#weekzero

Ciao! My name is Ava Sillars, and I am a rising junior studying data science (engineering). While I am staying here in Sorrento, I will be taking Physics 240/241 which spans both of the 2 sessions Sant’Anna Institute offers over the summer, a practical work experience at the Ieranto Bay during session 1, and a special topics human rights course during session 2. I am beyond excited to experience everything this program has to offer, and I can not wait to document the process!

Whenever someone asks me why I chose to study abroad, I always say it is because of the person I hope to become by the time this program is over. I find it so interesting and insightful to learn how other people live their lives. Having lived in the US for essentially my entire life, I am excited to learn the different customs, traditions, societal norms, foods, etc. that I have never been exposed to before.

As for a mental to-do list I have for myself, I know I want to go to a concert while I am here. I am an avid concert goer, and I recently discovered Lorde will be performing in Milan while I am here which I am so unbelievably excited for. I hope to learn at least a little bit of Italian (besides ciao and grazie–which I must say I think I have perfected). I want to visit some of the major cities in Italy and some of the surrounding countries (and not go broke doing so). And of course, try as many restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, and gelaterias as I possibly can.

As for my pre-departure experience, it was quite a rollercoaster. I have far too many clothes so packing light was a struggle, however I used packing cubes for the first time in my life which were definitely a game changer. I also went shopping for things like substantial walking shoes and nicer wedges, a digital camera, and some business casual clothes for my work experience. Additionally, I ordered plug adaptors online, and went to a foreign exchange place to get some euros for any shops that will not accept cards.

My frenzied packing the night before I was supposed to leave

Once that was all said and done, after I packed the night before my flight and mentally prepared myself for this immense undertaking, the morning of however, my flight got cancelled. Not just once though, my flights got cancelled 3 times. I ended up arriving a couple days after everyone else which I was nervous about, but now that I am finally here, my prior worries have started to dissipate.

When I finally departed on my 4th flight attempt, 2 days later than intended

Given how long it feels like I have been in preparation for this trip (ever since sitting down to write my application 6 months ago), I am as ready as I ever will be for these upcoming 10 weeks here in Sorrento. Thank you for joining me on my journey, and I cannot wait to update again soon!

Ava Sillars

Data Science Engineering

Hej hej! My name is Marisa, and I am a rising senior studying Biomedical Engineering. I will be spending the next 7 weeks in Stockholm, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark, and I’m excited to take y’all along with me!

[Caption: A selfie with the islands of Helgeandsholmen and Stadsholmen in the background (Stockholm, Sweden)]

I wanted to do this specific program (IPE: Engineering in Scandinavia) because it offers the option to study abroad in both Sweden and Denmark (2 new countries to explore!), and because I could take the class Medical Biotechnology and Drug Delivery, which aligns perfectly with my major. I will take Understanding Terrorism: Causes, Solutions, and Dilemmas in Stockholm during Session I and the Med Biotech class in Copenhagen for Session II. I think it will be very interesting to learn about terrorism from a non-US perspective and see how other countries design medical biotechnology. One of my goals for this period abroad is to pass my classes and learn as much as I can, so I take full advantage of this opportunity. 

I would consider myself a foodie, so another one of my goals is to try new foods and hopefully enjoy them! I’m not a picky eater, and I like exploring new cultures through food, so I think this goal will be fun to fulfill. I want to try Swedish meatballs and the seafood, specifically. 

Lastly, I try to work out and run when I can back at Michigan, so I will try to do the same here. I know running around a new city is a great way to explore and find new places, so I am excited to do so. I would also like to get a gym membership and compare the gyms here to the ones back home. 

This will be my second time studying abroad (my first being in Paris two summers ago), so I know I will learn a ton and gather lots of unique experiences and memories. I am looking forward to these next 7 weeks!

