#IPEsummer19

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Belgium: Part 1

Last night we all got back from our program wide trip to Belgium. I had planned to post a little bit after we got back, but our flight was delayed 2 hours and when we got to our building several of us were locked out of our rooms and had to hike down to the housing center to get it fixed at 2 AM, so I basically went straight to bed once I was able to. I snoozed my 10 o'clock alarm and now here I am writing after an afternoon breakfast. It’s hard to believe that I only have one more week left in this country. It’s equally hard to believe I have to take 2 exams after the busy week we just had in Belgium. I barely even thought about physics since the last day of class more than a week ago. It’s time for all of us to kick it into gear and get down to studying. But none of us want to.

View of the grounds of the Irish College in Leuven, Belgium

Thus I’m writing this post about Belgium instead. We had all been looking forward to this trip for almost as long as we’ve been here. Lovingly watching the weather in Brussels as we were pelted by cold rain and wind here in Dublin. (The oppressive heat in Belgium quickly had us singing a different tune) Knowing that classes would be over when we were there, and sure exams would be coming up, but not until a few days after we got back. Plenty of time to study. Well, we should have known our relaxing vacation was in jeopardy ever since we learned that our bus to the airport would be leaving from UCD at 4 AM on a Monday morning. Our travel to Belgium blurred by in a cacophony of plane noises, clattering suitcases, and sudden awakenings from uncomfortable sleeping positions. After arriving at our host college in Belgium, the Irish College at Leuven, all we wanted to do was sleep, but we quickly unpacked our stuff and made it downstairs for our first of a dozen lectures that week.

European Parliament elections were a month ago, right around when we arrived in Ireland. This is where the representatives meet.

I don’t think any of us truly understood the academic nature of the trip we had inadvertently signed up for, but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself learning a lot over the few days that we had in Belgium. Our speakers expounded upon the workings of the European Union, the role of Ireland in that union especially concerning Brexit, and a variety of other topics that most of us had never even thought to consider regarding life in europe and europe’s place on the world stage. We got to visit both the European Parliament and the European Commission and hear talks by several people who worked there. It was really an incredible experience.

A group of us at the European Commission posing as commissioners taken by our friend Michelle

Most of us, myself included, had very little knowledge about how government Europe worked. It felt quite a bit like the trips many of us took in fourth grade to the state capitol. Lots of strange people teaching us about things we wouldn’t really understand for a couple of years, but we were quite a bit smarter than our 10 year old selves and I like to think we represented our schools well and asked good questions.

I’ll post more tomorrow about the more “fun” parts of our trip, but I think it is safe to say that we were not on a vacation. Far from it. We were on an educational, 5 day field trip, and I appreciate that our instructors here took us seriously enough to provide us with these fantastic opportunities and I for one took full advantage of them.

Elijah Richards

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Physics 240 and History in Ireland

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Glendalough

I meant to post this earlier in the week but all of us over here in Ireland have been occupied this week writing our Irish History essays which were due this morning. As engineering students we are all suffering somewhat under the yoke of another discipline, but I’ll be the first to say that it’s good for us to write a little bit. Anyway, last weekend I and several other students who didn’t have the money and/or the motivation to go to Barcelona with the big group that went decided to go to Glendalough, a famous glacial valley just south of Dublin in Wicklow Mountains National Park. We had learned that there was a bus that came through at 11:45 and another that came back at 5:45 so we decided to go out and make the most of those 6 hours.

Unfortunately when the bus showed up it was full, but the driver told us that there would be another bus behind him in just a few minutes. Alas, that bus was also full, but that driver told us that if we stood up in the aisle for 20 minutes he would drop us off to be picked up by another bus for the rest of the way. We decided to trust this guy and after transferring to another bus with weird leather headrests and a faint cigarette smell we arrived at the park.

We immediately consulted the map but there was some disagreement regarding which paths we would explore. I of course wanted to go as far as possible, while others wanted to take a slower pace. We ended up deciding on a medium length path with the possibility of going further later depending on how we were feeling. After grabbing a quick bite to eat we set out. The path began as a boardwalk along a small lake until we came out of the forest to see that grand valley extending beyond us, the bottom shining with another larger lake. As the path extended along the shore of the lake we entered the valley, steep rock cliffs rising parabolically to either side of us, thick patches of ferns blanketing the interior. In the distance we could see a small waterfall pouring along the back wall of the valley.

It was gorgeous and we spent an hour or two just exploring the piles of rocks around the back of the valley and climbing up to the waterfall which gave us a beautiful view of the valley below us. We had to hurry back though because the bus left at 5:45 and we had stalled our departure a little too much. It started to rain as we neared the entrance to the park and it was brutally cold. All the park goers were huddled under the awning of the visitor center, which was closed. Alas, there was once again not any space on the two buses that came to pick us up, and we were afraid we were going to have to stand the entire way back to Dublin, but thankfully we were once again rescued by that rogue leather headrest bus and we sat in comfort the rest of the way back as the rain fell outside.

PHOTO DUMP!!!

Group photo at the mouth of the valley. Taken by some stranger, but with our permission of course.

Ruins of a mining settlement near the base of the valley

View out over the valley, river, and lake from the waterfall

Aforementioned waterfall, photo taken by Riley, thanks dude

Elijah Richards

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Physics 240 and History in Ireland

[umichenginabroad]

Barcelona, the Final Stop

Joey Imperial

Environmental Engineering

Sustainability and Industrial Ecology - UTT, Troyes, France

Barcelona has always been a dream destination for me. It appeared in my imagination as a thriving coastal reef, bursting with life and stimuli for all the senses. As bittersweet as it was to leave the alpine paradise of Switzerland, I could hardly contain myself as I rode the airport shuttle to the Plaça Catalunya in the heart of Barcelona for my first night in this alluring, magical city.

My excursion in Barcelona began with a two-nights stay with one of my UMich friends and his parents who were there for the week! It was such a treat to have a friend from home again after a couple of weeks going solo around various corners of Europe. Between a couple tapas crawls around the winding alleyways of the city, churros and chocolate, and a relaxed day at the beach, my stay with them proved to be an excellent introduction to life in Barcelona. 

Montserrat

On my first day alone in the city I made my way, by train, to the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey located about 30 miles northwest of Barcelona. Unique as a mountaintop monastery, the hike up to Montserrat was an extraordinary experience as I was able to gradually see more and more of the Catalan lowlands

Just keep climbing!

