It’s odd…it wasn’t until last night that it hit me that in less than 24 hours I was goin to be in Rio de Janeiro. I was at dinner with some friends, overwhelmed, when this reality settled in. There I sat as my burrito got cold. Hands clamped to my face in astoundment. I  have never traveled outside the United states and although I have always wanted too, I simply thought it would for some reason never happen- that the world outside my own was too extraordinary for me to ever get to experience in person.  Going over seas is something other people did, not me, inparticularly my family. My overprotective parents and all their reasons for not leaving main land USA, it’s not safe, they don’t speak English…anything to get us to say at home. So in these past weeks I’ve have felt like I have been going through the notions and not actually putting myself in the perpective of actually experiencing the neighborhood of Lapa, or the gardens at the Sitio Roberto Burle Marx or soaking in the sun on copacabanna beach. Even now sitting on the tarmack at Columbus International Airport I am still not convinced that I will be rio. The rain is tapping on the window making it’s impossible to fathom what Rio, Brazil or Southern Hemisphere, for that matter, will be like.

But what I do know is that I am extremely excited and can’t wait to see the sun rise over another continent, speak with those of a different culture and ancestory, eat strange cuisine and be surprised at how delicious it is! As I sit here prior to departure I don’t know what to expect…I am apprehensive, enthrawed and as impatient as a two year old. RIO HERE WE COME!!

Being the expert procrastinator I am, I had to get a lot of things done this morning. I started the day early with anticipation for Rio of course, but I had plenty to do before the flight. First, I drove to grove city to look at a horse barn. My girl needs to move and I’m the one that has do to the house searching for her. Her name is Sterling, she is pictured here, and she gets to move in the weekend after we return from Rio! Next on my to do list was to get a new set of pens for sketching. A new trip definitely requires some fresh pens to get you really excited to sketch. I then ran to the bank to get out some cash that I could exchange once in country. Finally I finished up some laundry and frantically packed. No matter how hard I try to prepare, I can never seem to pack for trips until the last minute. Maybe it’s the rush you get from going to the airport feeling like you forgot something that makes me postpone the chore.

After all of that rushing from eight to noon, we sat at the Columbus airport. Now we are sitting in Atlanta airport. The hurry up and wait game of traveling never gets old. Talk to you from Rio soon!

It is still unbelievable we are going to Rio in about only sixteen hours more…yesterday at this moment I were struggling with packing my baggage. We will go to such a far place and it`s always hard time for me to deciding what I want to pick/leave. Now I`m sitting at the airport in Atlanta. Can `t wait to say hello to Rio! As these days in Columbus the weather is finally getting warm which makes me very happy all after a long and tough winter, I believe in Rio I will definitely get much more pleasure. Isn`t exciting? I have never been to South America and I hope this would be a unforgettable and precious memory in my later life. I will experience the different culture as much as I can, through my eyes and my sketchbook. And when I get back to Columbus I will have a bunch of stories and events that I want to talk to my friends; every time when I`m thinking about this, my excitement get much and much higher…! I just can`t wait learning some Brazilian folk songs and eating lots of delicious South American food. Hopefully everybody can get the great experience and we will make the best program: )

As I prepare to take flight to Rio de Janeiro, I can recall the turbulent journey it took to get here. To get to Atlanta. It started when Jon Dai suspiciously tried to woo a TSA agent and it turned into a 8 hour epic of wandering hall after hall seeking a restaraut that would fill our needs. Nothing world work. A burger joint? Too specific. A pizza place? To greasy. Finally our group, the Fluffy Bunny Slippers Football Club, found what we were looking for. The buckeye cafe. It was the beginning of a beautiful meal, with beautiful people. It ended in the destruction of a chicken fingers, pizza and a large burger with fries. Bite after bite the delicious morsels of fried and baked goodness were decimated. We left no survivors. Not even the H2O could withstand our reign of terror. Little did we know, the sustenance would get its revenge.

Only an hour into the flight, they rebelled. They came with a vengeance like the men of Troy swarming from within the wooden horse. They ate at us from within. They gnawed, and chewed untill the revolt was quelled by none other than the H2O itself.

“It’s our duty” it said. “We cannot fight them”

The H2O had an influence like no other. One bye one, the sustenance lowered its shoulders and bent the knee to the charismatic molecule.

The rebellion was over. And now, that all is safe, I can calmly move on with my life. I can take flight to the city of Carnival without hesitation and enjoy my trip.

My sister has always said “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Ever since Aimee introduced the Rio trip at the Knowlton all school meeting in the beginning of the year I have been determined to be a part of it. I had to work through some obstacles, but I’m currently sitting on a plane headed toward Atlanta so I’d say it was a success!

