Sam: Still in Europe!

I wanted to post a quick note that I will still be in Europe until August 11th. Therefore, I plan to post about my experience of culture shock when I return then. I am currently in England and today I move on to travel to Spain, France, Italy, Belgium and then I finally head back home. I have very limited internet access from here on out, therefore I unfortunately do not have time for much reflection now. However, I skimmed through the most recent blogs quickly and noticed many comments similar to experiences that I have had when returning from previous study abroad programs. Best wishes to all!

Jess-Culture Shock!!

I have returned home to the farm...but that does not mean that I did not experience a culture shock! I would not say that I experienced a culture shock when I returned to the U.S., but I would say that I had a great realization about how it feels to be an outsider.

When we stepped off the plane we were taken to yet another passport check point. We were once again moved through a maze of ropes like a herd of cattle. Then it was our turn to be told which booth to continue to in order to have our passports checked. A man, who was maybe three years older than I rudely asked Alanna and I if we were together. I replied yes and he asked me whether we were sisters or not. I had to smile, but he did not find the question humorous in the least, so I replied that we were not sisters, but we were students who had been traveling together. So, he allowed me to go through the line with Alanna with a warning that we were NOT to "processed" together, whatever that was supposed to mean.

I eventually learned what the young mans “not to be processed together” warning meant. Alanna and I moved into line at the passport "processing booth," but this was not even passport control yet. Alanna was the next person up. She moved to the booth and I, mostly out of habit, followed close behind her. The next thing I knew I had this young man, who was not much older than I, screeching at me..."M’am! M’am! Move behind the red line immediately! I told you! I already told you to stay away from her!" Wow, what a great welcome into the United States!!!

I found this very telling. I now know how foreign travelers must feel when they first enter the U.S. They are all treated as though they are some sort of boogie man that could blow up the entire Midwest at any second. I found this very unfortunate. I know that the U.S. has to keep tight security because of 9/11 and the seemingly never ending threat of Al Qaeda, but that does not mean that we have a right to treat people like they are terrorists. I am a twenty year old, white, woman, who (in my opinion) is not at all threatening looking, and yet I was treated as though I was some huge threat to national security because I stepped two feet across some red line! How must a twenty year old man of Middle Eastern decent feel?

I think this was the biggest shock that I experienced when I returned home. That one instance made me think twice about whether I was really happy to be back in the U.S. or not. I was treated better in Denmark! I do not know that this instance is considered a "culture shock" but it definitely made me see my country in a different light than I had in the past.

The other revelation that I had when I returned home is that Americans truly are fat! I know that as a country we are very well taken care of in the eating department, but when I stepped off the plane and looked around, I did note that people were much heavier than in Denmark. I think part of this is due to the fact that food here is so cheap and readily available. I also think that this is due to the American lifestyle. Heaven forbid we actually get on our bikes to go to the grocery store, work, or maybe even the park! Even though we are fat and lazy as a whole, I think that we should all understand how fortunate we are that we can be fat and lazy. We always have food and entertainment!

Despite these small welcome home blunders I am still very grateful that I was born in the great U.S. of A. and happy to be home!

Jess-Final Blog from Viborg

The final days of my stay in Denmark are coming to a close and as I think back to my perception of the world before living in Denmark, and almost after, I have learned some interesting things about myself. I have changed in several aspects and on multiple levels. There have been changes that I identified before even leaving U.S. soil, but now somehow seem dubious now that I reflect on my time here. Some of these changes include my self confidence, my level of global understanding, and my communication skills. But, the most interesting changes have nothing to do with traveling, agriculture, or living in a foreign country.

In addition to some of the predictable changes that I have encountered, I have become more understanding of how I deal with a perilous situation. I know that I have met people here with very colorful life stories that have shaped them both in ways good and bad. I think I have learned to address the fact that someone’s own life tragedies do not have to become my own. I can tell someone how I feel about how they are treating me and make a change that is better for both of us. I know that this lesson in consciousness and consideration will stay with me for life and I am grateful for that.

