Medical Practice and Policy: Everything You Want to Know!

... And possibly some things you don't. No, don't worry, at DIS you practice your clinical skills on your classmates, so it's all incredibly safe!

This Tuesday marked the final day of class for my core course, Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach. To date this is the best class I have taken on medical science. Maybe it's because I've taken anatomy and physiology twice now and can go past the basic concepts into the diagnostics of diseases and conditions, but I believe it's due to the fantastic program here at DIS.

Preparing for a day of clinicals - Amy, me and Josie

To start, your professors are actually doctors. If you ask them a hypothetical question, chances are they have a real story to answer with. When my class asked if there was a way we could discuss emergency medicine, my professor rearranged the schedule and brought her husband, a physician specializing in trauma, to give us a lecture on emergency protocol. I learned so much that day!

We also had the chance to practice our skills with our clinical classes. First we learned proper CPR (something my mom taught me in middle school but I haven't used since) and practiced a complete scenario with the correct protocol, and then were taught how to start an IV in someone's arm. We used fake arms with red-colored fluid, which was probably a good thing since the first time I did it, I pulled the tube out too quickly and forgot to cap the port... and my patient practically bled out. Thankfully the second try went well and I redeemed myself!

Amy practicing CPR

Leila learning how to suture

Recently we returned to the clinical center to perform ultrasounds and learn suturing. I got to see my liver and my descending aorta! It was really interesting and kind of crazy to see my own organs on the screen. My classmate Dhilhan got to see his heart! We learned to suture properly as well as remove the stitches, as the wound must remain sterile! That wasn't so easy...

Johannes, our TA, performing an ultrasound of Dhilhan's heart

Dhilhan's heart - you can see the four chambers and the valve opening on the lower right!

On top of the clinical practice we had, the class also includes taking patient history reports from admitted Danes at the hospital your class is located in. I spoke with two wonderful patients with very different illnesses and realized it's definitely not as easy as it looks on Grey's Anatomy. But I still loved it.
Along with all of this, we got to go on our two study tours as a class and speak with doctors and hospital staff in Western Denmark (read about it here) as well as in  Berlin, Germany and Poznan, Poland (read here). It was extremely helpful to learn how different healthcare can be in Europe even though the countries are all part of the European Union, which has it's own standards on health care. It also gave us a unique perspective on American healthcare and what we can do to use the system to it's maximum potential. I have thoroughly enjoyed my two professors, Josephine and Louise, and our TA, Johannes and everything they have taught us. They are so understanding and patient. It's really sad to leave them all!

About to enter the ICU in Berlin

If you are debating whether to go to DIS and take this class, I say go for it. If you want to be a doctor, PA, or nurse, this is the class for you. I chose DIS because of this program and I don't regret my decision at all. In fact, it's one of the best I've made in a long time.

- Devon

Lübeck Christmas Market

Saying I went to Germany on Sunday to shop at the Christmas markets would be a serious understatement. I should have known things were headed south on Friday when I received an email from DIS saying Denmark was bracing for a storm over the weekend with rain and high winds. But of course my brain told me everything would be fine, since I would be going to Germany.

The day started at 4am when the fire alarm went off in my residence hall. Don't worry, it was a false alarm. Then I woke up at 6:30 to make the bus for the trip, so I think it's easy to say I had an early morning! To get to Germany from Denmark you have to take a ferry (to get there quickly). I was so seasick on the ferry, I couldn't wait to be off and onto the bus again! The ocean was really rocky and the boat kept swaying, I've never been seasick before that and I hope I never am again.

Once we were off the ferry we had another hour on the bus, so we watched Love Actually (quite possibly the best Christmas movie ever) until we arrived! I'm really glad the market had enough to entertain us for a while, because the weather on Sunday made me want to run back to the bus and sit there until it was time to go. But my friends and I explored the stands filled with ornaments, food and mittens. We ate way more than we thought we could. Every time it started raining again we'd buy something else to keep us warm and happy! I ate so much traditional German food because of this!

