My experience through my study abroad trip to Germany is one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. There were so many things happening all at once, all of them molding me into a better person. From the hustle and bustle of Berlin, to the peace and quiet in the small city of Wolfenbuttel, this trip was everything I could have asked for and more.
The trip started in Berlin for the first week. While there, we traveled to the BMW Motorcycle Factory, which was easily my favorite part of the trip. I learned so much about BMW, including that they make their motorcycles on an ordering basis, not by mass production. This showed me that customer service is the priority for BMW and goes along with what I have come to learn about Germans in general: that they’re very nice and extremely helpful, unlike the stereotype Americans have come to know about them.
I thought the people in Berlin were helpful, and it could be argued that it’s more helpful to be in Berlin because many of the people there speak English, but the people of Wolfsburg were all so welcoming and open to showing us around and spending time with us. When I found out about this trip, and that we were going to be taking classes at Ostfalia, I just assumed that we would go to class and leave, maybe spend time among our own class afterwards. I was right, but completely wrong at the same time. We did spend time together, but the students of Ostfalia, and their friends, were also happy and excited to come out with us and show us the best places to go.
I just want to thank UTC, Dr. Jones, Elizabeth Bell, all my classmates, our tour guides, and all the students at Ostfalia for making this trip the dream that I never knew could come true. I have been to Germany before; I was in high school and went with about 100 people I already knew, so it was extremely easy to feel comfortable throughout the trip. This trip was the complete opposite of my first experience; I didn’t know anyone going into it, I was travelling with one person I barely knew just so I could have a travel buddy, and I had already traveled overseas. It is extremely difficult to summarize this journey, so I just tell everyone that they need to go. It is a once in a lifetime experience that everyone needs to have.
Nichole Fabrizio is majoring in Marketing. She participated in a faculty-led trip to Germany through the College of Business in May, 2018.
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