Not high school anymore

Coming into college, I thought I was a genius. This is merely due to the fact that I came from a small high school where I was considered one of the smartest students. Soon after I got to Purdue I realized this was no longer the case. The smart kids from all schools come to Purdue, making me average. I still didnt think classwork would be a big deal though, since it was so easy for me previously. I have never had to do homework or study for tests before in my life and thought I would get away with those habits here as well. I was struck with the club of failure after my first two exams. I got a C- and C+ on each of them. You may say, "At least you are still passing," but I don't want to just pass, I want to do great in school. I was an all A student in high school, so this is a completely new feeling to me. Since those exams, I have found myself spending countless hours in the study rooms of my residence hall. Being great doesn't come easy, but I'm willing to make it work.

Culture vs. Culture

This time we were able to appreciate not only how culture interactions can lead to many results, but we were also capable of vaguely picturing how culture tells us how to behave and what is wrong or right for us.

First of all the example of Mark and Max doing their business. It was evident that not only their business culture but also their general culture is based in different principles:

Germany: Effectiveness

England: Reliability

It is very important to remark the context and meaning of the words in different cultures. Because in the case of the american and german engineers that worked together, their definition of 'quality' was pretty different, and led them to a misunderstanding.

Now, it's time to talk about the possible solutions for this concern. According to my point of view the only possible way to solve this problem is to fire a translator, and to get to know a little bit more about the people you are dealing with, because we could appreciate how places that are very close an that have some commonalities in their historical backgrounds also have different cultures and conceptions of their surroundings. This way we will be able to understand the others and their cultures, in order to manage good relationships between each other based on different understandings of values such as respect.

Cultures being different

Cultural differences exist everywhere. Whether it is the USA or France or what-so-ever, they have to exist. But what makes us better in our careers and our lives is to try and catch up with this difference, not elude oneself from it. Different cultures affect business relations, but it's hardly a matter of concern if one learns to solve it out.
Like if we talk about the small businessman from London, he was surely successful. Since he had communication problems with the german manager and thought of the greeting as a disrespectful thing, he stepped back and tried thinking of something different. Commitment to work and respect are the keys to successful businessmen.
I feel that companies should try and researching well about the other companies before doing business with them. If they have to do it, they should probably hire a translator of languages. Whatever works should be done. It's all about growth, and a better growth.

My dining court job!

So I'm currently working at the Earhart Dining Court and as a matter of fact, I have just returned back to my dorm from there. Yeah, sounds crazy, but it's not all that bad I guess.. Since this is my first job, I was pretty excited in the beginning. On the first day, which was a wednesday as far as I remember, I came back from classes, took a shower again and got ready at 5.50 pm. I was asked to have a free meal first, which was better than the usual ones because it was 'free' :P
      Then came the time when I had to start my work. I never knew what I was really going to feel after that. I had to fill the salad bar every single minute since one or the other things got empty. This was the first time I wondered how much the students here eat! It was tiring, and if it wasn't enough, I had to throw garbage then. Well, that was a part of my job that I was unaware of. That shift was of 4 hours, and I came back and slept straightaway. My back hurt and my hands, even more. In the next Sunday shift, I had to wash the piece-wares'. Well, that was pretty okay.
      I'm not working for money.. (well, a bit.) but I'm basically working for an experience. And I get to meet new people who are as tired as me at the end of our shifts. And like I said, it's not all that bad. Atleast my mom will be happy when I'll help her out with the kitchen work in summers :)
      

Engineering Differences

As in previous discussions, the issues of differences in business practice comes up. It teaches a good lesson of knowing habits of others before engaging in a project with different nationalities. Not only will it make it easier to move through the work process, but it will also make both sides more comfortable. Two men from different areas of Europe are beginning to work on the project, but the habits each observes seems very strange to the other. If issues are not addressed properly and quickly, then they can lead to many more problems. Anglo-Saxons have focus on the individual, Asians and Italians on seniority, French and Germanic on status, and Germanic on authority. The most important factor is to find a way that all of these different cultures and backgrounds can work together to create the best outcome possible.

