I went to Edmonton this time in a different life cycle than last. Two years earlier I had just begun my masters and was just beginning to pursue knowledge in my field. Two years ago I had met someone who I liked but needed time and space to gather courage to pursue an important relationship. This time around I am trying to complete my education and looking for contacts to cross into industry. This time around I very much missed Tipu and realized that us working in separate cities would likely be intolerable.

I learned a lot from the trip. I used to believe all undergrad degrees in engineering are equal. I do not believe that anymore. Although I received and excellent education from the U of M, I do not believe I was able to develop industry contacts during my stay in Winnipeg. Universities, especially in the east (Ontario, Quebec) have incredible co-op opportunities. They are also available to develop relationships through technical event planning.

I was able to get career advise from friends, colleagues, experts and presidents. It’s incredible how supportive Canadian professionals can be, especially those in the Microfabrication industry. There’s a lot of mutual respect between companies and that was brilliant to see.

This was the first time I went to a relatively unknown city by myself and drove around. Previously I had been with family or friends or had relied on public transport. I was a little nervous but it felt great.

Ramadhan Mubarak. This shall be an interesting Ramadhan. I’m headed off to Edmonton Friday for the IEEE Student Congress. I will be representing our EMBS (Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society) student branch. I’ve decided not to fast while I’m out there. I have a tendency to sometimes have problems while fasting and Tipu asked that I don’t risk it while I’m out on my own. It sounded like a reasonable suggestion. I hate making up fasts though after Ramadhan. It’s so much tougher without others doing it with you. Add to that the fasts that I’ll miss during menses and you’ve got a lot of catch up. I’m not worried though. I’m starting to wean myself off worrying. It’s not straight forward, I’ve become very accustomed to it. I think I’ve conditioned myself to believe that worrying gets results but it really doesn’t. It just incapacitates. I’m trying to learn to be present and responsive to situations without wasting energy on worrying. Not easy.

Anyways, logistics wise I’m going to have a pretty nice walk in the park. Mom said we could have Iftar (term for meal/event for breaking your fast) at her place most days . I’ve already field tested my fruit smoothies and that’s great. It will help me stay hydrated and get some fruit into me. Now I just have to figure out when I can invite ppl to our apartment for Iftars. Other than that I’m set.

call home line or email. cell is now working!