The Aftermath:
I have been home for 2 weeks now, and I miss Germany dearly. I returned to work at my 9 to 5 job on the Monday after returning, and all I could think about was going back. Adjusting to my sleeping schedule was more difficult when I came home than when I was in Germany. I started going to bed at 8 every night because I couldn't stay up any longer. I think I've finally adapted now, but it took much longer than I thought. I came home and finally got to see my friends who returned for the summer from their respective colleges, and they all told me how lucky I was to get to travel. Their schools don't have the study abroad programs like Pitt does, and I found that kind of sad. I am so grateful of this opportunity I had through Pitt, and I am so happy I decided to apply for this back in December.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
May 20, 2016 Day 14:
Today was our last day exploring Augsburg. I had many emotions as I walked through the city for the last time. I looked around and I remembered the first day we were here and everything was so new. I feel like I learned to navigate this city very well, even better than I know how to navigate Pittsburgh (the buses there are just confusing).
We went to breakfast at the Riegele brewery, where I had white sausage, a pretzel, and beer for breakfast. This was probably my favorite meal I have had this entire trip. The food was so good and it was just a nice way to spend the morning.
I was very happy seeing everyone walking around, and finally seeing the shops open and full of shoppers. The mood of Augsburg seems to change once the sun goes down, because that is when it seems to sleep along with the citizens.
During the day, a couple of us went to explore some of the shops we didn't get to see the first week. We sat in the main plaza for a while just observing people walking by, including a little boy who kept chasing a pigeon. There was a man with a musical organ box at the other side of the plaza, and the music he was playing sounded very familiar, but I couldn't tell you the name of it.
We went to recycle all of our bottles we have accumulated over the past 2 weeks, and the bottle machine was interesting. It would take the bottle, spin it, then completely crush it in between two belts. It sounded really cool and I wish that we had something like that at home. The glass bottles we had were just thrown in the recycling bin outside. When they were thrown in, each bottle broke, and it felt satisfactory to break the bottles.
We then walked to a mall that seemed very far away. It was very large, had a cinema in it, and even had exhibits of different reptiles. It also had those moving walkways you usually see in airports instead of escalators. I wish our malls were like this.
When walking back, there was a woman who stopped us and talked to us in English. Apparently, she was a Pitt alum and stopped us after seeing my Pitt shirt. It is really cool to see who you can connect with in the different parts of the world. It just goes to show how large Pitt is and how much pride people take in their alma mater.
After walking back, we decided to check out the beer garden in the woods across the street from us. It was very nice here, and there were many dogs to watch. Sitting in serene beer gardens are probably what I am going to miss most about Germany. It is so relaxing to just sit there and observe everything.
All in all, I loved this experience I got to have. I learned so many new things, including how bad I am at attempting to speak another language. I have had the time of my life, and I can only hope that I can come back and visit one day.
Today was our last day exploring Augsburg. I had many emotions as I walked through the city for the last time. I looked around and I remembered the first day we were here and everything was so new. I feel like I learned to navigate this city very well, even better than I know how to navigate Pittsburgh (the buses there are just confusing).
We went to breakfast at the Riegele brewery, where I had white sausage, a pretzel, and beer for breakfast. This was probably my favorite meal I have had this entire trip. The food was so good and it was just a nice way to spend the morning.
I was very happy seeing everyone walking around, and finally seeing the shops open and full of shoppers. The mood of Augsburg seems to change once the sun goes down, because that is when it seems to sleep along with the citizens.
During the day, a couple of us went to explore some of the shops we didn't get to see the first week. We sat in the main plaza for a while just observing people walking by, including a little boy who kept chasing a pigeon. There was a man with a musical organ box at the other side of the plaza, and the music he was playing sounded very familiar, but I couldn't tell you the name of it.
We went to recycle all of our bottles we have accumulated over the past 2 weeks, and the bottle machine was interesting. It would take the bottle, spin it, then completely crush it in between two belts. It sounded really cool and I wish that we had something like that at home. The glass bottles we had were just thrown in the recycling bin outside. When they were thrown in, each bottle broke, and it felt satisfactory to break the bottles.