I participated in the SERVitecture spring break trip to Toronto and Buffalo last year, and we got so much snow that Habitat for Humanity gave us a snow day; needless to say I am 110% ready for a destination where the sun is shining and winter coats aren’t necessary. ☀️
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So I got a really nice free water bottle the other day from the Sustainability Fair on campus, and I forgot to completely empty it before going through security at the Columbus airport. There was only a sip or two left in the bottle and I was lucky enough that the woman checking my bag let me keep it… I guess Friday the 13th isn’t starting out too horribly!

I can’t wait to land because it’s too bright to stare out the window, I’m too excited to sleep, and the sooner we land the sooner we take off for Rio! Wooooo! I’m so excited to share this experience with you all, and here’s a shoutout to the Rio Trio Plus One from your awesome Team Captain:)

The adventure begins!!! We are finally off on the first leg of our journey and I couldn’t be more excited. I hope that the upcoming events will meet and surpass my expectations. I know that we have a long night of travel ahead of us but rather than feeling dismayed by the upcoming hours I am looking forward to it. I hope that Aimee is having better weather in Rio than the rain we have had up here all day, I am curious about what it will actually be like in Rio seeing as how the forecast dramatically changes for it daily. I hope that since it is in a tropical climate the forecasts that predict rain actually mean pop up showers like those of Florida. Even if our trip is bogged down by rain, we will still have an amazing time enjoying each other’s company and the culture of Brazil.
Upon landing in Atlanta (my least favorite airport ) I hope that the group manages to stay together and stay calm in the hectic bustle of the Atlanta airport. Once we manage to find our next gate I plan on using some of my time to explore the terminal and to hopefully find a Chipotle (fin

Columbus Airport

gers crossed!). Hopefully a solid meal like that will make me comfortable for the long plane ride ahead and to make up for my lack of a meal earlier today.
Best of luck to all of us traveling on this very superstitious day and may we all make this trip something special.
Over and out!

I find myself sitting in the Atlanta airport beginning my three hour layover in route to a ten hour flight. Although some may find the idea of a ten hour flight slightly obnoxious, I am a firm believer in the idea of risk versus reward. I think a ten hour flight is a miniscule price to pay to escape Columbus and the climate it has had to offer for the past six months. About four or five months ago when we found out we would be going on the trip I was excited to receive the news however the trip itself was still so far away that it really didn’t hit me until recently. The course we have to take is a good foundation for the culture and architecture however, nothing can ever compare to actual immersion within a culture and society. Theoretical speculation is crucial for the discussion of architecture and culture, but, I just simply can’t wait to be in Rio de Janeiro to experience all of it firsthand. I would have to say I am most excited to go to sugarloaf the first day, as well as Brasilia later on in the week. I think it is going to be truly remarkable to see Brasilia and all the contemporary architecture it has to offer.

Pre-departure
Now I am still in Columbus waiting at the airport to fly to the Atlanta and then finally to Rio. I am wearing a T-shirt and feel a little bit cold. I can’t wait to fly to Rio to feel the warm. Columbus is now raining and I hope Rio will have lots of sunshine. I can’t wait to walk through the district in Rio and see beautiful Brazilians on the street and also taste the delicious Brazil food. Fourteen hours flight is so long the same as the time I will fly back to Beijing, China and probably I will spend all time in sleeping so that I won’t feel uncomfortable for sitting for fourteen hours. And when I wake up I believe the sunshine in Rio will be shining on me, people in Brazil will smile at me. Everyone in our team now is boring and waiting. Some of them are chatting and some of them are sleeping. Yutong next to me is playing her iPad and keep chatting with me.We both feel exciting about the upcoming trip. I just hope the transport time can pass quickly!

As I sit in the Port Columbus airport outside of Gate C55 (our flight gate to Atlanta) it is finally hitting me that we are officially going to Rio. 6 months ago in November when I found out that I would be going on this trip, I was very excited but I put it to the side because it was so far away. Even when the course started in January and I started going to the required class, I still sort of put the trip to the side because it was a few months out.

But now it has really hit me and I can’t explain the excitement/anticipation that I am feeling. Having only traveled out of country to Windsor, Canada thus far in my life, Rio de Janeiro is a big step up as my first real international trip. To be honest, I don’t know what to expect down there. We have gone through various cultural lessons such as learning the language, political leaders, and customs of Brazil, but I don’t think learning about the culture actually compares to being immersed in it. I do plan on taking it all in though and making the most of this experience so I can write this as another great chapter in my life.

