Update!

Well the year has come to a close and I actually ended it very well. Actually even better than I thought I was doing. Throughout the school year I been pretty busy studying, doing projects, presentations on my school campus, working two jobs…might as well say studying engineering is a job itself so three jobs, and trying to live another dream of mine.
            Some of my classes I attended actually related to the internship experience I had in Spain, especially dealing with the aspect I researched on (Non-Destructive Testing on Concrete Structures). In my structural analysis class my professor brought up concrete structures cracking under extreme loads with demonstrations. Concrete and steel lab class is another class that talked about it. Already knowing the procedure and outcome from my internship, my group assigned the project manager role to me and the assignment earned an A.
             I mentioned I was working a few jobs and one of them was doing research on campus for the civil engineering department. The research topic was offshore structural foundation and soil properties. I’ve studied websites, reviewed other scholar’s paper, read books, and written my own research paper and hopefully it’ll be published.
             During the semester I decided to further my education and aspirations on the outlook of my future. A friend of mine helped me come to conclusion on what I want to do in the future. I desire to earn my MBA after I graduate with my bachelor’s degree and work on the business point of view of engineering and become the CEO of the company. It’s a working plan in process!
             At the ended of the school year I thought my grades were going to be B’s and C’s but on the contrast they came to be A’s and B’s. The classes were very hard courses and to see the grades I earned at the end of the semester was a great eye opener and put the biggest smile on my family, friends, and even my face.  

Outcome

I learned a couple of things from my study aboard experience and I know for a fact that I’ll be able to use it again. One thing learn from my experience is the language of course. I basically came on this trip not knowing anything compared to the culture. When I first landed in Spain the language barrier had a pretty drastic gap from theirs and mine. I could tell that it was going to be difficult to speak to people in Valencia just buy listening to people and reading store names and billboards. While being here I learn a lot of new words that’s even different to American Spanish. When I get back to the US I know I can communicate with a different race in their language. Also, I know companies are really impressed with the employees knowing different languages for the company’s benefits. Another thing I picked up on is how to speak to the women out. Let’s say I want to communicate with a woman for company, its totally different then the US because I noticed that everyone love eye contact. You have to make eye contact with them in order to capture their attention to begin the mission of conversing. Trying that back at home can spark up a new form of getting anybody attention. Maybe some people wouldn’t think it’s weird and somewhat think it’s attractive. Third thing I learned is make sure you have every bit of information is right for anything such as bus, metro cards, and anything else. We struggled for weeks getting these transportation cards working for our usage. It seems like no one knew what we need because of miscommunication and lack of information.

My educational background did not help what so ever in this study aboard experience. The knowledge I obtained was nowhere close to the actual field work and equipment I was using. My educational background only helped with formulas and the unit system. The equipment was over my knowledge because the classes I taken wasn’t a high level courses. The impact was really intense and beyond my intelligent from classes. I felt so lost when the equipment arrived and my mentor was telling me about the equipment in use and how I was

going to use them. The first day was difficult because the learning of all this new technology and information was overwhelming. I knew from that day, I wasn’t skilled and prepared for the projects at hand. As my mentor talked on about the technology I began to panic thinking I wasn’t going to do well and not be able to contribute anything. Reading the manuals and articles helped out more than I expected and now have more knowledge to add. Everything I learned before the study aboard experience wasn’t able to help and prepare me.

I know my educational training is good but wasn’t prepared for the educational training I learned over the five weeks. I basically started from the bottom and climb my way up and over each challenge. Educational wise, a challenge I encounter was lack of knowledge on the technology and equipments. I haven’t seen or heard of any of the equipment I used or anyone else’s as well. I expected the job would be more out of the office and in the field to see what happens. I attend a couple of field trips which I seen my international mentor at work. I expected for the project would be more of a design based method. I thought the work experience would’ve been all work and no fun between the men-tees

and the mentors but I was wrong about that. A challenge I encounter was the language barrier between the international mentor and I. I know my mentor expected for me to know more Spanish than I actually knew. There were some phrases and words he could say in English or pronounce correctly but overall he was a great English speaker compared to most people.