View from the Monastery of the Catalan lowlands

The Monastery, situated in between the serrations that give Montserrat its name 

The Virgin of Montserrat, the Patron Saint of Catalonia

The sanctuary of the Cathedral

Exploring the quiet retreat of Montserrat was awe-inspiring as it must have required immense amounts of devotion and faith to construct. The buildings, with simple yet perfectly elegant architecture, seemed to fit perfectly into their dramatic mountain backdrops, inspiring visitors to look to the beauty of nature as inspiration of faith. Walking through the monastery I felt as though every paving stone, archway, and pillar was deliberately designed to produce peace and invoke spiritual reflection. Montserrat was a perfect day-trip retreat before I would plunge into the vibrant streets of the city.

La Sagrada Familia

My first stop in the city was the world-famous La Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Designed by the genius architect Antoni Gaudi, construction on the cathedral began in 1882 and is still continuing! The cathedral is expected to be completed in 2026, marking the 100 year death anniversary of Gaudi. Every element of the cathedral reflect’s Gaudi’s deep appreciation and fascination with nature, as the pillars represent towering tree trunks of a forest and the stained glass windows on the east and west faces of the cathedral beam brilliant hues of blues and reds to emulate sunrise and sunset. This was hands-down one of the most spectacular human achievements I have ever witnessed, and the brilliance of light flooding into this space will always glow brightly in my memory.

The Nativity Facade, facing East

The towering “tree trunks” supporting the massive roof and spires of the Cathedral

Cool blue and green hues flooding in through the East windows, evoking sensations of morning

Passionate reds and oranges pouring through the West windows, representing dusk and sunset.

The Sanctuary

Mercat de la Boqueria

Much like in Valencia, Barcelona is home to an extraordinary open air market where you can find the finest streetfood the city has to offer. I came her for a quick dinner bite before heading to Parc Guell for the evening. The fruit displays, friendly atmosphere, and bustle of smells wafting between the stalls made la Boqueria a simply enjoyable place to be. I picked up a cone of fried seafood (prawns, sardines, cod, and squid) and a cone of the world-famous jamon Iberico. An exquisite “street meal” for cheap, and the perfect atmosphere to enjoy it!

Jamon will always a have a special place in my heart :)

Parc Guell and Gaudi

On postcards Barcelona is often depicted as a city flourishing with unique architecture and colors. As La Sagrada Familia had proven, this reputation is not wrong. Gaudi had a strong creative influence on the architecture around the city including residential buildings and a park north of the shore that provides a dramatic overlook of the city. Again, his extremely unique style often highlights the intricacies of nature while exemplifying beautiful craftsmanship and creativity.

Gaudi’s Casa Batlló

The top of Park Güell , overlooking the city

Park Guell Porter’s Lodge

Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, My Last Night

My last night in Barcelona and Europe was spent strolling the streets of Barcelona waiting for my 5:00 AM shuttle to the airport. At the beginning of the night I made my way to the “Magic Fountain” to watch the light show that many of my hostelmates had recommended. The combinations of colors, water streams, music, and a spectacular sunset backdrop made it for the perfect conclusion to my trip. As I sat among the crowd, I couldn’t help but notice that everyone there was simply enjoying themselves to their greatest capacity. During my time in Europe I learned to enjoy life more. From the little things like having a bed to sleep in after a long day of travel or seeing the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night, there’s so much in life to appreciate that too often goes unappreciated. 

As always, thank you for checking in on this last stop of the trip! My final reflection will be up soon!

-Joey

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Cliffs of Moher

I’ve barely been in Ireland 4 days and the program here has already taken us on an incredible trip to the Cliffs of Moher. We left early Saturday morning on a chartered bus and all of us were exhausted, either still from jet-lag or a late Friday night. Most everyone fell asleep within minutes, although 7 or 8 of us at the front couldn’t seem to stop talking and we still haven’t run out of questions to ask our program assistant Grace, who accompanied us.

Within the hour we made our first stop at the Barack Obama service plaza. Whacky huh? Turns out Obama stopped here on a trip to the county some of his ancestors are from and they re-branded to capitalize on some of that star-power. I mean who can blame them?

Not to scale, but he didn’t want to hold my hand. Photo Credit: Sumner Holtzman

Later we made small stops at Bunratty Castle and the “Baby Cliffs” which were both pretty neat. At the Baby Cliffs we go to look out over the Burren, which is an uninhabitable rocky portion of the country made up of fractured and eroded limestone crags that, though bleakly beautiful, was where many Irish were exiled to eke out a difficult life by the British empire under much less touristy circumstances.

Bunratty Castle

The Burren

We made our way into a small town named Doolin for lunch and I scarfed down my seafood chowder in a matter of minutes. I really need to make a habit here of photographing my food, because I always wind up getting distracted by the deliciousness of it and then none of my wonderful readers get to see it.

After lunch we hightailed it to the Cliffs. Our tickets were only good for entering at a window between 2 and 2:15 and we were running a little late so everyone was nervous, but we made it with a couple minutes to spare and were let loose to mingle with the tourists for about an hour and a half. After using the bathroom I set out with a group of 6 others to the path that led to the left along the cliffs. We were in total awe 500 feet above the churning sea as the wind swept our hair back, carrying with it the faintest scent of the ocean up from far down below us where the seagulls were flying. A protective barrier stood between us and the drop, but about half of the visitors, ourselves included, risked a closer look beyond the 3 foot wall of stone, staying as safe as we could. Some in our group took a few risky photos but I, knowing a little something about geology and the looseness of the dirt we were standing on abstained, even staying very tense for this relatively safe photo. Please don’t make fun of me for it.

Photo Credit: Sarah Holles, Awkward Pose Credit: Me, 

Photo Bomb Credit: Unknown

Cliffs!

We made our way back and I chose to head up the right side of the path while the rest in my group made their way back down to the museum and gift shop. I enjoyed my brief hike alone just as much as with the group and the views were equally stunning, if not more so. The limestone cliffs were jagged and rocky, but splotches of vegetation littered the sides adding an emerald beauty to the bleak grey walls. One cliff, which was at a much less sever angle than the rest, was completely blanketed in bright green making it look like a little wedge of mossy pie. Small islands, the splintered remnants of the cliffs old extremities poked out of the undulating water; a perfect nesting spot for the thousands of gulls flying about.

