Running head: IRES 2015 SPAIN RELECTION PAPER REFLECTION PAPER CHRISTOPHER BRYANT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON JULY 15 2015
IRES 2015 SPAIN REFLECTION PAPER 1 Spain was a unique time for me in my life. This study abroad experience was something completely out of my comfort zone. It is a strange feeling to remember back on the first time I stepped above ground from the metro station, arriving at our neighborhood. Day one I thought to myself Wow. I m going to be here for six weeks. I had anticipations that this trip would be a totally surreal and new experience for me and indeed it was. Typing this reflection paper now at home is a great time. To be able to reminisce on my Spain adventures with my new friends. Spain was a great time; and I am excited to share my experience. So what was Spain like? There are some differences in the Spanish society versus the American society. Overall, I feel as if Spain was a more talkative country. I felt like the people of Spain were very open and relaxed individuals. It was hard to find someone in a rush. The society seemed more approachable and easy. Overall, all of the people I encountered on this trip were friendly and caring individuals. I enjoyed being able to interact with our Spanish neighbors. The overall interactions in Spain were very fun. It was nice to be able to go out with our mentors or coordinators, and just enjoy a dinner at midnight on a Thursday. Late nights are something you see a lot of in Spain. It was so great to also be able to participate in all of the local events that took place in Valencia during the time of our stay. There were many local festivals where we could enjoy the local foods, and sort of observe the culture of Spain. The people of Spain had a different vibe than what I am used to. Everything in Spain seemed very timeless. Coming to Spain, I had some anxieties about whether or not I would be able to adapt well with the population. I was also a little concerned as to how useful my Spanish would serve to be. Spending six weeks in Spain, it is safe to say that there really were no hindrances in the interactions with others. The Spanish is spoken slightly differently than what I am accustomed to; but there were no real language barriers when getting around. Being able to dive into a Spanish environment
IRES 2015 SPAIN REFLECTION PAPER 2 was another thing I enjoyed about this trip. I feel that having spent six weeks in Spain was great practice for my Spanish. I am bilingual, but I definitely learned a lot of new words on this trip. I am glad that I was able to use my Spanish language to get around Spain. I feel that being able to interact with the locals in Spanish made the trip feel more real and less foreign. This trip has made me excited to continue practicing my Spanish; and has given me some confidence in knowing that I am capable of travelling around and interacting in a place that is outside of my comfort zone. The Spanish interactions in the lab were also great. It was nice to study in a different language. So what about the art of Spain? Jean Peronnet, a French engineer, once said A great bridge is a great monument which should serve to make known the splendor and genius of a nation; one should not occupy oneself with efforts to perfect it architecturally, for taste is always susceptible to change, but to conserve always in its form and decoration the character of solidity which is proper. This quote reflects well with Spain. All of the infrastructure is old; but very wellmaintained. Old buildings are not torn down; they are instead strengthened and conserved. That was one form of art I noticed about Spain. Spain was a beautiful place with such majestic buildings. Never in my life have I seen cathedrals as large and pretty as the ones I saw in Spain. I really like the way that Spain is engineered, as far as civil developments go. Spain is very different than Texas. Everything from the highways, to the neighborhood layouts. It was nice to be a part of something different for a while. On this IRES trip, I had the opportunity of visiting Valencia, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam. It was so nice to be a part of a completely different culture than what I am used to at home. When I arrived home again after six weeks, I felt a little distant. It felt strange to be home. I guess Spain does that to you. It is nice to be able to compare and contrast the various different elements that make up a city. Amsterdam had so many bikes and mopeds and people walking;
IRES 2015 SPAIN REFLECTION PAPER 3 Paris and Barcelona were all taxis and subways; Valencia was a little bit of everything. It was nice to not drive a car for six weeks. That felt different to do once I got back home. It was also neat to just observe how life is like in a city totally different than the one at home. It was fun hanging out in Spain (and some of the other cool countries of Europe). The night life was fun. No parties or anything crazy for me; but it was nice to watch the cars drive down the street at midnight while eating French fries at a random curbside restaurant. Oh, and not to mention olive oil. We consumed so much olive oil in Spain (which is no surprise because 43% of the world s olive oil is produced in Spain) (NationMaster.com). The work life in Spain (the main reason we were in Spain ) was also a great time and a wonderful learning experience, I feel. Prior to this internship, the only lab experience I had was from lab courses taken at school. It was nice to experience a working lab setting. My prior civil engineering working experience comes from my one year of interning at a