From 26/7/2002 to 29/9/2002, I was a visiting IAESTE student at Group on Treatment of Images, Madrid Polytechnic University, in Spain for 9 weeks.

It was really an unforgettable experience for me. During my stay there, I worked as a collaborator under the supervision of Prof. Luis Salgado, who is one of the best teachers I have ever met in my life. I was engaged in the European SLIM-VRT Project. (SLIM-VRT stands for Self-Learning Integrated Methodology with Virtual Reality Tools) To be specific, the object of this project is to facilitate the learning process of some specialized skills with the help of pioneering virtual reality tool. In my case, my task was to build a static three-dimensional virtual reality model of a huge ship with a programming language named VRML (virtual reality modeling language), then attach interactivity to it, and also write codes to communicate with the static world through some programmable interface. The model and code module I wrote will be used in a VR training system for crews in the future.

Actually, this was my first formal job with salary. I think I am so lucky to have my first job in Europe, which will be significantly helpful for my future career. I have found it amazing to see how people live in different cultures, which is even more than the technical experiences I have obtained from the training. I have to admit that the European's attitude of life influence me much. For them, the goal of their life is life itself. They view their work as an inherent part of their life experience, not merely an approach for more money.

In my spare time, I went to nearly all tourist sites around Madrid. For example, Toledo, an old city built on top of mountain, which was the capital of Spain 1000 years ago. Swords and blades of various shapes can be founded in the small stores surrounding mid-age castles; and Segovia, a fantastic city with aqueducts from Roman time.

At last, I would like to express my appreciation for IAESTE. Both IAESTE Spain and IAESTE China helped me a lot in the whole process of my application and training. Thanks.