Shortly before his presentation, Ion invited us to talk about his experiences here in Upper Lusatia as well as his research. Ion himself is 23 years old and comes from the Basque Country in the north of Spain, where the Pyrenees form the natural border between France and Spain. He lives with his parents in the village where he grew up near Bilbao. Ion had the following to say about the differences he has noticed here: "What I have learned here is to value my own time more, in Germany, for example, you invite friends or acquaintances to your home much less often. However, this is not a bad thing, rather it says something when you are invited over after a while. I have always perceived it as a sign of great trust and have always appreciated the invitation." Ion is studying physics and electrical engineering at Bachelor's level in his home country. Even before his trip to Germany, Ion had already gained experience abroad, including in Norway. Ion told us about this at a lunch he cooked himself in the student residence. "I love cooking, especially working with the different flavors of the ingredients is typically Spanish for me."

During his time in Zittau, Ion particularly enjoyed the discussions with his colleagues and the conversations that arose from working on the project. Together with his supervisor Martin Herwing, Ion simulated various runs of the program and collected data to improve the accuracy of the system. Ion made a special contribution with his newly acquired programming skills, with which he was able to actively help with the completion of the program. The program that Ion worked on together with Martin helps the various users, e.g. cities, municipalities or local authorities, to make the most efficient decisions in order to operate their own energy economics in the best possible way. In this way, costs and resources can be used in the best possible way.

On his return, Ion is looking forward to seeing his friends and family. Ion will write a report about his work here at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and tell his fellow students about the differences between Spain and Germany. Ion would like to do a Master's degree in physics after his Bachelor's degrees in physics and electrical engineering, particularly in the field of biophysics. He explained this to us before heading off for a final beer with his research colleagues before heading home after his presentation.