Finally! Today was presentation day, and I woke up feeling nervous. I changed into my nicest dress shirt and business pants and headed down for breakfast. I reflected on how much I’m going to miss the hotel breakfast due to its many options and being pretty tasty.

I headed back up to my room to individually practice my part of the project and write down some notes to use while presenting. I had to make sure to stay within three minutes to remain within the presentation time limit. I made sure to practice standing up without the slides directly in front of me to mimic the situation for when we present.

After some practicing, I met up with the rest of my group from Pitt, and we took the streetcar to the University of Augsburg campus. We headed to the Mensa first to grab some lunch, where I tried to eat quickly because we had plans to meet with the rest of our group. The canteen reminded me a lot of Pitt’s Eatery because of the wide variety of food options. However, one major difference I noticed was that at Pitt we can swipe in once and continue going back for more food, while at Mensa you have to pay again if you want additional food. I found myself noticing more small differences like this after a week in Germany and getting familiar with the environment.

We met at a table inside the University of Augsburg Business building and practiced our entire presentation all together to make sure it flowed nicely and sounded cohesive. We also timed the entire thing to make sure we were within the allowed time. After a few practices, we felt confident that we could present, although I still had some nerves.

Entering the room, I wanted to present first just to get it over with before my nerves could build any more, but we ended up presenting second. While the first group was presenting, my mind was racing with “what if” scenarios, but when I finally got up there, my anxiety calmed, and I think our entire group presented very well. Answering the questions afterward was another challenge, especially because we had to think quickly on our feet, but we did the best we could. Finishing the presentation felt like a huge relief, especially after spending so much time throughout the trip researching and preparing for it.

Finally, when all the presentations were finished, we ran back to the hotel to quickly change before our farewell dinner under the Rathaus. I ordered the turkey, and it was delicious. I was sad to say goodbye to all of the Augsburg students that have been so kind and welcoming to us throughout our entire stay in Germany. We decided to all get gelato together after dinner as a sweet treat. Although I was excited for the students visiting Pittsburgh in the fall, I was disappointed that many of them would not be coming, making the goodbye harder. The night helped me understand that one of the best parts of this trip was not just the places we visited, but also the connections we made with the people there.