Trip Reflection

As I return home during my 16 hours of flying, I thought I could write my reflection blog post on the experience that was Plus 3 Germany. Honestly, this was such a great opportunity for me for a few reasons.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the different site visits. It was so awesome to see real business in motion instead of just hearing about it in a classroom. By listening to presentations and visiting places of business, we were able to see what the business world in Germany actually looks like. Even more than this, we were able to see techniques that help make companies successful. I especially felt this when we toured Audi. The presentation we heard was so engaging because it got down into details of what the company did. Additionally, the tour of the car factory where robots were in action and cars were being churned out was very exciting. I really enjoyed this part of the trip.

Another part of the trip I really liked was the many opportunities I had to encounter German history and culture. I have always been a guy that loved history (I have often said that if it was possible to get a job with a history major, I would be studying history). When we were inside the gold room in Augsburg, visited Ulm and saw the old wall that separated the city from the river, visited Munich with it’s old city hall and cathedrals, see the horrors of Dachau, or toured an old Bavarian castle, I was really enthralled. To be able to go to so many places where history happened, to walk where people walked a thousand years ago, this was a great aspect of my experience.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to work with the German students. Each of them was extremely nice and friendly. They always were able to help us read menus when we had group dinners or give us advice about anything we needed. I also really liked the fact that they were further along in their studies than we were. I felt like it benefitted me to work with people who had more experience than I did and learn from them and observe their thought processes.

The final thing I think I’ll mention was how great the other students were on this trip. I think I made some pretty good friends on my trip that I’ll hope to keep in touch with and see this fall. If it wasn’t for the other students being fun and always willing to joke around and have a good time, I don’t think this trip could have been nearly as great of an experience.

I think that, although many of us (myself included) wished that we had more free time while we were in Augsburg, when we look back we will not remember how we were busy. We will remember the places we went, the sights we saw, and the fun we had. I know I will look back at these last two weeks as two of the best weeks of my life.

The Last Day

The hall of tombs and plaques in the
cathedral

Today was a very bittersweet day. I could not believe how fast the last two weeks had flown by! This morning we didn't have anything planned, so I decided to sleep in a little. Then, once I woke up, I went for a jog in the park and headed into the city. I walked around the city, purchasing a couple souvenirs and making a stop at the cathedral to look at it once more. I found a cool hallway that had a ton of tombs and plaques (none of which I could read, but cool none the less).

A small stream in the park

Next, I met up with a couple guys and got döners for lunch, something I will truly miss when I'm back in the states. These Turkish fast-food sandwiches are delicious, and a couple of us were joking about opening a döner kebab restaurant when we get back. We then walked around the city a while, got ice cream, and headed back to the hotel. I packed, and then went for a stroll in the park since it was such a beautiful day.

Another small stream in the park

We then got dinner at Enchilada, a Mexican restaurant in town. It was super delicious! A few of the girls put together awards for the trip, and I was awarded Best (Male) Sweetheart and Best Selfie! I was very honored by these awards. Then, we went and got ice cream again (don't judge me!) and a few of us went and played pool at a little pool house. It was a good time. I am now back at the hotel, about to fall asleep, not looking forward to the long return plane ride, although it will be nice to not have to pay for water when I'm back home.

Presentations and Airbus Helicopters

Today was the big day of the final presentations. We arrived at the University at 8:30 and immediately presentations commenced. My group was third, which was good because it gave us an opportunity to get warmed up to the setting but we were also not last. I think our presentation went pretty well, as we made the time limit and covered all the information we wanted to get through. There was, however, one hiccup: I noticed that on one slide I wrote IBM as both Fujitsu's supplier and rival, but I meant to write that Intel was a supplier and IBM was a rival. Hopefully either no one noticed or they realized that it was a typo. Other than that, I believe my part of the presentation went pretty well, although I know I most likely talked very fast (I have a tendency to do this when I have to give presentations or speeches).

After presentations, we had lunch at the Mensa, which is the University of Augsburg's student dining hall. It is DELICIOUS, but I can't tell if it is because it is new to me, like during my first month of Market and Perch food back at Pitt. Either way, I am sad that my days of eating at Mensa are over.

