Tuesday was rough. I was exhausted from a weekend of hiking and running on very little sleep. When our Flixbus arrived in Bonn, I rushed home for breakfast and a shower, but then it was time to return to school for a full day of class. I was just happy to be clean, though. I struggled through until around four that afternoon when I could go home. Naturally, the first thing I did was nap. Once I woke up, I was feeling better prepared for the week. My host family was on vacation in Italy, so I had to fend for myself until Saturday. I ate musli for breakfast as usual, made sandwiches for lunch, and cooked some form of noodles every night for dinner - practically making me a gourmet chef. Wednesday was another full day of class, including my last pharmacology session. That evening, I went to my host sister's birthday party. I had not met her before, and since she is currently a university student, she did not go on the vacation with my host parents and their two youngest kids, Simon and Julius. Dinner was Miriam (my host sister, the birthday girl), Johnathan (the oldest of my host siblings), David (another host brother), and a friend of Miriam's. It was a great dinner. They were kind enough to speak English for my benefit, and we had some interesting/fun conversations and good food. David is the only one who lives at home, so I was meeting Miriam and Johnathan for the first time, like I mentioned. I was disappointed I had not met them earlier, because I really enjoyed dinner and their company.
Thursday, we had an excursion to Bingen and Andernach, which are both cities on the Rhine. In Bingen, we visited the museum of St. Hildegaard, an abbess and healer of the middle ages. Andernach was home to a museum devoted to the history of medicine, which served as an interesting review for our upcoming final. Lunch was at a traditional restaurant in Andernach where I had pickled herring (an interesting dish, but not bad).
Friday's only activity was our final physiology lab exam. As soon as classes ended, a weekend devoted to work began. I was studying hard for my upcoming physiology exams, completing online training modules for my summer internship and fall job and volleyball officer position. I also learned that I would be serving as the secretary for another of my student organizations this fall, which was exciting news (I had the interview Wednesday evening after classes ended). The fall is shaping up to be an exciting but busy semester...
It was a good weekend to get work done and rest. I felt like I caught up on alot of stuff, and Saturday evening my host family got back from Italy. Unfortunately, dinner was pasta, but at least I did not have to cook it this time. Sunday evening Miriam and Johnathan joined us for dinner, and it was nice seeing them again. We played board games afterwards, and I quickly mastered one of their favorite games, Ubango. Sunday night I felt well rested and prepared for finals week, and my last week of my study abroad program.