epic failure and after about an hour or so of walking aimlessly we decided to give up and head back to the dorm. By 3 p.m. we still hadn't eaten anything, so we were going on 27 hours without food, and we finally got to eat!!! This was the start of our adventures in Germany, on the bright side, we saw much more than Germany specifically the South part, that we hadn't planned
on seeing. Got to love the scenic detours. So by the first day of my arrival, I already failed at trying not to get lost, imagine that!!!
We started in Heidelberg, which I fell in love with, the weather was very cold and wet and right off the back we had trouble finding our Hostel. The first day in Heidelberg we basically spent at old city center and viewed the shops. It's so beautiful here all of the building have gorgeous architecture. We went to the castle which was so beautiful!! It's pretty awesome to say that you have touched
something from the 12th century. We also went to student prison which was interesting. This was the place where students were held for minor infarctions such as duelling, they were starved for three days and only fed bread and water
and they lived in these tiny rooms with wooden beds and were very dark. All of the walls were covered in portraits of the different prisoners including them drawn with these goofy little hats that you can still see the boys wear today if they belong to different fraternities.
I noticed that the streets are very tiny here but that is because all of the cars here or just about all of them are so tiny. Another funny thing that is so different from the states is that people have the right away, all of the cars yield to you!!! Unlike in the states where if you don't pay attention you can get run over. Heidelberg turned out to be a great place to start out, but then the adventure really began. We were supposed to catch a train to Bonn and be there by 8:42 p.m.
We went to the train station at 6:00 p.m. just to make sure we could reserve a seat on the train to make sure we wouldn't be late. We noticed that the number on our tickets didn't match the number on the screen so we asked two different help desk people where we needed to be at two different times throughout our wait and they both said the same platform. So like obedient little tourists, we listened
and and after about a thirty minute train ride to a place that I can't even pronounce, half asleep already, the conductor comes to us (we were the only ones left on the train) to tell us that the train terminated here. After 3 trains, 2 buses, 1 subway and 5 hours, we made it to Bonn at 11:30 p.m. or something near then and made it to our dorms and into bed by 12:42 a.m. Needless to say in all of our travels, we somehow forgot to eat and had been without food since noon that day. The next morning we woke up starving and thought we would attempt to find some food by taking the subway to the City Centre in Bonn.
Well that turned into an epic failure and after about an hour or so of walking aimlessly we decided to give up and head back to the dorm. By 3 p.m. we still hadn't eaten anything, so we were going on 27 hours without food, and we finally got to eat!!! This was the start of our adventures in Germany, on the bright side, we saw much more than Germany specifically the South part, that we hadn't planned
on seeing. Got to love the scenic detours. So by the first day of my arrival, I already failed at trying not to get lost, imagine that!!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The beginning
Well, I must say it has been an interesting road to Germany. My flight got re-routed because of the volcano issues, so I ended up in Dusseldorf instead of Amsterdam and then Cologne. As a result I had a crash course in German forms of public transportation as soon as I landed. I figured out how to take a train, how to ride in a cab, and how to bum a cell phone off a guy when you are desperate and can't get a single pay phone to work. I also figured out how to get back into the secure area of the airport after you've left... just tell them you've lost your luggage and need to speak to the people in lost and found. Because apparently that is IN the secure area in Dusseldorf. Sweet.
We've done so much in the day and a half since I've arrived. We rode a boat, which we ran across half of Bonn to get to in time. We rode a cog railroad up to the Drachenfels, and hiked for a few minutes in the hail to get to the top. The view was well worth it! Probably my favorite thing we've done, though, is see the new elephant house at the Cologne zoo. It is a huge indoor/outdoor complex with automated gates, large side rooms for when the animals need to be isolated, and an elephant sized squeeze chute for vet procedures! They took us downstairs into the side cages where we could stand with just a fence between us and the elephants and touch their trunks. Sooo cool. There were two young ones that were adorable. We also got to go up into the control room. They have a TON of cameras that can be moved and rotated and zoomed in and out to look at every single part of the entire enclosure, inside and out. They also have a control system for the gates with a map. All the gates are represented by little lights, and the color of the light indicates open, closed, or moving. I felt like an air traffic controller. Plus you know you're in Europe when topless pictures are allowed in a staff room.