After we bought what we wanted and ate one last thing (doughnut poppers with confectioner's sugar on top - delicious), we piled back on the bus and started to head home. The only problem was the wind was so strong the bridge leading to the ferry dock had been shut down, and our bus driver had to cross it illegally to catch our ferry. On the other side we were in a huge traffic jam and missed our boat. Because of this, we waited for an extra hour at the ferry dock. I didn't mind this so much because we were watching Slumdog Millionaire (another one of my favorite movies) and that passed the time! Thankfully my friend had dramamine with her and I took it before we got on the ferry. That was probably the best decision of my day - the water was so choppy everyone was swaying and stumbling around the boat and one older woman fell! Definitely not a fun way to spend my evening, but it was an experience.

Scarlett about to eat her pile of doughnuts... so delicious.

On the last part of our trip home we passed a car fire, just to top off our evening I guess! Thankfully it looked like everyone was safe and not hurt. On my bike ride home from DIS I was sweating and could barely catch my breath because the wind was so strong I had to peddle in the lowest gear and only went about two miles per hour. But after all that food I guess I needed a workout... Needless to say I was very thankful to arrive home safe and sound with my purchases unharmed! I had such a fun and interesting day in Germany, and am definitely now in the Christmas spirit!

I can't believe I only have three more weeks left here in Denmark (20 days - yikes!). I have so much I want to do and see while at the same time I can't wait to start packing and head home (mostly because I love the challenge of packing). This week I'm catching up on work and prepping for finals, but this weekend I have some great trips planned! 

- Devon

"The Thanksgiving Post"

There's always a Thanksgiving post. Whether you're thankful or not, ever since the addition of social media to our lives, everyone must have a post or tweet about Thanksgiving. I guess it's like that for Christmas, too, but somehow that's more acceptable. I can't say this week has been easy for me, although it's not the first year I've been abroad for the holiday, it is the first I'm not with friends and family. And the first year I have classes on the last Thursday in November. I have less than one month left here in Denmark, and I really do have mixed feelings about everything. So this week, as I mss my friends from home and worry about never seeing my new friends I made here again, I, too, created a list of what I'm thankful for.

I am thankful for my family, young and old. I am thankful we are so close and have stuck together through it all. I am thankful for my friends. For my oldest, closest friends to the ones I've made abroad, each one of you makes me happy. I am thankful for this wonderful opportunity to go abroad and experience a different culture and fabulous classes. I am thankful for the encouragement and support I have received from those around me. I am thankful for having confidence to be myself, and to encourage those around me to do the same.

I'm thankful for two-for-ten chocolate croissants at 7/11 (believe me, they are amazing). I am thankful for going home and having someone else bag my groceries. I am thankful for the spontaneity of shopping at Netto. I am thankful for expensive coffee, as it seems to help friendships more than the cheap version. I am thankful for my laptop, as it has kept me sane this semester and allowed me to blog!

I would keep going but you know I don't like long blogs. That and I'm in class, so I shouldn't really even be blogging right now! I hope you all have a wonderful day and weekend with your families and friends. I do miss everyone back home, but know I will see everyone soon enough. For me Thanksgiving will be on Saturday evening when my friends and I will make a dinner together. So for today I am sitting in class, prepping for my group presentation and being thankful for all that I have!

Take a Break, Make a List

My top five this week (I know, I haven't done one in so long!) is about what has been keeping me busy. This might turn into a top six or seven, but I think that's ok, right?

To begin:

1. Group projects. Danes love group projects because they teach you life skills. I have a friend who stand firmly by the belief that they teach you to trust nobody, but I like to take a more positive look on the situation. Right now I'm in various stages of four group projects. They all include a paper and a presentation, and enough organization to keep five people focused for three weeks. I don't mind them, I think you do learn valuable skills out of it, but they can be crazy to manage!

2. Thanksgiving is two days away! I have finally figured out what I'm doing for Thanksgiving, and I'm really excited. I was invited today (after mentioning I wasn't able to plan anything) to a dinner on Saturday evening at my friend Scarlett's house. I'm planning on making a chocolate-something for dessert, too! Unfortunately I have classes on Thursday, but I have Friday off to relax, so I'm still looking forward to the weekend.

3. I am beginning to transition back into American life. I know, it's only November, but I leave Denmark in less than a month and I have responsibilities at my school and at home that need to be worked out before I return. This includes (but's not limited to) my parking permit, apartment lease contract, flight home, how I'm getting to the airport, my job over winter break and when/where I'm seeing my extended family! It's hard to think about things when I'm in a different country, but I know in the long run it will be worth it!

