In Pursuit of becoming a Civil Engineer
After high school I went to community colleges off and on as it would fit into my work schedule, but I was aimless and did not have a goal or any idea what I wanted to do. I have always enjoyed math and science classes so I pursued those and fit in the other basics as I went along. I finally selected Engineering based upon my love of the applied mathematics and science. I originally pursued Electrical Engineering since I had an interest in it and my employer would provide tuition reimbursement since it was applicable to Telecommunications. After my first two semesters at UTA my family dynamics where changed and a new lives were created so I choose to take a break from school.
During my absence from school I had time to reflect on the courses I had taken and decided that Electrical Engineering was not the way I wanted to go. Upon evaluating the other engineering degrees offered at UTA I learned of the many possibilities offered within Civil Engineering and knew it would be the right fit. I am motivated by my desire to make positive impacts to society and more importantly being an example to my kids showing them with hard work and determination a person can accomplish whatever they set their minds too. While my path hasn't been conventional it has shaped the person I've become and is full of wonderful experiences and people I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
I would like to focus my post graduate studies on sustainable design to improve the functionality of structures being built so that they can easily be modified to serve the needs of future generations which extends the useful life spans. In addition, focus on the use of sustainable products such as wood and engineered wood, which has a smaller carbon footprint compared to steel and concrete.
Views of Culture Similarities and Differences
Leaving Texas and stepping off in Spain the immediate difference that is felt is of course the language. I have quickly learned a few key phrases so that I could find the bathroom and order coffee, which I feel is absolutely essential. I'm trying to learn more as I go along. I'm thankful that people here have patient and those that speak some English will try to translate for me. I do not feel hindered by the language barrier and venture out on my own from time to time.The wonderful thing I have discovered while in Spain is many cafes will provide a Tapa when ordering a beverage. Food is enjoyed and people want to sit and take their time eating and drinking their beverages so things such as a to-go latte does not exist unless you happen upon a Starbucks. The food is primarily consist of fresh produce and meat, and in many dishes they use plenty of olive oil. The food is tasty, but spicy for them is the use of a lot of garlic. I have come across jalapenos here, but they are always mild and only hint at a bit of spice, My com-padres miss spicy food so much they have had to purchase sriracha sauce. When we cook our own food we add plenty of crushed red pepper and sriracha sauce. I have found that a person can have a 2-3 course meal at a cafe relatively cheap in comparison to the U.S.; however, it is impossible for a person to eat 3 meals a day at $40 EU a week.
The presence of the Catholic church can be felt and seen through out Spain, and we have visited several beautiful cathedrals. However, it does not feel that the people have the same reverence for religion as communities do in Texas. For example, tourists such as myself can just come in during service and walk around and take pictures. The clergy don't even seem to notice or care. In addition, the number of people simply attending a sermon is so few compared churches in Texas. We have come across people gathering and drinking at night right in front of church, and in Texas bars typically have to be at least 1000 yards from a Church.
Walking around Valencia and Madrid you get to find beautiful artwork present in the communities. I have learned that Graffiti is encouraged and while there is work of amateurs that is often seen people also get to experience the talents of unknown artist. Graffiti is not foreign concept in Texas and some communities are starting to embrace it by providing mural space for artist, unfortunately we are often plagued by gangs tags rather than artwork.It has taken some time to get accustomed to businesses and restaurants being closed from 3-5 and we haven't made it once to the bakery because of their limited hours, but one day I will get there. I'm also still trying to find ways with becoming accustomed to the noises of neighborhood. We don't have any air conditioning so I have to leave my windows open in order to stay cool and it is so noisy all day everyday. I sleep very little due to the noise.
The neighborhood is a community, in which people seem to know everyone, and that is a rarity in the states especially within in a big city. The citizens appear to regularly congregate together and socialization seems to be an important aspect of their culture. What is astonishing though is that so often you see families up and walking about with their young children at all ours of the night. We recently attended a block party and the attendees ranged from young children to the elderly all out having a good time in the streets. The US is far more conservative, and we would not see young adults or children out with everyone dancing, smoking, and consuming adult beverages.
The US and Texas have on going issues with addressing the needs of the homeless and trying to find best methods of helping those individuals get off the streets, and it seems that Spain faces a similar problem. I got to say that the people panhandling in the streets here are far more brazen than anything I have come across in the US. They will just come up to you if you are walking around or having a meal at a cafe asking for money. Many of them just stand directly in front of you as if they are challenging you and daring you to tell them no. I'm aware that Spain also has an issue with high unemployment rate so the biggest issue the country is facing today is boosting their economy.
My Future Aspirations
Legacy, history and heritage is very much a part of a Spain and the culture here. I felt similar sentiments growing up in historical region of the Southern United States, but it isn't felt my suburban city in Texas since everything there is still being built up and relatively new. Having seen so many old monumental sites dating back to the 14th century and beyond made me think that I too would like to leave an imprint on society that will last long after my name is forgotten. 
