May 6: We took a trip to the University of Augsburg and met more of the German students as well as heard from a speaker for Audi. The breakfast buffet was great, and I was eager to see a new place this afternoon. Thanks to the jet lag, it doesn’t feel like a Monday morning, but here we are visiting the university and seeing how beautiful it is. With a pond, ducks, and many many trees, the university is so quaint and lovely for studying beneath the shade during a warm day. Our first task is to create a short presentation with our fellow German students for our particular company. Although we only had an hour and a half, it came together so well. Each member spoke clearly, and we were able to answer any questions from the group. After the four groups presented, we heard from Patrick Will at Audi on their particular strategies and strengths as a company. While I may not be part of the Audi presentation group, I still took note of how Audi differentiates itself from competitors.
After an intense morning of taking notes and presenting, we headed to the university cafeteria for lunch with the German students. I really felt out of place and unsure of where to go since there were so many options. By the way, Salat means salad…
Our scavenger hunt around the city was perfect except for some rain. I will be honest in saying not all questions were answered correctly, but the effort was there. The fountains in Augsburg are so beautiful! Taking the tram is getting easier but it is still so interesting to watch other passengers and learn where to sit/stand. We ended our tour at a non-alcoholic beer tasting and it was fun just to sit down once again and chat with everyone present. I had been looking forward to dinner ALL DAY since Italian food is my favorite! I got a cacio e pepe and would order it again 100 times over.
I really enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone today and collaborating with students from Augsburg. There was a lot of walking, learning, and most importantly laughing. I am looking forward to spending more time with these students and learning how to navigate the city (as well as speak some German). There is an early morning tomorrow, so I plan on catching up on sleep. Bye!