4. Internships are going to be the death of me. I just know it. Right now I'm searching the DC area for a health-related internship that is preferably paid (having an internship means I can't work as many hours and I need the income) and has a hands-on aspect. At this point though, I'd take anything! We'll see how my applications go...

5. Actually I'm fairly certain this will be a five-point list! Lastly what is keeping me going right now is the fact that I simply do not have time to stop. Honestly whenever I sit down I remember to email someone or add to a paper I'm working on. I'm really glad I have planned events in the next few weeks to make sure I don't work too hard. 

And of course I'll have more on those fabulous events in my upcoming blogs!

Devon.

Plain Jane.

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to say hello and tell you to enjoy this little piece from my archives! I meant to post this in early November and simply forgot. I hope you enjoy! - Devon

You might have wondered at this point, "why doesn't Agnes have vanilla flavors?!" Well to answer your question, they do. Remember milk chocolate? That was a vanilla cake with chocolate chips and a chocolate core. But for you people who don't like chocolate (personally I don't understand you, but anyway) I have the Agnes Vanilla: tahitian bourbon vanilla cupcake with cream cheese frosting infused with vanilla beans. Can't get more vanilla than that!

I'm not a huge fan of plain cupcakes, I like there to be something extra like sprinkles or shavings or... chocolate at least. But knowing not everyone is a chocoholic (mental note for you: never go to Belgium) I decided to test this one out. And it was surprisingly good. Not my favorite, but you could have guessed that. I ate it the day I packed for my travel break, and it had the quantity of sugar I needed to get through the night. Definitely very vanilla, I can't argue with that. I'd say this is a safe choice for the less adventurous cupcake lovers out there. Good for kids too, not that strong!

Sorry for the short post - it was a while ago and the vanilla didn't really stick with my memory! I do remember being pleasantly surprised by the taste though.

So Limited They're Already Gone!

Halloween was what, three... four weeks ago!? The travel break makes everything smush together, so all I remember is that I tasted this cupcake flavor before I left for my trip, and forgot to post it before Halloween. As the limited edition pumpkin spice flavor, I do have to say sorry for all you readers in Copenhagen who could have tried it before November. But as it's already gone, I'll do a simple review and keep you from your misery.

First, it was like Halloween explosion: orange frosting, orange cake and a black fondant star on top. Fabulous! The pumpkin was perfect, tons of flavor but not overpowered by the cinnamon spice. There were also raisins in the cake. I was surprised but in a good way - they broke up the typical cake-frosting texture. The cream cheese frosting was sweet and balanced the cupcake so well. And as always, there was enough frosting for every bite. I wish I could have eaten another, but that's just crazy talk! I really do enjoy the fruit and spice flavors at Agnes (apple and carrot are regulars on the menu) and this did not disappoint. And as far as I know the orange frosting didn't tint my mouth! Doesn't it look good?

It was so good, even it falling over didn't kill it for me. 

Oh, Agnes...

Well apparently I've fallen off the cupcake bandwagon. That's not completely true - I partially volunteered my seat on the wagon during my travel break and haven't desired to ask for it back. The truth is, Agnes Cupcakes, as good as they are, are extremely expensive and what do I not have a lot of right now? Money. So for the next few weeks I won't be posting as many cupcake blogs as you're used to. I do have a few flavors I tested out before I left for my trip that I never posted on here so you'll get to see those, but then I'm afraid it might be just my boring life again!

Another reason I have gone "cold cupcake" as you could say is that I have been trying to eat healthy things as the days become more dark and depressing here in Denmark, and cupcakes are not healthy - not even the (gasp!) fruit flavored ones. You have no idea how easy it is to see the stormy sky and lack of sunshine and walk straight to 7-11 to take advantage of the two for ten kroner croissant deal going on right now. And Agnes? Located conveniently on my bike ride home. So yes, I went "cold cupcake" and haven't had once since October.

I just wanted to let you all know I haven't been slacking, I've been purposely avoiding! I also just found out Agnes is expanding to 55 locations throughout Europe! And then hopefully the US!? I'm sure it will hop the pond eventually. So stay tuned for a few more, the flavors I have left to chose from are pretty interesting!

Counting Down.

Excuse me, did you say 33 days? Um no, I'm sorry, I believe you are speaking to the wrong abroad student. Because I really can't handle news like that right now!