[Caption: The view from my Stockholm housing balcony (Stockholm, Sweden)]

Vi hörs,

Marisa Lucero

Biomedical Engineering

One of the main things I would like to be able to do in my short time here, is see the island as much as possible. I know the university has set aside times for us to go out and explore places relevant to the topics we are studying, but I would like to see even more. The top place I’d like to visit is called the Cliffs of Moher. They are also known as the cliffs of insanity from one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. Apart from the movie cameo, the Cliffs of Moher seem so beautiful in picture that I need to know what they look like in person. Besides the gorgeous natural scenery, the cityscape of Dublin begs to be explored. 

A second goal of mine is to become more antiquated with the local cuisine. Besides my small window on Irish food from home, I know very little as to what I will be eating here. While this is inherently exciting, I am more pumped to grow as an individual from the different foods I will be exposed to. Hopefully, I am as adventurous as I hope when it comes to food in the future. 

My third and probably most important goal, is to do as well as I possibly can in my classes. I am taking Physics 240, a physics lab, and Irish History 300. The course schedule the University College Dublin has provided me seems pretty intensive. With this program only spanning 7 weeks, the sheer amount of content needs to be pretty dense. I am not worried about my abilities to pass these courses, however to do a job well is to do it the best you can.

See ya next week,

Jackson Smith Mechanical Engineering, coming from UCD Ireland

This is some cool street art I found in Dublin.

First steps in Shanghai

After a surprisingly easy 16 hour plane flight to China, the first thing that I said when I landed was “this doesn’t seem so different yet”. For context, I have never been outside of the US, so I figured that seizing the opportunity to study abroad in Shanghai would be the opportunity of a lifetime.

The first thing I did when I landed was mentally prepare for a long process through security, however, I was shocked that all I had to do was pick up my suitcase and walk down an aisle with everyone else. It probably took less than 5 minutes to get from baggage claim to outside!

After a small amount of confusion on which gate I was supposed to go to, I met up with my buddy—a student from SJTU that my program organized to help me get set-up for life in Shanghai. He explained the main apps that I would use to get around and communicate, such as DiDi, WeChat, and Alipay. He then bought me a DiDi (a rideshare service that is basically China's version of Uber/Lyft except much cheaper) that took us to my dorm. By the time we got there, it was 10:30 at night, so there wasn't really much time to explore.

Day 1

The next morning I felt very lost. I woke up in my dorm room—a smaller-sized apartment style room with a larger communal space that I shared with my Roomate. This is when I met my Roomate, and some of my first friends in Shanghai. I began feeling quite hungry, so I made my way downstairs, where I found a couple other UMich students as lost as me. We got together, and explored the canteen—the onsite "dining hall" where the food was just as tasty as it was cheap. It cost me just under $2 for a full meal and was better than any food you could find in America for that price. For the rest of the day, me and my new friends in the program toured the campus that we were going to be spending the next few months at. It was so much bigger than we imagined.

The coming days consisted of orientation, exploring the new campus, getting situated, and making friends.

We also explored downtown a little, which was unlike any city I've ever experienced before. But I'll talk more about that on week 1.

Small Complications

Since I've been here, there have been a couple complications, such as setting up cellular data, having to buy a new Chinese phone because my phone didn't support SIM cards, and overall having to use a translation app constantly to get around. But these first few days have been awesome and eye-opening.

Looking forward

I want to make the most of my time in China. In order to do this, I plan to travel to other cities such as beijing, chongqing, and more. I also want to learn as much chinese as possible while I'm here—at least enough to be able to communicate a little when needed. There will be many challenges, but so far this experience has lived up to everything that was promised and has been super cool. I'm thrilled with the possibilities of what I'll be able to see and get to experience while here. Next, il share an update of how my first week went.

拜拜!

Connor Madriago

Mechanical Engineering

1 - Transportation method for arrival

It's 7:05 AM and I'm trembling in Aachen's cold morning air, having just stepped off an 8-hour train from Zürich with a connecting ride at Köln at 5 AM.