On a very different level I feel more confident in my abilities to problem solve. I have been put in positions that require me to make a decision based on finance, time, and language. I now truly understand that there can be plans laid forth for a project and those plans will be altered. In the past I believed in setting a goal in order to accomplish anything and that by following a plan from conception to finality a goal was achieved. That thought has been turned upside down. From my time spent with Peter I have learned that a plan can be altered and the results of that altered plan can ultimately produce a better outcome. I know that this will serve me well later in life, no matter what aspect of science I end up studying.

The last change that I have noted might not have anything to do with being in another country, but it is a change that has occurred none the less. I have always been proud of how I was raised, but since I have been here I have noticed an even greater pride in that fact. I knew that I could connect with farm families and other people working in agriculture, and I felt very fortunate to be able to do so. After speaking to producers here I fully understand that farming is a hard business no matter where you are in the world. I have to commend my parents on how they raised me, but also on how they managed to keep a farm business growing through very hard times and yet still be proud to produce food for the world. I truly know now how fortunate I am for every opportunity that I have been given and I will not soon forget that.

Viborg Last Days Alanna

It’s absolutely amazing that two months have gone by and I will be going home in less than a week. There is a lot going through my head right now in terms of what I have learned and experienced while in Denmark. Although the trip is coming to a quick end, the things I have learned about myself, those who I have encountered, and the issues circling the globe will always be a part of me. Learning is a part of growing and I feel that through this trip I have personally grown to become more aware of my own strengths, weaknesses, and world issues.

The three changes that I have recognized in myself since leaving home that I would like to focus on are confidence, empathy, and a greater understanding of politics.

Confidence
I have noticed that over the last month or so I have developed a greater confidence level in myself and in others. For some reason I have always been hesitant to approach people I don’t know. Whether I need help with directions or just starting up conversation I find it hard to just speak up. Being here, however, has forced me to make conversation with strangers. When you don’t know where you are you have to ask. Just like Allison has stated there is just no way out of it. Being the only native English speaker in my department I found it difficult to adjust to the group. In the beginning all the department members would speak amongst one another in Danish and I would just sit there. My curiosity about the country and culture was what really forced me to speak up. I found myself starting up conversations with co-workers and feeling comfortable talking about myself, my travels, and the issues circling the scientific community and world. Other times in which I noticed my confidence to speak with others were during our travels. Traveling teaches you responsibility and confidence. Arranging trips ahead of time, asking for directions, and mapping out where you need to go all played apart in building my confidence. On another level regarding academics I now have more confidence in myself and my ability to over come difficult tasks. Even if a task seems too hard for you to handle it’s always important to ask questions when you need help, don’t hesitate to tell who you are working with you don’t understand something, and always speak up if your experiment is not going as well as you would like. On this note I would also like to mention how I have built confidence in others. I rarely have to work in groups at school. My department, however, taught me the importance of group work and collaboration. Having confidence in others is vital in science and you can’t always just depend on yourself all the time.

Empathy
In my original application statement I feared that language would be a big hindrance in my stay here in Denmark. For the most part I was proven wrong, however, there were a few instances where I became frustrated because of a lack of communication. On our trip to Copenhagen I encountered a few instances, which made me feel uncomfortable and awkward. For instance, asking to make reservations at a restaurant. Since the owner’s English was not that good she ended up telling me rudely they had no room and just shoved me off and when standing in a line to pay for something the native Danish speaker would be served before me cause I obviously looked like a foreigner. I didn’t really appreciate being treated like that. By no means were these instances a full portrayal of the Danes attitudes and actions, but I did feel some tension being a foreigner in larger city. For the most part most of the people I have meet or encountered have been warm, caring, and amazingly helpful. However, being in a larger city made me think about my own actions and feelings at home. It made me realize that if I didn’t want to be treated like a foreigner who seems ignorant to everything I should not assume that those visiting the U.S. are the same. I can now emphasize with those who come from another country and are visiting the U.S. Even though language can be a barrier sometimes it should never be an excuse to be rude, pushy, or plain ignorant. Being in someone else’s shoes helps one realize how we view one another in the world. I think if more people traveled outside the U.S. we would have a greater understanding of one another’s feelings and concerns. Perhaps less racism would occur if people were just more patient and took time out to understand one another and embrace their differences.