We then walked to a mall that seemed very far away. It was very large, had a cinema in it, and even had exhibits of different reptiles. It also had those moving walkways you usually see in airports instead of escalators. I wish our malls were like this.
When walking back, there was a woman who stopped us and talked to us in English. Apparently, she was a Pitt alum and stopped us after seeing my Pitt shirt. It is really cool to see who you can connect with in the different parts of the world. It just goes to show how large Pitt is and how much pride people take in their alma mater.
After walking back, we decided to check out the beer garden in the woods across the street from us. It was very nice here, and there were many dogs to watch. Sitting in serene beer gardens are probably what I am going to miss most about Germany. It is so relaxing to just sit there and observe everything.
All in all, I loved this experience I got to have. I learned so many new things, including how bad I am at attempting to speak another language. I have had the time of my life, and I can only hope that I can come back and visit one day.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
May 19, 2016 Day 13:
Today was our last day as a group. We traveled to Ulm for a culture visit. Coming off the train, we saw a church tower in the distance. Initially, it reminded me of the Cathedral of Learning due to its stature and its ability to be viewed from basically anywhere in the city. We met our tour guide at the base of the church, and she took us inside the Munster, which we found out was the name of the church tower. This was definitely my favorite church we visited on the trip. It was so spacious with dark wood pews and a beautiful organ in the top. We entered and we heard the organ playing; the acoustics in the stone walls were amazing. I got to spend time listening to the music and observing the different types of stained glass. What interested me was the fact that there were different "eras" of stained glass, such as the oldest stained glass, which was the darkest. This glass had more brown and dark yellow hues. The next era of stained glass was from 1700-1800, I forget the exact years. This glass had lighter, happier colors, like greens, and blues. Then the last made me sad, it was the stained glass that replaced the old windows that were damaged in the war. These were bland, white tinted windows. I was upset that these beautiful pieces of art were lost forever, just to be replaced by boring pieces of glass.
We left the church and got to see some of Ulm's architecture. Like some of Bavaria, Ulm had half-timber houses, however there were many buildings with odd colors (like oranges and greens). I found it very interesting that people live in odd colored houses. My favorite part of the tour was seeing Ulm's Rathaus. It had this beautiful zodiac clock on the side. It was a beautiful sight, and I thought it was a really cool concept. Clocks are another thing that fascinate me; I just don't understand how that clock could function, since it had the time but also the zodiac figure for that time of year. The zodiac hand must have a very slow moving cog working for it.
We got to see a couple of leaning buildings which seemed to be a feat of both engineering and physics. We left our tour guide and went to this restaurant that had sweet and savory crepes. I got an apple pie crepe with the best vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted. After eating, we had about an hour until we had to climb the Munster tower. A few of us went to explore some shops, including a mall down the street, where I bought sweatpants.
We made our way back to the tower, and started our ascent. The trip up the stairs made me realize how out of shape I am. By the time I got to the top of the 768 stairs, my breath was taken away once again. The sight was so beautiful, neither words nor pictures can do it justice. There was just so much to take in. The steps and pain were so worth it.
Once going back down the stairs, we got to take a moment to relax. My legs were shaking so bad, so I just walked it off. That climb was arguably one of the hardest things I've had to do, and I've taken calculus two. We headed back to the train station just to find out our train was delayed. We got to explore the train station a bit before going back to Augsburg.
For dinner, we went back to the Augsburg Rathaus and ate in the Ratskeller. I was sad to leave the German students, but I was also excited to go back home. As much as I'll miss Germany, I just want to sleep in my own bed.
Today was our last day as a group. We traveled to Ulm for a culture visit. Coming off the train, we saw a church tower in the distance. Initially, it reminded me of the Cathedral of Learning due to its stature and its ability to be viewed from basically anywhere in the city. We met our tour guide at the base of the church, and she took us inside the Munster, which we found out was the name of the church tower. This was definitely my favorite church we visited on the trip. It was so spacious with dark wood pews and a beautiful organ in the top. We entered and we heard the organ playing; the acoustics in the stone walls were amazing. I got to spend time listening to the music and observing the different types of stained glass. What interested me was the fact that there were different "eras" of stained glass, such as the oldest stained glass, which was the darkest. This glass had more brown and dark yellow hues. The next era of stained glass was from 1700-1800, I forget the exact years. This glass had lighter, happier colors, like greens, and blues. Then the last made me sad, it was the stained glass that replaced the old windows that were damaged in the war. These were bland, white tinted windows. I was upset that these beautiful pieces of art were lost forever, just to be replaced by boring pieces of glass.
