Interning in a German hospital means unlimited opportunity to poke people.
Truthfully, before coming, I did only one venepuncture on a healthy young man. All thanks to the casted hand during our one month hematology practical in Physiology.
When I came to Germany, the doctor showed me briefly how to do it.
For the next few days, I did a few venepuncture supervised by Minchen.
And on the second week, Minchen is replaced by a no nonsense intern. "we'll divide the bloodtaking so that it'll not take long"
I went to prepare the basin, with my heart thumping.
By the time I was at the door, my hearing shut down.
Tourniquet on the arm. Disinfecting done. Preparing the needle and then poking.
The blood came in. Phew.
Then the second hardest thing has to be done ~changing the tube without having the needle out.
By the time I am done, I left an impression of the needle wings on the skin. at least no violet flower.
I missed the vein of second patient, twice.
Can't personally afford to do it the third time.
I was like a ghost poking people with cold hands.
But, no-nonsense intern, thank you, because at the end of that day, I am one confident klein vampirette. And Minchen, thank you. I couldn't do it without the basics.
No nonsense intern also put up with my numerous requests to be with me when I am doing vigo.
"Can you come and help me doing vigo?"
"But I've shown you twice"
You see that I don't casually call someone no nonsense. (And FYI, I am full of nonsense. Definitely a tybe B)
Anyway, I am glad that I insisted although I have to be thick skin. Because doing it supervised for few times is a bonus. You catch what should and should not be done once and for all.
After my second week
~ I even went to the ward for the sole purpose of taking blood before leaving for Europa park
~ the old woman who won't even look at me in the first few encounters accepted my visits. although I would not leave out that I prepare tissues to wipe off her tears and pat her. it is a personal satisfaction.
~ a man who initially wave at me when I was in the nurse station won't even look at me and let me take his blood after I did the unsuccessful vigo on him. I am sorry uncle, doesn't mean it. I guess we are both unlucky.
After my internship, my people watching hobby become more specific. In fact, when I was looking at a picture of wedding ring exchange, I was thinking, ahhh they've got nice vein. Vigo will not be a pain on the ass.
Sunday 30 September 2012
Thursday 20 September 2012
Klein Vampirette
The patients gave me nickname ~~ klein vampirette. which means small vampire.
From where I come, no one ever address me as small. I know some people who would laughuntil apnea if they know about it.
Well, the name came from the fact that I went around every morning asking for their blood. and I am of normal height by German standard, hence the klein. but you can also think that it's because I'm just a famulantinthe lowest rank in doctor's pyramid
Now I go around noticing veins on people arm and thinking "ah, this one is nice and easy to poke" or "wow, the vigo would go in breezely in that vein". I know it's weird.
From where I come, no one ever address me as small. I know some people who would laugh
Well, the name came from the fact that I went around every morning asking for their blood. and I am of normal height by German standard, hence the klein. but you can also think that it's because I'm just a famulantin
Now I go around noticing veins on people arm and thinking "ah, this one is nice and easy to poke" or "wow, the vigo would go in breezely in that vein". I know it's weird.
Wednesday 19 September 2012
The Rights
Well, if you don't know, EU had this "bright" idea to upgrade the quality of chicken's rights.
That is they passed a law so that the chicken get to live in a better cage. It requires all commercial eggs to be hatched by chickens kept in “free-range barns or enriched cages".
which means, as soon as the law was enforced, the price of eggs went rocketing towards the blue,blue sky.
and it was enforced just sometime before Easter in Czech Republic.
Great timing no?actually no.it's horrible because I have yet to buy those Easter eggshells
Anyway, I am not so much into the modern animal rights.
Yeah, I am all for respecting animal but I treat chicken, cow, fish, crabs, goat like they should be.
I have no reserve to enjoy them in another form on my plate.
That is one of their function.
And so says me.
So when we went for my first grocery shopping in Germany, I notice that the eggs are fairly cheaper than their counterpart in Czech Republic.
So I asked Iva if they have increase in egg price too.and also giving my opinion about all the buzz
It's not that I forgot that Freiburger especially the students are ecoconscious.
I am one too.
It's just that I have no inkling that they are really really deep into it.
And so Iva says she has no problem spending a lil bit more if the chicken get to live more comfortably. or something like that.
And I was raised in a village environment that picking fruits from trees and digging tapioca from the bush is ok.
In Czech Republic, the Czech even go out into the woods to hunt down the mushrooms.