Social Identity

I see this experience very beneficial for me in many ways. I’m kind of happy I got accepted and came for this study aboard internship for this experience. Everything here is so different from what I imagined and heard about Valencia. Then again when people talk about Spain they never really said a specific place they visit but I went along with believing they was discussing about Valencia because I was coming here. Everyone back at home had me thinking it was so beautiful, exciting, amazing place to go but when I landed I got different vibe from what they was saying. Some of the places in Valencia are very beautiful but I was expecting everything to be that way. I expected five star buildings with gorgeous flowers in the front, nice historical artifacts everywhere, beautiful scene of the city in every direction, more amazing houses and less apartments. I couldn’t wait to see things like that and try to get pictures of every sight. There are some places like I expected with beautiful flowers like the sidewalk by the mall and by the Ferris wheel towards the center of the city. Also, I noticed nice buildings in other locations of Valencia but only from a metro ride and far away distance. I expected to have cheaper prices for most things but it’s the opposite. The prices for most things are higher than the US if not the same price but certain things like candy, drinks, fruits and other necessities are very cheap to get. I thought everyone would be dressed up on the streets, very kind, and talkative with foreigners. I expected everyone to speak English more than what I’ve been hearing.  Majority of the citizens I ran into speak only Castilian and hard for them to understand me when speak Spanish. They speak so fast and with a lisp which makes it much harder for me to even keep up with every word. Honestly, in the area I stay at its smells really bad because everyone walking dogs which lead to waste is excreted on the sidewalk, streets, and poles. One day Toul, Abin and I were walking to search for a restaurant to comer their delicious sustenance. As we walk down the grey brick road searching for some food, all we did was sniff and look at each other with disgusted faces. The entire search for a restaurant we smelled nothing but dog excretion from the house to restaurant and back. It’s a lot of public display of affection and sexual
exposure here as well. I caught so many people, even the same sex making out hardcore. The beach is one of the main places where sexual exposure is noticed by everyone walking around topless but I’m not complaining. Also, I saw a couple of inappropriate cards for very inappropriate things but support safe sex too. 

It’s a lot differences but it’s a lot of similarities in culture too.

But right now I’m going to talk about the attitude.

Most of the people here are very rude.

Like one time some guy ran into me and I was like “dude.”

I really thought that was real crude.

That experience happened in Valencia and back home.

It happened by all people, especially ones on the phone.

I turn around to say something but they was already gone.

So I just brushed it off and left it alone.

Everywhere I go it seems like people do that.

Back at home they even do that and get an attitude back.

Taking they anger out on me and calling me a brat.

But I only think they do that because I’m black.

Let me talk about the other side, I don’t want to be neglectful.

But there are people that are very respectful.

In Valencia we ran into people that were actually helpful.

Like the time we the tram derailed and things started to get stressful.

But a man came alone and saved our mental.

Come to think about it, it was very coincidental.

The kindness is the same in the states.

Like my old advisor at school, her name is Mrs. Spates.

Without her I wouldn’t make it through the gates.

Or like being in Spain without Ariel to translate.

She went out her way to help me out.

We had to go through things that had me beyond doubts.

From the start to finish she went all out.

The difference in the attitude kind of drives me insane.

But from my view it’s basically the same.

Aspirations!

This aboard experience exposed me to different ideas for designs of building, roads, and bridges. Valencia roadways and buildings are different from the US in a couple of ways. The street intersections are shapes of circles in certain areas that lead to different directions. The buildings are form differently as well. The flats (apartments) are built on top of restaurants, shops, bars and more. I think it saves people the burden of driving everywhere and can walk to their destination. It’s everything walking distance from where they stay and also saves gas and the environment. I’ve experience the transportation here every day and I must say that it is something to consider for certain cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Washington and etc. My skills have improved more than I expected because I was thinking the internship would just be the same thing as class work. The projects I’m experiencing are things actually engineers work with like the GPR (ground penetrating radar) and MIRA tomography. The MIRA is a multi-functional array ultrasonic system engineered to detect and evaluate internal defects in concrete structures such as honeycombs and voids. It’s one of the most advanced techniques in non-destructive testing (NDT) of concrete.  The MIRA has 40 transmitting probes that scan the subsurface of the structure for thickness and flaw detection. The GPR is a non-destructive method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface and detects the reflect signals. The velocity of the signals is depended on the dielectric constant.

