Long road to a long flight.

Originally I wanted to take this trip last year, but wasn't sure if I'd fail out of vet school in the mean time lol, so decided to hedge my bets and take it this year.  Well the potentially ironic thing is that there's still a very bumpy road - finals week to be exact - between me and Germany.  But all will work out in the end...or that's what I keep telling myself. (I should be studying right now...)

Been a bit of a process getting there.  Some awesome people helping us out along the ways, but as MAC DVM already posted, Financial Aid has been...less than thrilling.  Should definitely get that ball rolling early.  It's very much a hurry up and wait type of thing.  Also, pay attention to scholarship deadlines.  They sneak up on you faster than you might think while you're learning about just how big a granulosa cell tumor can get in horses.  And write them down too, because my dyslexic mind transposed a dual-digit number and I missed the deadline on two scholarships by several days.

Planning for the trip has been fun, but somewhat frustrating too because, well, it's completely new.  For instance, we don't have passenger trains and what not here (at least not in this part of the country), so I know less than nothing about all of that and what needs to go into it.  But for the most part, it's fun.  In fact, it might be a bit too fun because often I've found myself scoping out locations in Germany rather than studying.  However, I've also found myself cleaning my room, alphabetizing my bookshelf (in reverse order, of course), and other equally boring activities in lieu of studying, so maybe it's only relatively fun. :)

I will say that I wish I had spent more time studying German.  However, I've found it's extremely difficult to study two foreign languages at once (German and vet school vocabulary) so I can't fault it too much.  My understanding is that many speak English very well over there, so it won't be that big of a deal I'd hope.  I'm also awesome at charades, so there's that too.  But I'd much prefer my level of German to be somewhere around at least a first-grade level than what I have currently:  a few words, gestures, and grunts.  I believe 'beer' sounds the same in both languages so at least I won't go thirsty.

Not much else to say right now.  It will be a great trip with great people so I'm looking forward to it.  Certainly beats working all summer, regardless of how much my bank account disagrees.

Pre-Eurotrip/Finals Blues Blurb

18 MORE DAYS!

The pre-Eurotrip excitement has officially begun: the hostels are booked, the Eurail pass is in my hand, I have my awesome 65L hiking pack....oh yea...and 10 days of school with 6 finals thrown in between myself and the awesome, overnight flight to Frankfurt.  Sad day, but the torture will be over soon enough and then the awesomeness will begin!

THE FUN STUFF:
Overall, I am most excited about immersing myself in all the different cultures I will be surrounded with.  Trying the food, tasting the wine, taking in all the amazing history and architecture, talking to everyone I can....it seems almost overwhelming.  I hope to make some amazing, new friends while overseas that will come visit...not to mention shelter and entertain me should I ever want to return (I WILL!)

THE THINGS THAT HAVE SUCKED SO FAR:
Financial aid!!!!! Without the help of our awesome program coordinator, Joy, and Karen, in financial aid, getting funding for this trip would have been impossible.  Words of wisdom: start early. I began getting my finances in line for this trip last year so that I could have a jump on all the crazy hoops financial aid has us jump through.

THE BIG PRE-TRIP THANK YOUS:
Olivia!!!! Our AIB coordinator/German tutor is the best!  She has helped get us ready for this trip with language and culture lessons, plus lots more. Although it was sad that she had to leave, she got me really pumped for this trip even when it was ages away.
Dr. Wasser....well duh! We wouldn't be taking this trip if you didn't offer to keep doing this program every year. Oh yea, and did I mention the $1000??? Thanks for helping with the cost of this program.
TAMU CVM Dean's Office: THANK YOU!!! for the awesome scholarship donation to each person going on this journey.
AIB peoples: Thanks for coordinating all of this! This will be a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity that I know I will never trade for anything.
TAMU peoples: Thanks for helping bring all this together.  The nightmares of not getting financial aid to pay for this trip have stopped, and I don't feel like any of my paperwork is missing.

Anywho, that should be all the rambling for now.  Updates to come soon...since ya know, ONLY 18 DAYS LEFT!!!!

Reflection

School has come back around... that means summer is over. I have been talking with class mates a good bit about their summers and I hear from many people, "My summer was:" relaxing, boring, laid back, even long. Then I think about my summer... I can truthfully say the only one of that list that fits is long and that is only because I managed to do so much. The trip to Germany was one of the most cram packed trips I have ever been on and I loved it!! When people ask about the trip I always start off describing it with, "We went to a lot of places, in fact, we stayed at 14 different places and that is not including the number of trains we slept in as an overnight. Again though, this trip was a stimulation to every fiber in my being.

It would be difficult for me now to say what I gained, and how I grew, from this trip. It would probably be better to ask those around me to give their opinion. Regardless, the connections I made and those bonds will forever last. That is what I wanted most in this trip, an understanding and the connections. Both of which would be difficult to leave this program without.