Moss Pie

Birds Nesting on an Island

Alone and more or less satisfied with the pictures I had taken I was able to go much further, simply soaking in the beauty of the cliffs beneath the cloudy Irish sky. About a kilometer down the path I found a much safer, more solid plane of rock and laid down on my stomach, sticking my head over the edge ever so slightly and gazing down the sheer drop for as long as I dared. 

I walked back as quick as I could because I hadn’t really wanted to leave and was running a little late. As we rode back everyone fell asleep again, even those of us in the front, and we got back around 7:30, 12 hours after we had left.

Beyond the barrier but still a safe distance from the edge. Photo Credit: Some Stranger.

Elijah Richards

Civil And Environmental Engineering

Physics 240 and History in Ireland

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Dubl-In the Zone

These big life moments always seem to sneak up on me. It feels like not too long ago I was taking my final exams and saying goodbye to my friends; now I’m dragging my suitcase out of the basement and deciding where I want my last meal to be (not to be dramatic or anything). It’s all happening so fast. Of course, that’s how life is: fast. There’s a part of me that relishes that dynamic thrill of a sudden change, but there’s another that is always hesitant. That never truly feels ready or prepared. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself though, it’s that opportunities tend to pass me by in the time it takes for me to get comfortable.

A little introduction might be prudent before I get back to my rambling. My name is Eli Richards and I just wrapped up my first year at the University of Michigan studying Civil Engineering. I’ll be taking Physics 240 in Dublin, Ireland this summer and if this puntastic title left you rolling your eyes, brace yourself because I’m just getting warmed up. I love eating, reading, hiking, swimming, music, and writing, but I promise I’m not as boring as I sound. 

This is me hiking in Patagonia. This is about as photogenic as I get.

After I graduated high school I spent 10 months as an exchange student in Chile, so I’ve got some experience being far from home. I remember this feeling. Like floating down a river toward the falls. I can see the edge coming up, but I can’t see beyond the mist to determine my fate. Now of course this analogy doesn’t quite hold up because I want, very badly, to be going over those metaphorical falls but nevertheless, that nervous anticipation is still there. That feeling that I’m not quite ready. I’m not in the zone yet.

That’s me with my class in Chile. I’m up in the top right with the white shirt

And I don’t think that I will be, truly, until I’ve arrived. But that doesn’t mean I’m not doing my best to prepare myself. I’ve been reading up on Irish history, learning geography, looking at the material we’ve been sent, thinking about potential excursions. I even got Duolingo to learn a little bit of the Irish language, although I expect I will never use it. I bought a famous book by James Joyce that takes place in Dublin and I’m going to start reading it tomorrow on the plane. Whatever I do though, it will never take away that feeling of weightlessness that comes with being in another country for the first time. And I’m glad that it won’t. It’s one of my favorite parts about traveling.

Anyway, however things go tomorrow, or over the next six weeks, you can be sure I will have a lot to say about it. I’m very excited for the tension to be broken and for this new chapter of my life to become a reality. Here’s to a new adventure.

Elijah Richards

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Physics 240 and History in Ireland

[umichenginabroad]

Side Travel to Beijing: Great Wall, Tian’anmen Square & Temple of Heaven

As a side travel, most of our group as well as one our chinese buddies and her friend decided to travel to Beijing during the weekend of the Dragon festival as we had no class on that Friday. We purchased our tickets around 3 weeks before the trip for reasonable prices but it should be noted that dragon festival time is some of the busiest travel days in China as people are trying to see their families. Our program is small which makes it easier to buy tickets for a group on a whim.

THURSDAY NIGHT

We took a plane that Thursday night after class from Xiamen to Beijing which was around a 3.5 hour flight but it was delayed a bit at the airport. When we left the airport we took taxis from the airport to the hostel. When we first exited the airport there was a table where someone speaks English that immediately offered to call a taxi for us which is typically black SUVs or sedans at a high price. We went outside the airport to order a regular taxi at a metered rate. That night we checked into our hostels at around 1:30 am and went to bed right away as we planned on going to the Great Wall in the morning.

FRIDAY

Woke up bright and early for the Great Wall. We went through a mostly public transportation route, but it was very helpful that we had a buddy who was able to speak Chinese and haggle taxis for us. If you do not have someone who speaks chinese them it may be useful to go via shuttle through a tour which many hostels around Beijing offer.

For reference, our trip to the Great Wall including transport, admission on student price, taking a cart up to the Great Wall and tobogganing down on student price was less then 200 yuan. If you go via a shuttle with hostel you may have a shuttle that takes you and lunch for around 260 to 360 yuan or more, with cable car and tobogganing unincludied. Everyone in our group thought the tobogganing was well worth it!

After the day at the Great Wall many of us were tired after the little sleep, early wake up, long walk, and late meal. Many of us had a big dinner and fell asleep early.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning I wandered around Tiananmen square alone untill noon. Remember to bring your passport (or chinese ID card if you are a citizen of the PRC). While it was filled with people, this square felt like a very safe place to wander by myself as there was many guards posted and the area mostly was filled with families and couples.

If you enter through the the gate of where former Chairman Mao Zedong potrait is you will find yourself headed towards the Imperial Palace.

After having lunch I spent the rest of this day trying to get a feel for Beijing as a city, by wandering through the streets. Compared to Xiamen, Beijing is more fast paced and has so many foreigners. At this time it made me realize that Xiamen has become like our Chinese home as we didn’t feel like visitors to Xiamen but Beijing felt very temporary.

This night I had Beijing Peking duck for dinner and it was amazing! I expected it to be like thanksgiving but they carve the duck for you and there is little meat on a Peking duck but the flavor of the skin was so fatty and savory.

SUNDAY

On Sunday I went to the temple of heaven in a small group of three people. It was a bit of a walk from the hostel, but didn’t seem far enough to get a taxi. We were able to get in with student pricing but the did question the validity of our Xiamen student cards and age of a member in our group as student discounts in China is mostly for undergraduate students but this was quickly resolved with “we are foreign students” in Chinese which we learned in class.

The temple of heaven was one of the more refreshing places to go to in Beijing in terms of getting away from the city while staying in the city for a breath of fresh air and greenery.

Xie Xie 谢谢 for Reading!

from Beijing,

Leslie Arciniega

Undeclared UM College of Engineering

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Castles and Churches and Stuff

My adventure for this weekend is coming to Cork to visit my Aunt Jody who moved here in 2017 with her husband Dan. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited to come here to Ireland specifically. I arrived last night and got up early to go out for a day of driving and castle viewing with my aunt. I have a lot of younger siblings so it’s always a treat when I get to travel alone with the adults in my family because we are much more efficient and flexible with our time.

