Javier, engineer Telecommunications
I'm the technical manager of the antennas for Galileo stations
I´m from
Spain.
I studied
Graduate Degree in Telecommunications Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
I travelled to
The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Lyngby, a small town near Copenhagen, with an Erasmus grant. In principle it was supposed to be my fifth year of my programme, and in the end I was there for almost two years completing my fifth year
plus a project.
A custom that surprised me:
It was that in the classes, just because there was a foreigner present, they immediately switched to English without any problem. I was also surprised to find that the classes were much smaller and more participative, and thatthe way of approaching the coursework was completely different. They memorised less,
My favourite place:
Between the dormitory where I was staying and the sea, there was a park, like the Casa de Campo, where there were hundreds of wild deer living. I used to love to run in that park, to the small hill where you could see the sea, and go back to the dormitory to continue working.
The greatest difficulty I encountered and how I resolved it:
At DTU, one of the biggest problems is lodging. The student dormitory is occupied by Danish students, naturally, and there aren't very many student apartments available. I started out renting a room in a private home, but, through Danish friends that I met in my classes, I was soon able to find a room in a dormitory on campus. Interacting with people and making friends outside the circle of Spaniards, where one tends to stay by inertia, was fundamental. And to do this, you have to take the first step. Scandinavians, at the beginning, tend to be more closed than we are. I still have one or two Danish friendsfrom that period.
What you need to know in order to interact well:
To have a gift for socialising.
You can´t leave without
Know the country, have visited Sweden, and without making a visit to The Little Mermaid. And without trying the "aebleskiver" in Christmas!
What I learned during my international experience that has most helped me at Indra.
A can deal with foreign companies, that the language is not an obstacle in a meeting or dealing with customers or suppliers, and understand the cultural differences that do not work the same way in Spain than in other countries.
A recommendation for people willing to live the experience.
Not to close to nothing, to open her eyes and ears, and make the most experience both academically and personally.