Politics
I will admit that my understanding of world politics is not up to date. Being here has made me realize how out of the loop I really am. I underestimated the amount of concern people outside the U.S. had about our government and the lack of knowledge I have on other country’s governments. I not only have gained a greater understanding of my own country’s politics but of the various issues the European Union has been facing. Understanding how others feel about the U.S. government system helps me reevaluate what works and what doesn’t. I can confidently say I will be walking away with more knowledge about world politics and its effects on the U.S.

Although I have only mentioned three specific changes that I have seen in myself I know there are more. An opportunity like this has shaped me and has significantly changed me for the better.

From Dean Bohn via Dr. Hurley

Dear Allison, dear team,

What Allison said about being less fearful really resonated with me. I'm in Chicago this weekend for MBA classes. A classmate's son, 16 years old, had to spend his day in the hotel room because his mom, in class with me, was afraid to have him roam Chicago on his own. That is sooooooo sad. Maybe I am naive. Maybe Chicago (all of Chicago) is a really dangerous place. But all I see is fear controlling Americans' daily choices. It is easy to be manipulated if you succumb to fear! How come America is the country with the highest incarceration rate in the industrialized world? I thought the threat of incarceration is supposed deter criminals? Ok, I should really be paying attention to this exam review. Love to talk to you in person when you get back to campus.

Great job, girls, on all levels!

Dean Bohn

Wageningen Last Days Allison

So, it is my last real day here in Wageningen. It is really hard to believe that we are done. My roommates for next year are starting to talk about school again, and I don't really feel like it has even been summer yet. This could be due to the weather, but I think it is just because time flew by here.

After careful consideration, I have come up with three things that I see different in myself.

The first, is learning the ability to approach people and just start a conversation. I hadn't really forced myself to do that in a long time, but coming here and knowing no one, I think it is something that we have all had to relearn. If I hadn't done this, I don't think I would have met the people I did, and a lot of opportunities would have been lost. It helps that the Dutch are generally friendly people who are willing to make new friends. Back home, I sit in class with the same people every week for a semester, and for some reason, never say a word to them. It is strange how people can be so close to people and never actually meet them. It is an attitude where someone thinks because they already have made friends, new ones are unecessary. I hope to not fall back into this habit again when I get home.

The next thing would be allowing myself to take part. I have had many shadowing experiences in the past, and in all of them, I just stood back and watched most of the time. I expected the same here, but the physiology team was willing to show me how. Before I knew it, I was helping out. I was worried at first that I might mess something up because it was my first time and this was real research, but after a few days, it became just like a job for me, and I am really grateful that I was able to take part. I never would have learned as much from just standing and watching.

The final thing I have noticed about myself is something I didn't really notice at all until it was pointed out to me last weekend. I am not afraid anymore. I used to worry about traveling, living alone, and even walking at night. I have gained so much independence here and met so many great people leading lives that I now want to mimic. I really don't mind traveling alone now. I have really gained faith in people, and I understand that bad things do happen, but I can't let myself go on in fear of them or else I will lose out on a lot of great experiences. This is not to say that I will put myself in dangerous situations or that I will not be careful when meeting people, only that I feel like a stronger person.

This program has been wonderful, and I am so glad that I applied. I hope that everything I did and saw here will be useful for others in the future.

I am glad to be heading home soon to see my family and friends, but I will miss Europe and the new friends I have made.