It is so hard for me to think about leaving Denmark and going back to the US in a month. I'll be honest and say that I regularly think about all the wonderful things I'm missing out on by not being in the US, but then I think about everything I'm going to miss out on by not being in Denmark, and I never want to leave. What I miss at home is my car, going grocery shopping and knowing where things are, seeing my friends, going shopping and not having to convert the prices, being able to make money and not just spend it, and have my own room. What I will miss about Denmark is the food, the people, bicycles, the culture, my classes, my friends, my professors, DIS and everything I have done here in Copenhagen. 

When looking at the two lists, I realize everything I miss about home can be done whenever I want, but what I love about Denmark are memories I will have forever. They, too, may be things I can do whenever I want, but doing them here in Copenhagen makes them different. Tonight I went to a concert at Vega, the main music venue here. Foster the People is one of my new favorite bands and their song "Pumped Up Kicks" was a huge hit this past August. Funny enough, I work at Gap when I'm at home and that was on the store soundtrack in May, so when the song came out I already knew all the words! Going to the concert was so much fun, and even though I missed out on the one in DC in September, I went tonight in Denmark with all of my study abroad friends and had so much fun. I wish we could go again.

Sometimes being abroad isn't about the pros and cons, but what makes what you do here unique - if the things you do aren't different than in the US, are you really getting the experience you came here for? The second week I was in Europe I rented a bike for the semester. I am now bracing for the day I have to say good bye to my pink beach cruiser named Lynda. I am beginning to plot how I'm going to take Danish pastries back to Maine with me, not because we don't have pastries in Maine, but because they are special - they're from Denmark. I will cherish my 7-11 hotdogs until the moment I board the plane (probably eating one walking down the ramp, although it won't be from 7-11 and therefor not as good).

So if you are planning on going abroad, think about what you want out of the experience, and try to experience as many new things as possible. You're bound to love something, and trust me, it will change the way you see everything you do. 

More later in the week - I'm busy!

Devon

Arrivederci, Roma!

It seems like just yesterday I was strolling the streets of Rome... well I guess that's because I was. Yes, tonight I find myself safe and sound back in Copenhagen. I was only in Rome for about 40 hours, less than two days, but in the time I was there I got a good sense of what the city is like, and noticed how completely different southern Europe is from my cozy home here in Denmark.

First, it's sunny. I actually didn't like how bright it was there and how it was so cold in the shade but then warm enough in the sun to take your jacket off. It was a bit frustrating. Also I was so pasty white that I practically sparkled like a vampire. (Do they really sparkle? I've never seen Twilight.) Anyway, my friends Marika and Christina (the two studying in Brussels) and I went to the Vatican City on Saturday to go to the museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Now, I will be honest about my opinion because this is my blog and I can write what I truly think, but by no means are you forced to agree or even care about what I thought. Ok. So I didn't really want to go in the first place, I would have rather seen the colosseum, pantheon and Trevi fountain had I known it would have taken all day. Also it cost 12 euro. I do not like religious art, especially old religious art (anything before 1700 isn't really my thing) so the museum was not that interesting. The Sistine Chapel was ok, but the entire time the security guards were yelling at people for taking pictures, and the only piece on the ceiling I recognized was the one with the fingers touching in the middle. I'll post below. And then we went onto St. Peters (at which a nun cut us in line... you can't call out a nun for cutting you in line) where we saw lots of marble, lots of dead people and lots of sparkly mosaics. In all, it wasn't an entire waste of time, but I'm not Catholic, so the religious aspect wasn't there for me, and I'm not a huge fan of ancient artwork, so the cultural aspect was lacking too. But there was a small contemporary art section I loved, but my two friends did not so we walked through pretty quickly.

After the Vatican City we had a true Italian lunch of bruschetta and caprese salad. So much olive oil, so much mozzarella, so much goodness. I am in love, and will be buying mozzarella and tomatoes at the grocery store tomorrow. And they had absolutely amazing bread.

Saturday afternoon we rested at our hotel so we could go out for dinner that evening and see the rest of our friends studying abroad there. At this little pizza place in Trastevere (a very old part of the city) I had a zucchini pizza that was to die for. The crust was heavenly. I wish I could remember what it's called! After dinner we went out for the night and I realized how casual going out in Copenhagen is! Italian men are intense. But we had fun, and called it a night early due to our whirlwind day at the Vatican.