We left the church and got to see some of Ulm's architecture. Like some of Bavaria, Ulm had half-timber houses, however there were many buildings with odd colors (like oranges and greens). I found it very interesting that people live in odd colored houses. My favorite part of the tour was seeing Ulm's Rathaus. It had this beautiful zodiac clock on the side. It was a beautiful sight, and I thought it was a really cool concept. Clocks are another thing that fascinate me; I just don't understand how that clock could function, since it had the time but also the zodiac figure for that time of year. The zodiac hand must have a very slow moving cog working for it.
We got to see a couple of leaning buildings which seemed to be a feat of both engineering and physics. We left our tour guide and went to this restaurant that had sweet and savory crepes. I got an apple pie crepe with the best vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted. After eating, we had about an hour until we had to climb the Munster tower. A few of us went to explore some shops, including a mall down the street, where I bought sweatpants.
We made our way back to the tower, and started our ascent. The trip up the stairs made me realize how out of shape I am. By the time I got to the top of the 768 stairs, my breath was taken away once again. The sight was so beautiful, neither words nor pictures can do it justice. There was just so much to take in. The steps and pain were so worth it.
Once going back down the stairs, we got to take a moment to relax. My legs were shaking so bad, so I just walked it off. That climb was arguably one of the hardest things I've had to do, and I've taken calculus two. We headed back to the train station just to find out our train was delayed. We got to explore the train station a bit before going back to Augsburg.
For dinner, we went back to the Augsburg Rathaus and ate in the Ratskeller. I was sad to leave the German students, but I was also excited to go back home. As much as I'll miss Germany, I just want to sleep in my own bed.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
May 18, 2016 Day 12:
Today was the day I've been dreading this entire trip; presentation day. We worked on the content of our presentation last night, whereas we worked on the formatting today. We didn't even get to go to lunch at the Mensa since we were working so hard. Once we finished the powerpoint, we practiced presenting so many times so that all of us were comfortable with our part in the presentation. We finished up, and headed to the Mensa to present.
When we arrived, we saw Dr. Feick standing ouside. He said it was locked, and secretly I hoped that we wouldn't have to present. My dreams were soon crushed when Sonja came and opened the door for us. We went to the presentation room and saw the BMW group already sitting there. I don't know how they got in; perhaps it was BMW magic.
We sat and listened to all the presentations and I was getting nervous. I hate talking in front of people, and I didn't want to bore everyone to sleep. I got through it, and I felt pretty good about my part of the presentation and answering questions. I'm glad I chose a company I already knew information about. I was happy that the presentations were finally over and I could have the next 2 days to truly be on a vacation.
Today was the day I've been dreading this entire trip; presentation day. We worked on the content of our presentation last night, whereas we worked on the formatting today. We didn't even get to go to lunch at the Mensa since we were working so hard. Once we finished the powerpoint, we practiced presenting so many times so that all of us were comfortable with our part in the presentation. We finished up, and headed to the Mensa to present.
When we arrived, we saw Dr. Feick standing ouside. He said it was locked, and secretly I hoped that we wouldn't have to present. My dreams were soon crushed when Sonja came and opened the door for us. We went to the presentation room and saw the BMW group already sitting there. I don't know how they got in; perhaps it was BMW magic.
We sat and listened to all the presentations and I was getting nervous. I hate talking in front of people, and I didn't want to bore everyone to sleep. I got through it, and I felt pretty good about my part of the presentation and answering questions. I'm glad I chose a company I already knew information about. I was happy that the presentations were finally over and I could have the next 2 days to truly be on a vacation.
