My career because of Valencia

This study abroad experience has been eye opening as I have been able to learn about a brand new culture and meet brand new people. Apart from the social aspect of the knowledge I've gained, there is also a lot that I have learned about myself and the career path I want to undertake.

How this experience exposed me to new knowledge, skills, and competencies

"Fire Research"

Obviously there is a lot to learn when working on the research projects here in Spain. One of the competencies I have gained has been over my specific topic of research; fire. I don't want to say too many specifics because this is still on going research and I don't know how much information I am allowed to share, but there is no doubt that I am becoming more aware of a subject that few know about. There hasn't been much research over this topic, so being that I will be studying it for six weeks, it'll allow me to become more familiar with it and take some of the lessons I learned with me to the states. This is a good transition to my next point which is gaining the ability to understand a big problem and break it up into little steps. An entire research project cannot be completed in six weeks. It is absolutely impossible. Most of these projects have been going on for years and have been spear headed be renowned researchers and engineers. Because of this, our jobs as students isn't to finish the research or conduct all the experiments, it is more so to understand what's going on. The professors have introduced us to the big picture idea and what the end goal will be and our job is to be able to understand the objective. We then get told of a small portion which is what we as the students will be taking on. Being able to understand the big picture is important, but also understanding the little subsequent pieces that are needed to make the big picture a reality is also key. I know can say that I understand more the breakdown of research projects because I have been exposed to and explained to process to.


How do I plan on using this experience with current educational goals upon return

Collaboration

Learning all these traits and skills mean nothing if you plan on keeping them to yourself. Have of the battle is learning how to apply them to your everyday study and endeavors when you return back to the United States. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is the act of collaboration. This has been a international experience where we are taking across the world to learn what other countries are studying and discovering. Quickly you learn that most of these topics are a collaboration of various locations and institutions. No one can do everything by themselves. We learned that most of the European Union assist each other in projects and offers to collaborate based on their area of expertise. This is something I am glad I understand more and will be able to use in the future. Another thing I plan to take back with me is the ability to help out others. The mentors (at least for me) have been extremely friendly and helpful with anything and everything. They understand that you might not know what's going on and they explain things slowly to you. This allows me to remember what it felt like not understanding and once it's my turn to teach someone else, I will have that same patience and understanding.


How will this experience impact my decisions for future career objectives

Researching where we are

This experience has done nothing but enhance my desire to pursue graduate studies. One of the reasons I really wanted this experience was to be exposed to the research to see if it was something that I wanted to continue in the future and based on what I have encountered so far, it is. The ability to discover something that no one else has seen is very cool to me. Being able to look back at something and think" I created that," or "I developed that idea," is a feeling that can't be matched. So for now, I am excited to tackle my last semester of undergraduate studies and hopefully begin a new one for my graduate adventures.



Until next week,

Eric Chavez

The Valencian Way

We have been in Valencia Spain for about two weeks now and all I can say is that this city is absolutely amazing. This was going to be my first time going overseas and experiencing a brand new culture with different customs, so I was pretty nervous. Not knowing what to expect I was entering it what seemed like a completely different world. Here are just of the few things that I have noticed about Spain.


Language:

The official language in Spain is Spanish. Crazy, right? This has been able to be a very easy transition for my because luckily, I speak Spanish. Coming from Mexico, my parents were able to teach me Spanish and although I am no expert at it, I speak it fluently enough be able to talk to everyone. I think this advantage has allowed me to adapt to the culture much better because I can already communicate with the locals. One thing, however, is that Spanish from Mexico and Spanish from Spain can sometime be a little different. Certain words used in Mexico don't exist in Spain and vice versa. This get a little tricky whenever they are speaking a million words per minute at me and throw in a word that I have never heard before. I remember one particular case, we were all in the mall in search for some blankets to cover ourselves up at night and I approached a security guard and asked him where I can find some blankets. I used the word "cobija" which in Mexico means blanket. That word, however, does not exist in Spain. He gave me this funny look as I tried to explain what I was talking about. Felt like I was playing a game as I was trying to make him guess what I was looking for. Another big thing about Valencia that I had no idea about is that they have their own language. Similar to Barcelona where they speak Catalan, the people of Valencia speak "Valenciano." Catalan and Valenciano are very similar and are very different from Spanish or "Castellano." This was a huge shock for me because I can't understand that language as it is used frequently throughout the school. Most signs around the school are in Valenciano which makes navigating not as easy as I thought it would be.


