MPP takes on Budapest and Vienna

DIS sends every core course on long study tours, in addition to core course week. Click core course week if you’re curious what that was like! I’ll do a separate post on the academic side of our visits, because it’s lengthy and fairly nuanced in nature. Basically the whole week was a freaking trek, my feet have never hurt so badly, AND a few of us took a trip to Prague afterward. It was insane, but worth every moment. I got the chance to further get to know the wonderful people in my section, and my favorite thing about us is that we’re all SO different but we still somehow fit together, and it’s really awesome to be able to sit next to someone different and have a completely different kind of conversation. So much love for MPP Section C.

Fisherman’s Bastion

Budapest captured my heart the first time I came to visit. That wasn’t lost on anyone on this trip because I would not shut my mouth about it, to be honest. But really, there’s something about this city in it’s authenticity and in it’s history that enraptures me every single time.

If you didn’t know, Budapest is separated by the Danube into two sides: Buda and Pest. It used to be three different cities, Buda, Obuda, and Pest, but has since come together. Pest is the flat side of the city, where most of the touristy stuff is and the “downtown” area resides. Buda is hilly and mostly residential, but still absurdly beautiful. We stayed on the Pest side, which is where most tourists stayed. DIS threw in a walking tour and a visit to the Szechenyi Baths for us.

 

 

Holocaust memorial

St. Stephen’s Basilica

The walking tour was a little odd because it was very niche and focused on the historic Jewish quarter, but it was still pretty cool as I had seen the city before. After a three hour walking tour, we went to the Gellert Baths, which are indoor baths on the Buda side situated on the same hill the Citadella sits on. Some people wanted to bathe and I suggested the others who didn’t climb to the Citadella.

 

 

Schezenyi

Gellert is different from Szechenyi because it’s indoor and modeled like a cathedral. It’s beautiful and nostalgic, it feels like you’ve been transported to an ancient place. I would highly recommend it, maybe even over Szechenyi even though I’ve been to those twice.

We had a free 6 hours to see ALLL the sights and sounds on our last day. It was a whirlwind, but so satisfying. We climbed to the Buda Castle, grabbed to go pizza and sat in the square facing the Fisherman’s Bastion and the Matthias Church. I felt so much content in that moment, I really could’ve sat there all day.

Church of Matthias

We took our required tourist photos and headed down through the bridge and to the Parliament. That building blows me away every time, it really is just so damn majestic. We then took the tram to the Central Market. The 2 tram in Budapest is a great scenic tram as it goes along the Danube and you get a great glimpse of everything. We spent an hour wandering the massive halls of the Central Market, where most of my friends picked up trinkets and such. We then made our way to the House of Terror, which is a museum dedicated to the history of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation of Hungary. It’s built on what used to be the KGB headquarters, and continues to be my favorite museum to date. It’s really awesome because every single detail is thought out, and it’s emotionally and psychologically provoking. It’s definitely a must see if you find yourself in Budapest.

House of Terror

View from the Buda Castle

Alex mocking a statue

Belvedere

We then took a train to Vienna, which was a pleasant and fairly painless journey. We were falling asleep all over the place out of exhaustion at this point, but Vienna demands your attention in it’s power. It’s grandiose and ornate, something out of a book that talks about royals. It holds Mozart and Freud under it’s belt and the city doesn’t let you forget that.

This is even reflected in the interactions we had: we were told to partake in their “cafe culture” which meant sitting in a lavish cafe and eating cake. It made us feel fairly out of place and was pretty expensive.

Inside the “saloon”

We had a chocolate cake that was the original “sachre torte”, which wasn’t what we were expecting because it had apricot in it.

 

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

We had a wine tasting on DIS, which was promptly followed by an aimless walk around the city center at night, where I got to know the girls I was going to Prague with a little more.

The Radhus – “town hall” being ruined by the lights shining from some random video game convention going on in front.

Meghan – amateur sommelier

The next day was the last official day of study tour, which found us at our last stop: the Belvedere. This museum was a microcosm of Vienna’s opulence (the view from inside is the postcard), but was a great way to end our last day there. It was a beautiful museum which housed Gustav Klint’s famous “The Kiss”.

 

Thruple at the Belvedre

Alex and I in Vienna

My favorite thing about doing these two cities together is that they are so close to each other, but are so different. This is in due part to the fact that Hungary was under Soviet Occupation for many years, but I think the cities are a great combination. Budapest will forever have a place in my heart for it’s authenticity but also the memories that I’ve made there with both of the groups of people I went with. Vienna will too, even though it’s view of the Danube isn’t as great. I think I will return there when I’m old and enjoy fancy cake more. A group of my friends and I continued on to Prague, which will be a separate post because it was magical.

The Danube in Vienna, we could’ve just picked a bad spot. 😉

So in all, I’m grateful to have experienced the two cities together, and to learn more about them in a different lens. It was great to get to know my classmates better and see a new place with them. I think I sorted through over 2,000 photos to write this blog post, but now I’ll get to cherish it forever.

