Self-Assesment

             
                During my ordeal searching for a college to attend, I made a promise to myself to take every risk and opportunity presented to me. I wanted to graduate from college with a degree knowing I did not miss out on any experience because of hesitation.  So, as I entered my sophomore year, I challenged myself to take on a Magellan project. Even if I completely failed in my endeavors, I had to give it chance. Looking back, it was a decision I will cherish for the rest of my life.

                My project centered on the history of engineering in Germany through various facets of the economy. I focused on the rebuilding process following the aftermath of World War Two. Germany’s economy was brought to a complete standstill. Despite this, companies from this nation remain top competitors in the international market to this day.

                To begin my adventure, I boarded a United Airlines flight from Newark airport at 8pm. Seven hours later, I landed in Frankfurt, Germany. Prior to my Magellan, I had never left the United States let alone the eastern seaboard. Therefore, changing time zones and jetlag was uncharted territory. One can imagine my headache and feelings of despair when the flight touched down in Frankfurt with the sun shining. All the clocks read 9am. Meanwhile my phone, not to mention my body, kept reminding me it was 2am back home. After I was bussed to the terminal, I claimed my baggage, passed through passport control, and stepped into the main section of the terminal. Up until this moment, nothing had seemed out of place. In previous trips around home I have flown by myself, so this was not new. However, when I looked up for the signs for the “Hauptbahnhof Flug,” everything hit me at once. The fact I was in a foreign country by myself, with nothing to rely on but the plans made in a dorm room back in Pennsylvania, became very real. I had to take a couple minutes to gather myself. After finding my train ticket, I stepped through the gate, and began my adventure.

                Two train stations later, I met my cousin Max Huth inside the Hauptbahnhof of Cologne. Exiting the station, I walked up a set of steps to gaze upon one of the most breathtaking sights of my entire trip. The front of the station was made of glass windows, which revealed the massive Cologne Cathedral. This towering monument represents the trials of recovering from World War Two. The Cathedral is the only standing building of downtown Cologne form the pre-war era. The rich history of reconstruction and rebuilding turned my comprehension of the war upside. Here I was standing in a bustling metropolis in Germany, which was once nothing but ruins.

Inspired to learn more, I continued on to Dusseldorf, Aachen, Monchengladbach, and Frankfurt to ascertain the industries of past and present that fuel the country. In those cities I uncovered the history of how a nation in ruins transformed itself back into an international economic powerhouse. It was amazing to observe the differences of the cities and how they prospered in the post war. Finding the answer to this daunting hypothesis was a thrilling experience.

After observing the reconstruction process in Cologne, I travelled to Monchengladbach to delve into the struggling textile industry which once stimulated the city into life. The fading of the industry as well as the city itself evinced the constant transition the nation is in to maintain modern industries. Yet some industries are ageless and irreplaceable such as energy and resources. I traveled past the city limits to the abundant farms and mining fields of the German nation. My breath was taken away by the magnificent landscapes, hills, and villages of the countryside. The size of Germany handcuffs its ability to spread the cities and industries over vast areas as America does. My host family laughed at me while I asked them to explain if it were normal for one minute to be driving through an industrial park outside of the city, only to blink and be surrounded by open landscapes, and the next moment see the world fill with noting but dense forest. At this moment, I understood why people say everything is bigger in America.

My next stop of Dusseldorf further added to the nation’s transformation from World War Two. Dusseldorf was one of the more interesting, complex destinations of my journey. Instead of walking around museums and reading English translations, I had to interact with representatives of the city using my limited German language skills. Dusseldorf today is filled with luxurious, commercial businesses alongside a plethora of restaurants lining the Rhine River. What made this area most remarkable was it was once one of the largest port cities in the nation. Wandering through the plethora of markets and restaurants, I made my way to the gorgeous view along the Rhine River. Here, I strolled through the many levels of the Schifffart Marine Museum observing how the once prominent trading ports became commercial icons in the city. Throughout my visits to these cities, I had to remind myself each of the locations had once been a wasteland of ruins. Yet today, the only reminders were pictures and history books to tell of what once was. The perseverance and resilience of these people was amazing. Not only cities and factories, but a whole nation was rebuilt with the dream of a brighter future.

Up until this point, my trip had gone smoothly. However when I arrived in Frankfurt, the hotel incorrectly booked my stay, and I had no place to sleep. To add on to my issue, my second host family notified me the week prior they would be coming home late form vacation. This meant I had to extend my stay in Frankfurt to a few days instead of just one. So I had to search for lodging online, flag down a taxi in the late evening outside the airport train station, and make my way to a new hotel. Fortunately, no more major issues arose, and I even had some downtime to enjoy the commercial capital of Germany.

Frankfurt marked the end of the first section for my Magellan in Northern Germany. To say it was a culture shock is an understatement. It was such an amazing experience to stay with my German relatives instead of a hostel because it exposed me to the daily routine of a family in Monchengladbach. From the water being carbonated and packaged in strangely shaped bottles, to using public transportation for almost all travel, I truly felt like I was in another world. Breakfast usually included deli sandwiches instead of eggs, bacon, or cereal. By far the most fascinating difference to me was the layout of the cities. No city, except for Frankfurt, contained skyscrapers. All the cities were short (in comparison to large cities of the United States). Instead, the buildings were all built compactly and spread out for miles in the surrounding area. Even the house I stayed in was three stories tall but built thin in comparison to its height. The same was to say with the backyard. It was maybe 10 or 15 feet wide, but extended 100 feet into the back. I assumed this may be a trend only for the northern section of Germany, but I had the same observations as I traveled to Stuttgart and Munich for the final section of my project.

