Seventh Day

13. Mai 2016

Today we ventured to Munich once again to visit the BMW headquarters.  We were able to sleep in a little and then headed on a bus to start our day after breakfast.  When we got there, we were let free to explore BMW World, where you can see all of the newest models of BMW's, Mini Cooper's, and Rolls Royce's.  I really loved being able to sit in the cars, even though I know I will probably never be able to afford them.  We also went to the museum where we saw the old fashioned motorcycles and cars.  It was interesting, but I definitely preferred being able to see the new cars in the BMW World. After eating a pretzel for lunch in the cafe, we headed out for our factory tour of BMW.  It started off with a short movie about the history and innovation of BMW, which I really enjoyed.  I was really excited to go on a tour of the factory because my brother works for Ford as an engineer and actually had to work on the assembly line for a month when he first started.  I was interested to see what it was like to produce a car from start to finish.  It was definitely fascinating!  I especially liked watching the robots paint the cars.  I couldn't believe how quick, efficient, and synchronized it was!  The tour was very interesting but a little long.  By the end of the two hours, my feet were in so much pain from walking, and I was ready for a nap.  When we got on the bus back for Augsburg, I fell right to sleep.  When we got back, we were free to go anywhere for dinner, so the German students suggested an Italian restaurant for pizza.  At this point, it was pouring down rain, so we had to run to catch our tram and then through the town center to the restaurant.  The restaurant was so nice! I couldn't decide which pizza to order, so I combined two, which was a speciality of the restaurant.  I got the Verdure, a grilled vegetable pizza, and the Caprese, which has fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.  I loved both!  I finished the whole pizza without shame!  I still can't believe how good the Italian food is here in Germany.  For dessert, my friend Veronica and I shared Spaghettieis, which is a German speciality dessert of vanilla ice cream which strawberry sauce.  It is made to resemble spaghetti.  I have always wanted to try it since learning about it in middle school German classes, so I was so excited when I saw it on the menu.  It was delicious, and so worth the wait!  After dinner, we hung out with the German students even more, which of course, was tons of fun!  I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to say bye to them next week.  For now, I just am going to try to avoid thinking about it and enjoy the rest of my time here in beautiful Germany.

Bis Später!

Lindsey

Sixth Day

12. Mai 2016

It's been another great day in Germany!  It started off extremely early, which I wasn't very happy about because I'm not really a morning person.  But it wasn't too bad because we had a 3 hour bus ride ahead of us to Lear.  I slept almost the whole way there, but was also able to enjoy some of the beautiful German countryside.  I really enjoyed the company visit, although it was very long and also very technical.  There was very little focus on the business side of things until the very end when they touched on supply chain management, which is one of my majors so I was excited to listen!  We finally left Lear at about 3:30 and left for Nuremberg.  That was about another 2 hours away so it was time for a second nap.  When we got there, our bus driver had a hard time maneuvering the bus through the narrow streets, so some students had to get out of the bus to direct him.  We were all holding our breath as he finally was able to make the narrow turn.  We then were met by our tour guides who showed us around the beautiful city of Nuremberg.  I fell in love with the city immediately.  It was exactly what I would picture a German city to look like.  The architecture and history of the city was just amazing! The tour was so interesting too.  It was so cool to find out that the city of Nuremburg was named after the fact that it was originally founded on a hill and was called "Nur ein Berg" which means "only a hill."  The tour led us to where we would be having dinner, which was such a cute little traditional Bavarian restaurant.  I was hoping we would be getting some world-famous Nuremberg sausage and of course we did!  We received a plate full of Würst.  There were three different types and each was just as delicious as the next!  It also came with Sauerkraut which I scarfed down because I love it so much!  After dinner, we took the bus back to Augsburg.  On the way back, some of the girls and I blasted music and sang along! It was so much fun!  I thought it was so cool that the German girls knew and loved a lot of the same songs as us!  When we got back, we were all so tired, but we still wanted to hang out with the German students, so we went out into the city to explore and enjoy each other's company.  Overall, it was another amazing day!

Bis Später!