I plan on using this aboard experience to prepare me for my higher level courses coming soon. I know at least some of the higher courses will have something to do with my current project at AIDICO like professional design and reinforce concrete. This experience is giving me a head start on these classes amongst most of my classmates. I can see it now, the professor shows up in class and I’m sitting in the first row with the biggest smirk on my face. I already know how the assignment going to go and everybody else is clueless to the material at hand. I know I’ll be the first one to know most of the info before the professor even introduces it to the class. Everyone will be asking me for help because I earned the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences and collect information from it. As well as the bachelor’s degree it can help when I’m obtaining my master’s degree and perhaps my Ph.D. it definitely encourage me to do more research within my degree and studies for my classes to be prepare before time. I thought it was nothing I can use with this experience but now I feel sure that it’s more than what I think. Basically the international experience helped me get ahead of the game in certain classes.

This international experience has impact my decision for my future career a lot. Before this experience I never thought of bringing any business to foreign countries but I see it can be an asset now. When I own my company I will bring my business out the US and take it to not only Spain but other countries as well. Taking it out the states can help others in search for a job that’s not in the US and be able to succeed at one of the best engineering firms around the world. Also it’ll give employees the opportunity to travel to different countries they always wanted to visit but of course they have to work normal hours. That’ll lead to more money for me and my company reaching overseas and branching out. Hiring employees that are bilingual is an asset to this projection of my company because it’ll be more efficient to the company and people around. I know for a fact that I’m not going to be the type to sit in an office all day. I’m more of a hands-on type of guy because I think sitting in the office all day is boring but that’s just my opinion. The aboard experiences help me realized that being at the site is so better than being in a being all day and less active. But this experience also challenges me to achieve in one of my personal career goal as well. My goal is being able to retire in an early age but I know it’s almost impossible to do so.  

What I Think About the Culture

The culture here in Spain is so different and crazy from America. The ways things operate around here are just confusing and amazing at the same time. The language barrier is pretty intense from what originally expected. I thought everyone speaks English as well as their native language but I was completely wrong about that from when I first step in this country. I honestly seen the change right off the plane in Zurich but it wasn’t as shocking as fully getting to Valencia. The way to speak it is like holding your tongue or pressing it against the bottom of your teeth while speaking.  It’s so hard to even comprehend majority of the people, in vise versa.  Everyone talks with what sounds like a lisp with every word. The people are very rude and stubborn but there are a handful of people who’s actually very nice and respectful. One time was when the group was waiting from the Metro, we all were conversing when some people walk passed us without caring who’s in front them. None of the people said pardone (excuse me), lo siento(sorry) or anything. They were bumping into me like I wasn’t even standing there and just kept walking. However, there was a time where a man helped us get to the metro station because the train was derailed. He went out his way to help us get to our destination and that’s something I will always remember.  Walking around Valencia I noticed some beautiful building and some old, broken down buildings as well. The city has graffiti almost everywhere you walk but it’s actually very talented art work in my eyes.

Valencia isn’t a bad place to be but like majority of the cities in the U.S. the city also has a bad part of the neighborhood. I experience the “ghetto” part of Valencia walking to work on the first day after a train was derailed and another time eating at this Indian restaurant.  Nonetheless, the culture is very different from mines. The stores open around four or five and close around nine but right after that time the bars and clubs open up all night long. I was very confused the first couple of times noticing this. Also I noticed a lot of people walk or take group
transportation everywhere like buses and trains. There are some people who drive of course but it seems like more rather the train. The most convenient that I would recommend are motorcycle, scooter, or compact car if you want to own a vehicle. It’s the best way to park especially in the small places.  I seen almost everyone with dogs and walk them constantly, like all day every day. The way people wash clothes are the same but drying them is different because dryers don’t exist. To dry clothes we have to do it the old fashion way, clothes wire and clamps or set them on a rack in the sun. Other then that, I don’t think it’s too much different from America just certain things are different from what I’m use too.