This morning we went to a flea market near where my friend Katie lives. We ran into all the other girls that study abroad there and for once we were all united! Sadly after the market I had to leave, but we had that one hour together! The market was filled with mosaic plates, used sweaters, knock off handbags, leather jackets, stolen goods, sketchy food, jewelry and basically anything else you could think of. It really was great.

After the market I trekked to the airport to fly home... which I will discuss in another post. It is too much to handle right now! Let's just say without the help of a wonderful Dutch man in line behind me at the train station coming to my rescue as I began to hyperventilate, I would still be in Rome. But that is for another day!

Sorry for such a quick recap of Rome, it really was a whirlwind final stop! I will add pictures later this week! I will also post a page about where I stayed and how I got around, so you can see how I traveled! It actually worked out perfectly, but I did have some downtime on travel days. Thanks for reading about my trip, I am very happy to be back in Copenhagen, but loved seeing so many amazing countries - I honestly can't believe I just did all that!

More tomorrow!
Devon

Everything Belgium

I have had a crazy past few days! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been doing lots of traveling and visiting friends from school, and I just haven't had the time to sit down and write a blog post.

But here I am at my final stop on the trip - ROME! I made it through Brussels and have moved onto the warmest city I'll visit this semester. I honestly haven't seen this much sun in a very long time. Before I talk about my adventures here (as brief as they will be) I have to catch you up on Belgium!

Wednesday I explored the city while my friend Christina, who I was staying with, studied for her exam the next day. I learned about the city and how it was formed, as well as about what role Brussels plays as a city in Europe. It is definitely a great place for tourists as it's easy to walk from one attraction to another. There is a chocolate museum as well as a Belgian brewers museum! But my favorite part of Belgium was the waffles. Oh wow are they good. Better than Nutella on toast in Denmark, better than crepes with Nutella in Paris, better than straight Nutella out of the jar - this is practically heaven on a plastic tray. But be warned, you will need a bottle of water or some milk to wash it down, and don't wear anything white while enjoying it.

So delicious!

The Manneken Pis - read more here!

So Wednesday I explored Brussels, and Thursday I took the train to Bruges, a quaint medieval town about an hour from Brussels. They have town walls, a moat (canal) and old churches! It was really relaxing and nice to see a small town instead of another big city. There is a chocolate store there called The Chocolate Line that is to die for, they have so many different flavors of chocolates including coffee, wasabi, hot chill pepper, mocha, raspberry, lemon-lime... I could go on forever. They melted in your mouth and were fabulous. I saw the cute side streets and cobblestone, as well as the park that runs around the city by the canal with all the fall leaves. It really was a great day. One of my friends says she wants to honeymoon there!

Friday I packed up my stuff and headed to the airport for another long day of travel to get to Rome. Because I'm not heading back to Brussels with my friends, but instead going home to Copenhagen, I had to by a one way ticket, which would have cost about $300. So I had to buy the cheap ticket which was for a flight about five hours later than my friends. I actually got a lot of work done in the airport, but wasn't happy to miss out on sightseeing!

Bruges has a canal surrounding it to keep out invaders... probably the Vikings!

That's all for now, I have lots more to post about Rome that will have to wait. I have a flight to catch tomorrow and it's already two in the morning. Pictures (per usual) will be added in a few days, and look for another travel post soon!

Thanks for reading!
Devon

A Quick Trip to Lille!

But I thought you are in Brussels!? Well, yes technically I'm in Brussels until Friday, but I took a trip back to France on Tuesday to visit a friend from high school.

I have known Kelly since my freshman year of high school and we were friends until graduation. She goes to Juniata in central Pennsylvania and is practically fluent in french. This semester she is abroad in northern France in the city of Lille, which is about 35 minutes by high-speed train from Brussels. Once we got to college, we both got involved with organizations at school and went our separate ways. In September Kelly posted on my Facebook wall saying she was in France! I had no idea there were people from my high school studying abroad this semester so to hear that was so great! I'm actually very surprised there are so few of us abroad - to my knowledge it's just me, Kelly, and a boy from Duke who's in Paris named Ade. But anyway, she posted I should come visit her, and taking a day trip on this break worked perfectly!