From the ramparts of Castle Cahir

We set off toward Kilkenny which is famous for its many medieval buildings, planning to make a few stops along the way. Our first stop was in Cahir where we saw a historical castle that was besieged by the British in the 17th century. I spent a lot of time there trying to imagine what it would have been like to be there during such a violent time which was very difficult now that the castle is bustling with tourists and the barren walls are covered in informational posters.

The cathedral at the Rock of Cashel

From there we continued on to the Rock of Cashel on which sits a decrepit cathedral as well as a smaller sandstone chapel. The chapel was built first and the cathedral later, mostly because that hill was the only place it would fit, so the two buildings come right up against each other and actually run into one another a little bit. There I enjoyed watching the many birds nesting in the walls of the cathedral which had a lot of perfect sized holes for them making it look like a sort of bird apartment complex. The weather cleared up the most during that part of the day as well and the views from the hill out over the surrounding countryside were beautiful.

Interior of the chapel on the Rock of Cashel

View of the countryside and an abandoned abbey

Interior of Kilkenny Castle

After we had our fill of the ruins we made our way into Kilkenny for some more intact (but still very old) buildings. After grabbing a late lunch along the medieval mile we walked through Kilkenny Castle, which had evolved over the centuries from being a military stronghold to an elaborate and decorative mansion. The interior was painstakingly preserved and very beautiful. Certainly a departure from the bleak ruins at the Rock of Cashel and the oppressive interior of Cahir Castle. After the castle we walked through a number of more religious buildings including St Mary’s Cathedral, the Black Abbey, and St Canice’s Cathedral.

Pretty stained glass at the Black Abbey

Round tower at St Canice’s Cathedral

At St Canice’s Cathedral we ascended the round tower which I learned is 1000 years old: the oldest building in Kilkenny. We had to climb about 8 steep ladders strategically placed inside in order to reach the top, but once we did the view over the town was amazing and we were able to see all the buildings we had visited that day. After an intense day we drove back to Cork to relax for the evening. Tomorrow we plan to go west to Killarney national park, but for now I am going to bed. Stay tuned.

Climbing conditions in the tower: a little treacherous. Also the only picture with me in it oops. I’ll do better tomorrow.

View from the top. That big one is St Mary’s Cathedral

Elijah Richards

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Physics 240 and History in Dublin

[umichenginabroad]

All about Canteens

Xiamen University Vs. Shanghai Internship

Photographed above: A delicious personal made soup rich with veggies from Xiamen University’s Siming Campus Round Canteen, topped with tofu 

For Starters: What is a Canteen!?

The best way I have been able to describe canteen is like our understanding of dining hall but rather than a premade balanced meal or buffet like we have on campus, you pay for a la carte dishes. In Xiamen we paid for those dishes with our university card, and at our internship at SNERDI in Shanghai we paid for them on our company ID card.  These canteens where our primary source of meals, but as these are a la carte be conscious on how much you are spending on your meal cards so you can afford food at the end of the trip!

My peers and I had no clue why we called the dining halls canteens, I mean after all it’s not the wrong word for it, just an uncommon word.  But alas an explanation! According to the internet, the likely reason why we call them canteens is not rooted in the translation but rather because the chinese word 餐厅 (cān tīng), which directly means food/meal hall, sounds similar to canteen.

Differences in palette: Sweet Buns are common, even for savory sandwiches. A lighter mayonnaise is on this sandwich, and the sandwich only came as a spicy chicken sandwich (lightly, airy spicy not like  a burning jalapeno spice)

Differences in Palette: Very hearty chicken noodle soup! Rather than just white chicken meat, this soup includes the heart and liver. Eating the organs of the animal is supposed to be better for your health as the organs are rich in nutrients, and making use of the whole animal is much less wasteful 

An overview of Xiamen University canteens as we knew it:

There are several canteens on campus, and while many of them serve similar things, there are specialties at certain canteens. We personally only knew the canteens by their location and also shape, so whenever inviting a peer to eat we would say “ X floor of the round canteen”, “the one near us” , “the halal canteen”. 

We normally ate breakfast at the canteen near us or got something  打包 (da bao) to take to class. If it was a hot day, we would head for lunch on the second floor of the round canteen for some cold noodles. We also liked getting fruit cup (by the weight) with all the in season fruit including lychee, mango, papaya, YELLOW WATERMELON, dragonfruit, & chinese bay berry at the grocery store that took our university card.

While most things are really inexpensive at the canteen, there are some premium items. So while you could eat a really good meal for 15 yen including rice (less than a yen), veggies (3-4 yen) and perhaps a protein (6-9 yen) , you could splurge and  20 yen custom made fried rice, or crayfish which we found to be the most expensive item on the menu

An overview of the canteen at SNERDI:

There are two floors, but we always ate on the first floor, and there is also a restaurant that takes the company card, but it is a bit pricey if you are trying to make your meal cards last. After being accustomed to several canteens at Xiamen, this canteen may seem a bit smaller, but they did have some common dishes with Xiamen canteen. I will advise you though that if you are vegetarian or do not eat pork that a lot of the vegetables will be mixed with pork or chicken, or occasionally the fish is topped with bacon. We were very fortunate as interns to get to lunch before all the employees so I had time to ask what the different dishes where, and it gave me an opportunity to practice my Chinese.

Xie Xie 谢谢 for Reading!

from Xiamen,

Leslie Arciniega

Undeclared UM College of Engineering

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Home Again

Joey Imperial 

Environmental Engineering

Sustainability and Industrial Ecology - UTT, Troyes, France

DISCLAIMER: I thought this had been posted successfully about 4 weeks ago (Mid July), but after coming back to read the my fellow bloggers’ latest posts I noticed that this one had never gone through! Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program :)

7-22-19

As I became situated in my seat for my flight back to Detroit from Paris, I began the daunting task of trying to process everything that I had experienced in the past two months. It felt like I had lived an entire lifetime, but it had happened in the blink of an eye. I tried to identify outstanding moments from my trip. Each one, despite their extreme differences in geographical location and chronological context, had one very clear element in common: the people.