We then returned to the classroom where we gave presentations to listen to a talk by Airbus Helicopters. This was a pretty interesting presentation, as I had heard of Airbus with regards to their commercial airline planes, but I had never heard of their helicopter segment. I was surprised they are actually leading the civil helicopter industry, and have around a ten percent market share in military helicopters. Furthermore, I found it interesting that most of their customers purchase less than five helicopters, demonstrating that their products are not bulk orders (like in the airline industry) and thus are more customized.

Because I felt it was very relevant, I asked the Airbus representative how he thought the advancement of drones would impact the helicopter business and if his firm was actually venturing into this area as well. He responded by saying that another division focused on defense and space is in fact making military drones. Additionally, he said that they have produced helicopters that are flown by humans but also have the capability to fly autonomously. This seemed to be very forward thinking to me and will allow the firm to adapt to changes in their environment.

After this presentation, I went for a run in the park once again, and then got ready for dinner, which I had to be at by 6:15. I was all ready, walked to the streetcar stop at 6:00, and saw that the line was not running. I checked another line down the block, and it was not working either! I ended up walking/jogging most of my way into town, and was a little bit late to dinner. However, I got a pork roast and spätzle (a pasta-type dish) for dinner that was outstanding, so it was all worth it. Then, a few of us went out to find an ice cream shop, and I'm pretty sure we found the only one open in the whole town. I don't know if I have mentioned it here, but in Germany all shops other than restaurants close between six and eight, so to find an ice cream shop open this late was a rarity. Thanks to this stroke of luck, I had a great capper to the night.

Fujitsu

Today we visited the company of my focus: Fujitsu. This company focuses of technology solutions, ranging from servers, software, PCs, and IT solutions. We only had to take a short tram ride to the company's location here in Augsburg. Upon arrival we listened to a very informative and interesting presentation highlighting the companies development and future trajectory.

We learned that the company is extremely focused in the Japanese market, as sales in this country alone make up over 60% of all sales, while the Americas amount to only 9% of sales. We also learned that Fujitsu mainly sells to firms, and basically only provides consumer products in the Japanese market (as well as developing a cell phone option for the older market segment in France). We also learned the importance of recent developments in cloud technology and big data in shaping the company. They will have to adapt to rivals such as Amazon and Google providing storage online, and sift through vast amounts of information to ensure they provide products their customers will desire.

We then toured the production facilities of the servers, which was a really cool experience to see. We were able to get all the necessary information for our presentation. After lunch at the University, we got down to business creating and putting the finishing touches on our presentation. Tomorrow we will give the presentation, so tonight will be full of practicing my part!

Allianz Arena and Sorin

This morning I went for a morning run and happened to run into Dr. Feick in the park! I gave him a wave, and went on a run over the dam in the park and ran by a reservoir on a trail. I enjoy running over there if you couldn't tell, and one of the park's best qualities is that it is nearly completely flat. After a year of the Chevron steps, I will take some flat space!

Inside the arena (the grass is being
redone)

The arena from the outside. The
facade can be lit up with different
colors at night

Today we visited two sites in Munich. After arriving by train, hopping on the subway, and taking a bus, we first visited Allianz Arena. This 71,000-seat stadium houses FC Bayern München , the German national champion soccer team, as well as the Munich Lions, a second division soccer team. When we first entered the stadium, we sat on seats in one end. We were given the opportunity to shout out and experience the echo that is caused by the design of the stadium, and it was crazy to see how much noise just thirty people could make.

The tunnel that leads to the pitch

The lockers of the FC
Bayern München

Next, we visited the press room for the coaches, locker room of the players, and the tunnel that players would enter through. We also saw the hall where players do interviews after the game. The thing that surprised me most was how lackluster the locker rooms were. They were not very large or anything special compared to college athletics locker rooms I have seen on video or seen in person. However, the reason for this is that the team practices at a different facility, and are only at Allianz Arena once every couple weeks. Thus, a posh locker room is unnecessary.