Arriving in Essingen, Germany, I met up with the Weiland family. I initially met Luca Weiland through my high school’s exchange program. The first two things I received when I arrived was a warm welcome from the Wieland’s along with a notice I had to turn my schedule upside down. One interview I scheduled fell through at the last minute, and the second had to be pushed back a week to compensate for a last minute vacation. Confident in my managing abilities, I rearranged my schedule for the final two weeks to compensate for these changes. Originally, I hoped to have most of my observations done prior to travelling to Munich, but instead I fit them in to the final days of my stay, and travelled across Munich first.

                Munich provided an in depth look at the past and present all in one package. Walking through the old city was a portrayal of past, present, and future Germany. With my project focusing on the changes of one facet of the German economy, the engineering sector, my research centered on the impact of the Nazi party. Every place I visited had at one time been controlled by the Third Reich. But, it was not until I arrived at Munich that I felt the effect of it. Staring at the Glockenspeil in the center of Munich, I swapped gazes between the building in front of me and the picture in my hand of the same structure decorated with nothing but Nazi flags. Just a few blocks away stood the plaza where Hitler gave one of his most famous speeches leading to the rise of the party. This experience was bone chilling. I thought to myself how did companies suffer during the reign and then prosper after? How does the company tell this story as part of their history? To seek the answer, I found my way to the international headquarters of Bavarain Motor Werks just outside of Munich.

                 The BMW complex included its main factory, international headquarters, interactive museum, and showcase hall Welt (world). Inside I found a lengthy history in the museum which detailed their rise as a company, apologetic role in World War Two, near bankruptcy after the war, and their rise to become a leading edge luxury company of today. I was surprised to find how openly representatives of the company talked about their role in the war and how they overcame it in the years after. Next door I sought out BMW Welt to uncover how the company incorporated innovative technology to provide not only a superior car, but a superior effect on the world. Pacing through the numerous showcases of the powerful and luxurious line up of cars offered, I was able to see just how far the BMW had advanced from fixing and building motorcycles with spare parts in the years following WWII, to producing some of the most popular vehicles across the globe. However, I did not want my project to focus solely on the automotive sector. So, I searched through the national archives of the Deutsches Museum (a national technological museum) in the heart of Munich. The halls of technological achievements were fascinating, but the answers I needed lay in one of the newest exhibits on implications of renewable energy sources and their role in Europe. I had not expected this to be such an eye opening experience to explain the observations I had gathered in the first section of my trip. Looking back on my project, I cannot say with confidence I would have drawn the same depth of detail and understanding without this stop. But there was one more step to complete before my findings created a complete picture.

                To complete the puzzle, I returned to Essingen, and then traveled to Stuttgart for the rescheduled meetings. Stuttgart is home to Mercedes-Benz much like Munich is home to BMW. Therefore, I gained an in-depth look into the history and future of Mercedes-Benz just as I did with BMW. It helped with my understanding, but I needed more than just speak with another company representative in a museum and read off of exhibits. Thankfully, I was able reschedule the interview I mentioned prior, and met up with Mr. Joern Engel, quality control manager of AMG, the high performance division of Mercedes-Benz. Here is where I gained a good bit of advice. If someone inquires if there a specific place to meet for the interview, I highly recommend saying no. Why? The interviewee may just offer to pick you up in his 612 Horsepower, 180,000 Euro Mercedes AMG 6.2 E S and conduct the interview on the Autobahn (at 180mph!). But in all seriousness, I cannot thank Mr. Engel enough for his help. His perspective provided the missing link of what “German Engineering” has evolved into in the modern world. Nations cannot survive in the competitive markets of today on their own. In order to continue to evolve, they must cooperate with one another to grow and expand, which is an integral part of the success of Mercedes-Benz and so many other successful companies not only within Germany, but all of Europe. My search for the secrets of German Engineering had come to a close.

                The experience gave me a completely different outcome then I had anticipated. Entering my project, I figured I would leave with a general knowledge of the history of Germany and some of their famous companies. Instead, I gained a whole new perspective on how the different challenges of life pertain to different outcomes within ones state. Allow me to explain. Germany’s constant push for innovative technologies, whether it is infrastructure within cities or the next top automotive model, comes from the ever changing needs of their society. My perspective on the necessities of cities to provide for the needs of a population has revealed my hubris to what the United States has. The reason the reputation precedes “German Engineering” because the companies in the region continue to advance their technology to compensate for the changing needs of the citizens. This is the reason the nation incorporates new efficient systems. They push themselves to create new technologies, and continue to thrive no matter the era.  A lesson we can learn is that in order to continue to advance as a society, we cannot solve the problems of just today but must look forward to the future and prepare for what is to come next.


Of all the amazing locations and sights I experienced, the most meaningful effect of my Magellan was what I learned about myself. I have always been confident in my ability to plan a trip, but I was terribly nervous about my ability to execute it. Of all the factors on my trip my biggest fear was taking care of myself on a budget. Especially with the difficulty of a language barrier, I dreaded finding inexpensive places and markets to eat using my language skills. It was difficult, but I persevered through my fears and to my own surprise, was able to hold conversations with locals everywhere I went. I always envied others who travelled internationally with ease, and I honestly never pictured myself being able to accomplish the same tasks. However as I reflect on my experiences, I realize I was more than prepared to tackle a trip across the globe. Looking ahead to my future, I plan on applying for an internship or independent study in the country of Germany. My research on the technological needs of the societies of tomorrow will continue to inspire me in my efforts to succeed as a chemical engineer. Even in my daily life, the personal experience of indulging in a foreign country gave me a new level of respect for the various nationalities I interact with. My Magellan trip truly changed my life by opening doors I never considered myself capable of conquering. Today, I am a better person and student thanks to this experience of a life time.

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