This day started with a visit to MAN in Nuremberg, the company my group has been focusing on. MAN was really interestingbecause it had a lot of contradictions. The company name makes you think of people working, but in reality there were many more robots on the factory floor than humans. We were also told that only about…
Day 9: A Sunday of Silence
When we first arrived at the visitor parking area for Dachau, everything felt very quiet. The site is surrounded by nature, which made the experience feel even more heavy because of what the place represents. Before we even entered, I knew I needed to be fully present and really listen to our guide, since this was such…
Day 8: Munich: A City in Motion, A Past That Stays
After spending most of the week in Augsburg, visiting Munich felt very different. The city was much larger and seemed more modern, with busy streets, larger buildings, and a faster pace of life. At the same time, Munich still does a good job of preserving its history. Throughout the city, we saw historic buildings mixed in with modern…
Day 7:Unplanned Hours in Augsburg
After several days packed with company visits and tours, Friday gave us a little more flexibility to explore Augsburg on our own. Since our presentation from a Bloomberg Businessweek reporter was not until the afternoon, a group of us decided to spend the morning visiting a museum in the city. We walked through different exhibits…
Day 6: Disney Castle in Germany ?
After spending several days visiting universities, factories, and companies, our trip took a very different turn with a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle and the Bavarian Alps. From the moment I saw the castle in the distance, it felt like something out of a fairy tale. As we made the hike up the hill, the castle became more…
Day 5: Inside the World of Robots
Our visit to KUKA was one of the most interesting company visits of the trip so far. Before visiting, I mostly thought of KUKA as a company that builds robots for the automotive industry. While that is a major part of what they do, I was surprised to learn how many different industries use their technology. It…
Day 4: Inside BMW and Munich’s Olympic Legacy
Our visit to BMW gave us a chance to see just how large and advanced modern car manufacturing has become. The facility was huge, and it felt like every stage of the production process had its own building. Unfortunately, we were not able to go into the paint shop, but we still got to see a large…
Two Weeks, A Million Memories
As I look back on my two week Plus3 experience in Germany, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I am grateful for not only the experiences and lessons that I learned, but the friendships I have left with. I can easily say that applying for this program has been one of the best decisions I have…
Day 3: Campus, Cafeteria, and City
After spending our first day exploring Augsburg, we had the opportunity to visit the University of Augsburg and learn more about student life in Germany. The university was not exactly what I expected. It was smaller than I imagined, but one thing that immediately stood out was how connected the campus is to nature. There were grassy…
Day 2: From Airport to Augsburg Streets
As our plane began descending into Munich, the first thing that stood out to me was how green Germany is. Looking out the window, I could see fields of farmland stretching for miles. It immediately felt different from what I am used to seeing at home. Another thing that surprised me was finding a full supermarket inside…
Day 15: Leaving Germany and Final Thoughts
Looking back on the entire trip, I find myself returning to moments throughout our time in Germany. We were able to participate in so many great experiences. I was most impacted by our time at Dachau, Audi headquarters, and Werfen, Austria. I find it funny that these moments are the most memorable since they are…
Day 14: The Final Ibis Breakfast
I woke up full of mixed emotions. I was tired after ten busy days but I was so grateful for the experiences I had while in Germany. It felt like the past two weeks flew by! Carly and I packed up the rest of our things and went to have our last hotel breakfast (I…
Day 13: The Hills Are Alive
The second I found out I was going to Germany I started researching fun places to go while we were there! As I mentioned in previous blog posts, I had the opportunity to go on this trip with my roommate from Pitt, Carly. We spent so much time checking out places to go and seeing…
Final Reflection of Korea
Going to Korea has genuinely been a such an insane experience for the last two weeks and having to fit this trip in now right after getting out of finally really made it just so much more surreal. I don’t think that I truly mentally prepared myself for this trip until just a few days…
Day 11: Inside Audi
Going into our visit with AUDI I was ready to compare this headquarters to BMW’s. BMW and Audi are fierce competitors and often face similar pressures in the industry. We heard what BMW had to say, and I was interested to see if there were differences at Audi. One of the main factors I noticed…
Regardless of where you go, the people really do make the place
Ever since I got home from Germany, gratitude for this entire experience has consumed me. I went into the trip with zero expectations. I was honestly quite nervous about travelling abroad without my family and with so many people I barely knew. Every time someone from previous Plus3 trips told me I was going to…
Day 10: Innovation and Adaptation
Our trip to Aumovio and Regansburg had great themes of high technology alongside modern history. Aumovio was my team’s industry for the final presentation, so I was excited to see the factory! Before the visit, I was imagining a futuristic headquarters with a busy atmosphere as that is what the AUMOVIO brand gives off on…
Day 9: Exploring Nuremberg!
I opened my eyes at 5:00am, a little early right? This early wake up was definitely worth it to see Nuremberg. After learning more about MAN for our site visit, we made our way to the main square of Nuremberg. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this city! The architecture of the buildings…
Reflecting The Best Experience of My Life
Now that the dust has settled a bit, I truly took the time to reflect on this amazing experience. The experience I keep returning to most is our visit to Dachau. Throughout the trip, we toured world-class companies, historic cities, and cultural landmarks, but standing in a place where so much human suffering occurred had…
Day 15: The Journey Home
Waking up this morning, I was filled with many emotions. For one, I was very exhausted and excited to go home, but on the other hand, I was very sad to leave because I had such a great time here. I learned so much not just about Germany, but about myself individually. It was great…