Hallo!
My first two weeks abroad have been quite eventful. I’ve tried a lot of new dishes, picked up some parts of a new language, caught up with the local history, experienced new cultures (not limited to German), been introduced to European business customs, studied entrepreneurial and innovation management techniques, and met many wonderful people along the way.
During my time here in Berlin, I’ve been staying at a hostel in the Kreuzberg district in Berlin. At hostels, you typically live in close proximity to other students or other young people that are just as eager as you to explore every inch of an exciting, and unfamiliar city. Many students also attending the Berlin School of Economics (BSEL) were staying at the same hostel as me, all of which come from many different countries. In fact, I live down the hall from most of my classmates from the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (EIM) program, but I’ve also met other students enrolled in different programs at BSEL. Just interacting with these various students, all from different backgrounds and origins, was already culturally refreshing.
Staying in Kreuzberg, the hostel is placed in a very convenient location in Berlin, where it is rather close to the main districts, and thus, more access to transit, and a simpler time getting around the city. Commuting around Berlin has largely revolved around walking (a lot of walking), taking the U-Bahn (the underground metro), the S-Bahn (the street-level/elevated metro), buses, and trams throughout the city. I commute from the hostel to the school I attend using the U-Bahn 7 (U7) line towards Rathaus Spandau. My morning commutes don’t typically last longer than 20 minutes. Nevertheless, it sure felt longer than I was used to! Getting to lectures from Litchfield Towers would only take a five minute walk at most. But Pittsburgh and Berlin are two very different cities.
My time here in Berlin has been very educational. The knowledge I’ve accumulated through my time here has been consistent with the methodology that PittBusiness students have been exposed to: From the Classroom. To the City. To the World. Everyday in Berlin bears enlightenment from all three facets. From the Classroom, both my Entrepreneurship and my Innovation Management professors were both former entrepreneurs themselves, which was very beneficial because my classmates and I got to learn authentic and current entrepreneurship theory from those that practiced it in the past with much success. In terms of the City, we met with many of Berlin’s tech entrepreneurs that are catapulting this city’s startup scene into an economic powerhouse. For instance, we attending testing events at Berlin’s startup incubators, and we met with founder of Berlin’s current hottest startup, GoEuro, Naren Shaam.
Week Three will tackle the last leg: the World. Bio Company, a bio supermarket chain based in Berlin, is seeking new perspectives to find innovative solutions to differentiate itself from its local competitors. I will apply concepts from the past two weeks to complete the project and help find solutions.