Wageningen Week 8 Sam

Through talking with many students from Wageningen as well as our supervisor, Rene, I have noticed many common day to day differences in the cultures between the U.S. and the Dutch. Most of these differences are small, but were fairly amusing to me.

Students from our course invited us to a dinner they made for us. It was a common Dutch meal and this was the first significant difference we have noticed. It is very common for students to have other students over for dinner and typically, you return the favor later on. This is not something Allison or I see much of in the States. I think it’s very nice and enjoyed it very much. We got to chatting about daily routines and I mentioned how the long days were a bit hard for us, since we college students typically take a nap during our school day. They were shocked, what do you mean you take a nap? Hah so we explained that it varies for each student, but it can be anywhere from 20 min to hours, in any place, your apartment, dorm, the quad, the Union, etc. They again were really surprised. This topic also came up when Rene had us over for dinner and again, everyone was surprised! End rule, students don’t nap here! How strange as that seems to be the basis for college life in the U.S.

This leads me to our next point difference. We have noticed that students here typically only work on school work during the week, through the typical 9-5 work day Mon-Fri. This was strange for us, as most students I know get quite a bit of work done in the late hours of the evening and throughout the weekend. The Dutch students end their day around 5 typically, some a bit longer and head home for the weekends, forgetting all about school. They were shocked to hear we stay at the library past 2am and take exams from 7-9 at night.

Also concerning school, work ethic and integrity. We have found that for most students, it is perfectly acceptable to aim to just ‘get by with a passing grade.’ There is no competition scale here constantly comparing your GPA and formulating a class rank. We discussed this also with Rene. We talked about our differing societies and what they deem as acceptable. Allison and I agreed that is often unfortunate in our own society that it is often hard to find mediocrity as acceptable or respectable. I was always raised to respect all people, of all jobs, because we need all types of people to make our world function. Yet unfortunately, much of our society does not share my same view and looks down on much of our working class. It is really unfortunate. That does not seem to be the case as much here since the general aim is satisfied with average.

You also decide which career path you will take at about 13 years of age. In ways I think this is good because you are not bothered with courses that you will never need, rather you continue on in an academic direction related to your career. Yet at the same time, it’s hard to imagine that most kids actually know what they want so young. So many of my friends have switched their majors halfway through college, which is shocking for most people here to hear.

Vacations/Holidays! Another very interesting difference! It seems as though most Europeans I’ve met from several countries take what we consider LONG holidays, as in 21 days straight, at a time. Heading off to Greece or Italy for 3 weeks is very common for a holiday! Allison and I are not familiar with taking family vacations for more than a week at most, because our parents would never think of leaving their jobs for longer. Many Americans do have more vacation time than that, but we take it in different chunks I suppose, breaking it up. I also explained that many will work through their holiday and get paid time and a half or save their days in case of an emergency or to be paid for them later in retirement.

In the theme of work, Rene pointed out something very interesting. They have too many jobs, not enough people here in the Netherlands. So they are cutting back weekly hours to 36-38 hrs/wk to accommodate more people. Not nearly the case in the U.S. as we have far too many people, not nearly enough jobs.

Food! I have recently discovered something interesting trends while at our last dinner at Rene’s. First, they do not eat doughnuts for breakfast, ever! Allison and I were so confused, we asked, well when do you eat them? As a dessert of course… apparently. We explained that doughnuts are a fairly common to-go breakfast food, amongst many others. It all started when we brought a pie for dessert and even that was ‘a bit much.’ A typical dessert is maybe some of their delicious yogurt with fruit and granola. So we again asked, well when do you eat pie then? Later, with coffee or at celebrations. We laughed and they got a bit of our culture as well by having pie as dessert.

We also got to talking about another Dutch tradition, which is eating a herring whole, to the tail. My face was shocked and horrified when they first were explaining this, because they assumed I knew that the fish had been cleaned out and that the head was chopped off. I imagined big eyes staring you down and was still disturbed that they ate it raw, I commented that it sounded like feeding the penguins I work with at Sea World, seeing as though that is just how they eat it. Rene even pulled out some pickled herring, his favorite evening snack. No thanks, especially when I have the particular food beyond associated with the animals I work with.

