Student Project Perspectives

January 3, 2008

Week 7 - Crunch Time

It is really starting to sink in that we now have less than two weeks left in Cape Town. There are two thoughts that come to mind. First, it is exciting that in just over a week we will be home with family and friends most likely reliving the entire experience from start to finish with everyone we see. The other thought that comes to mind is this means that we have less then two weeks to pull together all the loose ends of our project into a complete final product... that’s where the stress comes in.

More Progress

Over this past week we have made some true progress with our project. To be honest, with a draft of our final proposal due, we didn’t really have a choice. We finally took all our survey data and mapped it out to create visual representations of the final destinations of all the passengers. These maps were then used to create routing designs that best met the needs of the passengers. We attempted to bring the routing within 500 meters of as many of the passengers as possible while still keeping the design functional. We also began compiling some of our lessons learned from our research to create a preliminary station design. Let’s not forget we have continued to add to our proposal and final presentation throughout. As much work as it is, it helps knowing that at the end, everything we have done will be completely documented. In future internship and job interviews we will truly be able to show what we are able to accomplish in a work type environment because we have been there and proven ourselves as part of our schooling at WPI. This is one of the main reasons why the project system is such a crucial part of our academic plan. This project, in combination with my future major qualifying project, are what make a WPI student’s application stand out.

I can honestly say we have finally seen a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. Things are starting to fall into place... but it definitely isn’t over yet! There really aren’t any off-work hours anymore.

How do we relieve stress?

This past week we definitely have started to feel the stress. There seems to be an endless amount of work to do and a continuingly decreasing amount of time to do it in. With that being said, there is also a decreasing amount of time to get in some of the last minute things we want to do and see so taking breaks from work are definitely warranted. This weekend was no exception. We decided to get in one of the last things we really wanted to do before we left. Seven hours away in Storms River is the highest bungee jumping operation in the world as noted by the Guinness Book of World Records. We threw the idea around for a while somewhat joking. Then when a few people decided they definitely wanted to do it the competitive spirit came out. We ended up having eleven of us agree to do it. Now the only problem was how we were going to get there. Finding someone who is willing to drive 7 hours there one day and 7 hours back the next day was not an easy task. We eventually did get it all figured out and Thursday afternoon we all piled in for what was indeed a very interesting seven hour trip. There were times when looking out the window it seemed like we were in Vermont or New Hampshire but then there were times when you could have convinced me we were driving through Texas or Arizona. I think we have figured out that it isn’t too often that, looking around, we actually feel like we are in Africa. That being said, even with so much to look at .... It was a very, very long ride. With so much stress the week before, it was a relief to not have much to worry about. It could have been worse, if we hadn’t been travelling at just over 85 miles per hour, it would have taken even longer.

When we finally did get to Storms River the nerves started to set in. We stayed overnight in a hostel near there and got up early the next morning to be the first ones in line to jump. When we pulled up to the place we could see the bridge in the distance over the trees… definitely looked a lot higher in person. We signed our lives away and then got suited up with our back up harness… just in case. We walked out to the middle of the bridge on a walkway suspended underneath the bridge…. It looked kinda safe. I’m kidding…. Overall the operation was extremely professional and I felt extremely safe the entire time… well except for the moment when they brought me to the edge and started to count down. I ended up being the last to go which actually worked a little in my favor because after seeing everyone else go I didn’t really have a choice not to…. I just had to jump. The saying “if your friends jumped off a bridge would you” has a very new meaning to me now.

The first two seconds after you jump off are interesting because not only are you plummeting to the ground but the thought that is going through your head is “What did I just do?!?! I just jumped off a bridge! I’m gonna die!” After the full 5 seconds of free fall, you start to slow down. Probably one of the best parts is when you bounce back up and stop momentarily in mid air and then fall back down again. How do you get back up? Well after hanging upside down for a minute or so, they make their way down towards you, flip you right side up, and haul you back up the bridge. Overall, there is really nothing to compare bungee jumping to. The best part is we all have videos to prove it.

Missing so much

The one thing I didn’t take into account was how much I would be missing at WPI and at home over these 8 weeks. There is so much to catch up on when we get back. Many of us, including myself, learned we are newly elected or re-elected officers in campus organizations after missing eight full weeks of events. Though we do usually hear about things quickly, it’s not the same as being there. Christmas break is definitely going to be about catching up on everything we missed while we were gone and catching everyone else up on everything we did while we were gone.

Almost time to start packing up, T minus 8 days.

My final blog will be from back in the States.

Until then,
-Nick