1st day of class and 1st Rotary Valencia meeting

First day of class...it´s been awhile since I´ve had those first day butterflies! My classes run from 4-8pm Monday thru Thrusday, with labs on Friday. (I think a lot of Masters classes are in the afternoon to accomodate people who work.) There were about 35 people in the classroom, although people are matriculating still so there will probably be around 45 or 50. We also learned that roughly 300 people applied in the first application period, and about 50 students were admitted and 35 enrolled. I had no idea that it was so competitive! After a 30 minute introductory presentation about our Masters, and talking about the Thesis, possible internships, etc., we had 2 courses: Energy Markets and Regulations, and Introduction to Energy Technology.

Last night I attended my first Rotary Valencia meeting. They meet on Mondays at 9pm, and after the one hour meeting they eat dinner together in the hotel. Because I was coming from class, I arrived a bit late to Hotel Valencia Palace. The club has in total about 35 members, and 16 were present at last night´s meeting. After they read a summary of last week´s meeting and mentioned the bimonthly Rotary brochure that was distributed, I briefly introduced myself and then there was a very interesting discussion about their role in the community and what it means to be a Rotarian. A member brought up that, as a club, they should pursue small projects in which the Rotary name gets lost but rather focus on projects of a grander scale that have a big impact. A couple Rotarians were against this idea, saying that small things still make a difference and that large projects are often not feasible for a club of their size. It´s very difficult to collaborate with the 6 other Rotary Clubs in Valencia to contribute something large. After this, the oldest Rotarian in the district, Ignacio, spoke about his experience with Rotary and the history of Rotary in Valencia. He has been a member since 1980 and has held virtually all of the district positions except District Governor (because it requires the Governor and his/her spouse to travel to various clubs, and his wife was against this). He mentioned that friendship is the most important part of Rotary, and that eating together, socializing, and getting to know one another´s families should not be overlooked. For this reason, clubs that are too large lose some of Rotary, because the members don´t know each other. Ignacio also spoke about the type of people who are Rotarians, and the way Rotary is viewed (''Rotary is often thought to be elitist, and I agree- we are elitists in that we look for individuals who have the right qualities and want to contribute to the community.'') Anyways, he had some great insights that allowed me to see how the Rotarian spirit is very well alive in Valencia. The meeting finished late (around 10:45) and afterwards, they invited me to stay to eat dinner with them. I met my mentor/host counselor, Carlos Cases, who is a Civil Engineering professor at UPV as well as the President and other members. Our dinner consisted of gazpacho with bread, then salmon baked with olive oil and peas, and finally fruit for dessert. I was able to catch a ride back to Benimaclet with a member Vicente, who just like the other members was extremely welcoming and told me to ask for help whenever I needed it. Anyways, I´ll be making a longer, more formal presentation to the club in the next couple weeks. More to come!

First week in Valencia

It´s hard to imagine that Í´ve already been here a week! Time certainly flies when you´re busy. Anyways I´ll give a summary of what my first week´s been like here.

My flight from LAX to Valencia on Tuesday was pretty uneventful. After arriving in Valencia, I was directed to a separate area to wait for my luggage because my country of origin was outside the EU (turns out that I was the only person). The Valencia airport is very small, so I waited in an empty part of baggage claim until it came. As it turns out, there were no customs officers at the airport so I was just free to go after that. Anyways, I found Isidoro Ales (the District 2203 Assistant Governor) holding up a Rotary sign with my name. He was very kind and drove me to my friend Adriana´s place; I stayed with her for 3 days while I was apartment hunting in Valencia.

The next 3 days were spent going to the police station to the Foreigners Office to get my NIE (an ID for foreigners living in Spain), looking for an apartment, and going to UPV. Everything was pretty exhausting... the Foreigners Office was on the other side of town, while the secretary for UPV was only open 2 hours a day and 40+ students waiting in line when it opened, etc etc. In the end everything worked out well and I successfully submitted my application for a NIE, and I found a place to live. I´m living in a shared flat (piso compartido) that has 3 bedrooms. In one room is a married couple, Paul and Julia, who are both graduate students at UPV. They´re the ones who showed me the apartment and because they were extremely friendly and easy to get along with, I had no doubts that they would be good flatmates. Also, in a weird twist of fate, Paul is actually from Santa Clarita (and was the first American I met in Valencia)! In the other room is Leo, who just started his first year at UPV.

Here's some photos of the flat:



My weekend was spent getting settled into my apartment, buying some things for my room, and seeing the city. I visited the historic city center (there was a lot of great street art!) as well as the Jardín Turia (a green space in the middle of the city) and the Ciudad de Ciencias y Bellas Artes (known for the super modern and sea-inspired architecture, designed by Calatrava).

More about the Ambassadorial Scholarship

From 2011-2012, this blog will be dedicated to my year of studies in Valencia, Spain as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. I will be proudly representing District 5280 & Westwood Village Rotary Club while studying a Master's in Energy Technology for Sustainable Development at UPV (La Universidad Politècnica de València). I'm interested in how clean technology can be applied to improve the standard of living in developing countries, and the methods in which international collaborations between governmental agencies, NGOs, and the private sector may facilitate sustainable development. My ambassadorial scholar year will also involve serving as a liaison between Rotary clubs and promoting international understanding and tolerance. Of course, I plan to do my fair share of traveling to see more of my host country and understand what can be learned from their way of life.