So I asked Iva if it's ok to pick the fruit.
They've never tried it and highly recommended the ones from the supermarket.
It's really interesting to live and learn others way of thinking and culture. and I used to think Central Europe countries share many traits. How very wrong I was.
That is they passed a law so that the chicken get to live in a better cage. It requires all commercial eggs to be hatched by chickens kept in “free-range barns or enriched cages".
which means, as soon as the law was enforced, the price of eggs went rocketing towards the blue,blue sky.
and it was enforced just sometime before Easter in Czech Republic.
Great timing no?
Anyway, I am not so much into the modern animal rights.
Yeah, I am all for respecting animal but I treat chicken, cow, fish, crabs, goat like they should be.
I have no reserve to enjoy them in another form on my plate.
That is one of their function.
And so says me.
So when we went for my first grocery shopping in Germany, I notice that the eggs are fairly cheaper than their counterpart in Czech Republic.
So I asked Iva if they have increase in egg price too.
It's not that I forgot that Freiburger especially the students are ecoconscious.
I am one too.
It's just that I have no inkling that they are really really deep into it.
And so Iva says she has no problem spending a lil bit more if the chicken get to live more comfortably. or something like that.
 |
| I wish that I can live again in an environment that adopt recycling. |
And I was raised in a village environment that picking fruits from trees and digging tapioca from the bush is ok.
In Czech Republic, the Czech even go out into the woods to hunt down the mushrooms.
So I asked Iva if it's ok to pick the fruit.
They've never tried it and highly recommended the ones from the supermarket.
 |
| You oughn't worry. Bought these from Lidl |
It's really interesting to live and learn others way of thinking and culture. and I used to think Central Europe countries share many traits. How very wrong I was.
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Cardiovascular Surgery
I was placed in this department for my clinical practise.
Got rather a lot from interning in this department.
The most bizarre one is the ability to stand in a meeting where everything is conducted in German.
It's rather difficult you know.
You don't know what the heck they are talking about. It doesn't help when I was the only person in the room who speaks no German. And then they laugh, and suddenly things went quiet. Whatever it is.
I was in the morning meeting almost everyday except on weekends andon the day I went to Legoland with the girls exceptional couple of days
I was placed in ward named Zenker.
For unknown reason they name the wards according to notable physicians.
And there's no room number 13 because they think 13 is a bad omen.
On my first day, I somehow ended up with Dr Julia Weiskopf.
She showed me around the ward, brought me to the underground to get my uniform (you can change it how many time you like.)
I got a name tag with famulantin written under my name.
On the first day I would advise you to get your doctor sit down and go through what you are supposed to do, what they can teach you, what you want them to teach you and what you can't do.
I didn't do that since the surgeons don't even have time to eat proper lunch but I highly urge you to do as suggested. I spent quite a number of days feeling like a parasite. Geez, one day I got really frustrated that I shut myself in the locker room and began drafting for blogpost.
I got in as some virgin in blood taking and setting the line.
I swear by the syringe that I am as nervous as I am going for my first exam in medical school the first time I went and took the blood independently.
By the second week, everyone knows the klein vampirette is here for their blood whenever I come into their room in the morning.
I owed Jasmin Wulf and Xavier Bemtgen for the skills. They are both supportive in their own ways.
I stupidly scrape my finger when I tried to get the butterfly needle from it's pack when rounding with Minchen.
And Bemtgen is so serene saying that the best vein is the easiest one to miss when you are attempting vigo on it. And pointing that I forgot to press on the vein before taking out the cap.
And not forgetting Dr Matthias and Dr Beatrice Reinisch for demonstrating vigo.
Got rather a lot from interning in this department.
The most bizarre one is the ability to stand in a meeting where everything is conducted in German.
It's rather difficult you know.
You don't know what the heck they are talking about. It doesn't help when I was the only person in the room who speaks no German. And then they laugh, and suddenly things went quiet. Whatever it is.
I was in the morning meeting almost everyday except on weekends and
I was placed in ward named Zenker.
For unknown reason they name the wards according to notable physicians.
And there's no room number 13 because they think 13 is a bad omen.
On my first day, I somehow ended up with Dr Julia Weiskopf.
She showed me around the ward, brought me to the underground to get my uniform (you can change it how many time you like.)
I got a name tag with famulantin written under my name.
On the first day I would advise you to get your doctor sit down and go through what you are supposed to do, what they can teach you, what you want them to teach you and what you can't do.
