Our incredible trip and adventure comes to a bittersweet end. It was an amazing time, getting to experience Argentina for the first time. I learned so much about Argentina’s healthcare system and its culture, and made many new friends who I also got the chance to share this experience with. We were able to view…
Day 7 – Art, Automakers, and Augsburg
I can not believe we are pretty much halfway done! Today was a much more chill day with only one item on the agenda: meeting with a reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek. I was able to catch up on some much-needed rest before going with the rest of the crew to a museum in Augsburg called…
Final Days in Ecuador
This Wednesday was a lot more chill after a hectic couple of days. We had a calm 8 AM breakfast of eggs, yuca, fresh fruit, and orange juice. Very yummy per usual. Today we worked on our pottery a little more since it had dried out completely. I took a small stone and rubbed the…
The final stretch :( Goodbye Ecuador
Wednesday, May 20th, was a much needed slower day. The night before, we had finally returned from deep in the Amazon with the Waorani tribe. The journey back was long and exhausting, filled with canoe rides and bus rides, but somehow we all made it back in one piece. What I didn’t make it back…
A Different Kind of Campus
Immediately when I stepped foot on the university the first thing that I saw was that there were no students around. It was so dead that the university might as well be closed. This is completely contrary to pitt as we all know from about 9-10am there are always people walking around either to class…
A Culture Shock with Beautiful Sights
The immediate culture shock was the atmosphere of the city. Instead of the hustle and bustle of a classic American city I had been to like Pittsburgh and New York City, people seemed to be more laid back and relaxed, going about their days less oriented on work and more balanced than the average American….
An Embarrassing Departure
Until now, Germany had mostly existed to me through brands, history books, and videos online. As I was checking in to the airport on my phone, getting ready for the bus ride over, all of it felt more and more real. On the bus ride to the airport all I could think about was the…
Day 6 – Factory Floors to Fairytales
The blaring alarm went off at 5:15 as Lily and I peeled out of bed. We rushed to get ready, excited for the stunning views of Neuschwanstein Castle. I made sure to wear comfortable clothes, since previous students had informed us there was a bit of a hike to the castle. After a scenic bus…
A Day of Remembrance: Visiting Dachau
Before leaving for Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site on Sunday morning, I knew it would be a very emotional and difficult experience. Throughout the trip, we had spent so much time learning about German industry, culture, and history, but this visit felt very different from everything else we had done so far. As soon as…
Day 5 – Robots are Taking Over The World
We woke up and headed downstairs for our second company visit: KUKA. After a brief intro from Lawrence, who works in corporate brand management, we were able to see the robots in action with a presentation. This amazed me because of how the robots are able to work simultaneously toward a common goal. I was…
Moments in Munich
Saturday in Munich was one of the most exciting days of the trip so far. After spending most of the week in Augsburg visiting companies and historical sites, it was fun finally getting to experience a larger and much more fast-paced city. I had been looking forward to visiting Munich before we even left for…
A Day Around Augsburg
On day six of the trip, we had a more relaxed day in Augsburg before heading back to the University of Augsburg for a guest speaker later in the afternoon. After spending the earlier part of the week constantly traveling to company visits and historical sites, it was nice having more time to explore Augsburg…
Day 11: Walking on Sunshine
Today was an early wake-up call for everyone. The bus pulled out of the hotel at 6 in the morning. My plan was to sleep on the way there since we had to get up so early, and it was a long ride. That is exactly what I did. As soon as we started getting…
Day 7: Appreciating Augsburg
Today was our first day with some downtime and this was definitely needed. We had a slow start to the morning and went down for the hotel breakfast, which by the way I look forward to every morning! Around 11, most of us decided to explore more of Augsburg and go to the Schaezlerpalais, which…
Day 8 – Exploring Munich
We’ve been here for a week now, and it has already been an incredible experience. We’ve been constantly on the move, doing so many activities each day that it can definitely get tiring, but I know it will be amazing to look back on this trip and remember everything we’ve done. After an hour long…
Day 7 – Almost Halfway Done??
Today was definitely one of the more relaxed and easy days of the trip, which was a nice change of pace after several long travel days. After getting the chance to sleep in a little (sleeping in is 8 am for me on this trip) and enjoy a good breakfast, our group headed to Schaezlerpalais,…
A farewell to Buenos Aires
Overall, it was such a great trip. I learned about a whole new culture by being embraced completely in it! I loved the challenge of this as well, from handling conversations with waiters, learning how to use pesos, or even the slow pace of the country! These were all thi bf s i completely didn’t…
Until Next Time Buenos Aires
As our time in Argentina comes to an end, I can honestly say that I will never forget this amazing experience. Over the past few weeks, I have learned so much about Argentina’s healthcare system and culture. From all of our lectures and hospital visits to exploring the streets of Buenos Aires, each day has…
Day 9: Remembrance
This trip was a different experience than any other. Growing up I have learned about the camps and learned about Germany’s history, and it has led me to have this preconceived notion. I was eager to see this place firsthand, and actually experience the history, not just read out of a textbook or off a…
Day 11: The Home Stretch
This week has really flown by as it is the final day before presentations and start of the program winding down. Audi was our final site visit and I was super eager to learn more about the production process after spending over a week researching the company for our presentation. We already had a guest…