Wish you were here,

Rigel

Finding a work-play balance: CORE COURSE WEEK!

Hello all! I’ve found myself on the top bunk in Arhus, Denmark, a little over half way done with core course week. We traveled with one other Medical Practice & Policy section. It’s really been a crazy packed week, and DIS has done a great job at showing us the culture and the cities we’re visiting, but also sending us to meaningful visits than enhance our understanding of our core course – which again in my case is MPP.

A really big challenge in a college students life is a work play balance, especially when they go abroad. Part of the reason I picked DIS was because I think they really allow their students to do both, in a way that is interesting and unique. And so – the first big example of this: core course week.

WHAT IS CORE COURSE WEEK? 

Each core course has a core course week and a long study tour. Both are like field trips on steroids and although I’m over the moon about the fact that our regular class takes place in a hospital anyway, it’s a really great opportunity to see new places and to see what you’re learning about in the classroom in practice.

Core course week is a shorter study tour, with three days in Western Denmark and the last two days back in Copenhagen. My particular section spent our first day in Skanderborg and the last two days in Arhus. We have one more core course lecture in Copenhagen on Friday.

Our trip focused on healthcare delivery in Denmark, with our first visit being to a general practitioner in Skanderborg, the second being to an oncologist in Arhus, and finishing off with the University of Arhus’ hospital and OB-GYN, with a whole lot of things in between.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ON CORE COURSE WEEK? 

An animal research lab in the Arhus University hospital

We visited a general practitioner running a private practice in Skandeborg, and an oncologist and OB-GYN in Arhus at the University Hospital. As you know, the Danes operate on a social welfare system and have healthcare paid for from “cradle to death”, with a few minor exceptions that aren’t completely paid for but are still subsidized, such as prescriptions, eye glasses, etc.

It goes without saying that the Danish and American healthcare systems are really different. This translates into the way that Danes and Americans think about health and their wellbeing, which has been a common subject of debate in discussions about health.

Here there is no monetary exchange that occurs between doctors and patients. The GP told us that he bills the government based on a negotiated price for the practices, and the oncologist even admitted to not really knowing what most things cost outside of a general guess. A single tax payer system really brings a unique dynamic to the patient-doctor relationship. The patients do not have to stress about paying for the services that they need or receive, and the doctors can focus on treating their patients to the best of their knowledge. A harrowing experience I had while shadowing in a hospital with prisoners has reminded me that not even doctors are immune to the effects that getting paid and who will be able to pay them or not will have. I think having the monetary gain be separate from the patient provides both the doctor and the patient to have a sense of security in their relationship.

I think I will further talk about healthcare delivery after long study tour so that I feel a little more well versed in it, and have more than two comparisons to make. We will be visiting Budapest and Vienna, and I cannot wait to write to you about it.

DID YOU HAVE FUN DURING CORE COURSE WEEK?

Again, DIS spoils us so much with our non-academic visits and activities.

In Skanderborg, we did the “Funky Monkey” ropes course, where I really overcame my fear of heights, realized my lack of core strength, AND that I am significantly shorter than the average Dane. I definitely couldn’t reach the platform several times and found myself hanging helplessly mid zip line. It was rainy and muddy, but I felt like I was on American Ninja Warrior so the clean up of my white sneakers was definitely worth it.

Arhus definitely was the star of the show, (sorry Skanderborg, I heard you have really great nature). Our first visit was to the ARoS museum of art, and lemme tell you, it blew me away. It was very accessible in that the art didn’t feel too abstract to understand. The collection “No Man is an Island” was profound and really hit home to me on more than one occasion, Fucked (Couple) was one that gave me goosebumps, although The Boy is a really popular one. (The Boy is the cover photo to this blog.)

Afterward we had an academic visit and then we went beer tasting! I’m not a huge fan of beer but I had a great experience and learned more about how to hopefully pick a beer that I will enjoy. My favorite of the night was a beer that had gooseberry in it, because it seemed like the epitome of craft beer and it was light and fruity. I enjoyed the IPAs as well though, which is unusual. I got to know some of my classmates in my core course better, because who doesn’t bond over beer and chips?!

So although my hotel room was a closet, and I didn’t get much sleep, I enjoyed both the academic side and the fun side of core course week. I aspire to achieve a balance of these things in my personal life and through my personal planning, but that’s not exactly how it goes when you’re a fledgling adult.

I’m super excited to go on long study tour, especially now that I’ve gotten to know all the people in my core course class much better. I’m really lucky to be in a group that is supportive and interesting, and although we’re all very different I think we bring something unique to the table.

While I’m excited to go on long study tour, I’m looking forward to settling into a routine again in Copenhagen and exploring more of the city. Talk to you soon!

Wish you were here,

Rigel