Lindsey

Fifth Day

11. Mai 2016

Guten Tag!  What a busy day again today! My day started off with a lecture at the BMW headquarters.  As a member of the group working on BMW, I was really excited for this!  When we pulled up to the headquarters, I was amazed!  There were so many buildings and they were all so modern and impressive!  The BMW Headquarters building was particularly impressive because it was designed to resemble the 4-cylinder engine of a car.  The talk was fascinating! It mostly revolved around their marketing strategies and their innovations including new softwares and services and the BMWi brand of electric cars.  We definitely received a lot of great information for our final presentation!  After, we went back to Augsburg for a quick lunch before our visit to KUKA, a robot manufacturer.  We got Döner, which is a German specialty that kind of resembles a gyro.  Since I am not really a big fan of gyros, I was very surprised by how much I liked it!  After lunch, we took the tram to KUKA.  There, we received a tour of their facilities where they produce their robots.  It was so cool!  I never imagined so much work went into making them!  Each step of the manufacturing process was so detailed and precise.  After KUKA, we went back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.  A group of us met up with Jan and Dennis, two of the German students.  Dennis took us to Va Piano, an Italian restaurant in the city.  I ordered a Margherita pizza that was really tasty!  Not only was the food great, but it was so much fun to talk to the German students even more!  After dinner, we met up with even more of the German students.  They took us to the top of a parking garage that was made into a beach!  It was such a fun, chill hang out place!  We spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company and planning out the rest of our nights with them.  I'm so glad that we've been able to bond so well!  Since we all knew we had to wake up at 6 am the next day, we headed back early.  I fell asleep as soon as I got back to prepare for the next day.  I am definitely loving my time in Germany!

Bis Später!

Lindsey

Fourth Day

10. Mai 2016

Today was an exhausting, fun-filled day.  It started off bright and early with a site visit to SGL, a carbon fiber manufacturer.  The visit began with a lecture, which was really interesting because before then, I was not aware of all of the diverse uses for carbon fibers.  After, we went on a tour of the facilities.  First, I was able to observe real products created from the carbon.  I particularly found the car door really amazing because I could carry it with little effort.  It was definitely interesting, but I felt like it was a little more geared toward the engineering students than the business students because the explanations of the production were very technical and based on a knowledge of chemistry.  After the tour, we were treated to a delicious lunch!  Then it was time to go back to Augsburg for a lecture on migration in Germany in the town hall.  I really enjoyed the lecture because I love learning about Germany's rich and diverse history.  Our discussion on the refugee situation did not end there either.  After, we went to the Grand Hotel where many refugees live.  It was unlike anything I've ever seen.  It was not only a home for refugees, but also a hotel with rooms decorated by local artists and a hostel.  Although pretty fascinating, the tour was very long, and at this point, we were all exhausted from the busy day we had.  The hotel was also quite muggy, and I had a little bit of an asthma attack (thank goodness I brought my inhaler).  No worries because then it was time to get dinner!  Earlier that day, I had asked Christoph, one of the German students, for dinner suggestions.  We wanted traditional German food so he suggested König Von Flandern.  I'm so glad he did because it was such a good time!  It was right near the town center and in the basement of a building.  When we walked in, I was able to use my German to get us seated and later, I helped everyone order.  I decided to be adventurous and order a "half knuckle of pork." It was definitely a lot of food, but it was also delicious!  After dinner, Jan, one of the German students who met up with us, took us to an authentic beer garden tucked away in the city.  While there, we ran into a girl on vacation with her boyfriend who told us she was from Pittsburgh!  I was so amazed that we ran into someone from my hometown since Augsburg really isn't much of a tourist town. The night ended with laughter and fun as we all shared stories and talked in the beer garden.  We then all took the tram back to our hotel.  I fell asleep almost immediately after I got back.  Overall, it was another great day in Deutschland!

Bis Später!