After eating lunch at the arena, we walked through the hail to get on a subway and bus to Sorin. Sorin is a manufacturer of cardiopulmonary devices, and at this specific location they produce heart-lung machines, oxygenators, and auto transfusion machines. This was interesting to see, as nearly 70% of production is done in house. This means that they have raw materials, such as an aluminum rod, and cut and shape it into the various components they need, and then assemble these pieces. They also create the circuit boards in house. It was really surprising to see this level of vertical integration in a day and age where outsourcing seems to be key. They said they did this to reduce costs as well as ensure quality, which is extremely important especially considering the quality is so critical in medical devices.

After this tour, my group had to give the preview presentation of Fujitsu Technology Solutions, which is the firm we are visiting tomorrow. We then caught the train back to Augsburg.

Siemens Healthcare and Nuremberg

Today we left the hotel at 6:45 and departed for Nuremberg in what was less-than-stellar weather. It was about a two and a half hour drive, and I slept for about an hour and a half of it. Only about five minutes after I woke up I looked out the window and saw what were the remnants of an old castle on a hillside. only the crumbling outer walls remained, and it was a very cool sight to behold.

Jeremy and Mike ensure I
enter the CT scanner
correctly

When we arrived at Siemens, we first received a overview of the company that especially focused on the division we were touring: Siemens Healthcare. We were taught about the companies 19th century beginnings, how it's venture into healthcare products became its most profitable segment, and what products they currently offer in this field.

Siemens CT Scanners

Siemens Angiograph

We then toured the production facilities where the CT, MR, and Angiograph machines are built. It was a very interesting experience, as we learned that it takes four weeks to produce one MR machine, and even longer for other machines. We also observed then extensive testing the machines undergo. One thing that surprised me was how labor intensive production of the imaging machines is. I did not expect the process to be almost all undertaken by human laborers, and was shocked by the absence of automation. It was quite astonishing.

Church in center of
Nuremberg

A watch tower and walls in
the castle

After touring Siemens, we took a tour of the city of Nuremberg. Through rain and sunshine, we learned about the cities powerful status in the history of Germany, as it served as the meeting place for many diets in the past. We saw an open market that is apparently huge during the Christmas season. We were able to walk around a castle complete with a moat and watchtower, which was a very awesome experience.

We also got "Lebkuchen", a German gingerbread that is a little different than the gingerbread that we have at home. We also had authentic Nuremberg bratwurst for dinner, which are smaller than other bratwurst we have seen here in Germany. Instead of being the size of a brat we would have in America (and that they have in other places in Germany), the brats were only a little larger than a breakfast sausage link. Apparently this was because, in medieval Germany, restaurant owners were forced to close their shops at 10 or 11 in the evening. However, some residents were still hungry after closing time, so the shop owners made brats that could be slipped through a keyhole. They surely were delicious.

The moat surrounding
the castle

Design on door entering into
castle courtyard

After having this great dinner, we headed back to Augsburg, and once again, I slept most of the ride back to the hotel. It was quite a long day, but it definitely was a great experience.

A view of Nuremberg from the castle wall

Dachau

To begin the day, I took my usual venture into the park for my morning run. I went further than usual and stumbled upon a dam that was on a large river. It was a very scenic sight to behold. The dam was not like the Grand Coulee Dam, but more similar to the smaller dams in Spokane, although the river has much less of a vertical drop than does the Spokane River.

Main hall in Dachau

Fence around Dachau,
complete with ditch, barbed
wire, electric fence, and
wall

Entrance into Dachau

Upon my return and after eating breakfast, the group left for Dachau, a concentration camp outside of Munich. I believe this was an extremely sobering experience for the whole group. The camp was a forced labor camp that held political prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies, and, during the later stages of the war, Jewish people. We first entered through a gate that contained the inscription "Work makes you free", an ironic statement that is truly horrifying. There were work projects that were completely pointless, such as moving a huge pile of sand across a street for ten hours without a break, and then the next day moving it right back. Many people died of exhaustion.