May 17, 2016 Day 11:
Today was another day I was looking forward to; the company visit to PPG. When we arrived to the visit, it wasn't really anything to look at. I didn't care, I was to work at PPG one day and I was ready to learn everything they have to say. We heard an introduction about the company from a man named Axel, as well as Marcus, who visited us in Pittsburgh. After the presentation, we got to see the color innovation show room and lab. These two rooms were my favorite, as I love color. the first room was a display room to show the colors for the 2019 market of cars. Of course, the glittery ones caught my eye and I took a liking to those. The next room contained the color library which contained about 3500 color swatches. When he pulled out the hanging drawers of swatches, I just stood there and smiled. They all glittered and glimmered and threw light around in so many ways. I just wanted to go through all the drawers and see all the colors and the basic foundations of all of them.
Next, we went to a lab to see what it looked like. Of course, it smelled like paint, but it was still cool to see. The worker's offices were in the lab, which I thought was odd since so much could go wrong in the lab.
We didn't do much else with the group once we left PPG. However, my group for the presentation did meet at Lucie's (a German student) flat to work on the presentation together. This was a fun bonding experience, and I feel like we got a lot done for our presentation.
I was just excited to finally visit PPG, and I am excited to see if my future takes me there.
Today was another day I was looking forward to; the company visit to PPG. When we arrived to the visit, it wasn't really anything to look at. I didn't care, I was to work at PPG one day and I was ready to learn everything they have to say. We heard an introduction about the company from a man named Axel, as well as Marcus, who visited us in Pittsburgh. After the presentation, we got to see the color innovation show room and lab. These two rooms were my favorite, as I love color. the first room was a display room to show the colors for the 2019 market of cars. Of course, the glittery ones caught my eye and I took a liking to those. The next room contained the color library which contained about 3500 color swatches. When he pulled out the hanging drawers of swatches, I just stood there and smiled. They all glittered and glimmered and threw light around in so many ways. I just wanted to go through all the drawers and see all the colors and the basic foundations of all of them.
Next, we went to a lab to see what it looked like. Of course, it smelled like paint, but it was still cool to see. The worker's offices were in the lab, which I thought was odd since so much could go wrong in the lab.
We didn't do much else with the group once we left PPG. However, my group for the presentation did meet at Lucie's (a German student) flat to work on the presentation together. This was a fun bonding experience, and I feel like we got a lot done for our presentation.
I was just excited to finally visit PPG, and I am excited to see if my future takes me there.
May 16, 2016 Day 10:
Today we went to Neuschwanstein castle and the little town of Fussen. Going to the Alps on the bus was an adventure in itself, since everything there is just so scenic. Once I saw the castle, I couldn't take my eyes off it. We arrived at the base of the mountain and I could already tell the air was so clean and crisp. There was a lake near us, so we went to look at it. It seemed pretty shallow, but you could see the bottom of it like it was glass. Once again, it was hard to believe it was real since it looked like a postcard picture.
We started our venture up the hill after a failed bathroom attempt (the money machine broke). The hilll up wasn't too bad of a climb; climbing to Trees Hall every day for band conditioned my legs for the climb. A horse and buggy passed us, and I felt bad for the horses. It's a struggle to walk up the hill, let alone carry a bunch of people in a buggy. We got to the top of the hill, and the walk was so incredibly worth it.
To the left was a balcony that overlooked the farmland and buildings at the base of the hill/mountain. I stood there for a good 5 minutes just taking everything in. To the right was a balcony that overlooked the ravine next to the castle. It reminded me of the Sears Tower in Chicago and the glass boxes you can stand in. The castle looked just as it does in the pictures, and I couldn't believe I was actually there. We went up to the castle to start our tour, and walking in we could see the detail in the woodwork and paintings. Our tour guide didn't really talk a lot, but she didn't really need to. the artwork everywhere was enough to tell stories. My favorite parts of the tour were the throne room and the King's bedroom. The throne room was just so bright with gold and pictures, it really made me happy. The mosaic tile was really cool too; it was the circle of like and it had a bunch of different exotic animals. The chandelier was huge and brass with glass stones encrusting it. I loved how the glass looked like precious gemstones.