I didn't do that since the surgeons don't even have time to eat proper lunch but I highly urge you to do as suggested. I spent quite a number of days feeling like a parasite. Geez, one day I got really frustrated that I shut myself in the locker room and began drafting for blogpost.
I got in as some virgin in blood taking and setting the line.
I swear by the syringe that I am as nervous as I am going for my first exam in medical school the first time I went and took the blood independently.
By the second week, everyone knows the klein vampirette is here for their blood whenever I come into their room in the morning.
I owed Jasmin Wulf and Xavier Bemtgen for the skills. They are both supportive in their own ways.
I stupidly scrape my finger when I tried to get the butterfly needle from it's pack when rounding with Minchen.
And Bemtgen is so serene saying that the best vein is the easiest one to miss when you are attempting vigo on it. And pointing that I forgot to press on the vein before taking out the cap.
And not forgetting Dr Matthias and Dr Beatrice Reinisch for demonstrating vigo.
German Housemates
I am lucky enough to get to live with the Germans.
Iva is a Freiburg native and like any other Freiburger is very proud of Dreisam river XD
Naturally for a guy, size does matter.
But Freiburger Iva retorted with "at least we have a river.and it's ours."
They tell me interesting facts about Black Forest
Do you know once upon a time, almost all Black Forest trees were cut down
That all the trees you see now is the effort of them to regrow the forest. That the trees planted are the types that grow fast.
Or do you know there's no bear in Black Forest and why?
Because the Germans kill them before they can kill the Germans
"How about wolves?", I asked.
"Maybe there's 4 or 5 of them and you'll have to be really really unlucky to meet them"
And that Schauinsland, which is 3 bits out of town means to look into the land. and how true that name stands.
I am all for recycling and practising it with ecoconscious housemates just make me happy.
Although I don't know if the feeling is mutual XD
There's a bin for biologic waste.
And I can get deposit from recycling the plastic bottles. If they practise this in Czech Republic, I'd hauled in hundreds of crowns already but the Czech is too proud of their status as no 1 beer drinker, so they only give deposit for glass bottles.
And 2 separate bin bags. Which I never figure out which is for which.
Chris told me that in Stuttgart, they even separate different type of papers.
Iva is allergic to all type of nuts and I never go a week withoutgoing nut.
And to remember how many times I offered her food with nuts : the stir fry veges with tofu, the pilaf with soybean.
Luckily we didn't need any epipen or resuscitation.
The breads!
Brotchen, bretzel.
They are as hard as the breads in Czech.
Iva told me how she missed the hard German bread when she was in America, the land full with soft, fluffy bread.
And I am all for our fluffy roti Benggali and fluffy breadloaf.
Chris knows a lot and really like to pass the knowledge around.
I never give a thought about the history of croissant.
Croissant is not French as I thought, but rather, is Austrian.
We were rather busy keeping out with our own activities.
The plan to play petanque never get executed but we went to a classic concert.
Chris loves classic music. He even brief me with the help of youtube about the piece.
And me, let's stick to the fact I do enjoy orchestra.
The main piece of the evening is "Pictures at an Exhibition" composed by Muggorsky.
As a matter of fact, Muggorsky lost his marbles sometime before he expired.
The ticket costed something around 8 Euro and BVMD paid for me (I am purposely telling you this *wink*)
Sometimes we eat together, which is very entertaining.
For I got to spoon out their salad+green olive/marvellous tomato salad/delish corn salad. God, the German does eat a lot of salad. It's a shame I wasn't able to dish out our marvellous kerabu for them.
And they on the other hand got to eat fiery chillies/chicken curry ala moi/the coconut coated sagu.
And we would be stuck to the tables discussing the different types of patriotisms in Germany.
On how the Berlin is poor but sexy.
Hijabs.
The pope, who happens to be from German.
Contraception. and if it's forbidden in our respective religions.
The Vatican scandals.
Arab Spring.
Aortic aneurysm.oh yes, we are medical students alright.
Chris working as ambulance driver.
And what does genau and scheiße means. because I hear them more than often.
It was Ramadhan the last 2 weeks of my stay. I shall write about it later.
And the original way to cheers
It was very comfortable living with them.
And how fun it was when 2 XXs teased the only XY.
And when Iva pulled out a pair of sandals from her handbag and we exchanged knowing look. Chris, who didn't get it said it awes him how girls can just understand each other without talking.
Iva can be more relaxed now that I am in league with her. What league you asked?