I've also tried German beer, which I'm still on the fence about as far as taste. I have yet to try gelato, but they keep promising it to me. I wonder if it will be as good as in Italy... I'm also pretty sure I've figured out why I have been feeling so miserably congested at night. I think the pillow and comforter here are down, which I am allergic to. Oh well.
All in all I've had a great time so far, and I'm looking forward to even more fun times to come! Now that my luggage is here I can really relax and enjoy the trip.
We've done so much in the day and a half since I've arrived. We rode a boat, which we ran across half of Bonn to get to in time. We rode a cog railroad up to the Drachenfels, and hiked for a few minutes in the hail to get to the top. The view was well worth it! Probably my favorite thing we've done, though, is see the new elephant house at the Cologne zoo. It is a huge indoor/outdoor complex with automated gates, large side rooms for when the animals need to be isolated, and an elephant sized squeeze chute for vet procedures! They took us downstairs into the side cages where we could stand with just a fence between us and the elephants and touch their trunks. Sooo cool. There were two young ones that were adorable. We also got to go up into the control room. They have a TON of cameras that can be moved and rotated and zoomed in and out to look at every single part of the entire enclosure, inside and out. They also have a control system for the gates with a map. All the gates are represented by little lights, and the color of the light indicates open, closed, or moving. I felt like an air traffic controller. Plus you know you're in Europe when topless pictures are allowed in a staff room.
I've also tried German beer, which I'm still on the fence about as far as taste. I have yet to try gelato, but they keep promising it to me. I wonder if it will be as good as in Italy... I'm also pretty sure I've figured out why I have been feeling so miserably congested at night. I think the pillow and comforter here are down, which I am allergic to. Oh well.
All in all I've had a great time so far, and I'm looking forward to even more fun times to come! Now that my luggage is here I can really relax and enjoy the trip.
The Road to Mushrooms
It is after 3am here in Germany, and I have been completely unable to fall asleep. Although I will probably regret this in five hours when Olaf arrives to pick us up, I have decided to update about my travel misadventures.
The trip so far has been absolutely invigorating, which is nice, because getting here was a nightmare. First, around 7pm Saturday night, I realized that my Eurail pass was not in any of my bags. Although I had put it with the rest of my travel documents, I could not find it anywhere. So, Joseph and I decided to make the two hour drive to College Station to look for it. Fortunately, we did find it there, on the floor behind my desk, probably having been knocked down by one of the cats. We made it back to Austin around midnight and promptly went to bed.
At 7am Sunday morning, we got up and headed to the airport. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I got in a good 10 hours of reading. Then, about an hour before my plane to Amsterdam was to land, the captain announced that everyone's favorite volcano had erupted again causing the Amsterdam airport to close. So, our flight was rerouted to Paris. We landed in Paris around 11:30AM local time (subtract seven hours for Texas time), and the chaos started.
Because many planes in similar situations were rerouted to the Paris airport, there was not a gate available for our plane. So, they let us off outside, and a bus took us to the terminals. They did not give us our luggage, and no one gave us any direction on where to go. So, I immediately tried to get an internet connection up and running on my laptop. The airport did have wireless available for a small fee, but the website was in French. Because I speak no French at all, it took me quite a few tries to get all of the necessary information entered in properly. Once I was connected to the internet, I began emailing both Joseph and Dr. Wasser.
Next, I set out to find a new flight to my final destination, Cologne. After a long trip across the terminal, an extremely helpful lady was able to get me on a flight that afternoon with a different airline. She told me where my luggage should be and suggested I go pick it up before getting on the new flight. So, I set out across the terminal again, and eventually found my way into the appropriate baggage claim area. After about an hour of searching, I could not find my suitcase. A man there looked at my flight number and told me that my bag never got off of that plane, and it was likely already on its way to Amsterdam as the airport had reopened. So, I headed off to a completely different terminal to wait for my new flight.
