Author: Ridge De Jong

Today we visited the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Bremen, Germany. This is currently the biggest Mercedes-Benz production facility, producing 10 different models and about 1800 cars per day. They also employ about 12,500 people.

The first thing I noticed when walking into the factory was the massive amount of automation. Almost every step in the production process was automated, meaning there were surprisingly few workers around. This was for the car frame assembly. There were more specialized workers when we got to the internal parts assembly. They would install things like seats and electronics while the cars slowly moved down the assembly line.

Another interesting thing I noticed about this factory, and seems to be a trend with all the factories we visit, is that it was very clean. Specifically, the floors were very well swept. A tour guide at another company said the reason for this cleanliness was that it creates a better atmosphere for the workers.

While it was a very interesting visit, one downside I noticed was that the work environment didn’t seem as inviting as some other companies we visited. I wasn’t able to see a strong community between the employees there, which I see as an important part of the workplace.

Here’s a cool concept car.

Today we visited the first created concentration camp: Dachau. This was actually the second concentration camp I’ve seen, but that did not make it any less eye opening. It makes all of the war stories so much more real when you can literally see where they took place. Three specific things that struck me were the crematoriums, the gas chamber, and the barracks.

I stood in this room for a while just imagining what it would’ve been like during the war. The horrible smell in the air, the heat of the furnaces, all while corpses are being dragged into the room and thrown into the furnaces 2-3 at a time. It’s almost impossible to imagine this happening.

This gas chamber was disguised as a shower room so that prisoners would willingly enter. Then the guards would shut the steel doors and everyone inside would soon be dead. It sounds like a horror movie, and it really puts your stomach in a knot to actually stand inside this room and try and imagine how this could happen.

These barracks were each designed to hold about 200 prisoners, but by the end of the war they each held about 1600. These extremely tight living conditions resulted in a variety of diseases that ended up killing thousands of prisoners. We think dorm rooms are tight, but these prisoners had absolutely no space of their own.

This was a very somber visit, but also a very educational one. I think it’s important to visit and learn about these sites so that we can embrace what’s happened in the past and remember to never let it happen again.

After leaving Paris I’d have to say the biggest cultural experience I’ve had was witnessing multiple Yellow Vest demonstrations. This group of Yellow Vests is mostly composed of middle class workers who are upset about the tax burden on the middle class, as well as increased fuel taxes and cost of living.

The first demonstration we saw was on our first day coming into Paris. Some Yellow Vests had deliberately stopped their cars on a very busy highway, resulting in miles of backed up traffic. The police had surrounded the people who caused it, but it was going to take a lot of work to get all of the traffic moving again.

The second demonstration I saw took place at the Arc de Triumph. A group of us went there to check it out, and on the way there the train skipped about 5 stops in order to keep people from getting off into that mess. This was clear when we saw men in gas masks to resist the tear gas at the one of the stops we passed. But we’re defiant college kids so we found our way to the Arc de Triumph. On our way there we noticed that the road had been blocked off, and when we got there we saw that every road leading to the Arc was blocked off. There were more police officers than I’ve ever seen surround the Arc, and in the middle were the Yellow Vests just walking around and chanting. It was pretty peaceful for the most part. A couple cans of tear gas were thrown on the opposite side and we later realized some Yellow Vests had been throwing bricks. Along with all the police vans (and tanks) there was a water truck that they later used to spray the Yellow Vests to keep them under control. But for the most part, the police officers just stood there and let the protestors do their thing, only intervening when necessary.

Overall, it was an insane experience. Before the trip I had briefly heard about the Yellow Vests, but actually seeing some demonstrations made it so much more real to me. It allowed me to get a first hand view of what’s happening on the other side of the world. I was able to see how passionate the Yellow Vests are about their beliefs, and how much work the French government is doing to keep it under control.

P.S. We remained at a safe distance at all times.