It's league of the ladies that almost killed Chris's treasured coffee plant.
I hope Chris can still get his coffee in Gdansk and Iva her tea in Italy. (Don't you think they should exchange their placement?The Italians do know how to make coffee)
Iva is a Freiburg native and like any other Freiburger is very proud of Dreisam river XD
Naturally for a guy, size does matter.
But Freiburger Iva retorted with "at least we have a river.and it's ours."
They tell me interesting facts about Black Forest
Do you know once upon a time, almost all Black Forest trees were cut down
That all the trees you see now is the effort of them to regrow the forest. That the trees planted are the types that grow fast.
Or do you know there's no bear in Black Forest and why?
Because the Germans kill them before they can kill the Germans
"How about wolves?", I asked.
"Maybe there's 4 or 5 of them and you'll have to be really really unlucky to meet them"
And that Schauinsland, which is 3 bits out of town means to look into the land. and how true that name stands.
I am all for recycling and practising it with ecoconscious housemates just make me happy.
Although I don't know if the feeling is mutual XD
There's a bin for biologic waste.
And I can get deposit from recycling the plastic bottles. If they practise this in Czech Republic, I'd hauled in hundreds of crowns already but the Czech is too proud of their status as no 1 beer drinker, so they only give deposit for glass bottles.
And 2 separate bin bags. Which I never figure out which is for which.
Chris told me that in Stuttgart, they even separate different type of papers.
Iva is allergic to all type of nuts and I never go a week without
And to remember how many times I offered her food with nuts : the stir fry veges with tofu, the pilaf with soybean.
Luckily we didn't need any epipen or resuscitation.
The breads!
Brotchen, bretzel.
They are as hard as the breads in Czech.
Iva told me how she missed the hard German bread when she was in America, the land full with soft, fluffy bread.
And I am all for our fluffy roti Benggali and fluffy breadloaf.
Chris knows a lot and really like to pass the knowledge around.
I never give a thought about the history of croissant.
Croissant is not French as I thought, but rather, is Austrian.
We were rather busy keeping out with our own activities.
The plan to play petanque never get executed but we went to a classic concert.
Chris loves classic music. He even brief me with the help of youtube about the piece.
And me, let's stick to the fact I do enjoy orchestra.
The main piece of the evening is "Pictures at an Exhibition" composed by Muggorsky.
As a matter of fact, Muggorsky lost his marbles sometime before he expired.
The ticket costed something around 8 Euro and BVMD paid for me (I am purposely telling you this *wink*)
Sometimes we eat together, which is very entertaining.
For I got to spoon out their salad+green olive/marvellous tomato salad/delish corn salad. God, the German does eat a lot of salad. It's a shame I wasn't able to dish out our marvellous kerabu for them.
And they on the other hand got to eat fiery chillies/chicken curry ala moi/the coconut coated sagu.
And we would be stuck to the tables discussing the different types of patriotisms in Germany.
On how the Berlin is poor but sexy.
Hijabs.
The pope, who happens to be from German.
Contraception. and if it's forbidden in our respective religions.
The Vatican scandals.
Arab Spring.
Aortic aneurysm.oh yes, we are medical students alright.
Chris working as ambulance driver.
And what does genau and scheiße means. because I hear them more than often.
It was Ramadhan the last 2 weeks of my stay. I shall write about it later.
And the original way to cheers
It was very comfortable living with them.
And how fun it was when 2 XXs teased the only XY.
And when Iva pulled out a pair of sandals from her handbag and we exchanged knowing look. Chris, who didn't get it said it awes him how girls can just understand each other without talking.
Iva can be more relaxed now that I am in league with her. What league you asked?
It's league of the ladies that almost killed Chris's treasured coffee plant.
I hope Chris can still get his coffee in Gdansk and Iva her tea in Italy. (Don't you think they should exchange their placement?The Italians do know how to make coffee)
Why Do You Cheer Before You Drink
Or toast.or ganbei
In medieval times, the situation was ugly.
People kill people for gain. Not that it doesn't happen nowadays but it's far more intense back in those days.
It's more like Lord BlingBling decides that Count TheMoney is richer from him by one gold bar and therefore has to be killed.
There'svomitus poison and there's mango lassi alcohol and there's beautiful court ladies = banquet where Lord BlingBling can easily poison Count TheMoney.
I don't know, maybe those people had too much lard and boozes and messed up their frontal lobe, but after sometime, the poisoned drink idea became too popular.
