█ 與同學們一同參加機械設計競賽，Pablo Cárdenas同學（右）與本系大二生Jamie McCaffrey合影。

“Engineering is not a degree, it is not a field of study, it is not 45 subjects; Engineering is a divine gift given to humankind.”–Author Unknown

Since our childhood we are taught by our parents and teachers that our major goal is to achieve success. Children are driven to exploit their maximum potential. Every day we are pressured to get the best grades, be able to score well in tests, and be able to land in a good job with a good salary. We are taught by society to pursue money, but then Engineering teaches us a more valuable aim in life.

About 10 years ago my dad called me and asked me for help. His car broke down and needed some assistance to fix it. He had a Mazda B2500 1999. I started grunting and nagging about the inconvenience he was creating. I would have to carry the burden of pausing my videogame and surrender to the world boredom. It was my first time aiding him with fixing the car and therefore, I had the idiotic idea of having to withstand several hours under the sun watching him grab a wrench and unscrew some nuts and bolts. I stood, went to the back of the house, picked up his 100 lb. tool case and struggle my way back to the car. As I arrived, my dad was shirtless, dripping sweat, his hands black from the grease, and then he opened the hood of the car. Time stopped, birds stopped flapping, dogs stopped barking, water stopped flowing, and during those 2 sec the world around me froze. I could not withstand the beauty I was seeing. It was like watching the birth of Venus all over again. It was that orgasmic moment that changed the way I saw life.

I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a complete universe, each part interacting to create a balance. It was then when I started wondering how pieces of metal were put together to create such a majestic thing. I could see through the eyes of Karl Friedrich Benz and understand the love and passion for cars. I felt that eagerness to create a piece of art like that. I heard the voices of Henry Ford and Kiichiro Toyoda whispering in my ear:“It is the magic an engineer can do.”

█ 於機械設計競賽中與助教合照，左為Pablo Cárdenas同學。

After I graduated High School, my mind was set; I wanted to become an Engineer. After my 19th birthday I spoke with my parents and plead to allow me to pursue my dream. I felt that burning fire in my heart to become a top Engineer. I knew for sure that in order to become one, I needed to receive the best education available, which meant having to go to a foreign country to study. As a naïve young adult I wanted the best: CALTECH or MIT, but these were out of my financial reach. It was very disappointing knowing that I had the ability to attend those schools, but I did not have the money for it. Just before giving up and accepting the fact that I had to stay home, I discovered National Taiwan University. I quickly packed my bags and left for the journey of my life.

The journey of my life was quite a little tumultuous I would say. Let me summarize what this journey meant: Pack my bags, say goodbye to my brothers, friends, cousins, uncles and aunts. Kiss my grandma. Hug my mom and dad, embrace them as if I were never to let go. Wake up at 5am to sit on a plane. Traveled to Mexico where I waited for a 6 hours layover. Take a flight to LA. Get my bags checked. Get interrogated. I atea Whopper from BK (the only place open inside the airport at 2am). Catch my connecting flight to Beijing. Waited another 6 hours and, after 14,776 km, two days in airports, and countless disgusting and unhealthy airplane food, I finally arrived to my destination: Taiwan.

My first day in Mechanical Engineering was really interesting. I was still getting used to the overwhelming size of the university campus and processing the beauty of the scenery. I grabbed my bike and rode all the way to 普通大樓. It was 9 am and sat in the classroom 402. The class was extremely full, we were about 80 students. Then came the professor 易富國 and had an intimidating appearance. I heard my classmates mumbling in Chinese. The few words I could catch were how legendary this professor was and how hard it was to pass the class. He then dropped his bag in the desk, grabbed a chalk, and began to write on the board. He started writing down some equations: velocity, acceleration, explaining how the first and second derivatives of a distance coordinates, could become the explanations of the speed and acceleration change of a particle. I felt like if he was developing the String Theory in front of us, explaining how every component in the universe was unified. After a while, he turned around and started inspecting the room. He looked straight into my eyes. It was so panicking I could feel as if he was looking through my soul. Then he started moving towards me. I was cold and nervous. He stopped in front of my desk, and with a very peculiar English accent he asked: “Do you understand Chinese?” (Apparently this is the favorite phrase of NTU professors) I mumbled: “A little.” Then he replied: “Well then, I see you are going to have a very tough time in my class.” He then proceeded to laugh, and I nervously grinned back.

After a while, I figured out it was only an introductory joke. I do not know if it was because I was the only non-Asian foreigner or what, but he picked me to make people know that even though he looked tough, he was still a nice guy.

That semester was extremely awesome. In that class, he did not only focus in explaining us Newtonian Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, and Kinetic Gas Theory, he went over the board and even taught us Binary Stars, Neutron Stars, Black Holes, Resonance Phenomena, Musical Instruments, Stellar Collapse, Supernovae, Astronomical observations, and an introduction to the Quantum World. I felt as if I was a student of Sheldon Cooper.

During my first semester I took classes that kept feeding my insatiable wants of learning. I took classes like Calculus where derivatives, integrations, and vector analysis were my daily meals. Statics and Engineering Graphics allowed me to have a broader idea of objects like bridges, pendulums, springs, etc.

█ Pablo Cárdenas（右）與同學在台灣過聖誕節。

To be honest, it is said that during your entire Engineering life, you will say: “I QUIT!” at least 20 times, but in NTU, you will probably duplicate that. The math level is higher than what I expected. It is above my imagination and, not even in my wildest courses during high school; I got to cover the introduction of these topics. During the peak of my frustration, I stopped, took deep a breath and realized that what I was learning was even greater than what I thought.

I will definitely dare to say that the education level in NTU can be compared with both CALTECH and MIT. Using the knowledge I learned from my professors, I could solve MIT daily brainteasers. I felt like a genius, so張忠謀.

Now after many tears, unforgettable giggles, and countless nights without sleeping, I stand here having the best time of my life. I have had the pleasure to have professors like 鄭榮和, 楊宏智, 吳文方, 伍次寅, 馬小康, 李志中, 王興華, and 賴君亮 who have taught me that a real Engineer does not have a social life and does not need time to rest. They have taught me that being the best is not enough and you always have to reach for even more. I even would like to roughly quote professor 陳亮嘉: “NTU is a tough university, but it is because we want our students to be the best in the world. At the end the sacrifice will be worth it. Just remember a Mechanical Engineer is not brought to the world to have fun, we are brought to the world to serve it, and create things that will make peoples life easier.”

As a final statement, and especially to foreigners who are planning to come to NTU and enroll in the Mechanical Engineering program: Do not be afraid. NTU is a top university and very demanding, but the effort is worth it. You will receive the best education available in the market, and later in life you will be compensated. I love being an NTU Mechanical Engineering Student.