Prisoner beds in barracks

Sign in area where prisoners were
first stripped and had all belongings
taken. Sign says "no smoking",
which was absurd because the
prisoners would have no cigarettes
anyways

Prison cell

We then entered the area where the prisoners would first come to be stripped of all of their identity and personality and saw the jail cells where some prisoners were held. There were some cells we couldn't see anymore that were only large enough to stand in, and some prisoners were held in these dark standing cells for 14 days
straight.

Area where barracks once stood

Another horror we learned about were the living conditions. We saw a rebuilt barrack where the prisoners were forced to stay. At the creation of the camp, each building was supposed to hold 200 prisoners, which would be a cramped condition considering there were only forty toilets and even fewer wash stations. However, by the end of the war, there were 2,000 people forced to live in each building, and they were only given thirty minutes in the morning for all of the inmates to clean up and use the restroom. I cannot even imagine what this could have meant for the hygiene of the camp and the overall standard of living; it must have been unbearable.

Entrance to gas chamber,
with painted label "shower"

Crematorium with four "ovens"

Inside of Gas Chamber

The most horrifying thing we saw, in my opinion, was the crematorium and gas chamber. There was originally not a crematorium at Dachau, but as the population and mortality rate increased, the SS built a crematorium at the camp. As the camp grew even more, they built a second crematorium with four "ovens" and a gas chamber. We walked through the second, larger crematorium, including the rooms where the bodies were put before being cremated, and through the gas chamber. The door entering the gas chamber had painted above the entrance the word "shower" to trick the inmates who were about to be executed. This experience made me sick to my stomach, and was extremely sad.

Underneath cathedral

Painting on ceiling of side
chapel in cathedral

Statue of St. Ulrich outside
cathedral

We then finished up our tour and went back to Augsburg. Many of us, including myself, took a nap back at the hotel. I then went for a walk around the city and checked out the largest

cathedral in the city. It was very beautiful, with a large alter area, beautiful paintings, and many choir seats. It also had a lower area beneath the choir area in the back that had a small alter and tomb. This was a really neat sight. Our whole group then met back up and went to dinner at a restaurant in town. Tomorrow we have to wake up early for Nuremberg, so I think it will be an early night for us all.

A Festive Day in Munich

I am convinced that we picked the perfect time to study abroad in Germany after today. After stepping foot off the train in Munich, we began to see people in lederhosen, something we were told we would never see while in Germany. We soon learned that there was going to be a huge celebration of the Bayern Munich soccer team winning the German league, and the entire city was going to be in on it. There were a multitude of people wearing lederhosen, Bayern Munich jerseys, and not quite sober (if you know what I mean). 

We started our day in Munich by touring the city. It was a very interesting tour where we saw a city palace, opera, and city hall. It continues to amaze me when I see the Bavarian architecture and city planning style. After this, we had bratwurst for lunch and then had some free time in the afternoon.

I decided to meet up with a foreign exchange student named Sarah who had lived with my family while I was in high school. I met up with her, had a pretzel,  apple kuchen (which is like an apple cheesecake with very little sugar), and went to the Hofbrauhaus where there was music from a live Bavarian band. We then walked around the city and had a very good afternoon. We walked through the city center square where Bayern Munich fans were all gathered and chanting and singing. We also walked through the market where produce and trinkets were being sold. 

After Sarah caught her train back home, I wandered around Munich, exploring the different cathedrals that were all near the city center. There were four or five just in that area, and they were all very old, large, and beautiful.

Finally, our group met up for dinner at a burger restaurant, which was delicious. I got a hamburger with  brie cheese and cranberries, which was fantastic. I am definitely going to have to grill some of that up on my own this summer. We then caught the train back to Augsburg. It was an exciting, fun day!

Ulm, Great Pizza, and an Epic Selfie

Today we took a trip to Ulm, which is a city northwest of Augsburg. We hopped on the train this morning and it only took us a little over an hour to get there, which gave all of us enough time to get a nice nap in.

