Outcome

The time has finally come. Home. This is our last week in Europe. We are preparing ourselves to give our final presentations and parting ways with all of our mentors and friends at the University. I still remember going to the IRES workshop back in the states and thinking "Wow, I'm about to go to Spain for six weeks." Now, I'm thinking about last minute adventures and packing.

There are many things that I've learned during the time I spent here that will help me both professionally and personally. First and foremost, do laundry. I never had to do laundry before, so when I arrived I had to learn. Seriously though, living on my own and with roommates I have never met before. Also having to cook for almost all my meals and cleaning the apartment. The subway/tram system is another big thing that I learned this summer. The first week here I was totally lost, and my whole group can back that up. But after using it constantly, especially when visiting other cities, I became familiar with it. Another big thing is just getting thrown into a foreign country and learning about other people's cultural overall. I definitely learned to enjoy life more and the company of friends. Always enjoy the little things in life and not work yourself to death. 

Professionally speaking, I learned more about a research setting and how it goes; simply by observing other lab technicians and grad students. I got exposed to a closer interaction between mentor/professor and student, even though my mentor couldn't be there as much due to a personal issue. This will help improve my communication skills when talking to a professor or professional about any concern I might have. I will be able to get the information across to them. Finally, I learned about my project itself. I learned about seismic concepts on reinforced concrete frames-the pushover analysis-and how masonry infill walls can be used as struts (a component that helps resist longitudinal compression in a structure).

I have already completed four years of Civil Engineering school and plan on graduating this coming up December. So excited! I also have an internship with Baird, Hampton & Brown, Inc. which is a Civil Engineering firm that provides many services but specializes in land development. In my case, I mostly do land development work or do research for a given project. I am learning however a lot along the way, which will make me more useful in later projects. I also am captain of the Steel Bridge Team for the ASCE UTA student chapter. I lead a team to design, fabricate, and construct to compete with other schools. Combining all these things I believe have impacted my ability to perform in my project. As I said before, our professor wasn't able to there as much as he wanted, so I was on my own for a while. However, because of my past experience, I was able to guide myself and give myself motivation into researching my project and running models in software. That way when I met with my mentor, I had something to over with him. I also took some classes prior to this study abroad program that had some similar concepts related to my project. Classes like reinforced concrete design, structural steel design and structural analysis. These classes helped me better understand the overall objective of my project. Overall, my prior educational experience helped me achieve my project goals and become successful in moving with the project even with the given circumstances. 

One big challenge that I encountered and that was least expected, is the lack of mentor and student interaction. Of course, my mentor had a severe personal issue to attend to, so it wasn't his fault. It was no one's fault really. On the other hand, I was left alone for a while trying to do research on my project and trying to comprehend everything I was doing. Whenever we did meet with my mentor however, he answered all of my questions, guided me to the right path and made me feel more confident in my work. I did expect to be in a more research lab setting, for example actually working in a lab, testing samples and taking data. Instead, it has been more of just doing research online, on databases, creating and running models on SAP2000 (structural software), and learning from my mentor. Even though this was great and I still learned a lot, working in an actual lab would have been nice.

In conclusion, this study abroad experience has been great and I couldn't be happier. I have learned not only about my field through my mentor and research but also about life itself. To see ow other people from a different culture live their everyday lives and how some practice in the field of Civil Engineering. I'm excited to return the UTA and share all of my experiences to my peers and professors.

Til' next time. Hasta luego!

Social Identity

Being in Spain for four weeks has definitely given me time to explore and learn the Spanish culture. Before this study abroad program, I never really had an idea of how the culture was here in Europe let alone the Spanish culture. The only thing that gave me the slightest idea of this culture was what the cinema industry portrayed of it. Growing up as a Mexican-American, I tended to mix the Latin and Spanish culture when reality, they are very different. I was exposed to some public transportation when in Mexico, like riding buses, but never to the extent to that of Spain. My first time ever riding a subway/train was here in Valencia and let me tell you, it was an experience. Most people in Spain rely on public transportation to get them from place to place or they just walk. Coming from Texas or Mexico, this was one of the biggest differences.

I come from a place where everyone thinks everything is bigger and better. That is Texas. Everyone drives from place to place; grill steaks, and/or eats at a Whataburger at any time of the day. I didn't have an expectation to the day-to-day life here in Spain but boy is it different than the U.S. As I mentioned before, the work schedule is different. They have two food breaks; one at 10:30 am and another from 2-4 pm; then people usually get off from work at 7 pm. During the 2-4 period, almost every store is closed and during the 4-7 period, almost every restaurant is closed. So you could already imagine when we got out of the science museum at 4 pm, starving. We literally had walk around for an hour until we found a restaurant called "The Good Burger", which wasn't even a traditional Spanish restaurant. I guess it is for people like us that forget Spain's general day schedule. 

One thing that people from back home told me about Spain that was true was that there was a lot of beautiful buildings and rich history. Visiting Madrid, Alicante, and even here in Valencia, the architecture is just unbelievable and the sights are just breathtaking. We visited quite a few museums which displayed artifacts and paintings about Spain's history.

Now that I've been here for a while, I can honestly say that people here in Spain are festive, pretty laid back, and live life to the fullest. I believe this is the biggest difference between Spain and the U.S. Before coming to Spain, I was always busy doing something or stressing about school or always on the move. I never had the time take siestas! Here in Valencia however, I observed that people just go with the flow. They never seemed stressed or in a hurry, not even the students in the University! Although I only worked in the mornings, my biggest worry each day is what I am going to do for the rest of day. I was so use to having something to do each day that this caught me off guard... and I love it! I actually have time to take siestas! You can say most people here look like they are happy with what have (even with the economic crisis going on) and never worry themselves about having it all. Another big cultural difference here is restaurants. Back in the U.S, usually the waiter is trying to be extra nice in order to get a big tip, always checking up on you and making sure you have a great meal. Not here in Spain. The waiters are quite pushy and always rush you into ordering. They hardly never come back to ask you if you want more. Once they bring the food, they don't come back until they see you are all done. One good though is that they give you your space and time to talk and have a good time. They don't rush into giving you your check. 

All in all, I believe people's attitude here in Valencia, Spain is conservative and laid back. They certainly have fun and take sociability very seriously but never seem to be in a hurry. I'm dearly grateful to be a part of this study abroad experience and excited to bring some of the Spanish culture back with me. It has been a great experience being thrown into a totally different culture and working with someone who has the same passion as you do. I'm sure the skills I learned her will help me in the future, whether I work in the U.S. or in any other country.

Til' next time. Hasta luego!