TRAVELING TO MUNICH
Senior business finance major Brewer Harris shares details of trip from Greenville
Brewer Harris poses with Pee Dee. (Contributed photo)
Today was the first day of our journey to four European countries. Excited to take on our long day of traveling, we arrived at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at 11:30 sharp.
We quickly learned that careful planning is essential to the success of scheduling flights. Right from the start, our flight was delayed from RDU to Atlanta. Had we not built in extra slack in our schedule, we would have missed our connecting flight from Atlanta to Munich, Germany. After running to the gate, we barely made final boarding call. This skill of planning ahead—ingrained in me from my business classes—paid off.
After catching our connecting flight, it was smooth sailing, and we were able to watch movies and catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Once off the flight, I found German Customs very unique compared to the United States. The process felt very relaxed initially because we did not have to go through security or metal detectors, which was unusual. It was as simple as getting our passports stamped and picking up our luggage. There were, however, several police with automatic weapons on constant guard in the airport. In that regard, the culture here is very different from the United States yet very intriguing. This made me wonder if the United States was the only country that had strict security detail for people entering the country.
When I arrived, I withdrew some euros for the rest of the trip. This was my first time handling foreign currency, and the color and size differences were cool. Finally arriving at our hotel called the ArtHotel, we checked in and it was a dream come true! I had finally made it to Europe. I am very excited for the learning experiences ahead.
-by Brewer Harris, senior from Cary majoring in business finance
June 3, 2018