One of my favorite fishing spots just a few minutes away from home

Although quiet and awfully reserved at our Pre-Departure Orientation in April, the group of Michigan students that went on this trip quickly became a second family for me. Their lovable quirks, constant positive energy, and natural kindness made Troyes feel more like home than any foreign destination that I’ve ever been to. We spent countless hours sharing stories, laughing with each other, and learning more about the world through each others’ lenses. They taught me what it means to be a trustworthy friend, to roll with the punches of studying abroad, to not take myself so seriously, and to ALWAYS choose the decision that would make for the better story. It was truly an honor to spend this program with them, and for that I can only give them my most sincere thanks for being such wonderful people.

In Cagliari I remember laying out on the beach, seconds away from slipping into the most peaceful, sun-warmed nap of my life, when the impact of a soccer ball blasted sand into my face. I sat up in immediate frustration to see who the culprit and found a group of 4 young men in the water, smiles beaming, calling for the ball back and asking us to join them in their game. It was just a simple game of monkey in the middle, but they were having the time of their lives and we just couldn’t resist joining them. They were from Gambia, and there were about 3 or 4 words that each party could comprehend from the other, but we spoke to each other in the universal language of play and enjoyment of each other’s presence. It was a truly blissful moment that reminded me of how keeping a childlike innocence when experiencing the world inspires wonder and pure human connections.

Before I left for Troyes I planned to take an excursion to Chamonix during my time in Europe as a way to slow down and make time for myself after a busy 6 weeks with the program. I certainly achieved “alone time” during my day-long hikes through the beautiful French Alps, but the memories that stuck with me most were the ones that I shared with other people. Meeting and talking with people from around the world on the trails, in the hostel, and in town brought me so much joy, especially in such a naturally beautiful setting. Plus, the majority of people I met were there for the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy, which meant that I was one of the most inexperienced outdoorsmen there. I heard dozens of captivating stories about my friends’ expeditions up Mont Blanc, climbing glaciers, hiking in Croatia, and achieving truly incredible feats that inspired me to enjoy the outdoors more. Their friendship made my planned solitary retreat into a deeply spiritual, social, and emotional experience centered around our passion for the outdoors. Even when I wasn’t expecting it, it was the people who made my experience in the mountains so fulfilling.

Although those were only three examples of people making a difference during my time in Europe, I found that anywhere I went, carrying a smile, a patient attitude, and a willingness to learn from others always resulted in a new friend from another corner of the globe. I think this is what makes studying abroad so worthwhile, especially for engineers. It broadens our perspective, realizing how rich different cultures and people can be, while simultaneously revealing the experiences that universally bond people. We learn that our work in making the world a better place directly impacts these wonderful people that we become friends with. We begin to hold a noble responsibility to care for them through our efforts and work.

Without the countless people I met during my two months abroad, I would only have pictures without stories behind them. Meals without laughter. Nights out without dancing. The people in this world are what make it so special, and to have the opportunity to experience so many of them during this time has been such an immense blessing.

To all those who have been following this blog, to IPE and the University of Michigan, to my parents and family, everyone who has studied abroad before me and encouraged me to go, to all my friends new and old, and to everyone who has changed my life during these past two months in one way or another, I thank you with all that I have. Without your love and support this once in a lifetime experience would not have been possible, and I would surely not be the person I am today. Thank you again, for your everything. And as always, thanks for checking in.

- Joey

[umichenginabroad]

Fin.

My time in the beautiful city of Hong Kong has come to an end. Although I am saddened by the thought of leaving, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity that I was given to study abroad here. The places that I have seen, the experiences that I have obtained, and the connections that I have created will remain with me for the rest of my life. I lived in Hong Kong during a very interesting time, an ever-increasing amount of protests occurring frequently throughout the city in response to a proposed extradition bill. I never mentioned this in past blogs as I did not want to potentially deter people from choosing to study abroad in Hong Kong, but it is an important contributing factor to my stay and should be brought up. Since I do not wish to get political by any means, I encourage everyone to do a little bit of research and learn about what has been going on these past few months in order to understand what has been going on.

All of that aside, this past week was amazing. Although I will admit, the beginning was pretty rough as I studied like crazy in preparation for my physics final. I didn’t do anything else other than review, but after the exam was completed the real fun began – right after I found out that I passed both of my classes ahaha. After getting some personal tasks completed, I went out with some friends to a nice pub in Tsim Sha Tsui. We played some darts, some pool, and enjoyed some nice drinks until we decided to hit up a nearby McDonald’s before making our way back to campus. The definite highlight of that night was when I hit two back-to-back bullseyes!

I woke up relatively early the next morning and went hiking on a small trail located at HKUST that winds around one of the hills off to the side of the main campus. At the very end of it was a beautiful pagoda, where I stayed reading a book for a couple of hours in total peace. I then got lunch and went out to the city to site see with my friend Wen Jay before hitting up a delicious Malaysian restaurant with some other friends. We checked out the Man Mo Temple, PMQ market, and Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts. We then went back to the campus for a little bit before going out to LFK for the night, a long night full of fun that stretched across several bars, clubs, and street food vendors. We made it back to campus around 6 am, the sunrise following closely on the back of our heels.

I woke up somewhat early the next day and made my way to the library to read for a while before getting lunch. I then had the chance to relax for a long time before heading out with some friends to my all-time favorite restaurant, Din Tai Fung, for some amazing Xiao Long Bao and spicy peanut noodles. Normally, HKUST offers a farewell dinner for the ISP students but it was canceled this year due to complications with ongoing protests. That didn’t hinder us from enjoying the night, walking around the TST promenade and the Avenue of Stars as we took in the beautiful Hong Kong skyline one last time. We made it back to campus around 12:30 pm, and would go on to enjoy the following hours reminiscing the good times and having some last drinks before everyone went back to their respective dorms.

I actually write this blog at 5 am, getting some final tasks completed – such as this blog – and watching Netflix. I will leave HKUST around 7:30 am for the airport, a long journey back to the US ahead of me. Thankfully fall semester starts in three weeks so I have some time to relax and recharge my energies, but for now, the only thing that I can say is that this truly was an amazing opportunity and that I really recommend choosing Hong Kong for your study abroad destination!

Thank you for reading my blog!

