Today was our 10th day in Bilbao! This trip has flown by. We started off the day with our usual morning breakfast before heading off to the School of Engineering. Once we arrived, we attended a workshop led by Professor Mikel on balance. He described his research around balance such as what are the different aspects of balance, different tests used to measure balance, and devices that have been developed to measure or improve balance. In his research he noticed that there wasn’t a device that both measured and improved a patients balance, and that is how the idea for Oreka Balance first came about. After the lecture, we put our balance to the test by wearing blindfolds and performing the Berg Balance Scale. Most of the activities we did were easy, but when blindfolded, I found putting one foot in front of the other difficult. Then we headed to the lab to see and test out the Oreka Balance machine.
After lunch, we visited Bisky, a club at the university. They design and build rockets and motors. They hope to one day make it to space. We then went to La Cathedral, the football/soccer stadium for a tour. We got to go onto the field, see the locker rooms and press area, and see the presidential suit. It was really interesting to be able to learn about the football culture in Bilbao since it is one of their most prize possessions. I have had so much fun on this trip thus far, meeting new friends, experiencing a completely different culture, and being able to further my nursing knowledge. I don’t want it to be over.