The Ambassadorial Scholarship is a 3-year commitment. My pre-departure year (last year) was spent participating in Rotary activities, getting to know Rotarians and other scholars, and making presentations to Rotary and Rotaract clubs in the Los Angeles District. I saw some great speakers at the District Breakfasts (including LA's own Father Boyle), met Pam Shriver at the Beverly Hills Hotel, attempted to hide my awful singing voice when Rotarians started singing, and was treated to some delicious meals. I was assigned a counselor, Gordon Fell, from the Westwood Village Rotary Club who helped me with my attendance at all of these meetings, and I was just assigned a host counselor from the Valencia Rotary Club in District 2203 who will help me during my study year. In the last year of the scholarship, I will return to District 5280 and give presentations about my experience abroad.

Here I am with inbound & outbound Ambassadorial Scholars, Rotary Peace Scholars, and 2010-2011 RI President Ray Klinginsmith:

The end of my LA summer

After graduating from UCLA in June, I stayed around the LA area for a summer internship with the Southern California Gas Company. Although I've worked in the private sector as well as in research facilities, I've never had exposure to a utilities company. My duties the Process Engineering group involved visiting gas storage fields, developing process screens to assist field operators in monitoring gas flow, and supporting engineers by editing drawings and creating a tag database. In an effort to offset the numerous transatlantic and transpacific flights that I've taken in past couple years, I commuted to downtown LA from Westwood by public transportation every day. Sitting on either the Commuter Express 431 or the Metro Rapid 720 was often loud, uncomfortable, and bumpy, yet it gave me a different perspective on Angelenos. And despite the fact that I usually dozed off or was engrossed in a book during the commute, I do appreciate the few interactions I had with the other bus-riders.

So to my home for the last 4 years, I'd like to say thanks- for introducing me to great places and more importantly, great friends. And instead of goodbye, see ya later- this isn't the last you've seen of me!


With my mom at graduation:


With friends, standing under the columns of Royce Hall:


At the engineering commencement:


My UCLA throughout the decades collage:


With my friend Marie at the LACMA:


Central Library in downtown LA:


Saying goodbye to EWB friends at Shamshiri:


With Warren and the delicious tres leches cake he made for me:

Acceptances

I'm happy to announce that in late May, I was accepted to 2 Master's programs at UPM (la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)! One is a Master Oficial, called Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano y La Cooperación and the other is a Master Propio, called Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente. The first is actually 1.5 years, and as an "official" master it is more recognized throughout Europe and conforms to certain standards. The Master Propios are actually known to be higher standard. Anyways, after getting these acceptances, I made an appointment for a student visa at the Spanish Consulate in LA, and started working on some of the paperwork (like getting a background check from the FBI). At this point, I'm still waiting to hear back from UPV but it's very assuring to know that at least I already have two acceptances.

I've also found out that I will know quite of a few people from UCLA who will be in Europe next year! My friend Angelica is teaching English in Lille (France), Michelle is moving to London, Pelle is also in London, Liz is teaching English in Madrid, and Kirstie is teaching English in Andalucia. And of course my best friend from high school Roxanne will be in Germany. Many weekend trips to look forward to!

Spring break in Mexico: working on an Eco-Dome

Last month, I traveled to San Jacinto, Mexico (about 2 hours south of Ensenada) for 6 days to help the construction of an Eco-Dome. This is a sustainable home that uses earth for the walls for insulation, with various additions of recycled components.

Dustin James is the project lead, and also the main person who has fundraised and designed the Eco-Dome. He makes trips to San Jacinto about once a month or so, but usually with a different group of people helping out. The home will soon house a small family of José, Angela, and their new-born Ayalin. José and Angela work at a "Casa para los Ancianos" where they take care of 12 abuelos, or old grandfathers who have nowhere else to go.

Throughout the week we worked on applying stucco to the interior of the Eco-Dome, tiling, and painting:


There's also a shipwreck on the beach:


We worked quite a bit,


drove through mud,


ate delicious tacos,


and made some new friends.

Prepararations, preparations

Today I attended a WVRC meeting and heard Jamie Feld's presentation about her year about in Cordoba, Argentina. It seems like she had a great support system in Cordoba and she participated in many activities with Rotaract Clubs and various NGOs. Currently she is working at the CDC and has a 2-year fellowship; after, she will pursue a 2-year EurPubMed fellowship in Spain and France. It seems like she really made the most of her study year by being actively engaged in her community, as well as gaining experience that will further her career in public health.

Also I sent out emails to the presidents of Rotary Clubs in:
Culver City
Manhattan Beach
Wilshire
Westchester
Santa Monica

Hopefully, I'll attend their meetings next year with my counselor, Gordon. Part of my pre-departure year requirements involve making brief presentations about myself to clubs in District 5280. This gives me the opportunity to refine my public speaking skills and get to know more clubs in the District, while allowing various clubs to hear from the individuals who are benefiting from their support and donations!