To start the day, I enjoyed my first German breakfast and cappuccino at the hotel! I was feeling excited to see the University’s campus, but I was also apprehensive to learn what our presentations in the morning would entail.

Taking the train for the first time was easier and more familiar than I had expected. My initial reaction to the campus was that it looked very green and far less industrial than Pitt’s campus. I thought it was interesting that the campus is directly off the train stop. I also had expected it to be a little bit bigger than it was. The classroom and inside of the building felt rustic and beautiful, but overall it wasn’t much different than classrooms I’m used to.

We briefly met the German students in my group the night prior which made it easier for us to get started. Working with the German students to quickly do research and put together a presentation on our company, Aumovio, was the most unique experience I’ve had in a school setting. Group projects always require strong communication and collaboration, so this process becomes slightly more difficult with cultural differences and limited time. It was very interesting to hear from other groups to learn about all companies before going on any of our site visits.

Then Patrick Will from Audi came and spoke to us about Corporate Strategy and how Audi views their position in the automotive market. It was really interesting to learn about the history of the company and how they are aiming to respond to challenges in the industry. Hearing Patrick say with full confidence that the automotive industry will be fully electric changed the way I view electric vehicles and the adoption of them.

We ate at the university canteen, and then Henrik, one of the graduate students that will be at Pitt in the fall, was our guide for the scavenger hunt around the city. A lot of the sites we visited the day prior as well, but Henrik also took us to some very beautiful gardens and parks. He shared how students will go to these spaces when the weather is nice to play games and just lay outside. We also tried to answer any questions he had about Pittsburgh and what we do there for fun! We stopped for our first gelato of the trip to get a break from the rain, and it was the best gelato I’ve ever had.

After the tour, we met the other groups at a beer garden where I tried my first non-alcoholic German beer. We then had a group dinner at an Italian restaurant in town called Dragone. One of my favorite meals is carbonara, and they don’t have it many places in the US, so I was very excited! In a way, I felt the restaurant seemed less Italian than Italian restaurants in the US which probably means it is more authentic, and the food was very good!