Aerobloggen

Hey blog readers! It’s Zenas Del Rosario again—your friendly, neighborhood, American trainee. As you all know, on top of the challenges that everyone faces during the work-week, we trainees must undergo those same trials far from home for our international assignments. You may wonder what happens during the holidays while we’re abroad. Many of us test our products as we fly home to be with family; others wander into the great unknown and explore their host-countries. I’m happy to tell you that I chose the latter! So strap-in, sit tight, and allow me to regale you with my tale of adventure, intrigue, and what you could do off-the-clock as a trainee at GKN Aerospace!

And so began my adventure! Highly recommended by my Swedish friends and colleagues, I was headed into the Great Frozen North, the Arctic Circle of Grandeur, the Land of Snowy Wonders—the great city of Kiruna! I set out from Trollhättan on the Polar Express armed with nothing but my backpack of supplies and a phone filled with podcasts before enduring a 22 HOUR TRAIN RIDE. Yes, I was told to fly. No, I didn’t listen. Seat soreness aside, I was awe-struck by the snowy country sides, sleepy towns, and frozen forests that cover Sweden’s northern expanse. Like something out of a story book, I was once again amazed by Sweden’s beauty—second only to America’s! As the sun set at 2pm on Christmas Eve, the train pulled into Kiruna station; and so I gathered my things, stretched my legs, and bundled up before stepping out into the cold.

Well rested and raring to go, I awoke on Christmas morning with a sense of childish whimsy. Having never spent a winter further north than sunny San Diego, I threw open the curtains of my hotel room and basked in the sight of the white Christmas I had always dreamed of! With snow as far as the eye could see, I dressed quickly and set out to accomplish the first thing on my touristy to-do list. I hopped into a taxi thankful that the heater was on full-blast and watched the sites fly by as I rode to Santa’s unofficial, favorite vacation home—the world famous, original ICEHOTEL. I could tell you all about the amazing vaulted ceilings, one-of-a-kind sculptures, and intricate designs all carved out of ice, but a picture’s worth a thousand words so here you go…

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Santa on vacation. I hear he was still at work somewhere over Hawaii when I visited the ICEHOTEL. I wasn’t too sad about it though. With my epic day near completion, I headed back to Kiruna for dinner and indulged in one of Sweden’s lesser known delicacies…

Being the good Catholic dude that I am, I couldn’t end my Christmas break without checking in on the birthday boy—my homie and Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Before leaving on my journey back to Trollhattan, I made sure to stop by his gothic-style winter home to thank him for all the good that he allows me to do. He gave me a quick pep talk, made me promise to keep on keeping on, and sent me on my merry way.

As the saying goes, all work and no play makes Zenas a dull boy. The trainees and I work extremely hard to make things fly; but as you can see, even we find time to maintain a healthy work-life balance. If you’re reading this and want your chance to earn a spot on this amazing roster of professionals, take a swing and apply today! Until next time, gotta fly.

 

Hey blog readers! It’s Zenas Del Rosario—your friendly, neighborhood, American trainee. I’ve been in Sweden for about a month now and am proud to say that I’ve settled in just fine.

Flying in to Gothenburg from the US last month, I took no time before diving right into Swedish culture by taking in the sites. Shopping centers, museums, theme parks, OH MY! I was blown away by how beautiful the city looked. After an impromptu tour of Gothenburg by bus, I took a train through the countryside to my current home in Trollhättan. Thank goodness everyone here knows how to speak English! If not, I would have had a much harder time navigating my way around. I’m sad to say that I fell behind with my Swedish language lessons, but am happy that everyone here has been so accommodating. Other than the fact that the scenery is so much greener, Sweden feels just like California.

I took advantage of the weekend to unpack and explore Trollhatan to get my bearings, then started work at GKN Sweden that Monday, September 10th. Compared to GKN El Cajon, GKN Sweden is so much bigger. Walking around here is like roaming through a small city! An ID photoshoot, facility tour, and trainee meet-and-greet later, I was introduced to Workshop X and my coworkers in the Manufacturing Engineering Department. For those curious about what I’ll be working on, I’ll be using my expertise to support the GE New Product Introduction team as we troubleshoot problems, identify root causes, and work hard to fabricate shafts and rotors that MAKE THINGS FLY! The next 5 months here look to be exciting and full of learning opportunities. I’m ready to take on the challenges and perform at my very best!

Before signing out and flying on, I’d like to give props to the GKN staff and Graduate Trainee Network. The tips, tricks, and advice shared have been extremely helpful for assimilating into Swedish work culture and day-to-day life. For example, as the saying goes, “it never rains in Southern California.” If former El Cajon trainee, Nick Ninivaggi, hadn’t told me about the absolute need to buy a raincoat, I’d have been completely soaked through by now. Good golly, does it rain a lot around here! Bye until next time, readers.