Work

The main objective of the internship at King Mongkut's University in North Bangkok was to do an experimental and numerical analysis of an air-blast atomizer to study the airflow and the characteristics of the injected spray. During the internship, I had the opportunity to learn how to use ANSYS Fluent, a software for fluid analysis with which I did the numerical analysis of the problem. Besides that, working with a master student who was working with the experimental set for her thesis, we measured the velocity distribution profile and droplet size of the flow at the exit of the designed nozzle on the Fluid Optics Interaction Research Laboratory from the university. In the end, I had to compare and evaluate the results from both the numerical and experimental study bearing in mind the application for which the nozzle was designed for. This work gave me a lot of practical skills and theoretical knowledge, helping me to prepare for my master thesis as I had to manage well my time in order to finish all the required tasks, write a report, prepare the test rig and do a lot of research on the topic.

Experience

For three months I stayed inside the university campus with other interns, which made it easy to go to work every day (as it took me only 5 minutes walk to get to my office) and find the company for lunch which was usually at the university main canteen, a huge area with more than twenty food stalls with very affordable prices. The dorm room (there was one for girls and one for boys) consisted of a shared space with six beds inside, a shared bathroom and a fridge. There was also a small kitchen for everyone where we usually hang out with the other interns. Usually, for dinner we would go to the back of campus where there were many food stalls and also some bars full of students, very nice to have a beer or drink a bubble tea! The routine was basically that plus going to the gym inside one of the university buildings and washing room, also very useful. Moreover, I had the opportunity to try a judo class once and other interns also played badminton as the university provided these activities for free for all students. During the weekends there was always something to do - Bangkok is full of life and activities and the IAESTE volunteers took us to many places they knew and showed us around the first times! Besides that, there were some organized trips to other provinces in Thailand where we got the opportunity to learn more about Thai culture and meet other students and teachers and time to organize some trips alone or with other interns to more distant places that you must see in Thailand. Last but not least (and in fact the best) the food. I think everyone knows that this is not a problem at all in Thailand. Thai people really love food and have a huge variety of dishes with or without meat, many vegetables, seafood, the best fruit shakes, rice, noodles, etc. There are food stalls everywhere around the city and at least one every 10 m.

Discover

This internship was certainly one of the best experiences of my life, if not the best. It was my first time travelling by myself, living alone, sharing a room, visiting Asia and working on something related to my studies. I think it is not even worth mentioning the impact this had on myself. I feel like I grew up a lot as a person, learned how to deal with different people and cultures - not only Thai but also other interns that have completely different backgrounds from mine and gained a whole new perspective of life. After this internship, I feel like I am capable to do much more than before and feel very inspired to join new challenges, meet more people and much more confident about my options regarding my studies and ambitions for the future.