Sebastian Munoz

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

[umichenginabroad]

The Beginning of the End

This past week really flew by. Although I know that I didn’t utilize it to the best of my abilities - both in regards to studying and exploring - I still had a lot of fun. I didn’t do anything the first two days after returning from my trip, as I was catching up on much needed sleep. Those days consisted of a lot of eating, a lot of sleeping, and a little bit of sports with some friends. On Wednesday I reviewed everything that I had learned in my physics class before the first exam and on Thursday I finally began to try and catch up to the class. After a semi-successful day of studying on Friday, I went out with some friends to the Ladies night market and get some amazing szechuan food before making our way over to LKF. We had a good time, and the best part for me was that one of the bartenders that I had really befriended a few weeks ago remembered me and called me over for some free drinks and laughs. I woke up the next day to study for a while before heading out with some friends to go check out Ozone, a fancy bar that is up on the 118th floor with some amazing views. I had a nice time hanging out before continuing the night at LKF.

I write this blog Sunday morning, from the comfort of my bed. Although I’m quite far behind in my physics class, I am confident that if I put the work in I will be fully up to date by the end of today/tomorrow. I’ve had an amazing time in Hong Kong so far, and it’s crazy to think that I’m about to start my last week here - my test is on Thursday and I fly back to the US on Sunday! All the studying aside, I have an exciting extended-weekend planned for the few days remaining after my test and before I fly out that I’m super eager about. That’s in the future though, for now I’m going to start studying so that i can do good in the class.

Until the next and final time!

Sebastian Munoz

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

[umichenginabroad]

Thailand 2019

Thailand was also so incredibly beautiful. While I will detail certain aspects of my trip, the best thing that I can do is provide you all with many pictures. Within this amazing portion of my trip, I checked out Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Hope you enjoy! PS. sorry for the formatting, I’m submitting this blog on my phone...

We woke up around 7 am in order to eat some breakfast (another delicious Susan Banh Mi) and make our way to the Da Nang airport. After a quick flight, we arrived in Chiang Mai around 12:30 pm. Since our other friends wouldn’t arrive until 6:30 pm — and we didn’t want to see certain things twice — we decided to simply head out for some food at a wonderful restaurant named Dash and walk through the nearby markets. There are so many temples scattered throughout the old part of Chiang Mai that we were able to keep ourselves occupied until the others arrived. When they did, we went on our way to get some dinner at a local hipster-market and then strolled throughout various night markets. After a while, we we went back to the Airbnb for some chill drinks and card games to end the night.

We left around 10:30 am the following day to check out Wat Phan Tao, Wat Chedi Luang, and Wat Phra Singh (all very beautiful temples). We got lunch at a very quaint little home-style place called Nun’s before heading to see the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on the outskirts of the city. From there we went back into the city to check out the Night Bazaar Market again (where we all bought some typical Thai pants) and eat food at the local hipster market once more. We then decided to attend a Muay Thai event, where we got the chance to see six separate fights ranging in age, weight, and sex divisions. It was very cool to see how Muay Thai is in person! Afterward we made our way back to the Airbnb for some more drinks to end the night, laughter and conversations continuing until 5 am.

We woke up and left around 11 am the following day to get some amazing food at Khao Soi Khun Yai before heading out of the city to check out the Wiang Kum Kam area. We got to see some very ancient ruins before making our way over to the airport. Our flight arrived to Bangkok around 6 pm, and from there we dropped our stuff off at a nice little hostel before hopping on some tuktuks to the Asiatique Riverfront market. We enjoyed nice street food and strolled through the boardwalk for a while before heading back to the hostel for a chill night that went into the very early hours of the morning.

We woke up and left around 11:30 am the next day to check out Wat Traimitr and Wat Pho before getting some late brunch at a nearby restaurant. From there we headed over to Wat Suthat, which ended up being closed for prayer, so instead we took a tuktuk to the river for a river tour down the stream and to see local houses. The tour took us to a floating market and also dropped us off at Wat Arun for a beautiful sight of fine details. We then made our way back to Wat Suthat to check it out before taking a subway to the Ratchada Roy Fai train market. It had a very hipster vibe and was real cool. We got back to the hostel around 11 pm before showering and chilling for a good while.

Although we wanted to check out the Grand Palace and Wat Kraew while in Bangkok, it turned out that our stay had coincided with the King’s birthday so it was closed down. We therefore left the hostel around 10 am for Wat Saket, a gorgeous golden-domed, mountain-placed temple that offered a nice view of the city from up top. We then went back to the hostel area for lunch since half of the group had an afternoon flight, before the remaining party left to go explore Lumphini Park. It was a very nice area to walk around in, and we even got the chance to watch and play Sepak Takraw with some locals. We were not good at all but at least we managed to get a few good sets in ahaha. We left to hit up a nearby Irish pub for a while before grabbing some amazing Japanese food and checking out Patpong night market. It was quite interesting to say the least, the surrounding area attracting interesting crowds. We then strolled around for a bit until we were finally able to find a store that sold Takraw balls, a friend and I buying one to treasure the memories. From there we headed back to the hostel for some drinks before taking an hour long nap and heading out to the airport for our flight back to Hong Kong.

I write this blog on the airplane, recounting the amazing times that I’ve had on my trip in Thailand. Chiang Mai and Bangkok were absolutely stunning, and I am glad to have been able to travel to this beautiful country with my friends. There are only two weeks left of the ISP program, so I will make sure the make the most of it. Talk to y’all soon!

Sebastian Munoz

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

[umichenginabroad]

Vietnam 2019

Vietnam was so incredibly beautiful. While I will detail certain aspects of my trip, the best thing that I can do is provide you all with many pictures. Within this amazing portion of my trip, I checked out Hanoi and Hoi An. Hope you enjoy! PS. sorry for the formatting, I’m submitting this blog on my phone...

We arrived at the Noi Bai airport and took the city bus to our Airbnb, getting there around 5:30 pm. Although it was too late to see any of the temples or museums, we were able to head out to the Old Quarter area above Hoan Kiem Lake and wander through all the shops and street markets. Exhausted from the previous nights lack of sleep as we had celebrated the conclusion of a difficult week, we got into a small cafe where we tried egg coffee! We also explored the Dong Xuan Market before stopping at Blue Butterfly, a recommended Vietnamese restaurant for some delicious spring rolls and Pho. I lowkey messed up my Pho though by not believing the waitresses warning that the extra spices were very very spicy ... a lesson hard learned after pouring in all of the chili’s and two servings of sauce. I think a little bit of me died as I got through my meal. The night being young as it was, we continued venturing through the area until settling down at a bar for the night. The walk back to our Airbnb was very interesting, the previously crowded and bustling city deserted in the early hours of the morning.

