Week 1 is already over (gasp!) and I think I’m starting to adjust to the SEED lifestyle. We’ve started out by reviewing the engineering design process and applying it to a mock project, an enrichment device for anteaters at the zoo. While the material is a repeat of what we’ve covered in ENGI 120, it’s refreshing to revisit it and I’m enjoying the opportunity of learning it with the students who haven’t taken the class before. More interestingly, we also heard a few project pitches today and I’m already starting to think about which ones I’d like to work on! I wasn’t aware that all of them would be heavily based in biomedical engineering. Nonetheless, I’m still looking forward to working outside my comfort zone and seeing what kinds of solutions interdisciplinary teams can come up with.

With the SEED internship also comes the opportunity to meet friends, both old and new. While I’ve enjoyed catching up with my friends from Rice, it’s been especially exciting to meet the students from Malawi and Brazil. One of my favorite activities this week was watching the cultural presentations and learning so much about the visiting students. We’ve already started to get along and I love learning about their backgrounds and telling them about mine. I think this is a glimpse of how our diverse engineering design teams will be able to bring out the best solutions later in the internship through collaboration and teamwork.

Even though this week has been really fun, it’s also been quite exhausting for me. With the onset of Ramadan alongside SEED, I’ve been managing fasting with the work day. Since I live at home (around 40 minutes away without traffic), I try to leave early (5:30 am) and drive back late (7 pm) in order to avoid rush hour. With the festivities of Ramadan and the added worship, my days have been very busy and tiring. Friday morning, I was found downstairs on the couch right before 8 am…

(disclaimer: I was NOT sleeping during work hours, just 15 minutes before)

I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend as I envision myself not much different from the lion we encountered at the Houston Zoo.