We had lunch and caught up on everything we have done since high school, and we discussed internships, the next daunting task in our college careers. I'm crossing my fingers she gets one in DC so we can see each other again soon! After lunch we walked around the city to see as much as we could before my train back to Brussels. We went to the cathedral and saw the city center, as well as the zoo! Even in little Lille (which is not all that little) they have two rhinos at the zoo. They also had red pandas in  a tree without a cage... apparently red pandas don't like to escape in France!

After that I had to go back to the train station and go back to Brussels - it was definitely a short visit! But hopefully we will see each other again this summer! Lille was very friendly and quaint, a good place to study abroad. But you have to know french, very few people speak english in northern France. Kelly is pretty much fluent so she has no problem!

Today I was in Brussels with Christina, my friend that I'm staying with here, and explored the city. As for what I'm blogging about tomorrow: belgian waffles are SO good.

- Devon

Paris: A Recap

Oh how I miss the City of Love. I really did fall in love with Paris, it had so much character and so many places to explore. Since I spent Sunday and Monday exploring and being a tourist, I will just go over some of my favorite parts.

First, the Eiffel Tower. It was one of those moments for me when you see something in real life you’ve heard about for years. I have seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower since I can remember, and walking around it on Sunday was almost surreal. Everyone says it’s shorter than they expected, but I was surprised at how big it was! I climbed to the second level using only stairs – that’s 43 floors! I didn’t go to the very top because the line was extremely long.

Something I was determined to do while in Paris was visit the Musee d’Orsay because I absolutely love impressionism. My favorite painters are Monet, Gaugin, and Seurat, among others. I waited in line for an hour, but was called “cute” by the security guard, so maybe it was worth it? But once I was inside I forgot about the insane line and was amazed to be seeing these paintings in real life! My art history teacher from high school would be proud at how many artists and painting styles I remembered! The d’Orsay is a converted train station, and that just added to the experience!

Something else I have to mention is Parisian food. Rachel, my friend and fabulous tour guide, told me I couldn’t leave Paris without trying macarons. Not macaroons, (like with coconut), these are two fluffy wafers sandwiched together with frosting. They were amazing. I promised her I’d make some when I’m home again. Also delicious in France: everything. Nothing I ate while in Paris was bad.

Sunday I also visited the Arc du Triomphe again,  the Louvre gardens, Notre Dame, and many other places that were obviously touristy and important that I took pictures of, but need to look up to see what they are and why they are important! At the end of the day I was so tired my feet were killing and I almost fell asleep on the metro.

Before leaving Paris, I went to a beautiful Parisian department store and purchased my first (and second) Longchamp bag. I had saved money over the summer to be able to buy them, and Paris is definitely the cheapest place to get them. I used them both when traveling today and can’t believe I went so long without one! They are so practical, and can hold a ton!

My train ride to my next stop was interesting. I’m now in Brussels! There was a whining baby behind me the entire trip (only a little over an hour) and the mom had no intention of entertaining him to keep him quiet. The woman next to me was going insane. But I easily found the hostel I stayed in and had a good night with a room to myself! How lucky. Tomorrow I will post about my day trip to Lille, France to visit my friend Kelly!

Until then,

Devon

Paris, Je T'aime!

Hello all! Sorry in advance if this post is short, confusing, overly long, or a bit off today - I'm tired! But when in Paris...

Friday I checked out of my hostel in Vienna and spent the day at Starbucks, waiting for my flight to Paris. It was a huge waste of a day, but let me relax a little, which is definitely a good thing - Paris has been crazy!

Saturday I spent the day with my friend Rachel who has been abroad since January! She spent last spring in Senegal and then chose to finish her french minor in Paris this fall. It was so great first to see her - it has been eleven months since I've seen her in person, but also so nice to see someone from school! In Copenhagen I don't live near any of the AU students, and only share one class with one other girl. Rachel and I talked about absolutely everything, and she was a great tour guide. Her view of finding things is to simply walk until you find something interesting. I, on the other hand, usually have the map flailing and stop at each street to see if I'm going the right way. But yesterday I let Rachel do the guiding, and we had an awesome day.

First we climbed to the highest point in Paris, Sacre-Coeur, and were ambushed by people wanting to draw our faces. My mom warned me about this. But Rachel was a pro (I was not) and gave all of them the hand. Quite classy, and it worked. I didn't realize until after we left how tall that part of the city actually is. That was a lot of steps at 11am.

