Today we started our day at about 8. We had breakfast at the hotel, which consisted of cold meats, breads, and some yogurt. They also had a waffle maker that I definetely have to try tomorrow. Then, we got on a street car and went to Augsburg University. The campus was gorgeous and it was a really nice day outside. We also got to see the University Cat before we got to our classroom. There, we met all of the German people that would be doing the program with us. We also got assigned companies and I got Webasto. We split off into our company groups and started on the introductory presentation. For the first hour we researched our company and then presented some basic information to the class.

After that, we went to the Mensa, which is the cafeteria at the University. It was very big and very crowded. I had a chicken & seaweed salad burger which was a lot tastier than it sounds, trust me. I also tried Mezzo mix. Honestly, I don’t taste the orange at all; it tasted just like coke.

In the afternoon, we did a scavenger hunt. I had Nate, Zach, Anna, Sophia, and Oday in my group. We were the first group to the train station and managed to catch a train early, which meant that we were far ahead of the other groups. In the afternoon, we toured around Augsburg. We saw two cathdrals and four different fountains. We also walked along the Maxilienstrasse and saw the Rathaus (Town Hall) of Augsburg. We also learned a lot about Augsburg history. First, we learned about the “Zirbelnuss” which is the coat of arms of Augsburg. We also learned that Emperor Augustus was very important to the foundation of the town. And, to end it off, we went to a Riegele bar and had a beer taste testing. Honestly, the dark beer was my favorite but the other two tasted very good as well. I can’t wait to go to Peaches and explore the rest of the city. It was a lot of fun and a great time to hang out and get to know people. Also, we got second on the scavenger hunt. Definitely rigged.

After the scavenger hunt, we went to eat at Dragone, which was an Italian restaurant. I got gnocchi with mushroom sauce and beef. It tasted pretty good. Ben’s steak was cooked blue and the waiter was definitely mad at us. Also, Zach managed to finish almost two full plates of food which was crazy.

Afterward, we walked back to the hotel. We did get a little bit lost but we made it back safe and sound.

Now, some general thoughts for today. First, about the streetcars. It’s actually really great that they’re always on time. Although they are a little crowded for my taste. Also, it was really cool to see the fashion around the university. On average, everyone is dressed better than people at Pittsburgh and their campus is a lot more spread out and has a lot more green. In addition, it’s a lot less kept and there are weeds growing in a lot of the green space which I thought was interesting. Apparently Germans are very strict about keeping the natural vegetation. It was also interesting that their sports are never as a part of the school and are always outside of school. In the US, that’s obviously very different. Here, people always play sports for school. Also, I enjoyed today because I got to hang out with a group of people that normally would never hang out together. And, despite that, I had a blast. It was great getting to know everyone and I can’t wait to see what happens for the rest of the trip. See you tomorrow!