This past week was not as crazy as traveling over here. What a relief! We started work the day after we arrived, and used our free time to figure out all of the other "minor" details like food, laundry, and parking. Most places remain closed because of Covid, even though we were hoping that the government would relax the restrictions on businesses, but we were still able to go on plenty of adventures around the area this week.
On our first day of work, our sleep schedules were still messed up from jumping through several time zones so we gladly took Teuta and Daria's offer to come in at 10:30. Finding the office was a bit of an adventure because of the winding European roads. One wrong turn led to us driving away from the office instead of towards it, but we still ended up getting to the office only a few minutes later than the original route. You could say we took the scenic route! Once we got to the office we were enthusiastically greeted by Daria and Teuta and were whisked away on a tour of the office, which I have described below. Our tour ended in the meeting room where we met our mentors for the internship. Well, two of us. Nate's mentor Fran was on vacation last week because of the Epiphany. Luke's mentor, Igor, and my mentor, Davorin, were there to introduce themselves and introduce us to the projects that we would be helping them work on. After the meeting, we spent the rest of the day getting our computers and user accounts set up on the network.
The office environment is very familiar to us as Webb students. Each person has their own drafting desk and computer with two monitors. The engineers in the office space are grouped based on their department, almost like classes at Webb. It is also very casual around the office, which makes it a low stress, pleasant, and welcoming environment for newcomers like us. Everyone we have met so far has been very friendly, and our boss Teuta is a great person to be around. She can often be heard singing a tune while walking around the office telling people good morning, and everyone seems happy to see her in the morning. Another person you are likely to hear more about on here is Daria. She handles HR in the office, and she told us on the first day that she would be like our Croatian mother while we are here. It's only been a week but I believe her! She has already introduced us to Croatian culture through lunches like grilled squid, fried hake, Croatian sausage, and several others. Even before we arrived she was helping us make sure all of our paperwork was in order so everything could go as smoothly as possible. It is always good to know someone is there to help if we get in a pinch!
Wednesday was our first holiday of the year in Croatia, the Epiphany, and we were ready to explore. The first thing that we decided to do was walk out to the end of the breakwater, which was recommended by many of the people we talked to in the office. It was a beautiful morning until it started raining, but at that point, we were too far away from the apartment to make it worth turning around so we continued out to the end of the breakwater. There was a couple of signs, a small lighthouse, and a very good view of the surrounding area out at the end that made it worth the walk. The rain cleared up on our way back to the apartment, but it didn't matter because we were already very wet. We dried out as we ate lunch and decided what to do next. We were going to the beach!
The guys that went on this internship last year recommended going to the beach in Opatija, which was only a 30-minute drive from our apartment, so we went. It was an interesting and beautiful place, with shops lining the beach and a path that walks along the water. Most of these stores were closed because of Covid, but it would have been much more lively if they were open. The beach itself was entirely concrete, which was very strange since we were used to sandy beaches. Luke and I were planning to go in the water when we got there, but considering how slippery the concrete was when we got close to the water we decided it would be a better idea to wait until we found a beach with sand or pebbles to go in the water so we didn't slip and get hurt. The sun was setting as we left and we had work the next day, so we called it a night once we got home and ordered dinner.
The rest of the week at the office went well as we continued to get used to the environment, people, and work. We ran to the store a few times to get food and other necessities. The most interesting part of shopping is trying to order sandwich meat when we don't speak Croatian and the person behind the counter doesn't speak much English and trying to figure out what to buy based on the picture instead of the words on the package.
On Friday night when we got back to the apartment after work Luke and I decided to go out and walk around town. There wasn't much that we found to do other than walk around, but it was still a great night to be out walking around the city center. Rijeka is just as beautiful at night as it is in the day!
On Saturday all three of us were ready for an adventure, so we bundled up and went out on a hike at Učka, a mountain that is near the office, and was recommended by many people in the office when we asked where to go hiking. It was a great hike with great views that allowed us to see all the towns below and all the way back to Rijeka. The pictures speak for themselves on this one. We spent all afternoon on the hike and we were content to just hang out at the apartment that evening. Unfortunately, we did not end up doing anything on Sunday other than walk around town a little because Rijeka was under a severe wind advisory that threatened to shut down some roads and knock down trees. It didn't sound like a good day to go hiking.
The beginning of this week was good. We have found our weekday rhythm and are working on whatever tasks our mentors put in front of us. Nate is working with the structures team, Luke is working on the hydrodynamics and stability for a sailing passenger ship, and I am working on stability, resistance, and propulsion of a search and rescue vessel. It is all very interesting work and we are excited to use what we have learned and learn even more in these two months.