Anindita's Diary

  ​If you really think you are such a fast runner, I’d think twice about boasting that you’re as fast as a rocket. Even the world’s fastest man’s peak speed (Usain Bolt 28 mph) is only 1/629 the speed of a rocket to orbit around the Earth (17,600 mph), and 1/892 the speed of escaping the earth’s gravity (25,000 mph)! So… you’re not exactly as fast or even close to the speed of a rocket. ​

  Ever mix up aerospace and aeronautical engineering before? Have you ever wondered what is the difference between an aerospace and aeronautical engineering? Well, I thought about it too, and here is what I’ve found. Aerospace is the broader and more complex subject, focusing on both aircrafts and space crafts. Aeronautical Engineering though only focuses and studies on aircrafts operating in the Earth’s atmosphere. Though they are different, they overlap a lot since both intensely rely on studies of physics. Guess I chose to do the harder one!​

  If you think 30,000 parts of a car is a lot, your in for a doozy to ​know that 747-400 passenger plane has more than 6 million ​parts!!! And, about half of them are fasteners 😮​

  Kalpana Chawla (in the middle) was the first Indian woman to go to space. She ​got a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder Her ​second trip to space was a tragedy when the Columbia rocket disintegrated when ​reentering the earth’s atmosphere, killing her and her 6 other crewmates almost ​20 years ago. Let us have a moment of silence to remember and appreciate her, ​her other crewmates, and all the other astronauts whose lives were taken to ​continue the exploration of space.​

 If you wanna become an aerospace engineer, pop on out your ​logic puzzles and word searches and let’s get cracking! One skill ​aerospace engineer needs to have been a critical thinking mind for ​asking the right type of questions and problem solve obstacles! ​

  What a great way of finishing the ski season today. Stay tuned for more details…

  Me: "It feels like all the drivers without mufflers are trying to outdo each other by the sounds! Dada: "Just like the roosters!" === "Yes yes, no beef. Chicken is good!" -Baba telling the Spanish guy in the food truck === Ma: "Do we really need to go that far? Let's eat the chocolate instead" Baba: "Fine, we'll take a rain check" Dada: "Yes! Wait... we're talking about the walk and not the chocolate, right?" === Ferry Lady: "Are you guys the family of Raul Pu#$%?" Baba: "...yes." Ma: "Looks like Neel's the new head of the family!" === Baba: "We need to turn left Mili... LEFT Mili! MILI, TURN LEFT!" Me: "Baba, I am paddling left!" Baba: "O re bapperebap! Mili, in a kayak when I say turn left, you have to paddle on your right to turn left, but when we want to turn right we have to paddle to the left to turn right. Get it now?" -The sound of oars smacking e...

  It rained. As we were driving to the ferry terminal it started to pour. But thankfully it was only for around 15 minutes. Now, at 12:49 it is right now partly cloudy with the sun shining. I think we are soon going to board the ferry. It feels like we are at an airport, with a boarding place and specific sections for specific people. Disability and Residents get priority, like a flight's first class before economy.  At Veiques we stayed at the Bananas hotel and restaurant, a cozy and family friendly shack.

  We came to Puerto Rico expecting to eat traditional and local items like empanadas, and we're doing it. Sort of. This is the second time we've gone to a fast-food place called Church's Chicken, what seems to be a Puerto Rican favorite when looking at the long drive through line. They're basically a Puerto Rican McDonald's; it's that popular. We found it really funny that at every Church's Chicken there was a Burger King smack dab right next to it with the very visible popularity levels based on the drive through lane. Ah well... I guess everyone has their favorites.  Today was an actual rainforest day. We went to the El Yunque National Forest, a park where the amount of people there was limited. After checking in with our previously bought tickets at a checkpoint, we were finally in! It was very beautiful with its lush foliage, great views, and a nice hike. There were times when it was just us walking in silence where we were enveloped in the forest's ...

  I think this balcony at our Airbnb was for seeing the great views of the ocean... but only when I'm standing up. Ah well, at least sitting down is still relaxing. The clouds are a welcome sight, shielding us from the heat-fueled sun, and giving us a perfect temperature to be in. Hopefully it doesn't rain though.

  We really need to learn Spanish at some point. Just now a waitress tried to ask us something, but we could not understand. It took another minute and asking another staff member for her to ask us if we wanted our sandwiches with mayo or butter. It is really great that in every store we've been in so far in Puerto Rico there has been at least one staff member who knew English, with the rest knowing at least the basics. I guess they are used to the non-native tourists looking blankly at them whenever they tell something.

  Things really change when we're on vacation... Today Baba & Ma didn't even seemed fazed by the fact that we bought several chip bags, 2 m&m packets, and just now bought Oreo ice cream cones. I guess that's what's a vacation is supposed to do; relax you in every single way possible. Today was rainforest day. We checked out the Arecibo Observatory, the previously world's largest radio telescope; known for many accomplishments in the history of astronomy. (Search it up if you forgot). After hurricane Maria though, the cables snapped and the whole platform unfortunately collapsed to beyond repair. We went still, and contradicting all online reviews of everything being closed we visited the museum and visitor center. And it was all to ourselves. It is kind of sad; even locals didn't know the place was open. But the place was a really great place where we learned something new, and we're now really glad we went. Our next stop was the Rio Camuy Cave Park ...

  Clara Cave (Clara means light)

  Right now 8. Should be asleep... But can't. Baba, Dada, and Ma are all asleep with the rest of what seems like 1/2 of the flight. Maybe because of music I'm staying awake. So they'll probably be fresher than me when we reach. I'll probably crash. Good thing the hotel is only 5 minutes walk away I think 🤔. I woke up at 4 and only had 5 and a half hours so should probably close my eyes.

  Being on a plane might be one of the best experiences I'll ever have in my lifetime. I've really come to appreciate it today since I wasn't on one for 2+ years! To others, this might seem like a small time, but to usual family travellers like us it felt like eternity. Currently I am sitting on a delta airlines plane in JFK New York airport after a 4-ish hour flight from WA. Getting off soon. Our final destination is Puerto Rico, a US territory southeast of Florida. Actually, our final destination was supposed to be Florida, but because of unfortunate flight cancellations we had to adapt. We are probably going to board our connecter flight soon -in half an hour or so- and we will reach Puerto Rico around 10 pm their time. So excited! 

Having fun in Seattle. Snowshoed a bit on Mt. Rainier, then ate in downtown Seattle. These guys are role models, especially Aashna didi. Vegan and getting a PhD even baba is really impressed.

  Trying to get a covid test done. It's been an hour now, in a line... and we're not even inside the test sight yet 🤣. Oh well.

  It's 10:30 right now, and here we are, in our pj's and eating snacks! Random occasions happen on random days I guess...hopes this never ends!