And we all know over the top is definitely not the place to be.
Someone in the court still got their frontal lobe intact (I highly suspect it's one of the ladies).
Whatever it is, the toasting ritual is invented.
Here is how to do it correctly, feudal way
Raise your cup
Clash it with the other person's cup so that the drink in both cups intermixed. The goal is, you die I die.
Bottom up all the while looking into each other eyes.
Lesson learnt from my side : If I am in sticky situation, the original way to ganbei is handy.
I got to toast a lot in Germany (they do it the modern way so even drinking water is also eligible for toasting) but have always manage to put a blank expression before the glass raised to me. It sure take a lot of time getting used to =)
In medieval times, the situation was ugly.
People kill people for gain. Not that it doesn't happen nowadays but it's far more intense back in those days.
It's more like Lord BlingBling decides that Count TheMoney is richer from him by one gold bar and therefore has to be killed.
There's
I don't know, maybe those people had too much lard and boozes and messed up their frontal lobe, but after sometime, the poisoned drink idea became too popular.
And we all know over the top is definitely not the place to be.
Someone in the court still got their frontal lobe intact (I highly suspect it's one of the ladies).
Whatever it is, the toasting ritual is invented.
Here is how to do it correctly, feudal way
Raise your cup
Clash it with the other person's cup so that the drink in both cups intermixed. The goal is, you die I die.
Bottom up all the while looking into each other eyes.
Lesson learnt from my side : If I am in sticky situation, the original way to ganbei is handy.
I got to toast a lot in Germany (they do it the modern way so even drinking water is also eligible for toasting) but have always manage to put a blank expression before the glass raised to me. It sure take a lot of time getting used to =)
Friday 7 September 2012
Altstadt
 |
| I spent most of afterwork wandering around the charming ol town |
Tips : don't miss the Markthalle in this street. It's like stepping into Aladdin cave, except that the treasures are food instead of blinkblink
Wednesday 5 September 2012
My Room
I fall in love at first sight. The moment I stepped into the room, I can't believe that I finally found a room that I've been coveting.
Never mind the fact that the original owner is a guy.
It has got a sofa bed. with a huugggeee world map on the wall
A roomy table with pigeonholes filled with various minis perched on the wall next to it.
A white rack where I stuffed my vanities and folded clothes.
A display glass cabinet.
andddddddd
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
a KEYBOARD.
not that I am literate at playing it though.
The owner is a classical music lover so the music books read the ancient names only.
I am a slouch at decorating, so my space is all about practicality.
Well, there are the gifts from the people in my life sitting on the book rack, looking really out of place.
But this room has given me inspiration to tone down a bit the android personality of my own room.
There are about 4 lights in the room.
The ceiling IKEA lamp.
The multistemmed table lamp.
The study lamp.
And the star lamp.
I couldn't sleep in the dark back in Hradec so for the first few nights, I alternately lit up the table lamp and the starlamp.
But since I tried to comply with the ecoconscious spirit that runs deep in Freiburg, it seems that I sleep better in dark in Freiburg.
There were 2 posters stuck on the door and originally the arrangement is that when I sleep, I will face the posters.
The one on the bottom is Thieme poster.
But what I am more aware of is the top one.
Einstein skull!!!
I am not going to wake up in the middle of the night to that sight. Especially not when I wake up from nightmare.
So I made the wise choice and go to sleep and wake up to the scenery of Black Forest.
I don't live alone in the room.
There's 2 other occupants.
I nearly killed one of them. Unintentionally.
From what I heard, this unlucky one already survived worse near death at the hand of another lady.
Well the other occupants are the coffee plant and some type of plant that look like the head of pineapple.
The unlucky one is the former.
All it needs is regular watering and I don't even realise it lives with me to water him everyday.
Luckily Chris saw the flaccid leaves.
His horror face teamed with faint no!no!no! puzzled me.
It's not until Chris came back with the water spray and head for the pot that I realize what all the fuss is about.
I am deeply sorry for that.
But I didn't forget to catch the glimpse of it before I leave for good.
It looks healthy in the care of its owner.
Yeah, Chris took the plant into the other room, where the other lady is. =p
You can see the plant on the photo above.
Never mind the fact that the original owner is a guy.
It has got a sofa bed. with a huugggeee world map on the wall
A roomy table with pigeonholes filled with various minis perched on the wall next to it.
A white rack where I stuffed my vanities and folded clothes.
