I am so excited to be able to update you all on the beginnings of Plus3 Germany!
After a three-and-a-half-hour drive from my hometown to Pittsburgh on May 5th, the Plus3 Germany group enjoyed a final pre-departure dinner together, during which we reviewed orientation material. Shortly afterward, all of the Plus3 Program students spent the night in Pitt’s newest residence hall, Nordenberg!
After a restful night’s sleep, I made sure that my luggage was ready to go, and we headed to the Pittsburgh International Airport at 9:00 AM on May 6th! A short flight carried us to Charlotte, NC, where we waited for about two-and-a-half hours until we boarded our international flight to Munich, Germany.
Although it seems that many of my Plus3 Germany peers, including myself, had a hard time sleeping on the flight, it seemed that our travels were very successful; I was certainly pleased that I had managed to take an international flight with little assistance! Shortly after deboarding, we found ourselves at the Passport Control desks (which I always find strangely nerve-wracking), and then we were off on an hour-long bus ride from Munich to Augsburg!
Upon our arrival in Augsburg we dropped our belongings off at the Hotel Ibis—our home for the next two weeks—and embarked on a walking tour headed by Dr. Feick. I was, at times, very surprised to see some familiar store names around town! For example, it wasn’t hard for me to believe that a Starbucks and McDonalds may be situated somewhere within the small town, but I was certainly shocked to see T.K.Maxx (the German equivalent of “T.J.Maxx,” due to concerns of confusion with another European brand “T.J. Hughes”), or an H&M store. However, some of my favorite memories today came from this tour, primarily the stunning Golden Room and visiting the fascinatingly philanthropic Fuggerei settlement (each pictured below).
Seeing the Golden Room made me reflect on the countless man hours that must’ve been sacrificed to meticulously cover each intricate detail of the room’s decoration with gold leaf.
Seeing the Fuggerei was quite inspiring to me. It showed me that, with the resources and will to treat others well, you can leave a lasting legacy of grace for hundreds of years to come.
After seeing the Fuggerei, we finally met up with students from the University of Augsburg to eat Bavarian food at Zeughaus Stuben. There, I connected further with more of my Plus3 Germany peers, as well as Augsburg students Niko and Maxi. In connecting with further with my Plus3 Peers, I was invited to come along with a small group to see Harry Styles (one of my FAVORITE musicians) in concert on our free day!
I spent the rest of the night with a few peers and Maxi exploring Augsburg and learning more about each other, before coming back to the Hotel Ibis to rest. Today showed me that some truly incredible things can happen if you step a bit outside of your comfort zone and explore a new place with some incredible new people.
I am so incredibly excited to continue updating you as I continue my journey!
– Juliana (Jules) Alvelo-Davies