Then we went to Moulin Rouge, which was funny because it's nothing like in the movie (no singing duet on the roof) but still really cool to see. Paris has definitely been a city where I'm caught off guard with how much I recognize and can't believe I'm actually seeing! After Moulin Rouge we went to Centre Pompidou (a modern art museum) because Rachel hadn't been yet and I didn't want to make her go to the Louvre for the millionth time! It was so interesting, the building was designed inside-out, so the stairs are on the outside. There were some interesting pieces, along with this amazing couch thing that we would have slept on in a second if we were allowed to. So comfy-looking.

In the afternoon we got hot chocolate at Angelina, by the Louvre. It was like melted chocolate in a cup. And there was fresh whipped cream. We went with Margaret, a girl in the same program as Rachel from AU. She was super nice, and we split an apple turnover (which was almost as good as the hot chocolate). They told me I have to try macaroons, and that is my mission for tomorrow!

For dinner we headed to a teeny chinese restaurant for dumplings and noodle soup. All together it cost the same as the hot chocolate, and none of us finished our soup. There was so much food! It was also great to see a part of the city tourists don't usually go to. It was like seeing the real Paris.

And that was my Saturday! Today I went sight seeing like an über tourist, and tomorrow I'm doing some more, so that will be another post. I had an amazing day with Rachel, even if we did wander around a little... we had time to talk and catch up. I can't wait to see even more of my friends this week, I can't believe I'm traveling around Europe visiting people for two weeks - crazy! Sadly tomorrow is my last day in Paris (I could spend a week here) but that means I get to see another city. My train leaves around 5pm, wish me luck!

Devon

10 Things I Learned in Austria

I am finally in my next destination, Paris, but before I can talk about the city of love I have to debrief from my adventures in Vienna. It was quite interesting. And what better way to sum up than to make a top ten?! I haven't done one in a while, so here we go.

1. No pictures. A rule of thumb to have in Europe is if there aren't signs telling you it's ok, assume it's NOT ok to take photos. I found this out the hard way more than once... but I have become an excellent sneaky photographer because of this!

2. No food/drinks. Again with the assuming thing, don't drink or eat on the metro or in churches. Huge mistake on my part to bring my Starbucks cup into St. Stephens Cathedral... I just couldn't part with my skinny caramel macchiato!

3. Euros aren't like kroner. They don't convert as nicely. By this I mean the price you see is less than the price you pay, not more like in Denmark. So that three euro pastry? Yep that's more like five dollars. Not fun! But I did find some great pastry shops with 20 cent rolls.

4. This is more of a general rule of travel, but don't book flights at horrible times because they are cheaper. Break down and go with the one that fits your travel plans the best. You will end up paying more in the end if you don't. My day today was horrible because I mixed up a flight time and got to the airport seven hours early. My flight wasn't until six and I didn't get to my hostel in Paris until 10pm! Not fun when you've been traveling all week long. Pay the extra thirty dollars!

5. Find places to eat before you get to the city. I know this sounds strange, but especially when you're traveling alone, the idea of sitting down for a meal can be scary. Sitting alone in the dining hall is hard enough, you'd have to be seriously brave to sit down in a foreign country and have a full meal by yourself. Vienna had so many fabulous cafes that I was afraid to try because I didn't want to feel awkward. Not fun.

6. Don't always rely on the travel guides to give you the best information about where to go and what to do. If you hate going to churches, and the travel guide says you must go to the five greatest churches or you don't really see the city, why would you still go!? I searched around and found a great medical museum in Vienna with wax figures of the human body in various forms that was obviously nowhere in the guide book. Unfortunately unforeseen circumstances stopped me from going (long story) but it's an example of planning your own trip!

7. Ok... four more. Let's see, this might be weird for some of you (and non applicable for guys) but one of the nicest things you can do at a hostel is plan your outfit the night before. And shower/dry your hair the night before. You may night be 100% happy, but your roommates will like you and you won't wake them up. Like four of mine did each morning (ranging in time from 6am to 9am). Crumpling plastic bags, luggage zippers, hair dryers - no fun when you're trying to sleep!