There, I found an ATM, took out some Euros, and found a Starbucks. At that point I had been up for nearly 24 hours straight and was completely exhausted. However, with the exception of one accidental 15 minute power nap, I managed to stay awake another five hours until my new plane boarded. I unsuccessfully tried to catch some sleep on the plane ride, and finally made it to Cologne around 6pm Monday evening. I put in a claim for my missing baggage, met up with Will from AIB, and made it to dinner on time where I enjoyed a nice wienerschnitzel topped with, yes, mushrooms.
After a solid 36 hours without sleep, I finally got the key to my room in the AIB dorm. Since then, despite the fact that my luggage still has not arrived, the trip has been fabulous.
The trip so far has been absolutely invigorating, which is nice, because getting here was a nightmare. First, around 7pm Saturday night, I realized that my Eurail pass was not in any of my bags. Although I had put it with the rest of my travel documents, I could not find it anywhere. So, Joseph and I decided to make the two hour drive to College Station to look for it. Fortunately, we did find it there, on the floor behind my desk, probably having been knocked down by one of the cats. We made it back to Austin around midnight and promptly went to bed.
At 7am Sunday morning, we got up and headed to the airport. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I got in a good 10 hours of reading. Then, about an hour before my plane to Amsterdam was to land, the captain announced that everyone's favorite volcano had erupted again causing the Amsterdam airport to close. So, our flight was rerouted to Paris. We landed in Paris around 11:30AM local time (subtract seven hours for Texas time), and the chaos started.
Because many planes in similar situations were rerouted to the Paris airport, there was not a gate available for our plane. So, they let us off outside, and a bus took us to the terminals. They did not give us our luggage, and no one gave us any direction on where to go. So, I immediately tried to get an internet connection up and running on my laptop. The airport did have wireless available for a small fee, but the website was in French. Because I speak no French at all, it took me quite a few tries to get all of the necessary information entered in properly. Once I was connected to the internet, I began emailing both Joseph and Dr. Wasser.
Next, I set out to find a new flight to my final destination, Cologne. After a long trip across the terminal, an extremely helpful lady was able to get me on a flight that afternoon with a different airline. She told me where my luggage should be and suggested I go pick it up before getting on the new flight. So, I set out across the terminal again, and eventually found my way into the appropriate baggage claim area. After about an hour of searching, I could not find my suitcase. A man there looked at my flight number and told me that my bag never got off of that plane, and it was likely already on its way to Amsterdam as the airport had reopened. So, I headed off to a completely different terminal to wait for my new flight.
There, I found an ATM, took out some Euros, and found a Starbucks. At that point I had been up for nearly 24 hours straight and was completely exhausted. However, with the exception of one accidental 15 minute power nap, I managed to stay awake another five hours until my new plane boarded. I unsuccessfully tried to catch some sleep on the plane ride, and finally made it to Cologne around 6pm Monday evening. I put in a claim for my missing baggage, met up with Will from AIB, and made it to dinner on time where I enjoyed a nice wienerschnitzel topped with, yes, mushrooms.
After a solid 36 hours without sleep, I finally got the key to my room in the AIB dorm. Since then, despite the fact that my luggage still has not arrived, the trip has been fabulous.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Germany at last!
Well, I lost track of time, so even though I am in Germay (just a day) this is my pre-Germany post! I came over a couple of days early to see friends in Dusseldorf...what a trip! All of my flights were delayed, so I missed my final connection and got to Germany 5 hours later than I planned to!!
Anyway, I am very excited about this trip! Though I have been to Europe before, I have never been to Germany. This trip should also be special because we get to visit and stay with veterinary students both in Germany and the Netherlands. I love traveling and learning about the people and culture in new places. It will be so interesting to see how veterinary students live and learn in these places!! I am sure we will find that in many ways we are all the same, just speak different languages! The language barrier may be interesting at times, but its all part of travel and in the past I have learned that you can really get by even if you only know a few words and 'sign language' is universal!!
