So, here’s snooze.
I slept twice on a bus today, and coincidentally they were the best sleeps I’ve had on this trip (and could be the reason why I’m wide-eyed right now.) We took a trip to Frankfurt, about an hour away, to visit a company and “explore our horizons”.
Union Investment Bank is a large asset management company, housed in a building with plenty of well-dressed people that all looked like they had somewhere more important to be. A brand new Mercedes-Benz was parked out front, complete with a driver. We walked into the foyer, went up an elevator, and eventually found ourselves in a conference room with a beautiful view of the city, including the European Central Bank in the distance. In Germany, tap water is virtually nonexistent, so glass bottles of water (sparkling or still? as they ask) were given to us.
We sat through two presentations, one far more exciting than the other. The first one, an extremely in-depth and complex look at how markets responded to the recession and the role of central banks in reviving post-recession economies, went completely over my head. It went over everyone’s head, except the professor who attended the class with us. The next lecture however, how European politics affect the Eurozone and what Populism means for the future of the Euro, was very interesting and started me thinking that perhaps studying political science would be a neat combination with Economics.
We then ate in a Chinese buffet and an hour later, found ourselves on the top floor of Main Tower, which, as the name suggests, is a primary tower in Frankfurt. The tippity-top offers a panoramic view of the city, and it was absolutely beautiful. Frankfurt isn’t too huge, but its skyline is breathtaking.
After the tower, we had the chance to go and explore the city for an hour or two. Frankfurt was the birthplace of Germany, so we were able to see an important town hall, a giant cathedral, and other deeply historical buildings. Because ice cream is literally everywhere, we couldn’t help ourselves: I had a scoop of vanilla on a dock by the river.
I’ve never been on a quieter bus ride than the ride back to Vallendar. I’m not even sure if anyone moved. There’s something about Chinese buffets and walking several miles that knocks people unconscious.
Once again, God was so gracious today. He kept everyone healthy and safe, and blessed us with such an incredible day of adventure. He built up these relationships even further and brought this group closer together. I’m grateful to be here!
Follow Hunter as he studies business in Germany at https://heartoverseas.wordpress.com/
For more internship and study abroad opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.ph