8. Take advantage of your student discount, and don't be afraid to leave if you decide it's too expensive. I was at the Museum of Fine Arts when I decided I'd see enough art in Paris, and left the ticket line to cross the square and go to the Museum of Natural History instead. It was four euros cheaper and a very unique experience. Definitely worth it.

9. I always struggle with the last two... If in Austria, you MUST try mozartkugeln. It's kind of weird-tasting, but a staple of Vienna. Something not so fabulous but what everyone eats anyway: schocotorte. I had some today and it was dismal at best. And I thought I'd be missing out...

10. Go with the flow! Ok this might be lame, and I might have stolen if from every other advice column in the world, but it's in all of them because it's true! Especially when you're traveling you can't control everything. Yes, today I sat in a Starbucks in Vienna for three hours. But I caught up on some things I needed to do, and had a day to relax! My flight time was bad, but I'm over it (I have another flight that's at the worst time ever too... more on that next week). I got to where I needed to go, and that's what matters.

I really did love Vienna, but am SO excited to see Paris. My friend Rachel is here for the semester, and I think I'll see some other friends while they are visiting too! I really need to see people I know from home, I miss them all so much. You can't go abroad and not get homesick, it's a fact. But more on that later, too!

All about Paris tomorrow!
- Devon

Chocolate, Churches, and... McDonalds?!

Hello everyone!

I have made it to Austria and have been enjoying Vienna for the past two days! My first day was more like just an evening after my train ride from Budapest, but even that was enough to make me see how wonderful this city is. I'm really glad I chose somewhat of a random city to visit before seeing my friends in their study abroad cities. Vienna is the perfect balance: it has just enough historical sites for tourists, but still keeps the character of those who live there. But it is hard to believe the city used to be the fifth largest in the world! Now that royal families are out and democratic governments are in, Austria no longer has the power it used to, and Vienna represents what used to be.

In Vienna I've seen St. Stephens Cathedral, the Spanish Riding School, the Sisi Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Imperial Apartments, the Weiner Riesenrad, and am headed shortly to the Josephinum Medical Museum later this afternoon! I might have time for something else tomorrow, but it depends on how early I wake up!

St. Stephens Cathedral is like many other cathedrals in Europe, it has beautiful stain glass windows and long pews of dark wood. I've been a few times just to walk around, and it is always filled with people. But it is in the middle of the city and a must-see if you're here in Vienna.

St. Stephens Cathedral

I went to the Spanish Riding School for my friend, Lily. She is quite the equestrian, and somehow I knew I needed to witness horses jumping on their hind legs for her. I also snuck in some pictures of the morning exercises... The school has been in Vienna since the 1500's, and has entertained royalty and the current heads of state that visit Austria.

One of many sneaky pictures I took... 

After that I went to the Sisi Musuem and Imperial Apartments (which are right next to the riding school). The museum holds the dinner ware of the royal family dating from the 17th century. Every set of plates was absolutely gorgeous! It was also interesting to read about how meals at the palace were served. In the Imperial Apartments, the story of Empress Elisabeth was told. You can read about her life here. It was so sad to read about how depressed she became once married, and about the deaths of her children. Austria embraced the empress, and there are many statues of her in the city. She had fabulous fashion sense and loved to travel. Unfortunately, she was assassinated on one of her journeys...

Today I visited the Natural History Museum because I want to save my tolerance for art museums for later in my trip. I don't want to get museumed-out! Oh and it's possible, believe me! It was interesting, but nothing you wouldn't be able to find somewhere else. If you go to Vienna, I'd suggest the Leopold (modern art) or the zoo instead.

Outside the Natural History Museum - so cute!

Ok now onto the food. I am in love with Mozartkugeln. It's this small chocolate filled half with chocolate mousse and half with marzipan, covered in a dark chocolate shell. I've had one each day, and bought a bag to bring home to Maine. They are amazing! What's not so amazing? The amount of McDonalds this city has. I swear there's one on every street! I will admit the city lacks cheap food establishments, meaning McDonalds is one of the only places to go, but really?! Literally everyone goes to McDonalds! Not ok.

Well I am off to one last museum before I leave, honestly I could stay here for at least two more days! But I have friends to see and places to go, and a plane to catch! It's so nice to see how different each city in Europe is. I promise to add pictures of all the places in Budapest and in Vienna tonight, and tomorrow once I'm off the plane I will blog about my next destination!

The city square at night!

Until then,




Devon