As my time in Spain runs down and I think about my return to the states the things that have been imparted on me the most is that I should always remember to take a moment and enjoy life. I have always been on the go and have grown accustomed to working, studying, etc... all day every day that I often don't take time to relax enjoy life and spend time with the people who matter the most to me. I'm an ambitious person and have easily allowed work to consume all of my time, but when I return I will keep a picture of my coffee and local cafe with me as a reminder to stop and smell the roses.
Social Identity
Every new experience is an opportunity to walk through a new door and learn something about yourself and/or the world around you. When I was informed that I was one of the students selected to participated in this project I was of course excited that I was chosen and for the opportunity to study abroad, and at the same time I had reservations about the impact that it would have on my family. I did not concern myself with any possible culture differences outside of the language.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how friendly the local population is, and truly appreciate how accommodating they are to individuals such as myself that doesn’t speak the language. I know from experience that individuals who work in the service industry try to accommodate all customers, but I’ve also come across individuals that despise foreigners who can’t speak their language.
It is my opinion that individuals are easily influenced by the things, people, media in which they surround themselves with, and in America Football is probably king of media. People play fantasy football, watch college teams and professional. The Football players and their coaches get paid absurd amounts of money and many players are the focus of either worshipers or haters. Just as Americans have Football, which dominates our airwaves and influences many Americans the Spanish have soccer. The Eurocup has been an ongoing tournament that started soon after we arrived and each night that there is a game you can find soccer fans at cafés watching the game regardless of who is playing. Since its summer we have the windows open and you can hear your neighbors either cheer or jeer when something pivotal happens in a game. I have even seen an outdoor broadcast of the game so the neighborhood could come together and cheer on their national team.
All in all people throughout the world have similar goals and just want to be able to provide for themselves and or their families. They want to live safely and happily with the goal of giving their children more than what they had themselves. People look for entertainment outlets to relieve the stresses of the everyday monotony. The common source of entertainment for many young Americans seems to be TV, gaming, and clubs. I have yet to see a Spanish kid with a tablet or even mobile device playing a game, and I haven’t heard or seen advertisements for games or gaming systems, but they do enjoy more social settings such as street parties, outdoor festivals, and clubs.
A Summary of my Experience in Spain
Traveling abroad and studying at UPV has taught me a few new and improved upon my personal attributes such as patience and tolerance. Since arriving in Spain I have a better understanding of public transportation systems, which I have successfully navigated on my own in various different cities. I have utilized the metric system while grocery shopping and have a better idea of what a kilogram looks like compared to a pound. In order to communicate with my family while I was abroad I downloaded various different apps such as Viber, WhatsAp, Hangouts, and Skype and after some trial and error we finally stuck with hangsouts as the best option for video calls. Due to the time difference and daily schedules it took a little time to determine the best times to contact different family members. My apartment has Wi-Fi but its unreliable so at times I just had to tolerate not being able to speak with my kids and try again on another day. It’s said over and over again that kids will adjust quickly to their environments and although my kids were with family they got acclimated much quicker than I expected, and I know that I missed them far more than they missed me.
I have learned a small amount of Spanish while I was here and intend to continue trying to learn more when I return. I feel that having a better understanding of the Spanish language and culture will improve my ability to work with people from the many Spanish speaking nations that live within Texas. I have a better appreciation of the difficulty that people encounter when migrating to the U.S. and being unable to speak the language since I faced similar hurdles while in Spain. I was adventurous and tried out BlaBlacar while in Spain and it would have been much smoother experience If I knew the language. The drivers were locals and they were all friendly, but I missed out on getting to know the individuals since I could not have a conversation with them.
I am now capable of utilizing an old method of making espresso stove top, and keen on ordering a kettle from Amazon to use when I return home. Unfortunately it doesn’t produce steamed milk that would normally accompany my lattes. While the task is not difficult I haven’t ever hung my clothes out to dry, and feel that with our Texas summers I am wasting electricity throwing my clothes in the dryer (albeit it is more convenient). The school had unfamiliar internet protocols that I had to apply to my laptop in order to connect via the Wi-Fi, and I successfully managed to make my way through the advanced settings to apply the settings and to troubleshoot the issues that kept reoccurring.
Like Gaudi, I will allow the light to shine in and reach for the stars. I'm so glad that I was able to experience and see the work of his genius. I’m glad for the opportunity that I’ve had while I was here in Spain and appreciate the time my mentors Miguel and Ricardo spent with me. I previously taken a soil mechanics class and some of the aspects of my research into slope stability has been easier for me to understand and grasp as a result. I will likely being taking a Earth Structures design course so the information I’m learning can be applied in that class and in any highway or construction projects that may be on or near an inclined land mass. Unfortunately, it has taken me longer than expected to work through the information provided by my mentors since the material was primarily in Spanish and I ended up using free resources such as Google Translate to recreate the documents in English. This led to some misunderstandings of some of the procedures but my mentors were able to set me straight. Based upon my experience and the feedback also provided by my mentors any future students attending UPV to conduct research should spend a minimum of six months to be able to be able to adequately learn and understand the topic that’s being researched.
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