End of Summer

By Eletha Flores

In about three weeks I will return to campus for another semester of intensity and stress- the exact opposite of how you could describe life here in San Sebastian, Spain. I’m looking forward to being back with my friends and taking some interesting and more advanced classes as a junior, but what I would give to bring with my the easy-going attitude and focus on the quality of life that I’ve experienced for the last two months. I guess that’s not an uncommon feeling for students in general looking apprehensively at the last few weeks of summer and toward the start of classes. It happens. Work´s been fun, though. Like I said before, we’re developing a prototype for stroke rehabilitation. I’d never seriously considered being a doctor or health sciences even though (or maybe because) my dad had really encouraged us to study medicine. But now I’m a lot more in touch with the value that research and development engineering can have when it’s applied to improving personal health. Working in robotics is way awesome already so adding in the value of improving lives just makes it one of the best jobs ever, at least to me. But sometimes the debugging and frustration with getting your wireless communication between the device and your computer can really be a pain. Then again, the struggles make you learn more about the technology you’re dealing with. And when someone comes up to you later with the same problem and you’re able to explain it, it feels pretty good. Before getting to Spain, I knew next to nothing about Linux. Sure, there’s the Athena system at MIT, but I’ve been mostly a Windows fan. Getting a new laptop in the future? Try Linux. It’s hardcore. Or partition your hard drive and put both on it. Come on, I dare you.

The work day after June 28 shortened from 8 am to 5 pm with a break in the middle to 8 am to 2 pm for “el horario intensivo” so that employees can go out and take advantage of this two month season of sun. Most of the year is rainy and grey. So it turns out there’s a lot of time to do stuff here. Stuff like rock climbing, which I’ve gotten really into. I live with another MIT intern and he’s picked up surfing. There’s also been a lot of time to reflect on the current direction my life is taking: where I’m going, what my goals are, how is next semester going to play out, etc. I’m definitely going to keep up the healthier lifestyle as much as I can and continue to do rock climbing at school. But also, I’ve found myself in need of some ideas and ways to be creative. I’ve decided to surround myself with others who are generating ideas so we can bounce them off each other. I realized that academics are one thing, but how much value they have emotionally, spiritually, physically has got to be questioned. That’s why it good to have something you’re passionate about in your life. If you feel like you’ve also looked at public education in a sceptical way, look up TED talks online, particularly the talk about how public school systems are educating people out of creativity for a fresh perspective. A good friend of mine introduced me to this site that shows clips of people sharing their ideas with the world. Thanks, Aaron! I am definitely in favour of talking about deep stuff like this- it’s what matters in life. I’ll tell anyone who will listen that one day I’m going to be a motivational speaker even though I have no idea how that’s supposed to happen. Maybe it has already started. Right here as I’m speaking to you. I’m not exactly speaking, but it’s legit. That reminds me of something I read in a personal testimony once. I don’t remember what the topic was, all I remember is this one sentence: “My life turned around once I started believing in myself.” I know this may seem like a no-brainer, but do we really believe in ourselves? And how well does this belief hold on in the face of crappy circumstances and unexpected, usually urgent, issues that always come up in our lives? That’s a solid starting point if you’re uncertain about your future and how you’re supposed to survive and thrive through school, work, and life to get there.

Ted talks, how school kills creativity educating ourselves out of creativity

Surrounding yourself with good people

Stuff I'm gonna change for next semester, maybe mention the classes I'm gonna take