Today was the second day in Amsterdam. We started the day with breakfast and walked to a university. There we had an engineering talk with Karel Bockstael who was a former VP of Sustainability from KLM. That company deals with the aviation industry and aerospace. He presented to us ways that the aviation industry, especially in the Netherlands, is looking for ways of making flying less costly on our environment’s limited fossil fuels. A topic mentioned was batteries were the leading hope of limiting emissions into the air during flights, and many aviation companies are looking into that alternative. The discussions really made me think about relating the engineering techniques I learned at Pitt and applying it to aviation. 

We then went on a Fault in Our Stars scavenger hunt. This consisted of my teams going to different places throughout Amsterdam and taking a picture at each destination. I learned how to use the bus system known as the tram. I was a little nervous at first but then I realized it is a lot like the port authority buses back in Oakland. I got the hang of it and used the tram throughout the day. Some of the locations we stopped at consisted of the bench scene, the house, hotel, and museum that was in the movie. It was a fun experience that helped me navigate the city better. Above is a picture I took with my group members at one of the locations.

Later, we met everyone else at the Anne Frank Huis in the center of the city. Walking through the museum was sad listening to the videos of Anne’s story. I thought it was interesting seeing her real diaries and short stories she wrote. My day ended with me trying the Amsterdam McDonalds and I got a Big Mac. The sauce on the burger was very different from the burgers in Oakland. I thought the difference was worth mentioning for people who are curious. Also, here in the Netherlands they serve you a side salad at McDonalds with your meal. Overall, I had a really good day and am excited for tomorrow.

-Olivia Sobek