The Student Angle Immersion in Eastern European Cultures: A Training Ground for Biomedical Engineer
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"I can't remember if I saw it or smelled it first, but up over the hill came the shabbiest, dirtiest, loudest, and smokiest green behemoth I have ever seen. My first reaction was to point and laugh at the dilapidated bus, but that smile quickly turned to a frown when the bus slowed down and pulled up in front of Platform 25. Disheartened, but slightly amused, we boarded our valiant steed and began lurching towards Cesky Krumlov," junior mechanical engineering student Daniel Wilson recounts of one of many adventures since his arrival in the Czech Republic in January. Studying abroad at Charles University in Prague, Daniel has been able to experience many new countries and cultures on a weekend whim.
From the gardens of Gregor Mendel to Krakow's abandoned Jewish quarter, Daniel has immersed himself in Eastern Europe and its people, not to mention its goulash! Since arriving in Prague, Daniel's perceptions of Eastern Europe and life itself have all been "pulled, stretched, kneaded, and tossed about by the great hands of a new culture" much like, as he notes, the bread the Czech Republic is so famous for. In reflection upon his trip to date, Daniel concludes, "Although I cannot clearly see how I will be changed, I know that the person who returns to Colorado in August will not be the same as the one who left in January."
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Upon returning to the states after a semester of study and a summer of travel, Daniel hopes to finish his engineering degree and begin his graduate studies focusing on human orthopedics. With great communication and people skills, undoubtedly enhanced by a semester overseas, Daniel hopes to find himself in a fun and engaging engineering position, ideally owning his own consulting firm in the future.