Spain, Simulations, and Stomach Bugs - Ayon Mitra

In four weeks, I’ve found myself not only transitioning into life at Leuven and work at imec, but also into more of an independent adult as a whole. I recently took my first truly independent international trip, from airport to airport, to Madrid. It’s not really possible to see and do everything in a city of three million in two days, but we made sure to cover the important aspects. We saw the world-famous Royal Palace and Prado Museum, and indulged in local cuisine like churros and paellas.

Ceiling Mural at Palacio Real

 Our return from Madrid marked the beginning of the third week in Leuven, and my work at imec began picking up in pace around this time. While the first couple of weeks had been spent learning about Comsol, the modeling software I use, I’m now using Comsol to try and achieve certain folding angles in materials. I’ve also had to get a crash course in several terms related to mechanics such as “Young’s Modulus” and “tensile stress”. It’s been very interesting though, and I’m excited to keep working with Comsol.

Comsol Simulation

Unfortunately, my schedule was unceremoniously interrupted near the end of last week by a particularly nasty stomach bug. It kept me completely out of commission until Tuesday, and caused me to miss events the rest of the week. However, it was an effective wake-up call that I had to change some things. Up to that point I had been eating takeout or at restaurants for nearly every single meal because I haven’t ever learned how to cook. As soon as I had enough energy to go outside, I googled some simple recipes, got the ingredients from a local store, and cooked. That night I made salmon, rice, and potatoes. It was certainly a simple dish, but I can say that it was easily the best thing I’ve eaten so far here.

First Completely Home Cooked Meal!

Although this whole incident forced me to sit out from Paris this weekend, 
I’m looking forward to Amsterdam next week, as well as my remaining six weeks here in Leuven!