Those are the main recent differences that come to mind at the moment. I have a few must have tips for the handbook! For the Netherlands, bring a rain coat, it’s a must must must have! It has rained all day, for a majority of the days we’ve been here. With that, an umbrella is also great to have! You never really know what to expect with the weather! While it has been blistering hot in the states, we’ve barely been about to reach 60 here! So bring many variations in clothes, maybe a few more warmer things than you would think you will need for summer!

I cannot believe I only have a few days left here. I am finishing up working in the Aquaculture hatchery and then I am off to Interlaken, Switzerland to experience some extreme sports! I am quite excited! Beware girls, the culture shock of the U.S. has been harder for me each time I return from studying abroad, its amazing to realize how much a different culture can impact you.

Jess-Viborg

So yesterday finished up my last week of work here! I cannot believe it is over. I was actually sad to leave yesterday. I took a cake to share with everyone at the 9am coffee hour and it was really nice to see everyone one last time.

I am really going to miss Foulum and all of the nice people that work there. It is a really unique place and I hope that I am lucky enough to be able to own or work in a practice someday that has the same warm feeling and good will that can be found at Foulum.

Yesterday we said our final good byes and left work around 11am to go to Landsskuet with Winnie. Landsskuet is the National Show for all of Denmark. All of the best livestock from around the country go there to compete. It is similar to our state fairs I would say.

I had a great time taking pictures of all of the different breeds of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, and even rabbits. A lot of the breeds there were exactly the same as the breeds at home, however I found that the confirmation, frame size, and muscling on the beef cattle differed quite greatly from the beef cattle in the U.S.

After we went to Landsskuet, Winnie invited us to have dinner with she and her husband and brother at her home in Oby! It was wonderful! I think both Alanna and I had a great time with Winnie and it was the perfect ending to a perfect working trip while here!

We are going to CPH this Monday until Thursday. It should be great time as well!! I cannot wait to see the Little Mermaid and maybe even the royal jewels as well. Everyone has said that Copenhagen is a wonderful city and that we will surely like it there, but it is very different than Jutland.

I am still not quite ready to go home yet, but I am sure once I have seen Copenhagen I will feel better about going home. We may go to the west coast after we get home next week, but that is all dependent on the inconsistant Denmark weather. It has been raining here everyday at least a little bit for the past three weeks! The sun refuses to come out and shine. So we do not really want to go to the west coast and the beaches if it is just going to be raining.

I will be sure to write again just before leaving and right after returning home to relay what jumps out and grabs my attention when experience the American culture shock!

Viborg Week 7 Alanna

It has finally hit me that this is the last week of work. After taking numerous blood samples, pipetting hoards of plasma, analyzing and preparing data, and completing a paper I finally have the time to truly explore all the facilities that Foulum has to offer.

Last week I went out to the swine research facility with Birthe, a veterinarian whom I have been working with, to watch an experiment pertaining to piglets and their response to E. coli. This was a great experience for me because it allowed me to see first hand what a research veterinarian does and how they juggle the responsibilities of research.

Every Wednesday Birthe, Jens (a scientist involved with milk studies), Lene (a lab technician), and myself go out to the cattle research center to take blood samples and liver biopsies. It wasn't until last week that I found out Birthe was a veterinarian. The only way I found out was because I noticed that Birthe was the only one doing the liver biopsies. After a few weeks had past I asked her if you needed a special certification to handle biopsies and she told me that usually the veterinarians take it even though many senior scientist have the skills necessary to do it. I only bring this story up because I think there is certainly a level of modesty here compared to the U.S.

