Munich (and Nantes follow-up)

Finally, I'm in Munich! The weather is absolutely awful - about 50 degrees and rainy - but it is fantastic to be here I'm trying to convince my classmates to visit some of my favorite places and restaurants, but the weather and our busy schedule are not cooperating. Our company visits here are outstanding though. Yesterday we were welcomed to the city by one of Munich's mayors and many members of the City Council. We learned about the economic condition of the city while sitting in one of the two council rooms at the Neue Rathaus (new government building). We then went to lunch at the Ratskeller (in the basement of the Rathaus) and had a delicious and HUGE lunch. I was at a table with a woman who works for the american consulate. As someone who never stays in the same country for more than three years, she had some interesting perspectives on living internationally. After lunch, we took a tour of the Rathaus and even got to step out on the front balcony - a rare treat. In the afternoon, we received a tour of Allianz Arena, the stadium where both of Munich's soccer teams play as well as where many World Cup games were held in 2006. We walked through the back rooms and stepped out onto the field. The arena is quite large; it hold more fans than any of Cincinnati's stadiums.

Today we visited BMW and stopped at the museum afterwards (which was great!). We also visited Munich Re. I think it is interesting how much emphasis the Germans have placed on history in each of these presentations. In other countries, history was touched upon but current structure and initiatives were emphasized. Here, we have had a timeline outlined for us with every important event.

As much as I enjoyed my time there, I was ready to leave Nantes last week. I loved living with a host family and wish we could live with one in every country. It really helped me witness cultural aspects that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. For example, the French have so much free time! Every day, we would eat dinner at eight then do nothing else all night. The children would go to their rooms and the mother would sit out in the garden and drink tea or read. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Time is so relaxed! Laundry takes three days to do, and no one notices. When you walk through a park, you must sit down and take time to enjoy every aspect. The first day or two, this atmosphere was relaxing, and when - was sick it was perfect. By the end of our stay, I felt like I was going insane. Munich is sleeping right now because of the weather, but there is so much more to do here. The pressure to be productive is something I really missed while in France!