Note to self (and future prospective students for this program): remember to book Nightjet (NJ) trains operated by ÖBB for a bed and breakfast experience, or book through SBB and get the Sparpreis Europa ticket for only 30-40 CHF, instead of booking through DB, which has overpriced mandatory standard tickets at 188 euros and limited availability, with beds running out so fast you're stuck in a 2nd class seat. Lesson learned.

One goal I've already set for myself is to master all the free transportation my semester ticket unlocks, every RE/RB/S train, bus, tram, light rail, and subway line. And since it's valid nationwide across Germany, I could technically travel from Hamburg to Munich completely free, just hopping between regional trains. That's wild to me.

2 - Moving into the dorm

My last visit to Germany was a whole year ago, so stepping off the train and looking around at Aachen's street signs and billboards, I was trying my best to reactivate my German.

Fortunately, Jungmin was waiting for me outside McDonald's, he's been assigned as my UROP buddy here at RWTH. While I was still completely clueless about how to reach my dorm, he already had the entire bus route pulled up on Google Maps. I just dragged my two suitcases and followed him, changing buses twice and walking five minutes, until we finally arrived.

The dorm room is extremely comfortable and far more spacious than anything I had at Michigan. Coming from a whole year in Bursley, this feels like a luxury. The desk has drawers on both sides, there's a tall shelf, the wardrobe has vertical sections plus a unified top compartment, and the bed sits high enough to slide my suitcase underneath. The setup is complete, I genuinely have everything I need.

3 - Meeting a new friend

By 9 AM, I was starving. Halfway through unpacking, I gave up, wandered out, and started exploring the rest of the suite. There's a shared kitchen and fridge, and that's where I met Efe, my neighbor, who was already cooking breakfast. I had absolutely no food on me, and Efe was so generous, he cooked an omelette for both of us and shared some of what he had, so we just ate breakfast together like we'd known each other for years. Afterwards, we went shopping together at Lidl, which is kind of the German equivalent of a Walmart, except with better bread. I spent 15 euros on Vienna sausages, yogurt, granola, shampoo, soap, and mouthwash. Food prices here are considerably cheaper than in the US.

Efe, on the other hand, bought an entire grocery store, he left carrying 20 kg bags in each hand. He told me he's planning to cook chicken, salmon, steak, and lamb, and that last week he threw a grill party with other residents in the Wohnheim.

Back in my room, eating lunch, two boiled sausages, yogurt with granola, I had a realization. I've relied entirely on M-Dining at Michigan and have never really cooked for myself. One goal I'm setting for Aachen: actually learn to cook real meals and stay healthy without depending on pre-made food. I'll be handling breakfast and dinner myself every single day here. That might honestly be my biggest challenge.

4 - Some other troubles

The dorm is wonderful, the supermarket is stocked, and my neighbors and UROP buddy have been nothing but kind. But the wifi and the washing machines? Absolutely brutal.

Setting up wifi here is a massive inconvenience, the setup office is only open on Thursday evenings, and I arrived on a Friday morning. That means surviving on one phone's hotspot across four devices until next Thursday. The slow connection eventually frustrated me so much that I bundled up, walked out into the cold night wind, found a school building, and sat alone in a completely empty lecture hall just to write this blog on eduroam wifi.

The washing machines are another story. They're nearly impossible to operate, and without my blue card for Aachen, I can't even activate them. Other residents tell me that the machines actually working is considered a miracle, their broken state is apparently the norm.

So: bring plenty of mobile data and pack more clothes than you think you need. Future me (and future you) will thank us.

5 - Conclusion

That's it. I am exhausted. There are still many difficulties ahead, but with such a warm community and so many people willing to help, I genuinely believe I can push through all of it and have an amazing time here in Aachen. Next blog, I'll share updates on orientation week and my first meeting with my research lab supervisor. Bis dann!

Yuqi SUN

Department of Robotics, Robotics

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Computer Science