Communication:

So as mentioned already, I speak Spanish. In fact, out of the 6 of us on the trip, all 3 guys speak Spanish, while all 3 girls don't. This becomes a little bit of an obstacle because the three guys serve as the permanent tutors for the girls. Though I've considered charging them for my services (just kidding) it becomes very necessary for us to be around anytime the girls are needing something or need to ask a question. We don't mind doing it at all, and truth be told, I would rather be a translator than to not be able to speak the language and have to have everything translated for me. I mentioned that while I do know Spanish, I'm am not an expert. This comes into play especially with technical terms. Because my parents taught me everything in Spanish, they only taught me conversational Spanish or terms and words they used throughout everyday life. Somehow the subject of "flexural capacity of a steel beam," never came up when I was a kid. Because of this, I struggle with understand all the engineering terms whenever they speak to me and sometimes they don't know the translation so it becomes a little of a challenge. And also deciphering technical terms and translating them to English for the girls becomes twice as hard for me. Lastly, the way the Spanish people talk is different. The Spanish accent involves talking with what sounds like a lisp. They will rarely pronounce their "S's" and their "Z's" they way we pronounce them. Theirs sounds more like the "th" sound. For example the sentence "Me llamo Eric Chavez y estoy estudiando en Valencia," will sound like "Me llamo Eric Chaveth y ethtoy ethtudiando en Valenthia." Also without a doubt in my mind, the most used word in Spain is the word "Vale." It translates to "Okay" or "Good" whenever you agree or understand something, but the Spanish use this word pretty much every sentence. Anyone from bank tellers, professors, news anchors, kids, or whoever, this word is a must in Spain. Vale?

Sights

The sights that Spain has to offer are all breathe takingly beautiful. There is so much to see and so much history to learn that I don't even think six weeks is enough to get it all. What is particularly cool about Valencia is the diversity it offers. Valencia has a historical district where it contains cathedrals, statues, and old Gothic architecture. This area is full of history and has been around for hundreds of years. Then you cross the river and the city becomes modern as you enter the arts and science district. Here features state of the art technology and modern architecture from the 21st century. And if that weren't enough, you still have the beautiful Malvarosa beach just two miles from our apartments. There is just no ending to the things to see in Valencia. And rather then talk a lot about this section, I figured I would just display a bunch of my favorite pictures from Valencia and Madrid.

People:

One thing was very clear that I noticed from the people, everybody was so nice. I didn't really know what to expect when I arrived in Spain. Didn't know if they would be friendly to outsiders or if they would look at us weird as if we didn't belong. Turns out that everyone is so friendly to another. You can't walk past a person without them saying hi or "buenos dias" to you. Our neighbors in our apartment complex always talk to us when we cross paths. This positive energy is very contagious and soon we all started saying hi to all those around us. We also were told to watch out for pick-pocketing and for the overall dangers that can occur. But truthfully it is very safe in Valencia. Never once did I feel in danger or even think something bad would happen. We even leave windows open during the day without worry that someone might try and break in. It simply doesn't happen. And then lastly, one thing in particular I noticed in the University, is that all the students are very close to one another. We are here during their final exams, so I expected seeing students frantically cramming for an exam or fumbling through their fifth cup of coffee of the day. That wasn't the case at all. The students were always together joking and looking stress free as ever. You rarely see a student sitting by themselves during lunch time, they are always together which is a really nice change.

Way of Life

There is one obvious thing I realized from the Spanish; these people DO NOT SLEEP. Seriously, every night is a party in Valencia. We stayed out one night until 3am hanging out and talking and on our way back home we expected to see the streets empty and that wasn't the case. People are out and about at 3 in the morning as if it were 10pm. Even little kids stay up really late. In most places in the United States, places close at 2 in the morning and everyone goes home, in Spain, some places don't open until that time. Clearly, we haven't been able to adjust to the way of life as we are seen struggling throughout the day to stay awake.

     

Not even I am safe....

Another part of the Spanish life is to live a very relaxed one. Being around professors and students during high stress times, they all seem to take it very easy. No one looks like they're running to get anywhere, they always patiently stroll from one place to the other. This creates such a positive environment in my opinion which explains why everyone is so nice to each other. Another big part of the Spanish lifestyle is the lunch. It typically happens from 2-4pm. Yes, 2-4pm, they get two hours for a lunch break. In the United States it is very common to take lunch in your desk as you work, or in even some cases skip it entirely. Not the case at all here in Spain. Everybody uses this time to relax and enjoy each others company. Work is not discussed during these hours, it is simply a time for good food and good company.


How is this culture different

There are many differences when it comes to culture when you compare it to the United States. As I have mentioned previously, the biggest is the value for personal relationships. There is a reason you don't see people eating lunch by themselves and that's because they enjoys eachother's company so much. Even the relationship with the professors and the students is really fun. All the students from what I have experienced call their professors by their first name and professors treat them very well. Constantly joking with one another and having lunch together is something you don't always see in the United States. This also happens to be what I like most about this culture.

Also another big difference is the attention the Spanish pay towards saving energy and preserving the environment. Their recycling system is the best example. In the United States, we essentially have two options to throw something away; trash or recycle. In Spain, they have 3 separate been that are placed together where you throw away paper in one, plastic in another, and organic material in the last. They also have a specific trash can for glass and then another one for regular trash. They also never have paper towels in the bathroom, it is always the automatic fans. And most of their lights are motion censored along with their computers that shut off entirely after certain amount of non-activity. Lastly is all the smoking. It seems like its hard to go anywhere without seeing smoke and cigarettes in people's hands. And don't think this only applies for the grown ups, teenagers are smoking everywhere too. It just becomes something people grow up doing where they have their coffee and cigarette for dessert everyday.