Since I am at my friends house and we are getting ready to go visit some place, I better be going!
Anyway, I am very excited about this trip! Though I have been to Europe before, I have never been to Germany. This trip should also be special because we get to visit and stay with veterinary students both in Germany and the Netherlands. I love traveling and learning about the people and culture in new places. It will be so interesting to see how veterinary students live and learn in these places!! I am sure we will find that in many ways we are all the same, just speak different languages! The language barrier may be interesting at times, but its all part of travel and in the past I have learned that you can really get by even if you only know a few words and 'sign language' is universal!!
Since I am at my friends house and we are getting ready to go visit some place, I better be going!
Friday, May 14, 2010
An exciting couple of days
So, I know we were supposed to do our first post before we left for Germany, but time most definitely got away from me. Although, I'm kind of glad I didn't because Melissa and I had some adventures today that I am excited to share. But before I get to that...
It's really hard to believe that it's finally time for the study abroad program to begin. It was definitely on the back burner in my mind until after finals. However, even then it seemed so far away. The reality that I was going overseas for three weeks did not hit me until my sister pulled up to the airport to drop me off and asked me to bring her back something fun. I had a nervous/excited feeling. The nervousness was probably because of the unknown. I have travelled abroad before, but not to Germany, and not for academic purposes. The itinerary is amazing; full of great activities, chances to meet future colleagues, and an opportunity to learn about another culture. I look forward to learning about international veterinary medicine and hearing about the programs and opportunities they have for their students (and possibly us). I have tried not to have many expectations, but just have a willingness to learn as much as possible in this short period of time.
My lack of German speaking skills is a little nerve wracking. I learned a little before we left, but still not enough to communicate. My reaction to that is if I can't really communicate, I shouldn't try to speak it at all. I'm trying to overcome that and I have not been able to avoid speaking some German, so it's a start. I have used a little bit of German, but I'm a bit self conscious about pronunciation.
So, that's about it for pre-Germany. Going back to the adventures I mentioned earlier: At DFW International, I went up the escalator, checked in on the little electronic thing, and I was ready to check my bag and meet Melissa on the other side of security. Little did I know, that wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. Apparently, Chicago, where we were going for our connecting flight to Frankfurt, was having bad weather and our flight was delayed. So much so, that Melissa and I would miss the connecting flight to Frankfurt if we stayed on that plane. The attendant behind the counter, the most awesome lady who works for American Airlines, got us on a nonstop to Frankfurt. The catch was that it left in 40 minutes and they needed to get both of our bags to the plane (which they did). Meanwhile, I had to get through security, meet Melissa, take the Skyline tram to another terminal and board the plane. Needless to say we were walking pretty fast.
We made it to Frankfurt early this morning. It's pretty chilly. Pack warm clothes fellow travellers!! We hopped on a train and enjoyed a day in the beautiful city of Heidelberg. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow! Everyone has been really nice, and we only got lost a couple of times. ;) I look forward to the coming adventures.
It's really hard to believe that it's finally time for the study abroad program to begin. It was definitely on the back burner in my mind until after finals. However, even then it seemed so far away. The reality that I was going overseas for three weeks did not hit me until my sister pulled up to the airport to drop me off and asked me to bring her back something fun. I had a nervous/excited feeling. The nervousness was probably because of the unknown. I have travelled abroad before, but not to Germany, and not for academic purposes. The itinerary is amazing; full of great activities, chances to meet future colleagues, and an opportunity to learn about another culture. I look forward to learning about international veterinary medicine and hearing about the programs and opportunities they have for their students (and possibly us). I have tried not to have many expectations, but just have a willingness to learn as much as possible in this short period of time.
My lack of German speaking skills is a little nerve wracking. I learned a little before we left, but still not enough to communicate. My reaction to that is if I can't really communicate, I shouldn't try to speak it at all. I'm trying to overcome that and I have not been able to avoid speaking some German, so it's a start. I have used a little bit of German, but I'm a bit self conscious about pronunciation.