A display glass cabinet.
andddddddd
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
a KEYBOARD.
not that I am literate at playing it though.
The owner is a classical music lover so the music books read the ancient names only.
I am a slouch at decorating, so my space is all about practicality.
Well, there are the gifts from the people in my life sitting on the book rack, looking really out of place.
But this room has given me inspiration to tone down a bit the android personality of my own room.
There are about 4 lights in the room.
The ceiling IKEA lamp.
The multistemmed table lamp.
The study lamp.
And the star lamp.
I couldn't sleep in the dark back in Hradec so for the first few nights, I alternately lit up the table lamp and the starlamp.
But since I tried to comply with the ecoconscious spirit that runs deep in Freiburg, it seems that I sleep better in dark in Freiburg.
There were 2 posters stuck on the door and originally the arrangement is that when I sleep, I will face the posters.
The one on the bottom is Thieme poster.
But what I am more aware of is the top one.
 |
| Room is messy because I am unpacking. |
I am not going to wake up in the middle of the night to that sight. Especially not when I wake up from nightmare.
So I made the wise choice and go to sleep and wake up to the scenery of Black Forest.
I don't live alone in the room.
There's 2 other occupants.
I nearly killed one of them. Unintentionally.
From what I heard, this unlucky one already survived worse near death at the hand of another lady.
Well the other occupants are the coffee plant and some type of plant that look like the head of pineapple.
The unlucky one is the former.
All it needs is regular watering and I don't even realise it lives with me to water him everyday.
Luckily Chris saw the flaccid leaves.
His horror face teamed with faint no!no!no! puzzled me.
It's not until Chris came back with the water spray and head for the pot that I realize what all the fuss is about.
I am deeply sorry for that.
But I didn't forget to catch the glimpse of it before I leave for good.
It looks healthy in the care of its owner.
Yeah, Chris took the plant into the other room, where the other lady is. =p
You can see the plant on the photo above.
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| Some of the collections |
Exchange Students in Freiburg July 2012
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| Chilling by the Dreisam river |
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| Picture from Jaime's collection |
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| Picture from Nicky's collection |
The Apartment
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| I wake up to the view of Black Forest and the windmills everyday <3 |
I live with the wonderful couple, Chris "Shepherd" and Iva "Bacon".
The apartment is 5 minutes away from the hospital but since the Heart Center is on the other end, the walk takes minimum 10 minutes.
The unit is on the topmost floor. Read = stargazing opportunities. yay!
It's small but enough for 3 ppl.
Has 2 bedrooms with cute kitchen and bathroom.
Pluspoint is that it has a balcony. Which means
sunbathing
chilling out with my fix of soda
cooling down during the warm summer nights.
I love the kitchen especially.
They painted a fraction of the wall red and I put my white handprint among the previous handprints on it. The visual is very cool.
And on top of it is a shelf full with alcohol bottles of various shapes and sizes ~ Chris loves collecting things and one is alcohol bottles.
Idk, if he don't mind other type of bottles I can send him the various ointment bottles we have in Malaysia =p
And if my weight doesn't show any improvement, I know I shall put the blame on the bowl on the table.
It never get empty despite countless hand-dipping by me and Chris ~ Chris's mom loves to buy chocolates but is too guilty to eat them.hah!
Monday 3 September 2012
Arrival
I flew into Basel Euroairport with Swiss Air. I guess I can always hop on a bus from Prague which can be cheaper but the plane ticket price is quite reasonable. A night train is another option but it's more expensive than flight and takes much much longer.
Took the airport bus to Freiburg. I bought return ticket. You can also opt for carpooling, which I got to know later. Euroairport is just an hour away from Freiburg compared to Frankfurt which is 2 hours away by train.
The bus was stifling hot. It has no air conditioner so I got a free sauna for an hour in the middle of summer.
Iva, Chris's girlfriend was waiting for me at the station. I am to stay with both of them the whole exchange period. I lug my luggage to the bus stop which is ~200m away and took the bus with Iva to Bierenweg. It costed me 2.5 euro.
I was ushered into their tiny but amazing apartment and into my room for 5 weeks.
I am so excited at both and they deserve a post on their own.
I hate unpacking so after a much needed shower, Iva brought me to Lidl, which is next to the apartment building to do a compulsory grocery shopping.
I arrived on Saturday and all the supermarket closed on Sunday.
Afterwards, we went to Seepark, a fairly big park with a big manmade lake in the middle.
The closed aquatic centre is right next to the park.