The King's bedroom was large and elegant, with the Bavarian crest everywhere. The bed was my favorite part. The frame was wooden and at the top was the most intricate wood work I have ever seen. I wish we were allowed to take pictures, because words can't do the bed justice. Just the detail in every aspect of the castle blew me away, and I can now understand why the castle was never finished.
We left the castle and started our descent down the hill. It seemed to take a shorter amount of time to walk down the hill than it did to go up. It may be because I wasn't sure of how far the walk was. Oh well, we got on the bus and headed to Fussen. Fussen was a cute little town about 40 minutes away from the castle. We at lunch in an Alpine restaurant . It was very small, as our large group set it almost to capacity. I had Spatzle again, and it was even better than the first time I had it. After dinner we got to walk around to the different shops. There was one sweets shop where they sold "snowballs". These were little bits of flour dough wrapped in a ball and covered with chocolate. They tasted like chocolate covered animal crackers and it was so good. While looking around, a man came up to me and flashed his Pitt hoodie, which I thought was really cool. It is a small world after all.
After Fussen, we went to this church an additional 45 minutes away. Upon arrival, we could hear a German band playing and smell some kind of food. We visited the church a bit to study the architecture and see the art. Today was a great cultural day, and I'm looking forward to going to PPG tomorrow!
Today we went to Neuschwanstein castle and the little town of Fussen. Going to the Alps on the bus was an adventure in itself, since everything there is just so scenic. Once I saw the castle, I couldn't take my eyes off it. We arrived at the base of the mountain and I could already tell the air was so clean and crisp. There was a lake near us, so we went to look at it. It seemed pretty shallow, but you could see the bottom of it like it was glass. Once again, it was hard to believe it was real since it looked like a postcard picture.
We started our venture up the hill after a failed bathroom attempt (the money machine broke). The hilll up wasn't too bad of a climb; climbing to Trees Hall every day for band conditioned my legs for the climb. A horse and buggy passed us, and I felt bad for the horses. It's a struggle to walk up the hill, let alone carry a bunch of people in a buggy. We got to the top of the hill, and the walk was so incredibly worth it.
To the left was a balcony that overlooked the farmland and buildings at the base of the hill/mountain. I stood there for a good 5 minutes just taking everything in. To the right was a balcony that overlooked the ravine next to the castle. It reminded me of the Sears Tower in Chicago and the glass boxes you can stand in. The castle looked just as it does in the pictures, and I couldn't believe I was actually there. We went up to the castle to start our tour, and walking in we could see the detail in the woodwork and paintings. Our tour guide didn't really talk a lot, but she didn't really need to. the artwork everywhere was enough to tell stories. My favorite parts of the tour were the throne room and the King's bedroom. The throne room was just so bright with gold and pictures, it really made me happy. The mosaic tile was really cool too; it was the circle of like and it had a bunch of different exotic animals. The chandelier was huge and brass with glass stones encrusting it. I loved how the glass looked like precious gemstones.
The King's bedroom was large and elegant, with the Bavarian crest everywhere. The bed was my favorite part. The frame was wooden and at the top was the most intricate wood work I have ever seen. I wish we were allowed to take pictures, because words can't do the bed justice. Just the detail in every aspect of the castle blew me away, and I can now understand why the castle was never finished.
We left the castle and started our descent down the hill. It seemed to take a shorter amount of time to walk down the hill than it did to go up. It may be because I wasn't sure of how far the walk was. Oh well, we got on the bus and headed to Fussen. Fussen was a cute little town about 40 minutes away from the castle. We at lunch in an Alpine restaurant . It was very small, as our large group set it almost to capacity. I had Spatzle again, and it was even better than the first time I had it. After dinner we got to walk around to the different shops. There was one sweets shop where they sold "snowballs". These were little bits of flour dough wrapped in a ball and covered with chocolate. They tasted like chocolate covered animal crackers and it was so good. While looking around, a man came up to me and flashed his Pitt hoodie, which I thought was really cool. It is a small world after all.
After Fussen, we went to this church an additional 45 minutes away. Upon arrival, we could hear a German band playing and smell some kind of food. We visited the church a bit to study the architecture and see the art. Today was a great cultural day, and I'm looking forward to going to PPG tomorrow!
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