A Look Back

So, school starts...tomorrow. On the one hand, I'm always disappointed to see summer go, and this one is no exception (except for this heat...ready for fall, please!). On the other hand, I'll get to recount stories of Germany to all my friends that I haven't talked to all summer, and relive the experience!

Looking back on the five weeks I spent abroad (I stayed one week after), I can definitely say it was a Life Experience (yes, capital letters). You always hear about people backpacking through Europe, and it goes on a lot of people's bucket list, but for me it was one of those things I wasn't sure I'd ever get around to actually doing. And while it wasn't a 2-month hitchhiking trek across the continent, I did live out of a backpack for 5 weeks, so I count it close enough. The advantage of such a long trip is that you get to completely immerse yourself into a different culture. I loved that we spent nearly an entire week at TiHo and Utrecht, allowing us to really get to know the students and realize that, yes, where and how they grew up and how they went down to road towards becoming a veterinarian may be completely different from anything I know, but they really are so much like us (although I think the internet helped out with that).

It truly was a "live for the moment" kind of trip. My family believes in packing as much as possible into a day of vacation, so that when you're done, you kind of need a vacation from your vacation. That was exactly how I'd describe this trip. It was phenomenal- I saw and learned so much from it- but I felt that there were times where you don't really have a chance to just stop and appreciate what exactly it is that you're seeing. If you're reading this as advice for next year, I urge to do just that. Take a moment and step away from the learning, come out from behind the camera, and just stop and look around. There are so many things to see and do in Europe that just take your breath away, and sometimes it seems that they speed by you like one of the bullet trains. It's those snapshots that I remember the most...for the rest, I have my travel journal (I also highly recommend keeping one of these- trust me, despite the hectic-ness I've just described, you spend a lot of time on trains- perfect for recording your adventures!).

I don't really have a final statement that can sum up this whole trip. All I can say is that the memories will stay with me forever and I'll probably still be looking at the pictures and telling stories years from now (hence the capital letters earlier)...and that I can't wait to go back!

Looking Back on My Summer Abroad

It’s funny; it feels like we went on the trip years ago when I think about how much I’ve done since I returned to America. But when I start going through the pictures and telling then retelling stories about our trip abroad it feels like it was just yesterday! I can’t say how much this trip has impacted my life. Going on this trip taught me so much more than any classroom or textbook could have. It taught me how to be more open to trying new things, foods, and drinks and has created an excitement in me to say yes to new adventures! And I know it sounds silly to say, but I feel so much more cultured having traveled in countries most people can only dream about visiting. For example, after returning home, I watched a German movie I had been wanting to see for quite some time, Goodbye Lenin!, and I actually recognized places and German words in the movie! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to see the Berlin TV tower or hear the word “Alexanderplatz” before! This trip really was amazing; getting to see so many historical places, both veterinary medicine related and not, all over Europe made me really appreciative of the opportunity most don’t even have the luck to consider!

As previous posts have already said, GO ON THIS TRIP!! You will not regret it! It is amazing, exciting, and life changing!! I’m already starting to save money so that I can visit Europe again sometime in the future!

Looking back on Germany....

It's been a couple of months since I have been back from Germany and I have to say that I really, really enjoyed my first trip to Europe this summer. I'm still trying to speak German, but it is only limited to a few words and phrases, and no one around me knows what I am saying. I have been trying to plan a trip back with my husband - I think he is tired of me talking about it all the time, so we are looking at going to Spain in a couple of years with a couple of excursion to Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands - hopefullly!

I learned a lot - not only about Europe, but things about myself as well. I really enjoyed everyone on the trip - Dr. Wassar & Lena made the trip even more exciting. I couldn't imagine the trip without them.

I would highly recommend this trip to anyone and everyone! And for those that have any hesistation - just read everyone's posts on this blog! I don't believe anyone has had anything negative to say about it. You will miss home while you are there, but you will miss Europe when you get back. Take the adventure!

Reflections (sort of...)

Well, summer is coming to a close, just 2 weeks before school starts, and I am still telling people about my trip. I have way too many pictures (I learned this when it took me 4 hours to go through all of them with my parents), but they are a cheap way to keep memories, so I do not regret it. As I refect back on my trip, it really was not all that different in Germany, etc. Lots of little things…like trying to obtain water (for free), paying for public toilets, of course the train system, trying to use another language (I really need to learn Spanish, I hate that I only know one language), and travelling with a group of people that is not your family. I have nothing but good memories, and continue to love to tell other of my exploits. I think a lot of what I learned abroad cannot be expressed in words, because I learned things without realizing it. I have a greater appreciation for having a different way to go about things and hope that reflections on my trip with aid me in future endeavors, in whatever way that may be.