Lindsey

Third Day

10. Mai 2016

Today was an exhausting, fun-filled day.  It started off bright and early with a site visit to SGL, a carbon fiber manufacturer.  The visit began with a lecture, which was really interesting because before then, I was not aware of all of the diverse uses for carbon fibers.  After, we went on a tour of the facilities.  First, I was able to observe real products created from the carbon.  I particularly found the car door really amazing because I could carry it with little effort.  It was definitely interesting, but I felt like it was a little more geared toward the engineering students than the business students because the explanations of the production were very technical and based on a knowledge of chemistry.  After the tour, we were treated to a delicious lunch!  Then it was time to go back to Augsburg for a lecture on migration in Germany in the town hall.  I really enjoyed the lecture because I love learning about Germany's rich and diverse history.  Our discussion on the refugee situation did not end their either.  After, we went to the Grand Hotel where many refugees live.  It was unlike anything I've ever seen.  It was not only a home for refugees, but also a hotel with rooms decorated by local artists, and a hostel.  Although pretty fascinating, the tour was very long, and at this point, we were all exhausted from the busy day we had.  The hotel was also quite muggy, and I had a little bit of an asthma attack (thank goodness I brought my inhaler).  No worries because then it was time to get dinner!  Earlier that day, I had asked Christoph, one of the German students for dinner suggestions.  We wanted traditional German food so he suggested König Von Flandern.  I'm so glad he did because it was such a good time!  It was right near the town center and in the basement of a building.  When we walked in, I was able to use my German to get us seated and later, I helped everyone order.  I decided to be adventurous and order a "half knuckle of pork." It was definitely a lot of food, but it was also delicious!  After dinner, Jan, one of the German students who met up with us, took us to an authentic beer garden tucked away in the city.  While there, we ran into a girl on vacation with her boyfriend who told us she was from Pittsburgh!  I was so amazed that we ran into someone from my hometown since Augsburg really isn't much of a tourist town. The night ended with laughter and fun as we all shared stories and talked in the beer garden.  We then all took the tram back to our hotel.  I fell asleep almost immediately after I got back.  Overall, it was another great day in Deutschland!

Bis Später!

Lindsey

Second Day

9. Mai 2016

I had such a fun day today!  It started off with a light, traditional German breakfast at the hotel.  It was definitely unlike the breakfast that we are used to in America, but since I have studied the German culture for so long, I was not surprised.  They served Semmeln (rolls) with lunch meats, yogurt, cereal, fruit, and some other light refreshments.  After breakfast, it was time to leave for the University of Augsburg.  We took the tram, which was very convenient because it dropped us off right in the middle of the campus.  When we arrived, I was very surprised by how modern all of the buildings were.  The campus was definitely different from our university as it was separated from the city and everything seemed very new as it was only built in the 70s.  We then met up with the German students once again for a quick lecture from Professor Feick.  After, we were able to officially meet our groups in order to complete our first introduction presentation on our companies.  The Germans in my group, Katha, Christian, and Manuel, were so nice and easy to talk to!  They definitely knew how to make me laugh!  My company is BMW, so it was very interesting looking up all of the information on their history, current condition, and future outlook.  I really enjoyed watching all of the presentations, as well, and learned a lot of initial information about the companies we would soon be visiting.  My group did a very good job presenting, and I was so proud of everyone for putting together such a great presentation in such a short amount of time.

               It was then finally time for lunch at the Mensa, or cafeteria.  I was so excited to eat at an authentic German Mensa because I had learned a lot about them in my college German courses.  The food was so good; way better than anything I could get at Market Central!  I especially loved the steamed vegetables bar.  Lunch was a great time to continue fun conversations with all of the German students.  I had a ton of fun pronouncing “the 10 hardest German words for Americans to pronounce.”  Christian had found the article online and asked me to pronounce the words, and he said that I surprisingly did a very good job!  Since we were then curious, my friend Sydney and I then found a list of the toughest words for Germans to pronounce in English, and all of us had a great laugh!  After lunch, we then went on a quick campus tour led by some students.  I was so excited to hear that one of the students, Nicolai, had actually spent a semester at Pitt!  He was then my group’s leader for the scavenger hunt through the city, so it was really enjoyable being able to hear all of his fun stories of his time at Pitt. 

               The scavenger hunt itself was a ton of fun!  It brought us all around the city, and even to the top of the tower in the middle of the city square.  One of the questions asked us to count the number of stairs to the top, so just to be sure, I decided to ask the man working there how many there were (it was also just an excuse to use some more German of course).  He answered back, and said that there were 260!  It was definitely worth the little bit of exercise because the view was breathtaking!  In the middle of the scavenger hunt, my group decided we wanted to take a break, so Sophia, one of the Germans in my group, suggested we go and get “Butterbreze” from Wolf, a small bakery right in the town center.  I am so glad she did because it was so yummy!  We all sat in the town square, took in the sun and enjoyed our pretzels.  My friend Veronica was so comfortable that she even fell asleep!  While relaxing, we were really able to bond with Sophia and Nicolai.  Sophia is actually a student in the Netherlands who is studying in Augsburg on an exchange program.  She, like us, is very new to the Bavarian lifestyle.  However, it was amazing how many things we had in common with her, such as our music and clothing tastes.  After our little break, we then headed toward the final stop of the scavenger hunt, a famous brewery in Augsburg.  However, on our way, we had to stop for some gelato at Sophia’s favorite gelato shop.  I ordered one scoop of cookies flavored gelato for only one euro, and it was probably the best ice cream I had ever had.  I will definitely be stopping back at that shop before I leave Germany!  We then finally arrived to the beer garden, which was just so perfect, picturesque, and exactly what I imagined a beer garden to look like!  There, we sat and enjoyed each other’s company, and were able to exchange contact information with our new German friends.  Sadly, Sophia had to leave shortly after because she had class at the university, but we were able to get a great picture together before she did. 