The most I like about the culture is the party. This party called the Foreign Language Exchange Event was one of the best times I had so far. I already went twice and each time was just amazing. The first time I didn't know what to expect from that party. We had our nation’s flag on our shirts representing our native language and mingled with others from different countries. Everyone learned more about others countries, speak they native tongue, and talk about each other. The scene was very nice and everyone was dressed nice as well. From that event I meant a few new people and hopefully keep in touch with. A challenge for me is communicating with most people at first but I’m learning more Spanish which helping me get through this. I remember the first time going to the market to get groceries. It was my roommates Abin and Toul and I searching for normal American food. We were in there for about an hour. It was pretty quick find some stuff like cereal, milk, bread, and jelly which took about 20 minutes. The rest of the time we were looking for cheese, peanut butter, and eggs. We asked for assistants but no one could understand what we was looking for and none of us could think of the words in Spanish. Checking out was difficult too for Toul because the lady was saying do you want plastic bags but we thought she meant put the cars away or something in that nature. We didn’t understand what she was saying especially because how fast she was talking. Another challenge is going without WiFi to communicate with people back at home. I didn’t expect it to be this hard to reach back home every now and then. Every place has their WiFi locked so none of the group can obtain it. Literally we have to walk from our flats to McDonald's for free WiFi and that’s like a 40 minute to an hour walk there.

Overall I think it’s not so bad to live here in Valencia. Some people are rude but that shouldn’t anyone after living there for a longer period of time. It’s something to get a custom too but it’s pretty cool and enjoyable.

Why Civil Engineering?

Why pursue a degree in civil engineering you ask! Most people say that they’re the lowest paid engineering. Some of my engineering buddies said “Your major sucks compared to mines, y’all study concrete for a whole year. That’s so pointless”. He only saying that because his an chemical engineering and have more and exciting things to do compared to me and my civil engineering. The money isn't all that matters when it’s something you love doing. That doesn't matter to me because I love to build, draw, and design since I was younger, that excites me just like chemical engineering excites my friend. The fact that I’m on the site all day, looking over a group of people, letting them know how I want and acquire the bridge or building to best fit my design is just breath taking for me. Since 3^rd grade in my life, I already started to do things pertaining to engineering, such as, using Lego’s to build houses and bridges, drawing them out on paper, and helping my father with planning and designs at home. I followed my father’s footsteps and became something he always wanted, an engineering degree. I want this degree to help fulfill my father’s dream and making my parents and family so proud of me. When I put my mind to something and the outcome always makes my family happy and proud, nothing makes me happier.

There's a couple of factors on why I choose this Engineering major. I mean there are many many other options I could have gone with but this particular major caught my attention for what I'm trying to achieve. A big factor for choosing this profession is mainly supporting my family for as long as I can. I was raised with a lot of things and brought up in a real bad neighborhood for majority of my life. I don't want my family that I hope of having growing up in that environment, I want better for me and my family. My parents also influenced me in getting this occupation BIG TIME!! They noticed since I was younger that math classes was were my A's coming from kindergarten to senior of high school. I don't know what made them think I would like doing this but they know me better than anyone else in this world. I have other reason but them reason are too personal just to put out like that. It's more of sad story of a certain part of my life and I don't like to talk about it. I'm already tearing up thinking about...

I think anybody reading this looking at me like this ^ lol...but I know that personal reason is keeping me focused on the big picture and making it to the top. One last factor is the people around trying to keep me down called haters. I know there's a lot of people who want to see me fail in my endeavors and wish to be in my shoes as well. Not letting that stop me from getting to my dream.

I expect to bring to the table to this profession is my creativity and knowledge of which I learned to make the infrastructure better. Right now the infrastructure in our society is really bad as of now. The ASCE determined the graded of a D+, but it’s better than last year which was a D-. I expect my knowledge than I've gained to help build and strengthen for a better grade. Nobody likes failing grades and that’s a failure in my eyes.  The information I’m learning in my first internship/research position in Valencia, Spain, working with AIDICO will help me progress and proceed to better this infrastructure in the future. Learning from AIDICO is just one of many steps to make my vision and reality.

 Becoming a civil engineer will help me reach my goals of becoming a recording artist/performer because they both are challenging dreams to overcome but learning how to think critical and perform unbelievable task will help me strive for the music industry. I’m a young man coming for the top spot however I can do it. Civil Engineering takes a lot of critical thinking and perseverance to become best at the job and running my own company. It takes a lot of money as well for engineering and from word of mouth and personal experiences; it’s the same way in the music industry. Also, owning one of the most prestige engineering firms is one of my goals to achievement.  I want to lead my own engineering company for other engineers who wish to make their dreams come true as I desire. This profession makes you think in unique ways of different solutions and pick the best choice, one of the traits a leader should have as well. The collaborations civil engineers have with others are great practices for a leader of a team or company. Listening to the employees and combining their ideals with mines could make the company more efficient.