We left early the next day for some classic Banh Mi before hitting up what Hanoi had to offer. First, we headed to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology where we learned more about the wonderful minority races and local peoples. Then, we checked out the gorgeous Temple of Literature before walking to see St. Joseph’s Cathedral. We had a long food journey for lunch, enjoying some of the best street food in the Old Quarter as we slowly made our way up to the Bach Ma temple. Unfortunately it was semi-closed under renovation, but we were able to go inside and see the shrines within. From there we checked out the Heritage House and then proceeded down to the National Museum of Vietnamese History. Afterward, we made our way back up to the Hoan Kiem Lake area and checked out the beautiful Ngoc Son Temple, a Confucian temple accessible only by crossing a bridge into the lake. Looking back at it, from there we could have gone back to the Airbnb for a quick nap but we made the opposite choice and ended up drinking a lot of coffee each. No longer tired, we began the night excursion by bar hopping around the area. We met some cool people along the way, but the absolute best part was being able to drink Bia Hoi (local draft beer)... it cost less than US$0.30 per full beer mug! At some point we got hungry again and hit up another street food place, where we ate some pigeon. It was actually very good, and to top it all off I even ate the roasted pigeons head - brains and all! From there we kept bar hopping for some time until we decided to call it a night and made our way back to the Airbnb.

We checked out around 10 am the following morning to get some Banh Mi and hit up the Hoa Lo Prison Museum before making our way to the airport bus shuttle station. From there we took a flight down to Hoi An and made it to our Airbnb around 6:30 pm. Since most of the temples were closed by then, we walked around the night markets and checked out the Japanese Covered Bridge for a while. It was so beautiful, the entire area eliminated by colorful lanterns everywhere that one looked. The river was full of small, lantern-filled boats that took people up and down the stream and the entire place was packed with people throughout. My friend and I did another street food haul, eating a type of meat-filled bread, octopus, and frog. It was all so good! From there we hit up a wonderful bar called Dive before leaving for some more US$0.30 Bia Hoi at a nearby restaurant. We then returned to the bar for the rest of the night, having fun and sharing stories for the rest of the night before making our way back to the Airbnb.

We woke up around 9 am for a Banh Mi breakfast provided by Susan, our amazing Airbnb host, before heading out to the check out all that the city had to offer. Some of the things that we checked out included the Futian Assembly Hall, the Old House of Tan Ky, and the Quan Cong Temple. My favorite part happened while strolling through a local market, when a street vendor approached us and first said to me “Baby boy, you very handsome,” and then turned to my friend and said “And you look Vietnamese!” We finished seeing most of the attractions within the city by 11:30 pm, so we made our way back to the Airbnb to relax for a little while and grab bicycles in order to explore the surrounding countryside. We biked to the Chuc Thành Pagoda (it was unfortunately closed), Tra Que Vegetable Village, An Bang Beach, and Cua Dai Beach. We didn’t bring clothes meant for getting into the ocean, but we dipped our feet in and walked up and down the beautiful beach before hitting up a restaurant for some delicious, fresh sea food. I won’t lie, the roads were rough at times due to traffic but definitely manageable. I did get into a small motorcycle accident early on while rounding a corner, but was fortunately able to pull back somewhat when I saw the speeding object so that the oncoming motorcyclist only hit my left arm and leg. Also thankfully the driver was quick with the brakes so that the only remnants of this experience was a small graze running half the length of my arm. We returned through a scenic path, the winding streets going past fields and farmer’s houses. Exhausted and sunburnt, we took a long break back at the Airbnb before heading out again around 8 pm for some delicious Cua Lo at Mr. Son’s, a nearby recommended food spot. We then hit up Dive bar once more, where we met some very cool Australians who had some interesting stories to tell.

I write this blog early in the morning of Wednesday, recounting the amazing times that I’ve had on my trip in Vietnam. Hanoi and Hoi An were absolutely stunning, and I am glad to have been able to travel to this beautiful country with my friend. Our flight to Thailand leaves in a few hours, the commencement of an exciting new journey, so for now I leave you all to see if I can get so sleep. Talk to y’all soon!

Sebastian Munoz

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

[umichenginabroad]

Swiss Family (Imperial)

Joey Imperial

Environmental Engineering

Sustainability and Industrial Ecology - UTT, Troyes France

After my stint in Chamonix I made my way back to Geneva to stay with some of my family’s very close friends who have lived in Geneva for the majority of their lives. Although I have never met them before, they welcomed me into their beautiful home with unbelievable hospitality. Needless to say, home-cooked food, hot showers, and my own room were a pleasant change after my time in Chamonix

After a wonderful welcome dinner, my “Tita P” (”Aunt P”) began asking about what I would like to see in Switzerland. I hadn’t done too much research about Switzerland before coming as this part of the trip was not originally on the agenda, but I did have one spot that I really wanted to see. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Washington DC several times in my life, and more specifically the National Gallery of Art. There is an absolutely extraordinary piece of work there by Albert Bierstadt entitled “Lake Lucerne”. I saw that massive painting nearly 4 years ago, but it is still, to this day, my favorite piece of art that I have ever seen. Lake Lucerne is located in Switzerland, only about a 3 hour drive from Geneva. Naturally, Tita P did everything in her power to get us there, and I couldn’t thank her enough.

“Lake Lucerne,” Albert Bierstadt, 1858. Picture credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org

In our journey to Luzern we decided to stop at Jungfraujoch, nicknamed the “Top of Europe” as it is home to the highest train station in Europe at 11,332 ft. We would end the day at my Tita P’s vineyard chalet on the end of Lac Leman opposite of Geneva. The next day I would have to return to Geneva to catch my flight to Barcelona. With that chronology explained, here are some pictures from our travels!

Swiss chalets are designed to beautifully blend into their natural surroundings. With dark wood and simple construction, these chalets are cozy and perfectly suited for their alpine environments.

View of a valley from the train to Jungraujoch.

Unfortunately it was awfully cloudy when we arrived at the Jungfraujoch observation station, but this is what it looks like on a clear day. Regardless of the weather, it was incredible to learn about the history of the station and the human achievement of building a railway to the top of a mountain!

After Jungraujoch we made our way to Luzern! Although I didn’t find the viewpoint that Albert Bierstadt painted from, the town and surrounding mountains were just as photogenic.

The Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge, is one of the most famous features of Luzern! It’s a wooden footbridge dating back to 1333

Sunset View of Lac Leman on our way to spend the night at the chalet

View from the chalet in the morning. It was incredible to see such uniform and beautiful vineyards manicured on the steepest slopes! 