So, that's about it for pre-Germany. Going back to the adventures I mentioned earlier: At DFW International, I went up the escalator, checked in on the little electronic thing, and I was ready to check my bag and meet Melissa on the other side of security. Little did I know, that wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. Apparently, Chicago, where we were going for our connecting flight to Frankfurt, was having bad weather and our flight was delayed. So much so, that Melissa and I would miss the connecting flight to Frankfurt if we stayed on that plane. The attendant behind the counter, the most awesome lady who works for American Airlines, got us on a nonstop to Frankfurt. The catch was that it left in 40 minutes and they needed to get both of our bags to the plane (which they did). Meanwhile, I had to get through security, meet Melissa, take the Skyline tram to another terminal and board the plane. Needless to say we were walking pretty fast.
We made it to Frankfurt early this morning. It's pretty chilly. Pack warm clothes fellow travellers!! We hopped on a train and enjoyed a day in the beautiful city of Heidelberg. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow! Everyone has been really nice, and we only got lost a couple of times. ;) I look forward to the coming adventures.
Survival
I remember the anticipation I felt sitting in room 201 during orientation. Of all the opportunities that people talked to us about, all the skits we watched, all the rules and procedures we were taught, the study abroad trip contributed the most to my growing excitement about vet school. I knew then that I wanted to go; touring vet schools and zoos in Europe for class credit sounded like the perfect way to combine my interest in travel with my passion for veterinary medicine.
But, this first year of vet school has been extremely rough. My grades were not what I wanted them to be, my stress levels were often out of control, and emotional meltdowns were not wholly uncommon. But even in the darkest of moments over this last year, each time I heard Dr. Wasser talk about Germany, or say something in German, I could feel my face light up as it did those first few days of orientation.
Now everything is set. My bags are packed, the hotels are booked, I have my Eurail pass, and I am looking forward to every aspect of this trip. In addition to the veterinary talks, the zoos, and the wine, I am especially excited about the mudflat hike in Norderney and meeting my host, Christina, in Hannover. I hope to learn more of the German language and practice speaking the tiny amount I do know. I look forward to the food, and I am just a little scared of attempting to learn to ride a bike for the bicycle tours.
Additionally, the dates of the trip just happen to overlap with Wave Gotik Treffen, the industrial music festival that took me to Germany the first time in 2005. Joseph is meeting me in Leipzig on Friday night, and although das bandlisten is not as exciting as years past, I simply could not be in Germany, with a free weekend, and not go. There are several bands that I do want to see, shopping in vendor room is always a dangerous source of fun, and Joseph has several friends from New Orleans who will also be at the festival. I look forward to discovering new music and dancing all of the stress of the last year away.
This trip is my reward, our reward, for surviving the first year of veterinary school.
But, this first year of vet school has been extremely rough. My grades were not what I wanted them to be, my stress levels were often out of control, and emotional meltdowns were not wholly uncommon. But even in the darkest of moments over this last year, each time I heard Dr. Wasser talk about Germany, or say something in German, I could feel my face light up as it did those first few days of orientation.
Now everything is set. My bags are packed, the hotels are booked, I have my Eurail pass, and I am looking forward to every aspect of this trip. In addition to the veterinary talks, the zoos, and the wine, I am especially excited about the mudflat hike in Norderney and meeting my host, Christina, in Hannover. I hope to learn more of the German language and practice speaking the tiny amount I do know. I look forward to the food, and I am just a little scared of attempting to learn to ride a bike for the bicycle tours.
Additionally, the dates of the trip just happen to overlap with Wave Gotik Treffen, the industrial music festival that took me to Germany the first time in 2005. Joseph is meeting me in Leipzig on Friday night, and although das bandlisten is not as exciting as years past, I simply could not be in Germany, with a free weekend, and not go. There are several bands that I do want to see, shopping in vendor room is always a dangerous source of fun, and Joseph has several friends from New Orleans who will also be at the festival. I look forward to discovering new music and dancing all of the stress of the last year away.
This trip is my reward, our reward, for surviving the first year of veterinary school.
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