What personally have you experienced that has presented differences in engineering? Did it cause problems and, if it did how did you solve the issues?

What are your tips for learning the most you can about other cultures?

What are the advantages to engineering in the different parts of Europe and also what are the disadvantages that one may not necessarily know about?

Are there any interesting or really good experiences you had working with other cultures?

Must fix this!

The report we read for Dr. Johannes Strobel, has shown the need to fix the communication problem among engineers from different cultures. It is obvious that this issue declines that amount or quality of work that gets done. It is very difficult, almost impossible, to get a project done if neither side feels comfortable working with the other. This was shown in the bank example with Mark and Max from America and Germany respectively. They were not comfortable because they did not understand the cultural ways of one another. Just the act of being aware of how another culture differs from your own can help you understand and make things more comfortable. This learning community does just that. We get the opportunities to interact with students in the same field from different cultural backgrounds early. This will be an advantage to us later when dealing with people in other countries. We will know how the other cultures differ and we will be able to either adjust accordingly or at least know what to expect.

The monster week

Ok this week was definitely the worst, I haven't slept as much as I should, and I'm certainly suffering... test after test after test and homework is all I've seen this week, It's friday and I can't say: "I'll sleep when I get home this evening" because guess what: CHEMISTRY HOMEWORK plus math homework= 4 hours of sleep. I really don't know how I've survived this difficult times, maybe it is because I love my classes, and I really enjoy learning and studying, there is no other possible explanation. I feel pretty bad about my family because I have not been able to talk to them properly, whenever they call me I am either busy or in a bad mood.
But I'm looking forward to this weekend, on saturday I'll go to Chicago with some friends, and I feel like I really need to get out of town and take a rest; I don't really want to think about the bunch of homework that is waiting for me on sunday. Hopefully next week will be better, I don't have any tests, and therefore I won't be busy studying, but working on my homework.

STRESSS!

These week are going by so fast and know it is time for my first test and I do not feel like I am handling it properly. I am too distracted by everything else that is going on. I am in a sorority. I have major schoolwork (more than I thought I would have). Hours just slip by. Now I am so STRESSED. I am so stressed in fact I can barely spell the word stressed (in fact I misspelled it when I was writing the title. I am so worried, because even if I get the smallest points off I get stressed. I am so worried about every little thing. I worked so hard in high school and I feel that it is hard to obtain that extremely high level of achievement in grades that I previously had. This weekend I went home and I did not get anything done. It was nice to get away from everything, because I feel so much less stressed, but I have not gotten anything accomplished. I am so worried for my exams. I have one this week, one next week, and one the week after that. I am glad they are so spread out. The hard part is that I don’t know what they are going to be like, because one of my teachers gives us examples and then tells us that it is going to be harder than the example. I don’t know how hard it will be! I am so overwhelmed and I cannot wait until this testing is done. I have not talked to another person who is not stressed in some way. I have heard so many stories about how awful people do on test and it only makes me feel worse. Hopefully, it turns out okay, because here we go!

Business Culture Around the World

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/ascianos-mullen-mulls-holy-grail-in-supply-chain/story-fn91v9q3-1226140370217