People sunbathed, barbequed and relaxing.
There was a bridge with giant floated fibre balls where people stretch a line and do the walk on a thread thingie. Some jumped into the water from the bridge.
Everything look very similar to the living condition that I want.
However I don't think the lake water is good for swimming.
We walked back and I asked Iva if the fruit on the tree is edible.
I've never tried it.
We only eat the fruit we bought.
But if you want to eat the fruit from the tree, you have to wash it first because the fox peed on it.
It has sth to do with the parasite.
Those were what Iva told me.
Took the airport bus to Freiburg. I bought return ticket. You can also opt for carpooling, which I got to know later. Euroairport is just an hour away from Freiburg compared to Frankfurt which is 2 hours away by train.
The bus was stifling hot. It has no air conditioner so I got a free sauna for an hour in the middle of summer.
Iva, Chris's girlfriend was waiting for me at the station. I am to stay with both of them the whole exchange period. I lug my luggage to the bus stop which is ~200m away and took the bus with Iva to Bierenweg. It costed me 2.5 euro.
I was ushered into their tiny but amazing apartment and into my room for 5 weeks.
I am so excited at both and they deserve a post on their own.
I hate unpacking so after a much needed shower, Iva brought me to Lidl, which is next to the apartment building to do a compulsory grocery shopping.
I arrived on Saturday and all the supermarket closed on Sunday.
Afterwards, we went to Seepark, a fairly big park with a big manmade lake in the middle.
The closed aquatic centre is right next to the park.
People sunbathed, barbequed and relaxing.
There was a bridge with giant floated fibre balls where people stretch a line and do the walk on a thread thingie. Some jumped into the water from the bridge.
Everything look very similar to the living condition that I want.
However I don't think the lake water is good for swimming.
We walked back and I asked Iva if the fruit on the tree is edible.
I've never tried it.
We only eat the fruit we bought.
But if you want to eat the fruit from the tree, you have to wash it first because the fox peed on it.
It has sth to do with the parasite.
Those were what Iva told me.
The Outcoming
My local IFMSA stuck a notice on the board, listing the countries and the date and place of the English test.
I was ridiculing the fact that the English test is all it takes to qualify for the test.
I have no idea what they mean by English test.
I mean, hello, I am here alright. Do you think I should be here if my English doesn't suffice?
I have no idea that the English test is hard.
It's like I am taking DELF all over again, except this time I was listening to voice recording in English.
Do you know how horrible the quality is when it's amplified in a main lecture hall?
Plus I have to fill in the blanks in the paragraph.
I ditched that task more than 10 years and now at 22, I have to do it again.
Serve me right for ridiculing the test.
Anyway, I guess my mark is ok seeing that I am listed in the top 20.
Yes, they don't bother to put your mark. I guess they just want to make you feel better.
Apart from qualifying me for the exchange, I also got a paper saying that I pass my English test. Hello my English teachers! =)
So the priority to choose country is given to those with highest mark and so on.
That means if your mark is horrible, you either don't get a spot at all or you ended up with unpopular places.
You then pay a lump of 8000kc, fill in the forms electronically and on paper.
Requirements depends on the place that you want to go to.
The local team checked my documents and hand me a set of handbook, guidebook and identity card.
I did visa application and transportation independently. Basically the IFMSA people help about the accommodation and arrangement for the clinical practise in the hospital. I like the concept.
I was ridiculing the fact that the English test is all it takes to qualify for the test.
I have no idea what they mean by English test.
I mean, hello, I am here alright. Do you think I should be here if my English doesn't suffice?
I have no idea that the English test is hard.
It's like I am taking DELF all over again, except this time I was listening to voice recording in English.
Do you know how horrible the quality is when it's amplified in a main lecture hall?
Plus I have to fill in the blanks in the paragraph.
I ditched that task more than 10 years and now at 22, I have to do it again.
Serve me right for ridiculing the test.
Anyway, I guess my mark is ok seeing that I am listed in the top 20.
Yes, they don't bother to put your mark. I guess they just want to make you feel better.
Apart from qualifying me for the exchange, I also got a paper saying that I pass my English test. Hello my English teachers! =)
So the priority to choose country is given to those with highest mark and so on.
That means if your mark is horrible, you either don't get a spot at all or you ended up with unpopular places.
You then pay a lump of 8000kc, fill in the forms electronically and on paper.
Requirements depends on the place that you want to go to.
The local team checked my documents and hand me a set of handbook, guidebook and identity card.