When we arrived, we took a tour of the old part of the city, where we saw buildings dating back to as early as the fourteenth century. It was really amazing to see authentic, extremely old German houses. The construction is exactly how you would imagine, with the wooden beams on the outside of the house and a stucco-like material everywhere else. We also walked over some really neat bridges that were over diversions of the local river, and we walked on top of a wall that separated the town from the Danube river. We concluded our tour at a large cathedral in the center of the town, and then went to lunch.

We again had pizza for lunch. Normally, I wouldn't enjoy the same lunch two days in a row, but when you have pizza as good as this, you cannot complain! The pizzas were these huge, thin crust pizzas that were so large they couldn't fit on a plate! I ordered a pizza with a little bit of Italian sausage and "hard cheese", and it was fantastic. Next, we took on the most daunting challenge: climbing to the top of the cathedrals 768-step steeple.

Although it took a while, and I wasn't quite fond of the heights at times, it surely was a spectacular view at times, and I managed to snap a few good photos while at the top, including a pretty good selfie!

As a reward, we had some delicious gelato at a little store. Then, we took the ride back and had a nice nap along the way! It was a very successful day.

KUKA and a Dealership

This morning I once again went on a jog in the large park across from our hotel. The park is so big and scenic I feel like it could never get old! I came back and had breakfast at the hotel as I have done most days. I don't believe I have blogged about the breakfast yet, so I will do so now. I normally eat a large breakfast, so first I get a bowl of this seed-fruit-granola cereal and put a yogurt on it. This is really good because the yogurt practically tastes like pudding; it is so delicious! Then, some mornings I add a side of toast with a hard-boiled egg, while others I opt for a sliced-sausage and swiss cheese sandwich on a french roll. Either way, it sure is a great start to my day.

After breakfast, we went to tour the KUKA manufacturing plant on the other side of Augsburg, which we traveled to by streetcar. I will digress for a second and mention that the streetcars are amazing--very reliable, efficient, and clean. I hope one day we have them in the United States. Back on topic, KUKA is a manufacturer of robots that are in hospitals, manufacturers, and are extremely prevalent in the automotive industry. In fact, KUKA is #1 in not only most robots sold in Germany, but also are #1 for robots sold in the automotive industry worldwide. We actually saw these robots in action yesterday at the Audi production facilities.

As we toured the KUKA plant, we noticed that the making of the individual pieces of the robots is somewhat automated, while the compilation of the pieces into the final product is mainly done by hand. This was somewhat surprising to me. All in all, it was very cool to see how large and powerful the machines were, how skilled the workers had to be, and how precise the machines were made to be. They are guaranteed to be precise to 0.1 mm, and are actually precise to 0.05 mm! It was also interesting to learn about how they envision the future of robot, especially when they said they envisioned their robots being in households within the next ten years!

After lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant (I ordered a pizza with ham on it), we went to an Audi car dealership. There, we learned about the process of selling both used and new cars and many of the transactions that go along with the sale, such as insurance, service, or leasing. I never realized the personal approach that salesmen go to, such as remembering your buying habits and major life changes that could influence future buying habits. I also never realized the lengths a dealership would go to to ensure they retain you as a loyal customer. After getting a picture with the Audi R8 and touring the facilities, a small group of us headed into town to walk around, look at shops, and have dinner at a Spanish restaurant. It's safe to say, this was another exciting day!

Audi Visit

To start off the day, I decided to go on a run in the park across from the hotel. Although it was wet outside, I was lucky enough to avoid the rain during my run, and the damp air felt nice. The park is very cool, complete with a pond, thicker forested areas, and open grassy areas. After the run, I came back and had a hearty breakfast of yogurt, cereal, and a meat-and-cheese sandwich, then got ready for the day ahead.

We boarded a bus with our German counterparts and took an hour-long bus trip to the Audi plant. When we arrived, we first visited the museum. This was a truly eye-opening experience, as we got to see artifacts from the long and storied history of the Audi brand. I personally did not know Audi had such a rich past, and it was really awesome to see all of their old cars, learn about the development of the firm, and also see some of their newer models.