Cultural Challenges

As far as cultural challenges go, there are quite a few. First of all, their hours of operations for stores. I mentioned the 2-4pm lunch break time. Well this means everyone is having lunch at this time so most places close. So make sure you don't need anything major during this time of the day. The only thing open of course is restaurants. But after 4pm, most restaurants close for a period of time. They don't open back until around 8pm when dinner time starts. So if you were busy and tried to have a late lunch around 4:30 pm or so, good luck. And speaking of food, a big adjustment has been the portions of foods served at the restaurant. I find myself never getting full over what I am getting served. I'm use to stuffing my face until I can't anymore and then regretting the decision later when I am in the United States so this has been a big adjustment for me. ALSO, there is no spicy food in Spain. I am Mexican and I love spicy so this kills me! I literally had to go to the central market to find some hot sauce because I couldn't handle it anymore.

                               



Next is the commuting. I have never used public transportation systems in my life before so learning how to use that form rather than a car was challenging. I don't know how many times we nervously got on a metro hoping that it lead us to the right direction. But we are slowly getting better at it!

Lastly, the biggest cultural challenge has been...being tall. Seriously, Spain was constructed for short people. News flash Spain, TALL PEOPLE EXIST. I don't understand why I have to constantly duck and watch my head wherever I go. They have the two NBA stars Pau and Marc Gasol who are both around 7ft tall and they still don't realize that maybe they should have higher stair cases! I understand that I am a little taller than average (6'3") but there is no way this is acceptable:

Overall

Overall, this experience thus far has been incredible. We have been able to slowly adjust to the life style and fall in love with all this program has to offer. I have enjoyed my time thoroughly and everyday I learn new things. The sights I've seen, things I have learned, and the people I have met have all contributed to this experience and I am very thankful for it. I still have 4 more weeks here and looking forward to every single day of it.

Until next time,

Eric Chavez

Why Civil Engineering?

Before I get started talking about my experiences in Spain, I think it would be important to discuss why I wanted to go into this profession in the first place. Deciding to pursue a career in Civil Engineering propelled me to numerous unique experiences and the IRES program has been the best one yet!

So why Civil Engineering?

This question is daunting for any high school senior frantically searching for the career they will work with for the rest of their life. For me, I thought I had it all figured out. Ever since I was in 8th grade I was intrigued by the way materials and components came together to form these beautiful and unique structures. The idea of meticulously following a set of plans and having a structure come to life fascinated me and I couldn't wait to enter college and pursue my career in ....architecture.

I entered school in Fall of 2012 excited to become a renowned architect designing and building beautiful buildings and bridges for all to see. Being the person that could always make someones vision a reality by solving the giant jigsaw puzzle of an idea was going to be what I was going to do. The only problem was..this wasn't architecture. After one semester of going through art appreciation and a drawing class, I realized I made a critical mistake; architecture is not what I want to do.

It wasn't after performing more research that I found out that while architecture wasn't what I thought it would be, civil engineering was. Quickly, I switched my major and began to pursue my degree for a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering.

What motivated me?

There was plenty that motivated me to work towards an engineering degree. First of all, my strengths. All throughout grade school me and math were "best friends." While most people dreaded entering this foreign language, I completely loved it. Equations and calculations and the way the numbers worked so well with one another, I knew that whatever I did for the rest of my life had to involve math.

And the same goes with problem solving. I loved little puzzles and mind games because critical thinking was always an area that intrigued me. Second, was my family. My dad is an electrical engineer so having him always around and explaining what he did was really cool to me. Then my brother entered college my junior year of high school and began studying Mechanical Engineering. Having other family members also in this field made me realize one thing; maybe Engineering is just in my blood.

(Me and my sister at my brother's graduation).


What my contributions will be?

Like most everyone else, I hope that I can make significant contributions in the area of my profession. With Civil Engineering, I hope to focus on structures. After my experiences and internships I have held in the past, I really changed my perspective on what exactly I want to contribute. Initially I was in it for self fulfilling goals to design unique structures and challenge myself to solve complicated puzzles. It was very much so individualistic thinking. It wasn't until a few years in college that I realized how much an impact Civil Engineers have on society as a whole. Not only ensuring that the structures are safe, but also preventing certain disasters from happening.

Recently I have been fascinated by the idea of Forensic Engineering. Being presented with a structure that failed or faltered, it would be the engineer's job to investigate why and how it failed. After it would be to redesign and propose new idea to prevent the altercation from happening in the first place. This is where hazard mitigation comes in to place. Civil Engineers have the power to save lives just as much as a doctor or firefighter would.

I would love to say that by the end of my career, I have developed alternative design methods to help structures last longer and prevent certain disasters from damaging structures and thus improving the safety and well being of thousands of people from around the world.

How will Civil Engineering help me reach my goals?

As I stated in the previous paragraph, I want to be able to provide safety and stability to all types of structures. Civil Engineering will expose me to the proper education and knowledge to be able to accomplish this. One of my ultimate goals is also to live a happy life. This includes to love what you do for a living. Although I don't know exactly where I will end up, knowing that I have Civil Engineering will allow me to be happy for years to come.

This is how happy I want to be everyday.