The culture in other countries is much deeper than one would normally think. In the example of last week, I was surprised to see how different these two cultures where in engineering. I had always assumed that there engineering would be the same for all engineers around. I never thought different cultures and locations would take different approaches to it. Now from knowing this I am so much more aware about differences in culture in many more ways. In the article, “Asciano's Mullen mulls holy grail in supply chain”, the reader is able to get a deeper understanding of many aspects of Australia, if one takes a deeper look at the article. The article deals with business in Australia and at the same time deals with work ethics and habits of Australian workers. Asciano's Mullen, who is the operator of Port Botany that runs through the Patrick Ports division, discusses how he has learned to handle featherbedding, or the practice of hiring more workers than is needed for a job. In the article there is also comments on coals as being a major export of Australia. There are a lot of unnecessary processes being done in the obtainment and transport of coal. The question is how is the company implementing their engineers. Engineers should be their to help eliminate excess and streamline the process so the port can run more efficiently and effectively. The outlook in the future is very bright, because the Australian culture and industry will better be able to utilize their engineers in the future years and now that engineering is becoming more popular the abilities of engineers, like industrial engineers, is better know and understood. It is now understood in what situations they would best be able to help. With the different people owning the ports, they do not always care to grow it, but they want to know the best ways to manage and operate it. Engineers brought into the company would be one of the best ways to receive help to run the whole operation. It was forced near the end, that the with the global economy all of these efforts may cause them to get into trouble, because they are talking themselves up to standards they cannot reach. Now, we wait and see what approach these companies will choose to make.

Outlook good for engineers

http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/queensland-energy-boom-to-build-engineering-jobs/story-e6freqmx-1226032821912

This article talks about the projected increased job market for civil engineers over the next few years. It states that between the years of 2011 and 2013, the amount of civil work done will rise by about 20 percent. These projects are mostly going to be mining and flood reconstruction.

This is so important, not only to engineers in Australia, but to engineers all around the globe. A lot of these jobs may be taken by students who just graduated. Since this would be an international job, it would be nice to have previous experience working in other countries with people of different backgrounds. That is why I think it is so important to have a study abroad experience while in school. Study abroad is something I have really been considering because I want to have that edge over other engineers. Being able to say you already have experience with others globally will definitely be a benefit.

All I have left to do is homework.

It's almost been a month here at Purdue, and I'd like to highlight some points of my study table:
1. It's highly messed up. I don't have time to clean it out.
2. Around 15-20 stick-on's are hung up right at front of me, reminding me and scaring me of all that I have to do, every week.
3. There's a periodic table on my pin-up board, making sure that I'll hate chemistry all my life.
I feel like this homework is never going to end. One thing is done, and then you smile and look at your roommate who's doing another homework that you completely forgot about. How cool is that, this is exactly what I wanted for college.
I never knew that engineering would be this tough and unending. It's like.. I came with a dream of aerospace here, and now all I do is sit at my study table. Oh, I wish I had time to go see the fascinating labs they have in for me for my future studies. I guess everything comes with a price, and engineering is not a piece of cake. This week has been terrible, especially when I lost my wallet while running to the Brown laboratory for my lab period. Everything went at one go.. my ID card, my debit card, my room key, my star bucks card ( now that hurts me a lot) and my insurance card. Somewhere in my mind I'm waiting for an angel to come up and return that wallet back before I apply for all of it again. Somebody save me.

Lack of engineers stymies growth

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/careers/lack-of-engineers-stymies-growth/story-fn717l4s-1225956334981

This article tells us about the problems that Australian firms and companies are facing regarding engineers. They are falling short of them, due to various reasons. Firstly, the staff migrates from one company to the other when a better salary is offered, irrespective of the project they are involved in. This leaves their space empty, and even if they get staff to work on the project, they have to be trained from the very beginning. For example, if the staff s being offered better salary in the west, they prefer to migrate. Like this, the west grows and the east side growth is almost at a halt.
And the problem increases since they don't have enough draglines to work with. They have 60 draglines, each of which are at work 24/7, and they cost a fortune to build. I believe that they should put global culture to work. They should adopt ideas from the states or other countries, or maybe hire people from abroad. Of course, they have to be generous with the pay, since most professionals look forward to better packages. Or another solution is to sign a contract with them, so that they can't quit in between a project.
What I've learned from the global engineering class is that French engineers are highly effective and go through an intense training that makes them more efficient and innovative. I believe that Australian managers should try to hire French engineers, who can find better solutions within the material and time given. Since most of the work depends on engineers, they should do something about it soon. 

