Hello world, I finally made it out here to Paris.
Well for starters I had never been to Amsterdam so I had no idea what to expect when I got there, on the other hand, I have been to Paris, and I am so semi-fluent in French, so I had a little more ground in where I was gonna be. In Amsterdam, I experienced a lot of really nice locals who welcomed tourists and wanted to interact with the locals, and in my experience the Parisian locals have not been the nicest, but I will say so far so good; I am excited to see if my opinion changes as time passes, especially since this time I am living more of a civilian/student lifestyle. Also there is a change of weather, so I guess that is another change I am experiencing; it is significantly warmer here, and with a lack of AC/ventilation I am wondering whether I will survive.
While I am in Paris, well first I want to be happy, which I am, but always feels nice to be happy. I will say sometimes I do get a little homesick, missing my family, girlfriend, friends, and dogs. But I also want to put that aside and enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity. Another feeling I want to feel is that passion for engineering, the thrill to build that I would get from competing in FRC, which I am very hopeful about since I get to do a project that I am definitely more passionate about than my ENGI 120 project.
Well I have already been to Paris, but for example the other day I noticed myself to be more appreciative of architecture and buildings and structures then I used to just over two years ago. I believe this is because I am doing things more out of my own free will and not following a jam packed vacation schedule with touristy spot after touristy spot. Honestly, I am just really excited to have 2 weeks to enjoy all of Paris and not only Paris but also the outside countryside surrounding Chateau de Versailles or other nice outside country towns, because this was my favorite thing about getting out of Amsterdam and getting to visit those super cute windmills.
I plan to explore Paris by letting curiosity lead the way. Instead of sticking to a rigid itinerary, I want to take time to enjoy the city in a more relaxed, intentional way. That might mean getting off the metro just because a street looked interesting, or walking into a random cafe because it felt inviting. I want to spend time in different neighborhoods, really absorbing them rather than rushing through them. Since I know some French, I also want to practice using it more with locals; it’s not perfect, but it’s good enough to start conversations and learn from those interactions. I think that exploring at my own pace, with an open mind and no pressure to check every tourist box, will help me connect with the city in a more meaningful and deeper way.
A happy memory I hope to create is seeing our client truly excited about the final version of the device we build. I want her to feel proud of it and see it as something that empowers her, not just a school project. I imagine that final moment where we’re all together, maybe a little tired but full of joy, knowing we made a real difference. And after that, I’d love for our team to go out and celebrate, spend one last night together as a new iSeed family.
Until next time,
Sleepy Duck (Daniel Martinez)