On a side note, that is the one thing that I find incredibly interesting. It seems that people in Denmark are not so interested in their titles. Everyone responds and introduces themselves using their first name only. No Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Dr. is ever used. There were several instances in which I did not know how to address my colleagues and I found that odd. It's nice that no one is so caught up in themselves here that they loose sight of their overall purpose.

Today I went to the mink farm with Birthe. We looked through the mink that had died in the past few days. She had to make a proper diagnosis for each mink's death. The dissection is really exciting because you never know what you are going to find inside. Most of the minks that we saw today had died from an enlarged cyst. Many of them had enlarged organs, discolorations, and/or some kind of blockage in their system. During the months of May, June, and July mink mortality is very high because the mother often dies of either complications before, during, or after, they give birth to their young, which takes place in May.

Aside from my happenings at Foulum hopefully after next week I will be able to talk more about our travels. Due to weather restrictions and lack of time we've only made a few day trips to cities around Denmark that have been mentioned earlier in our blogs.

Wageningen Week 7 Sam

I cannot believe my time here in Wageningen has gone by so quickly and that the end is so near. We finished up the Animal Behavior and Environment course last week with our 10 minute presentations of the reports of our data that we analyzed and wrote in the span on 3 days beforehand. The presentations went really well, it was very interesting to see how the research turned out for each group in our class. Our presentation was voted to be one of the best by the students, we were quite pleased that they enjoyed it. The experience overall was very positive, I believe I learned a lot, not only in terms of course material but also about group work, research analysis methods as well as all about several international students.

There were several specific instances in the course that I found really interesting. For example, the day after we finished our observations, we were sitting in lecture to learn about the expectations of our reports. After our professor, Paul Koene, explained that the report was expected to be at least 10 pages in length, without the references or appendices, a girl raised her hand and said, “10 pages in 3 days, that’s impossible, I cannot do that.” Allison and I just kind of looked at each other in awe and in shock. Neither of us could ever imagine speaking out in that way to a professor. We think of it in terms of if a professor says jump, you jump, never do you question something like that. The professor answered in a very well mannered way, explaining that we did indeed have several pages complete already from all of the pre-observation reports we completed and that much of this space includes graphs and charts. It really wasn’t that much to expect, even for us. We mentioned this Rene later in the week and he felt it was something worthwhile and interesting to mention here.

Another point concerns plagiarism. I believe we mentioned before about how the topic was fairly lightly touched on at the beginning of the course, yet I still could not believe people really would do that. Yet the professor did mention that there were a few groups he needed to speak with about it before handing in our reports. We also noticed that even in the presentations we gave earlier in the course, there was only 1 other group that cited all of their information in the presentation. Again, very surprising for us. This topic came up once more when we were helping edit a Polish friend of ours thesis paper, mainly for grammar and word choice at times. I was discussing it with her, not that she had at it, yet she said it really does not matter at all in Poland. I found this all strange since the topic has been beyond enforced to me since I learned to write.

Allison did mention that this course was very different from a typical course here at Wageningen, which is very true from speaking with other students. Yet I believe it is really important that these opportunities are offered. I communicated further with the professor after we finished the course about what the purpose of our particular program is. He was curious if it was to help input a similar course at UIUC. I explained that we do not have the resource of a zoo within 2 hours of campus, but that I hope the ideals of the course structure are influential on professors approaches to their courses. I know this past Spring we (students from ANSC 199, the course where you reflect on your abroad experience) completed an international study campus wide teaching retreat where we were able to speak with professors as well as other influences from campus about our experiences. I know this helped many people that attended and also helped complete our goal of spreading and expanding international experience.

I have I think evidently found how valuable studying abroad can be, which is why it has become a slight addiction that I enjoy so much. I am very pleased to see that the other students are also gaining so much from this experience. I have never known someone to come back from studying abroad and have a negative overall experience. Sure you will face challenges as you are immersed in a different culture, yet I believe we all emerge as different and better people at that.