Not-so-happy Birthday

Last week i was my 19th birthday. I got the privilege of spending my birthday doing tons of homework. I spent literally six hours straight on homework. It had to be done though. Little things like your birthday are the things i that never occurred to me how much i would miss. It was so weird coming "home" from class and not having my parents there to tell me happy birthday for the first time in my life. It was weird not having any presents or cards waiting for me to open. It was weird not going out to dinner with the family to celebrate it. My mom and dad still called to wish me a happy birthday but it just wasnt the same. This was my first birthday where it felt like every other day. I guess this is what it feels like to become an adult. Its very different.

Psychology Class

I have always been interested in Psychology studies and planned to pursue some of it in college. I never knew that this would be so exciting and actually a fun subject to study and learn about. When I first came to class, it was a normal introduction and about the professor stuff. And then came the 2nd class, where he talked about various types of human behavior and how mind works. I have never seen myself as involved as I was then. It seemed like I'm finally doing what I wanted to, and it's real good. They teach us about everything related to human and animal behaviors, how people could respond to a particular situation, etc. I find myself into it. I wasn't planning to get a bok for it, since I was advised not to. The slides online have it all. But my sincere interest in it lead me to buy the book, and I love every part of it. 

Engineering Cultures

When two countries try to find a solution to an engineering aspect, both know that there are going to be issues and that they will have to solve them. When the idea first came up, it was a failure since the chalk didn't work the way they planned. Also, due to the English people's lack of focus and interest, the project was a no-show thing. But then later, when they signed an agreement, it was the English who headed off to a great start and made way for France, which in itself is a nice thing to notice. It took them time, and patience, but it resulted as one of the best and the most expensive engineering sites at that time. It opened paths for new underground railways. I feel that the inner tube was an excellent idea, and that it saved many lives. So in all, I believe that there will be issues in engineering, since both countries have different engineers and they are taught in a different manner, but since the idea is same,"To create a better economy and society", things should work out.

Diff. Engineering Cultures

Usually when you have two arguments to a problem, there are always pros and cons to each side. The same can be said of the two ways of engineering culture between the French and British. According to the excerpt from "The Other Side of the Tunnel" by Paul Bell, the British are notoriously know for their lack of planning. As we saw in the video, this has its advantages and disadvantages. They started the tunneling off to a great head start on the French. Things looked like they were going great until something unexpected happened, the chalk wasnt as strong as they had originally thought. This made them cease operations until they could come up with a different idea. The French took more time planning and got off to a bit of a slower start. They may have started slower, however they they never had to stop operating. So as you can see, there are good aspects about both cultures.

A Joyful Month

Okay, it's been a month since I got here to the U.S. and I can assure that 99% of my time in here has been awesome!! The people I've met, the classes I've had, everything is so special. In some way I just feel free. In Colombia I was used to going to a private school (because public education in there is not good), therefore I had to wear a uniform (the most beautiful color: gray :S) and the principal of our school was so mean to us, she always looked forward to punish us for wearing a bracelet of a political party different to the one she followed, for having long hair, for not wearing the tie properly, for opening the bus window, for wearing a scarf, basically whatever she didn't like. So for this reason I could barely enjoy school, there was always a reason for being sad or feeling uncomfortable, but hopefully this is over. Now I'm in the college I always wanted to be, surrounded by great people, that have given me a happy first month, definitely I couldn't wish being somewhere else than here.

Now I enjoy doing most of my homework!!! This is so unusual, during high school every assignment was like a torture, now I don't mind spending the WHOLE night working for an assignment (unless I feel so sleepy). And this week became particularly great when I found out that I wanted to study Civil Engineering! :D

Finally I would like to express my feelings about the inter-cultural environment here at purdue: I LOVE IT!!! I always dreamed of having friends from all over the world, with all sorts of backgrounds, and guess what? Now I've got them. Conclusion: I'm extremely happy...

