Today is our first full day in Germany! We were out the door by 7:45, and I was definitely starting to feel the time change, but I was too excited to let it bother me! Today, we departed from the Konigsplatz station and took a streetcar to the University of Augsburg. I was surprised to see how clean their buses were compared to ours, which typically have mystery stains all over. I don’t know the reason for this, but maybe the fact that taking public transport is much more normalized in Germany so there is a greater sense of shared responsibility for keeping these spaces clean.
After a few minutes, we arrived on campus. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this! The buildings were very different from what I saw around the city of Augsburg. I noticed they had a lot of greenery and even a pond in the center of campus. The buildings looked pretty modern and were mostly white. If you told me that this campus was in America, I would have believed you. As I walked inside, it felt like a standard college building with classrooms down hallways and a larger staircase in the middle. The desks, shaped in a horseshoe, created a more collaborative environment and seemed designed to encourage interaction rather than just efficiency. This is different than the standard rows of separated desks at Pitt
Patrick Will from Audi came to talk to us about the automotive industry. He explained many challenges they face, like the threat of China, and making the process more sustainable. The part I found most interesting is that, besides trying to copy China’s ideas to catch up, they have created a unique car to differentiate themselves from the competition. This showed me how European automotive companies are trying to compete with China not only on cost, but through innovation. Looking back, I wonder how they came to this conclusion. I can imagine it was a very difficult decision with many different viewpoints. I’m excited to see how this idea plays out for them.
After the lecture, we went to the canteen/mensa with the students from Augsburg who are coming to Pitt this fall. This was my first time truly struggling to order food. I felt embarrassed that all the students knew so much English, but I barely knew any German. I gained a new appreciation for the people in America who struggle to communicate in English. I shouldn’t have felt embarrassed because the Germans have been taking English classes for a very long time, and I’ve never taken a German class. The pizza I ordered was very good! I noticed they don’t slice their pizzas here as they do in America. I could not think of a reason why, so I looked it up, and it said that due to the high temperatures of the oven used, they prefer eating with a knife and fork.
We were full and ready to face a short campus tour, then a scavenger hunt in the city of Augsburg. We got off the streetcar at the outdoor stage at the Red Gate. This was an open-air theatre that resembled a colosseum. Theatre productions are still shown there as well! We then walked down and took in our surroundings. Each building was different from the next, unlike the Pittsburgh suburbs, where many houses look the same, due to efficiency. We passed a puppet museum that was cool and also creepy. While on the hunt, Alissa told us more about her time at Augsburg and being from Neuschwanstein!
Finally, it was time for dinner! I got another pizza because I was too busy talking, and the waiter came around, and I just ordered the first thing I saw on the menu. I had to slice it myself again, but it was also very good. It surprised me how good the Italian food is here. After talking the German exchange students’ ears off, comparing the differences in each of our lives and why they wanted to come to Pittsburgh, it was time to head home and to bed because we had an early morning the next day!