With a personal tour of the best that Switzerland has to offer finished, I made my way to the Geneva airport in quite the bittersweet mood. I was looking forward to meeting Barcelona, but I knew that I had to come back and see more of this beautiful nation after experiencing such unique landscapes, food, and history.

Reflections from Barcelona and home to come very soon; thanks for checking in and joining me on these last legs of my trip!

-Joey

[umichenginabroad]

La Vie en Chamonix

Joey Imperial Environmental Engineering Sustainability and Industrial Ecology - UTT, Troyes, France It’s been about a week since I’ve been back home in Michigan and I’ve finally found the time to edit my photos and reflect on the crazy last two weeks that I had in Europe. Apologies for the delay of these posts, but I hope that the retrospection of my experiences and travels will be able to enhance the telling of their stories!

Chamonix: Ski Mecca by Winter, Hiker’s Paradise by Summer

As I hopped on the bus to Chamonix from Geneva, Switzerland, I could hardly contain my excitement for the next 6 days. I began hearing my fellow bus riders’ motives for travelling to Chamonix when we stopped at the French border and were questioned by the border officers. “I’m ice climbing for two weeks.” “I’m summiting Mont Blanc.” “I’m hiking to Italy.” I was blown away by the level of experience and passion that these people had for the outdoors, and I soon understood why they were coming to Chamonix to express it.

This was the view from my hostel on the Chamonix Valley floor. Every day I was blessed with the opportunity to wake up and see Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe standing at 15,781 feet, right out my window.

I came to Chamonix because of my love for hiking. For me, hiking is a way to truly connect with the natural world and be in tune with my thoughts and body. I was worried coming into this portion of the trip for my own safety as I have never hiked completely alone before, nor in such an extreme environment for the sport. Nevertheless, my host at the hostel (her name was Ella), became one of my closest friends that I made here and she never failed to make sure that she knew where I was and that my safety was the highest priority. Ella’s hospitality allowed me to saunter through the beautifully serrated heights of Chamonix, soaking in every second while knowing someone had my back.

My roommates in the hostel also became very good friends as every day we would reconvene, sunburnt, exhausted, but accomplished, and retell our experiences from the day. They all loved the outdoors, and that energy was infectious and always exciting to be around. We felt like we were in the world’s most beautiful playground and that we could all be kids again. They made Chamonix more than just a sight for me; it truly felt like a home away from home.

My first hike took me up to Le Brevent, a popular peak to summit (or take the cable car up to) as it rewards an astonishing view of Mont Blanc and the rest of the range.

On my way up to Le Brevent I was surprised to come across the “Refuge de Bellachat” situated nearly a 3/4 of a mile above the valley floor. I stopped here for lunch, rested for a bit, and caught some beautiful alpine sun!

Charcuterie, salad, and coffee for lunch!

Panoramic view from Bellachat

As I continued on my journey, I noticed on my topographical map that there was an alpine lake nearby, but was a slight detour from predetermined route. I had made it up to Bellachat early enough to warrant the detour, and I could not have been happier with that choice. Lac Brevent was glacially cold, completely calm, and not one bit crowded. It was a hidden paradise, and part of me never wanted to leave, but Le Brevent was the ultimate goal.

At the top of Le Brevent. Elevation: 8,284 ft.

As I made my descent, I quickly learned that climbing down mountains is just as hard, or even harder, than climbing up mountains. The mountains in the French Alps have incredible incline grades, much steeper that most of those in the Rockies, which made for a fairly precarious trip back down. Nevertheless I made it back to the hostel safely, and content with the day.

My next hike to the “Cascade du Nord” was much easier as I was trying to recover from Le Brevent. Another “refuge” greeted me as I arrived at the waterfall and I had ample time in the day to take a nap in the sun, read, and watch the water flow without a care in the world.

Cascade du Nord. Not pictured: the four preceding waterfalls that, from a distance, made this cascade look like an enormous ladder of water.

Ascending to Lac Blanc

My last hike in Chamonix took me to Lac Blanc, one of the most famous spots in the area. Lac Blanc was actually my inspiration to come to Chamonix. As ridiculous as it sounds, my Windows laptop changes its background every day and there was a particular day in May (before I departed for my trip) that Lac Blanc was the featured photo. I did some quick researching about where it was and how far it was from the other places I would be travelling, and then decided I had to make it there. This hike was the fulfillment of that dream and the conclusion of my time in the beautiful, charming Chamonix.

Lac Blanc, still partically frozen. The lake was fairly crowded with other hikers which made for a fun, social atmosphere while we all enjoyed the beautiful weather and views.

Lac Noir, a 45 minute ascending hike from Lac Blanc, primarily frozen with unearthly blue water. The route to get to Lac Noir from Lac Blanc was not formally marked, but my trusty topographical map lead me to this sanctuary of rock, ice, and snow. I was the only soul at this lake and it honestly made for an eerie experience as the only sound was the faint trickle of water from the melting snow. 

The final view of Mont Blanc before leaving Chamonix

Chamonix became far more than just a hiking trip for me. It taught me to trust in the path less traveled. It taught me the power of a genuine smile and plenty of laughter at the end of an exhausting day. It taught me that, as Edmund Hillary said, “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

Reflections of Switzerland, Barcelona, and home to come. Thanks for checking in!

-Joey

[umichenginabroad]

The Storm Before The Calm

It was bound to happen at some point, right? This past week was the most challenging week at HKUST so far, five weeks of class culminating in an intense midterm/final week. I don’t think that I did anything else but study these past few days, making sure that I was prepared for my physics 2 midterm on Wednesday and my linear algebra final earlier today. On one side, this week was a horrible, neverending battle of mental fortitude in attempting to find the resolve to keep studying and pushing to see its completion while on the other, every day brought me closer to ultimately obtaining greater tranquility. A real storm before the calm.

What I’ll miss the most

I write this blog at 5 am on Saturday, eager for what lies ahead …that and I was getting ahead on homework until 2 am when I decided to meet up with a few friends for some drinks in celebration of a difficult week gone by. I will leave HKUST in four hours for the airport, a nine-day mini-vacation awaiting me. I will be backpacking across Vietnam and Thailand with some friends that I met here during my stay, an exciting change of environment soon to come. I laugh for we still have not planned what to see or do at any location, but am sure that all will be well no matter what.

This was a short blog for there was not really anything to share from this week, but stay tuned for my next one which will be full of what I did in Vietnam. Until next time!

Sebastian Munoz

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)