Some Extreme Engineering and Wishes

I just finished watching an episode from the new series of Extreme Engineering from Discovery Channel. This is my favorite show ever, the one which inspired my passion for Civil Engineering. I remember the times from high school when I had to stay up until 12 at night to watch the show contrary to my parents "orders" and when I wrote essays for admission to college about my dream of taking part in such a project set in Romania.

The episode I just finished was about Hong Kong's International Airport. Not only did they build the biggest enclosed space for the passenger terminal for the airport, but they also had to build a huge island for the actual construction of this amazing human endeavor. As if this was not enough, they also built one of the longest system of double-decker suspension bridges in the world, an underwater tunnel and a new system of highways and high-speed railways to connect the city with the airport. Not only did they build this with the most ingenious design and most brilliant solutions to the problems, but they had to stand in front of some of the worst forces of nature, typhoons. If you think this is incredible, wait until I tell you that they finished it in 7 years.

I can only be amazed and inspired by this humanly effort. But I am also covered in a lot of pain because my thoughts took me to my country. Romania cannot even make possible the most mundane job for a civil engineer, building a simple highway across the country. I think the human factor in Romania is a much worse natural force than typhoons proved to be in Hong Kong. My bitterness makes we dream of the time when I will be able to take action and make Romania open its eyes. I want it to realize that life is not about how many estates you have, what cars you drive and how much money you can make. I want it to see that it is more rewarding to have an efficient economy based on a functional infrastructure in a country where the political figures are concerned about development and innovation rather than playing kindergarten games of power.

I hope I am not just a dreamer and that I will live to see it happen. Or rather, I should start thinking about a way to make my wish come true.