My program has officially ended, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to go to Europe and meet new people! I decided to go on this trip mainly because of the requirement for Industrial Engineering students to travel internationally. However, I quickly realized there’s a great reason for that requirement, and it can be a lot of fun if you open up to new experiences!
Some lessons I learned are to be more open to spontaneity, trust yourself, and be thankful for the opportunities we’re given. I’ll start with spontaneity, since I think it was the most important lesson I learned. I wouldn’t describe myself as outgoing, but I quickly learned that many people in Germany relied on me to “go with the flow.” We’d often leave classes and decide to go to a park on a whim. This isn’t my style, as I like to plan ahead and stick to it. However, I learned it’s okay to be open to new ideas, and having a plan for every second isn’t always best.
The next lesson was trusting myself. This was a big part of the trip, since we were in an unfamiliar environment with little preparation. That said, we’re all adults and need to navigate alone. I learned that trusting my gut and being independent is fun. We had free time on Sundays, and I loved finding a train and going to places I wanted to see most. I decided that it was important to visit Dachau, the Nymphenburg Palace, as well as Olympiapark. I have added a picture from the Olympiapark to this blog, simply because of the sheer beauty. It was amazing being able to be in so many parks in such a short amount of time.Munich was filled with green areas and beautiful walkways, which made me very jealous! All of this made me more comfortable with my independence and confident in myself.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge that our group was lucky to go to Germany for two weeks. I’m so grateful for this opportunity, and I know many people will never experience what I did. Not only that, but I did it with people I now consider friends. Thank you to everyone who supported me on this trip; I’m truly appreciative of everything!
