By: Nicholas Erni May 17th

This final blog of mine could go on forever. I had some much good to say about Germany, but not soo much space and or time to write. I will attempt to encompass everything I can in the next page or two.

My time in Germany was unbelievable. Not just because of the experiences but mainly due to the people I was surrounded by. This I where I will start, with the American students. Coming into this trip I honestly didn’t know anyone coming from Pitt. I had names to faces, but they was about it, no relationships or friendships. I can say for sure though writing this on the plane, I have met some of the most awesome people and personalities I have encountered all year. Many of us come from different backgrounds, nationalities, majors, etc. but that didn’t matter. We all became a big group of friends on this trip. Everyone was watching out for one another, coming closer and just having a great time. The work we put into together day in and day out, visiting companies was a grind. The early mornings and long days were a grind, but that only made us all closer and I am thankful for that. 

Next is the German students. Meeting all of them and especially those of you reading my blogs, you are the ones that made this trip worth it. Like I’ve said before, without you none of this would be possible. You made this trip unique to all of us Americans who had no clue what was going on half of the time, while we also couldn’t speak a lick of German. Everyone welcomed us with open arms, from speaking english and translating menus, to having us over at your houses. It was truly a pleasure and I will remember you guys.

Moving on from my thanks to the students, I want to touch on the work we had to compete here. Yes, every day was a grind, from sunrise to sunset. But in hindsight it was all worth it. The stress that loomed over all of us because of the large presentation we had to give last Wednesday was a pain but it really bettered me. The opportunity to work in a group split amongst different majors itself is rare, but to combine that with students from a different country just doesn’t happen. There were some struggles in working on this project, but every single one was overcome. Not only have my communication skills improved greatly, so have my business skills in general. From touring the five companies I was able to take away different pieces of information, to improve myself in a field I would be interested in working in later in life. 

Comparing the cultures is a fun topic. Honestly, Germany and the United States are quite similar. But as I’ve mentioned in some of my previous blogs the Germans are very honest people. They don’t often times say what’s on their minds, which shocked a lot of the Americans at first, but with time it became normal. Another thing that differs about their culture is the whole water thing. In the united states water is free as it should be, it is a basic human need. But in Germany you must pay for it n matter where you are. I often times found myself filling up my water bottle in bathrooms which was quite nasty, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I spent probably 75 Euros on water, but who cares you need to stay hydrated.

Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Feick and Arielle for taking their time and coming on this trip with us. These two were amazing. Without them the trip would have been significantly different. Yes, there wad need to be strict with our schedules and grading, but they were very relaxed in the other settings. I’m sure both of you are reading this, so from myself and the whole group I just wanted to say thank you for making this one of the most memorable experiences of my life.