civil engineering firm. I feel like I was at the right level for the lab work we were doing. Our topic for this IRES project has to do with hazard mitigation of civil infrastructure. I feel like this is a topic I never really thought of prior to having come on this trip. Coming on this trip, I really had no expectations on what the lab work may be like. My only civil engineering experience comes from an office setting, totally different than a lab setting. The work was very interesting and I feel that my topic (corrosion rates of reinforcement steel and measuring infiltration rates of solutions within concrete) broadened my view on civil engineering. I never thought about how much civil engineering and chemistry go hand in hand. This internship sort of made me realize that there is no limit to science; and that is cool. Another great part about working in a lab setting was getting to work with the people there. My main mentor was Rafa; and what a guy he was. Very funny and super helpful. Really though,
IRES 2015 SPAIN REFLECTION PAPER 4 everyone in our lab was a pleasure to work with; and I am grateful to have been brought in to their lab and under their guidance. Sometimes I would have that realization that, Wow I spending time right now working with people that have PhD s; and that was a great thing to realize. I enjoyed being able to watch and observe how the work life is in Spain. In general, the work life seems laid back. Everyone knows what they need to do; and that is how that goes. Everyone is sort of on their own schedule, which seems nice. Being able to learn civil engineering in Spanish was too cool also. Who knew there were so many science words in Spanish? I feel as if this research internship really allowed me to obtain an understanding of what graduate level studies may be like as well as the work of a research professor. I have always been intrigued by the professor lifestyle, so it was nice to be able to dive into that experience for a little while. The projects we worked on were quite interesting; and they were not topics that I had ever thought about or considered in the past. The interactions with our mentors, too, were great. I enjoyed spending time to get to know each of our lab mentors while working at the university. The mentors were such patient and approachable people. This research internship has given me a new scope on civil engineering and all of the possible opportunities attainable to someone with a degree in civil engineering. I feel like, with a couple of semesters of school remaining until I finish my undergraduate coursework, I want to take a new approach to my academic and personal life. I hope to finish strong and with a positive attitude, because I feel this internship refreshed my perspective on school and on civil engineering work. I have always thought about what I may do after college. I definitely think it would be great to obtain a Master s degree. I am excited to continue my education and develop my professional skillset. Currently I am in a point of exploring in my life. This Spain trip was definitely out of my comfort zone; and I feel like this experience has greatly made me
IRES 2015 SPAIN REFLECTION PAPER 5 appreciate university life, professionally and academically. I am excited to get back into school and look forward to the day I do continue my education. There are so many benefits to a Master s degree; and those benefits should not be passed up. Among many other things, a Master s degree would allow me to further advance in my career, and master more complex skillsets (Concordia Online). Obviously the money is great too; but why live for that? Travelling around Europe was such an excellent opportunity. It is amazing to see how much work is going on all over the world. So much development. And all work aside, to be able to spend six weeks bumbling around Europe was too great. This IRES experience feels like a formative learning experience for me in my life. I feel like I took home a lot more than just civil engineering knowledge. I feel like I obtained some knowledge as to how to adapt to foreign situations and how to interact with people (casually or professionally) in a different language than what I am used to speaking primarily. It is always nice to broaden your horizons and your understanding on things. I feel like this trip sort of did just that. To be taken out of my comfort zone and to experience something completely different, but real, is a big thing to experience. At times it was hard to believe that I was somewhere where the time was seven hours ahead of the people back home. Yikes, right? This IRES experience is something I would enjoy doing again if I was invited. Any study abroad research internship is something I now know I cannot let down. Overall, I feel the program went well. There were times when communication may have been a little restrictive; but we were in Spain, what do you expect? All aspects of this trip really did go well, though. I really am grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in this program; and I am very thankful to all of the people that made it possible. This IRES experience was a great and big time for me in my life; and I am glad I went out of my comfort zone to experience it.
IRES 2015 SPAIN REFLECTION PAPER 6 REFERENCES A great bridge is character of solidity which is proper. - Jean Peronnet Benefits and Statistical Trends in Master Degree Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2015. Countries Compared by Agriculture Wine Wine Production tonnes. International Statistics at NationMaster.com. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2015.