With the trip officially ending a few days ago, I have had time to think about what I went through in Germany. I have shared stories with friends and family, and realized how many experiences I had in such a short time. Overall, the trip was just great and exceeded my expectations. I did not expect to have as much down time and cultural visits as we did. Despite the size of the group, we managed to make it to all events and even go to Austria together.
Company Visits: The lineup of companies we visited/toured was such a privilege – they were all within reasonable distances of Augsburg and we even got lunch at a few. I learned so much about production and how these companies keep their employees and machines running efficiently. These businesses had many secrets they were comfortable walking us through and it felt so nice to ask questions and get real answers. My teams company, FORVIA, is breaking through barriers in Hydrogen Solutions which is something I really knew nothing about before this trip. The only company out of the four I had heard of was Audi, and now I could give a rundown of all four. It is no easy task to keep the attention of 16-20 college students, so props to these companies for giving concise, detailed presentations.
Cultural Visits: As said before, I am grateful we were able to see so many landmarks in our two weeks. Besides just visiting significant towns, we were also blessed with great tour guides who shared important historical facts with us. Our guide at Dachau, Bernd, in particular managed to make a two hour tour feel like thirty minutes. Another friend of Professor Feick’s, Hildrun, gave us a walking tour of Munich. There is so much history in a city that large, but she showed us things we’d be interested in like the Devil’s footprint and the surfing area near the English garden.
Being part of a group of people where I knew no one previously was a bit challenging at first. I had remind myself why I was on this trip in the first place; I want to expand my knowledge and soft skills, as well as see how I would fare living in another country. While this was a business course, I do feel there should have been some more emphasis on learning the German language. I think if I would have had some mandatory practice beforehand, I would have been a little more comfortable in our downtime the first week. When it comes to the German students, we truly lucked out! I got alone with everyone there and now have lots of new friends I hope to see again in the future. I wish we could have spent more time with them besides the dinners or personal plans.
The people skills I gained on this trip will follow me into my internship this summer. I am confident I can work in a group of just about anyone. Spending time alone in Augsburg also makes me feel secure about moving to NYC for my internship. I had a really great time on this trip and am thankful for this opportunity and the people I went with. Being able to come home with new knowledge and new friends is more than I could have asked for!