I did visa application and transportation independently. Basically the IFMSA people help about the accommodation and arrangement for the clinical practise in the hospital. I like the concept.
Where To Go
I know the grass is not necessarily greener on the other part but then I am sure the grass is different in other aspects.
Taiwan looks promising ~ fairly near Malaysia, more authentic Chinese culture. What set me back is the language. Mandarin sounds familiar but fact is I only read romanized alphabet and Arabic abjad. Chinese characters? Look yes, read no.
Then comes Indonesia. It's smacked next to Malaysia and I've never been there. We are traced to the same root but there's still significant difference in our culture. And the fact that I can eat most of the food and the mutually intelligible language, which means I can get the most out of the clinical practise.
I found out Korea has started offering places for exchange. Definitely a first choice. I fancy Korean culture and I know the best way to be involved is via living with the people, not just visiting the country.
Among all country offered, Germany is said to have the highest quality of exchange. That's the only enticing factor versus the list of cons ~ Euro, next to Czech Republic, most Germans don't fancy speaking English.
Greece has never made it on the list of country I want to go to. But I want to know why so many people want to go there.
And topping the list is Egypt. I've heard loads of story about it. I want to see the mummies, sail on the Nile, experience the rich culture.Surely, being a Muslim, going to Egypt is a bonus.
So where do I ended up?
Taiwan picked by somebody with higher mark in the English test. Yeah English test. More on that later
Indonesia Mom said no. Reasons ~ earthquake, the anti-Malaysian spirit running in most Indonesians
Korea not found in the list
Germany! because the sole plus point it has. I see that sometime I can be very reasonable XD
Greece the feedback I read is far from good. The quality is far below average ~ both of the practise and local committee
Egypt the political unrest. just fresh after a very hot presidential election. so mom says no.
I know if I shall get Germany, I am going to pick Freiburg or Heilderberg. But they asked me to fill in 3 choices so I put Rostock as well.
One month prior to my scheduled exchange month, I got the invitation letter from Freiburg. This gonna be a really packed July and a month of travelling. Freiburg is a first choice with a reason.
Taiwan looks promising ~ fairly near Malaysia, more authentic Chinese culture. What set me back is the language. Mandarin sounds familiar but fact is I only read romanized alphabet and Arabic abjad. Chinese characters? Look yes, read no.
Then comes Indonesia. It's smacked next to Malaysia and I've never been there. We are traced to the same root but there's still significant difference in our culture. And the fact that I can eat most of the food and the mutually intelligible language, which means I can get the most out of the clinical practise.
I found out Korea has started offering places for exchange. Definitely a first choice. I fancy Korean culture and I know the best way to be involved is via living with the people, not just visiting the country.
Among all country offered, Germany is said to have the highest quality of exchange. That's the only enticing factor versus the list of cons ~ Euro, next to Czech Republic, most Germans don't fancy speaking English.
Greece has never made it on the list of country I want to go to. But I want to know why so many people want to go there.
And topping the list is Egypt. I've heard loads of story about it. I want to see the mummies, sail on the Nile, experience the rich culture.Surely, being a Muslim, going to Egypt is a bonus.
So where do I ended up?
Germany! because the sole plus point it has. I see that sometime I can be very reasonable XD
I know if I shall get Germany, I am going to pick Freiburg or Heilderberg. But they asked me to fill in 3 choices so I put Rostock as well.
One month prior to my scheduled exchange month, I got the invitation letter from Freiburg. This gonna be a really packed July and a month of travelling. Freiburg is a first choice with a reason.
 |
| Munster in Freiburg |
What?
I am thinking of going for IFMSA exchange
What's that?
Explains.
You sure you want to do that?
You are going there alone???
You are so brave.
You must tell us about it after you come back.
I know this is what I really want to do.
I took the leap.
Dealed with the procedures with below average knowledge about them. The main thing for me is where I want to go so I just dig about the places.
Spent 4 wonderful weeks and one last not so wonderful week.
Came back leaner, darker and hopefully wiser an smarter XD
What's that?
Explains.
You sure you want to do that?
You are going there alone???
You are so brave.
You must tell us about it after you come back.
I know this is what I really want to do.
I took the leap.
Dealed with the procedures with below average knowledge about them. The main thing for me is where I want to go so I just dig about the places.
Spent 4 wonderful weeks and one last not so wonderful week.
Came back leaner, darker and hopefully wiser an smarter XD
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