This is an experience of a lifetime and I am so blessed to be given the opportunity to do this. I am looking forward to everything we have studied and learned about. Out of all the sites planned, I cannot wait for Christ the Redeemer. That will truly be a breath taking experience I think. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the 10 hour flight. What is there to do?!? It looks like I finally have to study for Econ. Bummer!

I am currently sitting in the Columbus Airport, waiting on our plane to arrive to take us to Atlanta (our first stop on the way to Rio). I have been anxious all day to just begin the trip and be there already. I can’t wait to be in the warm weather when I step outside the airport for the first time! I also am excited to be immersed in such a culturally rich environment. However, there has been a lot of waiting around instead of getting gone for the beginning of this journey. This is a stark contrast from what the rest of my day has been like, as I got up and went to class, then raced home to finish packing before we had to meet at the bus. In my haste, I seem to have forgotten one of the more important items…..sunscreen. But, Im guessing it won’t be too hard to find in an airport or even when we land. Since that realization of forgetting something, I have been paranoid of leaving something else important at home or setting down a personal item and forgetting where I put it. We are about to board soon though. I didn’t go to sleep last night so I’m hoping I can catch up a little on the plane.

I just felt it is so unreal that we are about to departure to Rio TODAY! Yesterday we were still busy working on exams and homeworks and most importantly—didn’t pack yet, lol. But today we are going to this different country in the Southern Hemisphere. And today I still have my studio which will done by 12:30pm then I need to rush to the airport right away~ (posting while I am in the class… lol) I have to say that I always struggle with the last minute packing thing but I did it with an unusual exciting last night until 3am, and certainly this morning, too… Hope I got everything I need~

Just like the professor showed us in class, travel is an investment to ourselves. I do feel it.  From all the trip I have exprienced and countries that I have visited, I feel different things everytime. I found that people are living in so many different ways and to see the differences is very interesting. Trying to involve and to understand their culture is also an interesting process. You may make some mistakes in this process but eventually you will find things that you  never think about. Also, from a student perspective, I also found there are more things that I can do with my career and it comes in different forms in different places. This time, I am about to experience the passionate Brazil culture. I do not know how it is but I believe it is going to be an exciting adventure~

The leaving time it approaching~ Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe trip!

Well, I am currently on hold with Delta Airlines, so I decided that this would be the best time to write my pre-departure entry. I am trying to get everything in place before leaving in … 11 hours. I figured it would be best to obtain my Delta Skymiles account information before waking up tomorrow since I know that I still have a lot of last minute packing priorities to take care of when I wake up. At least maybe tomorrow night I will be tired enough to fall asleep on the flight since I know that I am not going to get much sleep tonight. At this point (1:30am) I would say that I am roughly 70% packed. I just hope that I don’t forget anything!!

I have to say, I am getting really excited to leave for the trip tomorrow! I feel the past days I have been so busy that I haven’t had the opportunity to really realize that we are about to travel to BRAZIL! (Side note: the Delta hold music isn’t too terribly bad – minus the automated guy that keeps informing me of all of the wonderful opportunities that Delta flights offer. However, he fails to mention the price of the “fully-reclining seats”.) Anyways, back to the pre-departure anticipation and brief overview of what I am most looking forward to. I am super excited to learn about the culture of Rio first-hand and experience many new things. The trip to Sugarloaf Mountain on our first day is something that I am really looking forward to because I am thrilled to experience the breath-taking views from the top of the mountain. I just want to continuously remind myself to take in every moment and cherish every scent, taste, and sight of Rio de Janeiro.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly nervous for the flight tomorrow. I have always enjoyed flying but I always get a little nervous leading up to the actual take off. I just remind myself of the wonderful place that we are actually flying to and that seems to allow me to relax.

I wish everyone the best of luck as they finish their last minute packing and I hope everyone at least gets some sleep tonight!

At this time tomorrow we will officially be en route to RIO!

Good night!

It is rainny today. I am so lucky to escape from Columbus to a sunny world. I feel like everyone is like me, expecting to lie on the beach, watching bikini beauties and enjoying the sunshine. Although we have learned something about Brazil, like: culture, music, architecture and so on, I still feel pleasant to imagine the future trip: unexpected moments, breathtaking sceneries. I know it will be a little bit different from books and videos online.

In order to fully devote myself on the trip so that I will not worry about my assignments, I stayed very late in studio. I have spend too much time on them and I have barely got sleep these days, so I think it might be a good idea to catch up some sleep on the plane.

Now I am sitting in the airport and waiting for our flight. My brain is crammed with assignments. I know it is time to start to relax and enjoy, I can’t. Because I know after this trip, there are lots of assignments are waiting for me, and some of them are on the way. Umm, maybe I just need to clam dowm. Take a breath…