Wednesday was a chill but productive day for the Barcelona crew. Kayla and I cooked Spanish tortillas for breakfast and worked in Gracia all morning before going into ICTA in the evening. Kayla completely finished the diagram of her network, a huge accomplishment for her project, and the rest of us made some significant progress as well.
For me, it has been a very enjoyable experience to work in Spain, and particularly at ICTA. The work environment here is relaxed and light-hearted but also very helpful, with a community of highly intelligent and passionate people who always are happy to support any one of us. It is also wonderful to speak Spanish every day, wander around a beautiful city, and learn firsthand about a different place far from home. Aside from everything we are learning in our research and from our mentors at ICTA, I think the travel and cultural immersion is an incredibly valuable and educational aspect of this IRES partnership!
Fun fact of the day: Barcelona was almost the home of the Eiffel tower! Gustav Eiffel originally wanted to build his tower right here in Barcelona, but Spain rejected his project, saying that it was too "radical" and would not fit with the city's architectural style. Too bad, but the city has tons of Gaudi and other beautiful architecture to make up for it!
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