It still has not completely set in with me that my Berlin journey has come to a close. Who knew three months could feel so short. When I arrived to the Pittsburgh airport on Sunday, it felt that not much time had passed since I was on a departure flight. Though it flew by, each…

It is crazy to think that this time next week I will be on a plane heading back home. This trip has flown by, it a does not feel like it has been seventy-something days here and its unreal that I am on the final seven. When time gets to the shorter end, I seem…

I am back from my first business trip, and I could not be happier with the experience. Liverpool was such a beautiful city and I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit. Since I was flown out to Liverpool to work on a specific project, my time there was a lot more involved…

This weekend I had the opportunity to experience a taste of the Alps. Some friends from IIP Berlin and I took a journey to Lucerne, Switzerland. The beauty was absolutely breathtaking. Exhibit A: Even though the weather was not ideal, the scenery made up for that. We also went up Mount Pilatus. I thought looking…

The, “Tag der Architektur” (day of architecture) happens once a year in Berlin. Thankfully the event occurred during my time here. The event runs through the weekend, and multiple architecture firms and buildings open their doors to the public. Some even have tours of the structures and presentations going on. It didn’t take me long…

It’s funny how the littlest things stand out when you are in a new cultural environment. Ever since I started work here, I have noticed how diligent people are about saying, “Good Morning/Goodbye/See you later” to everyone in the office whenever the time permits. That may not sound too weird, but I have found it…

Approaching the midpoint of this trip, I am finding this international experience to highly to differ from past travels. I have studied abroad once before this trip. Aside from that, I have traveled to Europe around four times with my family. Clearly the difference from my family vacations to the study abroad were large. Traveling…

My focus this past week has mainly been work oriented because I had exciting activities planned for the long weekend. The weekend has come for Berlin’s annual Carnival of Cultures. I was super interested in checking this out, as soon as I had heard of it. It is essentially a four-day festival that celebrates the diverse cultures…

What a week! The Ascension (holiday common in Germany and other parts of Europe) was this past Thursday, everyone had off. Not only was that day a holiday and a break from work, it just so happened to be the same day our former President Barack Obama came to speak here in Berlin. It was…