Being back home for a few weeks after our trip to Germany has really allowed me to reflect and soak in all of the amazing experiences I had there, as well as the differences between day-to-day life here in America and in Germany. Prior to applying to and preparing for this trip, I had never…
Tag: Juliana Alvelo-Davies
Day Twelve – Harry Styles!!!
Today was our free day, so a few friends and I went to see Harry Styles in Munich. I got to sleep in again today, which was amazing! Around 2:40, we boarded the ICE train to Munich, arriving about 30 minutes later. From Munich’s main train station, we took an Uber as far as we…
Day Eleven – Final Presentations
Today was a highly anticipated day: the day we had to present our research and recommendations for our assigned companies with our groups. Today I got to wake up a bit later than usual, which was nice because I have frequently felt that I’ve been behind on sleep during this trip. Around 11:00 am though,…
Day Ten – Neuschwanstein Castle
Today we made the treacherous journey to Neuschwanstein Castle. Despite our hopes for good weather today, it was consistently rainy and somewhat cold. After our bus ride to Neuschwangau, we all stopped at two local cafés before making the trip to the top of the steep Alpine hill that Neuschwanstein is perched atop. In all,…
Day Nine – A Day in Regensburg
Today, we spent the day in Regensburg and took a short trip to see Walhalla. Regensburg is a very interesting medieval city on the Danube River, and the fourth largest city in Bavaria. While there, we walked across the oldest stone bridge in Germany and took in the medieval architecture. I found it interesting to…
Day Eight – A Visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp
Today we visited the Dachau concentration camp. I had always felt that the opportunity to visit Dachau would be one of, if not the most important and sobering part of this trip. I still feel this way, as it can be easy to feel distanced from the gravity of such a horrific period in global…
Day Seven – A Day in Munich
Today we spent our day in the state of Bavaria’s capital city: Munich! I found Munich a very interesting city. One thing that immediately stood out to me was its walkability: where it is usually necessary to use a car to explore a whole city in the United States, Munich’s infrastructure was very clearly oriented…
Day Six – Company Visit with Audi
Today we visited the Audi factory in Ingolstadt! This was probably the most highly anticipated company visit amongst all of us, and it certainly did not disappoint! Throughout the last few minutes of the drive to the factory, I noticed that there was a huge network of railroad tracks very close to the factory, which…
Day Five – Company Visit with Faurecia/Forvia
Today, we began our day with a traditional Bavarian breakfast, “weißwürstfruhstuck” (literally translating to “white sausage breakfast.” I found it odd that the sausages were served in a metal bowl of hot water, all still connected together. This meant that you had to attempt to cut the sausage links apart while they were still in…
Day Four – Company Visit with Grob-Werke
Today we visited the company I am assigned to investigate over the course of this trip: Grob-Werke! I found this company visit extremely interesting, as it showed me how successful a company can become through vertical integration. (Unfortunately, due to the company’s policies, I was unable to take any pictures throughout the course of the…
Day Three – Company Visit with Hoerbiger
Today marked the first of four days during which we would be investigating, and eventually presenting, our findings about our assigned companies. As a result, we toured two of Hoerbiger’s factories today. It was surprising to see that both had very completely different focuses and workplace environments. The first factory we toured was quite small…
Day Two – a Fun Exploration of Augsburg
Parts of day two in Augsburg were unexpected, but delightful. After only sleeping for about three hours, I awoke at 7:30, rushing downstairs to catch breakfast before 8:05. Shortly thereafter, we walked to Königsplatz, the main tram station, and took a tram to Universität Augsburg (the University of Augsburg). Upon our arrival to the University,…
Plus3 Germany: the First Forty Hours
I am so excited to be able to update you all on the beginnings of Plus3 Germany! After a three-and-a-half-hour drive from my hometown to Pittsburgh on May 5th, the Plus3 Germany group enjoyed a final pre-departure dinner together, during which we reviewed orientation material. Shortly afterward, all of the Plus3 Program students spent the…
Nächster Halt: Deutschland!
Wow! Time has flown, and departure for Plus3 Germany is right around the corner. My name is Juliana Alvelo-Davies (or Jules), and I am a bioengineering student at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. I chose bioengineering so that I can eventually design medical devices, such as implants and prosthetics, and because I have always been…