               We then went back into the city center for dinner at an authentic Italian restaurant called Dragone.  What was especially memorable about this dinner was ordering and translating for everyone at my table!  It was so much fun for me!  My meal was a delicious pasta dish with fresh vegetables, which I really liked.  After dinner, it was time to explore the city a little more.  We just spent time going into a bunch of different restaurants and bonded with all of the Americans.  It was a really fun time!  Overall, it was such an amazing day.  I am so glad I was able to make such good friends with the German students and also use my German skills in a practical way!

Bis Spaeter!

Lindsey

First Day In Augsburg!

8. Mai 2016

Today has been such an exciting day!  I finally arrived in Germany after anticipating this moment since the fifth grade.  As I prepared for the flight, I even was able to almost completely forget about my fear of flying in order to toughen up and take on the 9.5 hour flight to Deutschland! Mostly, it seemed like a surreal, far off idea, until the wheels finally touched down in Munich.  Looking out the window of the plane, I couldn't believe I had finally arrived.  Immediately upon entering the airport, the sound of the German language was music to my ears. I would finally have an opportunity to use the language that I had worked so many years to learn.  So when my friend Veronica asked me to help her order a "Jägerkrusti" for breakfast, I was thrilled! I waltzed right up to the counter and confidently ordered it for her with almost no mistakes (except for the fact that they didn't have any more Jägerkrusti left and we had to decide on a new pastry at the spur of the moment).  Our group was then off to Augsburg!  We took a fancy version of an American Coach bus which was entirely too comfortable because it put me to sleep within five minutes.  Upon waking up, I was finally in Augsburg and at our hotel!  We checked into our rooms, which although quite small, were nice and modern.  At this point, I was absolutely exhausted from the lack of sleep on the plane, but I powered through because my excitement for the day was uncontainable!  After a little bit of down time, we met Sonya from the University of Augsburg who greeted us with German pretzels and sandwiches for lunch, which were a great first introduction to German cuisine.  After going over basic information about our next two weeks, we were off to downtown Augsburg for our city tour!  We took the train which was conveniently located right in front of our hotel.  When we got off the train, we were greeted by 6 of the German students who we would be paired with for the duration of the trip.  This particularly was exciting for me because I was so prepared to ask them tons of questions about their lives and practice my German by carrying on conversations with them.  My first impression of the city was that it was extremely beautiful, quaint, and picturesque.  It looked just like a postcard! After walking through the city streets, we went to the Fuggerei, a social housing complex originally established for the needy citizens of Augsburg.  Our guided tour was very interesting, and although I was close to falling asleep at some points, I really enjoyed it!  After our tour, it was finally time for some traditional Bavarian food!  For dinner, we went to a beer garden, where the rest of the German students met up with us.  I loved all of the food! Growing up with a German and Czech background, pork and sauerkraut were not unusual dishes, so I was very excited when I saw that this is what we were being served.  I also ordered Apfelschorle to drink, a German drink consisting of apple juice and carbonated water.  I really liked it, although it could have been a little sweeter.   Of course, we had to finish off dinner with Apfelstrüdel, which was absolutely delicious!  I couldn't have asked for a better dinner to welcome us to Bavaria! After dinner, we had the opportunity to bond even more with the German students.  We went to Peaches, a local Augsburg bar.  Here, we were able to laugh, talk, and share stories with the Germans.  It was particularly exciting to hear about the Germans' travels to the US and beyond.  I cannot wait to have the opportunity to travel as much as them someday in the future!  It was such an amazing time and a great introduction to all of our new friends!  Overall, it was a great first day in the city of Augsburg, and I can't wait for everything else that is to come on this trip! 

Bis Spaeter!

Lindsey