My name is George Abbato, and I am a first year electrical engineering student in the Frederick Honors College. I am on the Plus3 Program in Bilbao, Spain. After five days in Bilbao, it is a great time to reflect on what I have learned so far, as well as how I still expect to grow on this program.
Personally, I have had a lot of amazing experiences on the trip. I have gained a lot of cultural awareness throughout, which I hope to continue. I enjoyed a lot of things more than I expected, and almost everything has exceeded my expectations for the trip. Overall, I want to continue to get a feel for the Basque region, because these next few days might be my last opportunity to do so in my life. This includes superficial stuff such as trying some new foods, but I really want to focus on what I can incorporate into my life at home from this trip. There are many more sustainable practices here, which I want to continue to take note of and bring back. This goes with the more major idea of people caring more about society as a whole, which I expect to develop a stronger understanding of.
Another thing I have noticed here, at least with the engineering and medical personnel I have met, is that they are all very passionate about their jobs. They are all working with things they love, and their work feels higher quality because of this. While I am not saying that this does not happen in the US, it feels like a lot of people live on the 9-5 grind, with no care for what happens in their workday. I realized I need to find a job that I love later in life, and these next few days I want to figure out how these people found what they wanted to do.
The main example of this is Dr. Herrero, our group’s contact here in Spain. I admire the life she lives so much, as she clearly loves her research, as well as her role with international relations. In addition, she still clearly has a life outside of this, as she performed in the choir at the opera we went to see. It was refreshing to see someone loving what they do, while also keeping a balance as an adult.
Therefore, while some of this is a reflection of what I have seen so far, I want to figure out how to achieve a better balance in my life at home, as well as find a way to get a job I like. These are all things I can continue to figure out while I am here in Spain, by asking questions and observing over the next few days. I am very excited to see how else I can develop on this program!
*below i attached pictures of relevant cultural and educational experiences so far*
