I’ve been home for about 2 days now, and I’m so grateful for this trip! It’s still surreal that it’s over. I keep on recounting different stories to my family and looking back we did so much within those 2 weeksWe flew home on Friday and that was a story within its self. We took…
Category: Plus3 2023
Medicine and Boats
Today was a day where we visited two businesses in completely different fields: pharmaceutical medication and ship management. Kicking off our day, we visited Medochemie Limassol, which is a manufacturer of generic drugs and over-the-counter medicine. They are an international company, manufacturing in both Cyprus and Vietnam and selling to nations all over the world….
So Many Boobies (Of the Blue-Footed Variety)
Our last full day in Ecuador was spent on Isla de la Plata, a small island around an hours boat ride outside of Puerto Lopez, and home to blue-footed boobies. When we arrived to the island, we saw sea turtles swimming right next to the boat. The captain threw some watermelon to keep them close…
The Conclusion
With our dinner coming to an end, we had to prepare our bags and head off to the airport. With most of us having plentiful energy, we had one last music sesh in the back of the bus, getting all of the vibes rolling before we departed from Cyprus. Once we arrived at the airport,…
Plus 3 Ireland: THE Trip of a Lifetime
I remember back in the fall when I first heard about Plus3 from a friend, I thought it was a cool thing that the school offers, but never did I think it would be something that I now consider one of the best decisions I have ever made. I did not know what to expect…
Day in the Mountains
With our last day of exploring having arrived, I was excited, yet saddened. We started our day off with a tour of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) training centre, which is a place where people can go and get the training required to be a shipman or an engineer on a boat. We got to see…
Final Days on the Coast
Day 11 It’s our first day in Puerto Lopez! After a wonderful beachside breakfast, we headed to Machalilla de National. There, we did a short hike up to a beautiful vista. We all were sweaty and a bit tired, but the wind and the scenery made it all worth it. Then we walked to Turtle beach…
Bye Bye Germany!
Wow! I can not believe our two weeks are over. I had the absolute best experience on this plus 3 trip to Germany! I am so thankful that I was granted this opportunity. Professor Feick and Claire were such a joy to travel with and made our time so enjoyable. Looking back, these two weeks…
Thursday, May 18th
For our last company visit of Plus3 Ireland, we were able to visit FoodCloud! FoodCloud serves a purpose very similar to 412 Food Rescue here in Pittsburgh; their mission is to combat food waste and its harsh impact on our environment, and they do so through technology and by matching businesses stuck with food surplus…
Departure with GRÁtitude
Waking up early, boarding a bus, and waiting at the airport for the plane, I was in a weird bittersweet mix of emotions. Looking out of the window on the way to the airport, I knew that this was the last time I would see the rolling flat hills of Ireland, bordered by stone walls…
Gracias por tanto Argentina!
My time in Argentina is coming to an end and I’m feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I’m looking forward to returning home and spending time with friends and family. On the other, I‘m really sad to be leaving Buenos Aires behind. There’s no doubt these past two weeks have been unreal. During our time…
Irish Exit
Leaving Ireland was bittersweet for me. I am writing this from my hostel in Amsterdam 2 days after leaving Dublin. I am so excited to continue traveling around Europe, but I definitely will miss the beautiful landscapes and vibrant culture that Ireland had to offer. I had an amazing trip full of company visits, tours,…
A Great Ending
Waking up to the sound of the ocean is always a great way to start your day. Then two minutes later it was accompanied by Spanish dancing music as Donya and I prepared ourselves for the day. The hotel we stayed at was super cool because it was like a maze to get to each…
Port and Ship Logistics
Today we went to Vassiliko Cement Works and MSC Shipmanagement. Vassiliko is close to Limassol, and MSC is located in Limassol, so we only had to spend a little time on the bus today. Vassiliko Cement produces cement and clinker and then distributes it to other companies to be turned into cement. Concrete is, after…
Final Site Visit: Exploring Food Cloud
On our last day, we got the chance to go visit and learn about Food Cloud, a company focused on preventing food waste through innovative strategies. We got the chance to listen to a presentation where he went over their business model, and what their core values are. We then got the chance to see…
Until next time
After all is said and done, there is much reflection to be had from this trip. Navigating around the country, whether it be with my group or by myself, has shown me so much more than I could have expected. When it comes to being in a foreign land, one can quickly learn how to…
Day 12 – Back to Munich – Augsburg, Germany
The 12th day of this trip was our last day in Germany. Since it was our last day in Germany, we were given this day as a free day. I choose to spend this day by going back to Germany to spend the day with a friend that I know. My friend’s name is Jonathan…
Alive in Austria
For our final day on the Plus3 Program, we had the option to have a free day, to do and to see whatever we wished. Twelve students from our group, in addition to two German students, travelled to Salzburg, Austria. Many of us were looking to take today as a chance to travel to a…
Presentation Day
Today was our last official day on the Plus3 Germany trip, capping off the program with the final group presentations. 4 groups have a half hour presentation on each company we toured in the previous week – Hoerbiger, GROB-WERKE, FORVIA, and lastly Audi. The groups were composed of both German and American students, and was…
Day 11: ‘Fleet’ing Moments 🚢
We started the day at Medochemie, a pharmaceutical company with its headquarters located in Limassol, Cyprus. Medochemie focuses on producing and shipping generic drugs internationally. The most valuable insight I gained today was about the importance of quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with all other pharmaceutical companies, Medochemie must comply with good manufacturing…