Hello everyone and welcome to the beginning of the end – my last week in Paris, my last week studying abroad, crazy I know right…
First week in Paris was very interesting to say the least; a lot of ups and downs. Paris was a lot bigger than I remember it being. That was my biggest takeaway from Paris, a very big city, but yet easily traversable using the metro. Another thing I have learned about the city of Paris is its great cuisine. This all began with my presentation I had to make about the history of the restaurant, and the deep history Paris has with food. And then the longer I have spent here the more I have appreciated Paris for the city it is, a truly culinary joy. From small local pop up stores to the biggest culinary restaurants in the world. Also travelling by myself has definitely unlocked a whole other perspective on my view, since I am no longer with my parents that sponsor and plan everything we do, I have learned to fill my time with fun things all over the city.
The three key things are all over the place. The first was having a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower the Monday we arrived, even though we have not seen the Eiffel Tower sparkle – yet, I know we will get to it eventually, it was still a beautiful and peaceful sunset I will never forget. The second experience I will never forget was our trip to Château de Fontainebleau, such a beautiful little town just one hour away from France; I mean it was a super thrilling trip, from sprinting to the train, to seeing Napoleon’s summer crib, to visiting the gardens with the boys having such genuine conversations. The things I will probably end up remember the most is definitely all the fines that my friends have endured, from stupid fines for putting your feet up, to getting fined for losing your train ticket, #frencharemean.
Shifting the focus to the classroom, the activities I will remember the most was obviously the scavenger hunt, getting to see all different kinds of Paris was definitely a memorable experience. Another memory I will definitely remember is the brainstorming phase we went through in class today, and trying to figure out how we were going to create a plug our partner could use, especially with the materials we had at our disposal.
Our team has not fully fleshed out the prototype, but we believe to have finally gotten the prototype we want to produce. The biggest questions left to answer: How are we going to attach different types of EU plugs to our mechanism? How is our partner able to stabilize the mechanism, magnets? Is our client going to be able to actually use the mechanism we create with low force required?
If our project is successful I could see our project have a real and genuine impact for people with disabilities from low hand dexterity to arthritis in their hand, a solution to help all. And if our project does well, I could see us as a team travelling to Geneva, Switzerland for the SDG competition, as well as, maybe even receiving funding and being able to produce our product and sell it to people in need.
I think I had very creative ideas through the process, and had a positive mindset throughout trying to flush out every idea, while also being logical and reasonable in what we could accomplish. I also think in the future with an extensive background in robotics; I think I will be helpful in the building of the prototype, the design, and the CAD/ 3-D printing, while also analyzing the changes that need to be made as the process continues.
Flushing out ideas was definitely the hardest part for me, not exactly because it was hard, but it just took time to think, and with such a constraint on time, what we can actually do is condensed and with limited materials; it is also not easy to create three day solutions. Also sometimes me being logical and reasonable, can sometimes hinder me from ideas that seem outside of the realm of possibility but in reality can be used to get to other plausible ideas.
The highlight for the week was definitely getting to spend more time with all the other students here, definitely feels like a new family and making memories with them has been unforgettable.
BUY THE WEEK METRO PASS; it’s not worth paying all the fines, and they will catch you, also DO NOT PUT YOUR FEET ON ANY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
Until next time,
Daniel Martinez