This experience has completely exceeded my expectations in every way. I came into the program knowing that I would enjoy it, but I didn’t know the impact it would have on me. I have learned so much about German History, automotive companies, and about how to work with those of a different background from me….

Way before the program started I knew that on my free day I wanted to go to Salzburg, Austria. It has been a bucket list travel place of mine for a while now and having the ability to see 2 countries in two weeks was very appealing to me. The Sound of Music is also…

I started my morning with a walk around Augsburg, taking in all the sites and landscapes I got to call home for the past two weeks. It gave me a lot of time to think and reminisce about my experience abroad. I was surprised with how many things were connected in Germany. Every site or…

We had a much needed later start today and I was feeling very refreshed and excited to finally see Audi, the company I’m presenting on. We had the Audi speaker a week ago so I was looking forward to bringing everything that was said to life. The Audi campus was so grand and very modern….

Today’s earliest morning started at around 5am for me so I could be ready to go at 5:45am for Aumovio in Regensburg. We got there easily and were even early for once. We didn’t get to see much of the corporate building, but the room we were in for the presentation was nice. Aumovio just…

Today started with an early morning, up before the sun, to take a 2.5 hour bus ride to Nuremberg to go to the factory visit of MAN (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG). This company specifically manufactures engines for larger scale vehicles like buses, trucks, boats, and aircrafts. I thought this was a good site visit, I was…

I have had World History courses and a clear understanding of World War II, the tragedy, terror, and inhumane behaviors that occurred throughout Germany, Austria, and Poland. Nothing in the textbooks compare to the magnitude of seeing Dachau in real life. As soon as we walked in, a silence washed over, everyone was taking the…

Today was needed after we had a 6:15am departure and 30,000 steps walked the day prior. I got 10 hours of quality sleep and my legs were a little tired, but we weren’t expected at the University of Augsburg until 1:00pm, so that left the morning to explore. Some of us walked just 10 minutes…

I was very excited to hear that KUKA was just a street car ride away, headquartered right in Augsburg itself. The building was very nice and just by the way the inside looked, I knew that this day would give me a “futuristic vibe.” The room where the presentation was held had an AI talking…

After our long plane ride we arrived in Munich, jet lagged but excited to get to know the area which we would call home the next two weeks. Almost immediately after we dropped our bags off at the hotel we went on a two hour walking tour of Augsburg. As tired as I was, I…

I’ve been looking forward to seeing the big city area of Germany for a while. After spending time in a smaller city suburb I wanted to see the big sites everyone speaks of. We took the train into Munich which was very comparable to my travels from home (NJ) into NYC. The train reminded me…

Neuschwanstein is a castle that looks like it was built in my dreams. The landscape surrounding the castle was absolutely stunning. There was bright green grass, little houses with burnt orange roofs, colorful shops, a big lake, and to top it all off, the alps were our background. Something that stuck with me was that…

A morning of traffic and what I thought was going to be a speed run of a presentation/ facility tour because we were late, ended up exceeding my expectations completely. The BMW presentation was very interesting and rooted in German history and sustainability. The brand originally specialized in aircraft engine production for the German military…

After many hours of sleep I’m feeling rested and less jet lagged, as we made our way over to Universität Augsburg. We took the street car which I liked much better than Pittsburgh public transportation, everything was cleaner, there was more space, and it seemed very efficient. I really liked the campus. It was much…

The day I had been waiting months for had finally arrived: departure day. I had been thinking about the day I would finally get to see the country I had been learning about for months. I was so excited to get going. The day started off a bit rocky with a poor sleep in towers…