Today was packed with so many exciting presentations and events. We started off with a little information session about Bilbao’s engineering school as a part of the University of the Basque Country, and its history, and different degrees. The one bit of information that was the most shocking for me was that a two-year master’s program here is approximately 3000 euros total. This is usually before other aspects of aid. This was just so crazy because back home in the US, it is very common for students and families to be in debt or have quite a hefty bill when going to school. At the end of the presentation, we did a Kahoot about Bilbao, and I’m proud to say I am the champion. I’m glad to know that Bilbao schools share the same love for Kahoot as we do.
The next event I attended was about the engineering school’s race car that the students built and raced against others. I found this really fascinating, especially as a nursing student who doesn’t understand all of the engineering behind it; it was just so cool. We got to watch them perform their water test on the car, where the car was sprayed by a sprinkler system for two minutes and then sat for another two minutes before being tested. If it worked, then it was ready to endure rain if it came across it in competition. They had not passed the test the day before, so they worked to get it more waterproof using the all-powerful duct tape to help conceal the wiring. The professor told us more about how the process of picking a driver and building the car works. He also explained how there is a balance between the stability of the car when it’s heavier, but when it is lighter, it is faster. We also got to see their electric guitar lab. Though I have never played the guitar, I play the ukulele, which is similar. It was super interesting to learn how the electric guitar picks up the signal of the strum and how everything works to make the sound we want to hear. The professors allowed a few students to test them out, and it was really neat to hear the guitar played that they made right in that very room. It was also cool to see all of the different models on the walls and see how they are different and similar to one another. The last presentation of the day was about rockets. They were much bigger than I expected, with one of their biggest being close to 4 meters.
After lunch, we went on a walking tour of the Old City of Bilbao. It was absolutely stunning. I liked listening to all about its history and getting to explore the city more. My favorite part is the architecture of the buildings. The apartments and buildings are all attached, but they each have their own style, which just makes the entire street so beautiful, very unlike the copy-and-paste buildings of Pittsburgh that tend to be grey or brick. One fun fact that I learned before the tour is that any apartment built now has to have a terrace on it because of COVID. People were trapped in their houses for so long, the city decided that all apartments should have a balcony to allow for fresh air. After the tour, we explored and looked at some of the shops in the Old City, which was fun. We found some really pretty jewelry and bookmarked some places we may come back to.
We ended the day with the most epic dinner ever. It ended up being about 3 hours long with 4 starters, an entrée, and a dessert. Let me tell you it was so delicious. My favorite starter was the croquetas, which were basically a fried ball of cheese and beef. My entrée was also super good and to end the meal, I tried the cheesecake, which I typically dislike, but I decided to try it and ended up loving it. Though long, that was such an amazing dinner because we all got to talk and get to know one another better, and played multiple dinner games like Telephone and Snaps. Gonna crash now because of a food coma, but I can’t wait for what is planned tomorrow!! Agur, Adios, and Goodbye!!
-Paige Colson