Next, we attended a presentation given by a product development official for Audi. All of us students greatly enjoyed this presentation, where we learned about the development of the Audi brand from a four car, small player brand to a firm that has vast product lines and is a leading luxury automotive company. It was very interesting to learn how Audi went about this development, as well as how they introduce new products are preparing for change in the industry. After we attended this presentation, we toured the production facilities of the Audi A3 and saw how the cars were made from start to finish, which was a really neat process, but one I shouldn't divulge in here (for fear of BMW spies).

Finally, we took the bus back to Augsburg and had an absolutely delicious dinner at a Turkish fast food restaurant. Most of us students got sandwiches which were similar to a gyro; they were on pita bread and had roasted meat, a yogurt sauce, and vegetables. It was fantastic, and I feel like I will be having this quite often for the remainder of the trip!

Hospital Visit

This morning our group visited the hospital here in Augsburg, specifically focusing on the Siemens technology that are employed in the clinic. We split into three groups while with our German counterparts, and toured the MRI, CT scan, and another high-tech scanner.

Each of these pieces of technology were very fascinating and amazing to see. We learned how important and critical each was to the treatment of patients at the clinic, which is one of the largest hospitals in the area. These machines aid in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions ranging from shoulder injuries to brain aneurisms and are central to operations at the hospital.

A critical piece of information we took away was the process by which the scanners are purchased. To begin the process, the hospital puts together a description of what features they need in their new piece of equipment and sets a list of requirements it must meet. Then, the hospital notifies the public and collects bids from companies. After examining each offer and possibly observing the equipment in action, the hospital must buy the piece of equipment that fits all necessities and is the lowest-priced option. This will be an important idea to keep in mind as we tour Siemens tomorrow.

After this tour, we worked on our project with our German team members on the University of Augsburg campus, and now we have a little down time back at the hotel before we go to dinner (and hopefully get some ice cream since it is such a nice day out).

The First Full Day

Yesterday morning we arrived from our flight in Munich, and within our first few minutes in our new home due the next two weeks, we could tell we we no longer in the United States. After grabbing some snacks at a grocery store that had aisles upon aisles of alcohols and candies, we headed for Augsburg in the shuttles.

We drove through a green, scenic countryside that actually looked somewhat similar to home, other than one thing: every couple of miles there would be a little town with almost all white houses with red-tiled roofs. It was a very neat thing to see. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel (and taking a quick nap) we took a guided tour of Augsburg. In the words of our guide, "We learned the two-thousand year history of Augsburg in two hours."

This tour was very eye opening. From its Roman roots, to the industrial revolution, to defeating the Hungarians, to devastation in World War Two, we learned a large amount, but that can be read in a history book. I was amazed by just how much the feel and look of Augsburg was so much like I imagined it! With old-European style buildings, tons of little shops and stores everywhere, and cobblestone streets, it was very neat. We even saw a room containing three kilograms of gold! It was very modern as well, with a cable-car running from the hotel to the city center.

After this tour we had dinner at a restaurant underneath the city hall. I had a schnitzel because I felt my trip to Germany would be incomplete without it, and it was delicious. Then, we all went and crashed at the hotel.

Today, we got up early, took the tram to the University of Augsburg,  and listened to a lecture from Dr. Feick on course topics. Then, we got lunch at the cafeteria at the university. It was somewhat similar to our cafeterias, only perhaps healthier and a different selection of foods (I had pizza).

We then toured the University. It is smaller than Pitt, and very much has a college atmosphere. I was amazed at how the grass was untrimmed and FULL of dandelions. I know that lawn would drive my parents crazy, but it seems to be normal here!

After the tour, we did a scavenger hunt around the city, looking for odd facts about different things in the city. In the process, we got a beautiful view of the city from a 261-step high bell tower and saw the inside of a stunning church. We then ate dinner at Mr. Onion's, where I had the "American" burger.

All in all, it has been a great start, I love the city, and I can't wait to so some site visits, spend more time with our Augsburg hosts, and see more of Germany!