Na primeira pessoa, Carlos Santos  partilha connosco a sua experiência Fulbright. Ao abrigo de uma Bolsa Fulbright para Investigação com o apoio da FCT (22/23) e no âmbito do seu doutoramento em Civil Engineering da Universidade do Minho, Carlos desenvolveu parte da sua pesquisa na University of Central florida, FL, EUA.

 

 

«I still can’t believe my five months have come to an end. However, from now on, I will have a new life experience to tell (and what an experience!!).

Living in Orlando is challenging, but people at the work lab made my life easier! Actually, I was not expecting to create such friendships during my period in the USA since I thought five months would not be enough. But, to have an idea, in one of the last meetings before leaving the USA, I can’t forget when they referred to my period at UCF as being like the Hotel California song, “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave“.

I could describe my experience in detail, but it would take too long. So, I am sharing some pictures from my Fulbright album with you.

Lastly, I must remember the first step of this experience because I was afraid and insecure about the possibility of going to the USA. When I decided to apply at the beginning of 2022, I couldn’t imagine how good and beneficial this memorable adventure would be for me. So, here is my advice: “Don’t be afraid! It’s impossible to be 100% ready for a new challenge/adventure; you’ll learn along the way. In most cases, besides technical knowledge, resilience and adaptation skills will be the key to succeeding in such an adventure. By the way, don’t forget to enjoy the journey.»

 

Thank you, Carlos, for being part of this inviting and friendly community. Welcome back!

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