Chunnel Culture

Every country has their own unique cultures and customs with Great Britain and France being no different. From the development of different religions and groups of people in France and Great Britain the people developed their own lifestyles. The English Channel also split the countries causing them to differ more in their development and cultural growth than other surrounding countries did. These small difference grew into differing ways of life, which most likely developed into differing work habits and technological development. To improve global abilities, it is good when cultures are accepting and understanding of each other. It allows people to feel more comfortable and natural working with one another. Both countries had differences and troubles during the process, but the Chunnel created a uniting bond between both of the countries when it was finished. Never before had the two countries come together in any aspect. They were very separated from each other. This disconnect was one of the reasons why the two countries were so different, but the Chunnel brought the together for the first time, along with getting rid of the gap between Britain and France. Though the process was long and strenuous, especially for the British when the their equipment did not prepare them for the resulting event. I found it interesting that engineers constantly need to be thinking about how to solve the problems, as was explained when the equipment did not properly function. Preparing yourself for all kinds of situations in engineering is important, especially if your going to another country. It is important to understand all aspects of their life from culture to habits of employees to work environment (whatever that may be). This will make work easier and more productive. Culture is an essential part of the lifestyle of many countries.

Engineering: Braking Down the Boundaries

Sometimes engineering can't help us only to break physical or geographical barriers, such as the 'Chunnel' project did, but this field is up to break cultural limits too. The Channel Tunnel implied more than only building a railway underwater, it brought up the possibility of building a solid friendship between the two countries involved in the project: France and the U.K.. We could easily notice that these two countries had never had a good relationship between them, not only because of cultural factors, but also because of historical ones; they used to compete with each other, and not exactly in a friendly way. When the 'Chunnel' project emerged, it served as a new competition for both countries, but this time they competed for being the first country to reach the middle of the tunnel and the first one to break the physical and cultural barriers. Now engineering served as a challenge for both nations to demonstrate to the world what they are up to. The U.K. had to face some difficulties, but its determination was worth, they succeeded at achieving their goal.

This way we can notice how engineering is not only about innovating in science, and building stuff, but also developing friendship, cooperation and team work; the cultural limits that France and the U.K. could have had were completely broken down through engineering.

Working Up to Week Three

Well, this has been a crazy few weeks hasn’t it? I cannot even believe that we have been here almost a month already. I know everyone stays that but it is really true. I have been in school almost three weeks plus the week for BGR. I wish I could make the time go slower, because I am absolutely loving it here. There are tests coming up and football games and meetings and I don’t want to miss a minute of it. Right now I am still on a “rush” from rush (to join a sorority, if you consider that a pun it was not intended). I am now a PHI MU girl and I absolutely love it. I officially have over a hundred new sisters and soon will have a new “mom” and “big sis”. It is pretty awesome if you were wondering! I am trying to think about what to write about, but nothing is too out of the box. I did attend my first official college football game on Saturday, which thankfully we won. I was a trooper/super fan/with a crazy intense group of people, because we stayed the whole time. It was EXTREMELY hot out and a hundred and twenty degrees on the field. I felt so bad for the players and band, because the must have been sweating so bad. Luckily, I did not get burnt. Every time the clouds passed over and blocked the sun we cheered, which was a total of three times. It was all worth it though. The last quarter turned out being amazing. We were screaming and cheering so much we almost passed out. So, that was my weekend, so I feel it was quite a good time!

1st Trip Home

So this weekend was the first time I got to come home since being at Purdue. I was really excited because there were a lot of friends I left at home that I missed. I figured this would be the ideal weekend to come home since it was three days instead of two and I would be able to spend more time with them. Being home has showed me how things have really changed since I've been gone. I dont "mesh" with my close friends as well as I used to. I have come to realize that at Purdue I have a home away from home. I thought I would love being home, but in all reality I cant wait to get back to school. Dont get me wrong, I love seeing all my friends and my family, but it just feels kinda weird to me. I am leaving tonight to head back to Purdue and I cant wait! Boiler Up!