Today, we had a presentation from one of my favorite people I’ve met on the trip so far, Mikel. He is a member of Saioa’s research team that developed the Oreka Balance machine. Mikel gave a detailed presentation about the function of balance in the human body. I learned a lot, including how crucial it is for both your visual and vestibular systems to work together. To demonstrate the difficulty of taking away one of these systems, we split into groups to perform the Berg Balance Test.
We completed the balance test while blindfolded, and although I didn’t have much trouble, I can understand why someone struggling with their balance would have trouble with some of the exercises. After the balance workshop, we picked up lunch and then met a kind student who gave us a tour of the university’s rocket team.
The rocketry team was very impressive, and the student did a fantastic job of describing all of the different aspects of the club. It felt similar to the racing team, but they were doing it in the sky. I found it super impressive, and I would honestly love to participate in something like this if I had more time at Pitt.
After the tour was finished and we got all our pictures, we headed next door to “La Cathedral” for another tour. We got an impressive and comprehensive tour of the prized jewel of Bilbao, the football club. It was so impressive and really well done. Honestly, it could have been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. We even got to go right out next to the pitch!
After the tour, we ended the night with some souvenir shopping for family and friends back home. Can’t wait for what’s next!