There were several objectives and aims that I have interpreted for the program. They include; experiencing a different educational system, learning from the differences and differentiating them from our own system, meeting international students and learning about their experiences as well as learning some new material. The intent of completing the objectives and aims listed above fall in sync with the ultimate goal and hope to further internationalize our own Animal Sciences program. Through taking the course and helping with research, we have all been able to easily recognize how beneficial applied learning can be. We have also noticed there is much more group work with a cooperative effort, which helped Allison and I not only learn the material more thoroughly, but much more about ourselves. We do not do much group work at all in most of our courses, therefore we honestly found it very difficult in the beginning to collaborate our ideas. Ultimately, I do not feel my experience here could have been more complete in filling those aims and goals, along with so much more.

Aside from the Netherlands, we did take a lovely trip to Berlin, which I really enjoyed. I feel Allison really accurately described how we both felt about the city, so much history within such a big city. It was nothing like any city I have ever visited and the tours we went on gave us the opportunity to really meet and spend the day with so many different people. The trip also really made me think, as much as we know it all happened, it really hits you that it was not that long ago at all, when you see so many recent pictures. You also constantly think how terrible it all was, how could people ever actually go along with that happening? Yet it made me realize, we are doing nearly the exact same thing, only its happening in Darfur. Yes, in a smaller scale than the Holocaust, but many similarities exist. The sad part is when it is not thrown right in our faces, we fail to realize how big the problem is or was. It’s just hard to process, that no matter how much you feel you know or try to do, there’s always more to be done, more people that need to be helped. I think those were some of the most important realizations I grasped from the weekend.

Wageningen Allison Day 41-48

It has been too long since I last posted, but we have been very busy since the beginning of last week.

After many hours in the computer labs, we were able to complete our analysis work for the course. I was pleased with the results we extracted from our data. It showed that the infant we were monitoring was spending more than half the time with its mother. Also, even after only 5 days of observation, I really felt that we were able to assess the situation and make positive recommendations for the zoo.

On Wednesday, we presented our work to the class as well as to the professors and zoo staff. Our presentation was ten minutes long, and in that time we had to squeeze in everything we discovered about our macaques as well as all the analysis from our data. We both know we speak too fast, so toning it down was difficult. People seemed to like our presentation, however, because they voted us in the top three. We didn't want that to happen though because we know this class was more important to other people. We did make some friends in the class, and it was nice to be able to hear their perspective on things. I realize that the class we took was not stereotypical of classes here, but I am glad we did it.

This weekend, we decided to go to Berlin. I am so glad we did because the trip was very spur of the moment. Berlin was absolutely phenomenal. The city is so rich with history, and we met amazing people from all over the world. My mother was worried about me traveling to Germany after the G8 riots, but honestly, I can say that I felt safer there than I do in New York or Chicago sometimes.

What I thought was most interesting about Berlin is that it is such a mixture of old and new. Because of all the bombings and such, Berlin has been rebuilt over and over again. Even the buildings that look old most of the time have been rebuilt.

We took several walking tours put on by the New Berlin Tours company. They really do a wonderful job, and I don't feel as if we would have gotten as much out of what we did if we had just walked around by ourselves all the time. We took their tour into a nearby town to visit the concentration camp there. It was really incredible the difference it makes actually seeing it. You read about it in text books, but standing in the middle of it can not be replaced. Sure, it wasn't the happiest tour, but I am very glad we took the time out to do that.

We met great people traveling Europe as well. Most of those individuals were very free thinkers, so it didn't matter to them that we were American. We only had a couple cases where we felt Anti-Americanism, but after talking with those people for awhile, I feel that they also realized that people are people. We may not have changed their opinions of America, but maybe they have a better understanding from our side.

Overall, I would say that Berlin is one of the most interesting cities I have ever visited. I would love to go back someday.

This week, Sam and I are back in the labs. I start tomorrow helping with assays. Only a week and a half until we are done with the program. It has really been a worthwhile experience, and I have noticed changes in myself that I know may not have come otherwise.