Post Post Departure Post

I guess my post is a little late because I’m still stuck on spring break and taking in the Santiago sun. This first week back has been rough. It was cold and school work was due. It was much better when my only worries were getting juice from street vendors. (oh, how I miss the juice). So yes, I have a little post departure depression. The trip was a great experience and I’m so honored to have been able to go. One of the biggest things I said I wanted to work on was my sketching abilities. I think on the trip I put more effort into my sketching. I also think I enjoyed it more and tried to have more fun with it. I attached my sketch from the Museum of Memory and I think this sketch is significant because I really sat there and took in the space and enjoyed drawing it.

 

Another thing I said I wanted to focus on was the culture and I definitely did just that. Spending a week in a city is not a lot of time to get every aspect of a culture, but I tried my best to do that. I went to all different parts of the city, experienced the good and the bad, and tried to take in all the food culture as well! This trip fascinated me and was much needed. So I guess its time to get back to reality now…

 

 

Back to Reality

Panorama of Santiago and the Andes mountains

It’s been about a week since coming back home to Columbus and I’m doing my best to get readjusted to the Ohio weather and getting back into the mode of doing school work. I definitely experienced a little bit of jet lag because all I could do for the first few days back was sleep. But thinking back to the trip, it was definitely amazing, a once in a lifetime experience (for me at least). So I am glad that Aimee chose this destination for our trip because Santiago, Chile was a place that I would’ve never have thought to go on my own.

The friends that I made on the trip

The food, the landscapes, the slower paced environment was almost surreal to me. This trip allowed me to travel, experience a new culture and allowed me to be more outgoing with my peers. Santiago was also my first trip out of the country so I am grateful that I was selected to be on this trip and also able to go with my close friends. Also, I’ve gotten better at sketching, I just found out while on the trip that I can sketch with pens than with pencils.

Sketch of the front of the Innovation Center, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Campus San Joaquin

Since coming home, I feel a new urge to  learn new languages, so I’m able to travel out of the country more and be able to be more independent while traveling. This experience is unforgettable. Right now, I’m missing the fresh food and weather more than anything else.

Empanadas, meat and cheese from Mestizo

Post-Departure: So Glad I Went to Chile!

So I realized while I was at work how that I did not do my “post departure” yet, so here I am four hours later. I remembered because was telling the kids who I work with about my trip when it occurred to me. I essentially told the kids how amazing it was in Santiago. I went on about how the weather was perfect and how it was still summer there. Then after that I told them about the food and drinks, non-alcoholic of course. This trip was AMAZING! and definitely set a new standard for what I expect when I go to travel for here on out. Since I have gotten back home I have done nothing but rave about how study abroad trips are important for college students to go on. I really am grateful to have been given this opportunity to expand my world.

My study abroad family

It was really great hanging out with everyone there, I tried to talk to everyone I could in each “clique” and get to know them. From all this interaction I made new friends in different majors and different walks of life.

 

They kind of “forced” me here, but do I look sad about it?………….. NOPE!

Lastly, I have to thank Patricia and Paityn again because I do not think I would have went on this trip had they not “forced” me… I’m glad they did!

Post Travel

Almost a week has passed since we returned from Santiago and it is starting to feel normal to be back on campus again.  I just learned, after some research, that I experienced sun poisoning while hiking and that is why it felt so great to sleep on the cold airport floor while waiting for everyone to check their bags.  After a few nights of good sleep, lots of water, healthy food and exercise I feel back to normal as I’m sure most do.    Though it has been great to sleep in my own bed and socialize with friends, I am yearning for the kind of education that is fostered abroad instead of in the classroom.   On the Ohio state university seal is the phrase “Disciplina in civitatem” which translates to education for citizenship. We are here to learn how to contribute and grow as individuals in order to give back as citizens of the places we come from. This idea gets lost in the constant pressure to get good grades while studying on campus, but is emphasized while studying with the university around the world.  I miss everyone’s passion and how eager we were to experience the things we love in the context of a different culture.  I wish there was a way to instill that curiosity to a much higher degree while studying in Columbus.

My Santiago Reflection

Santiago was quite an experience for me. I’ve learned a bit about Spanish cultures before in high school, but Chile was an extra step in that development. Being in Chile was a refreshing change for me. I loved being immersed into new area that at first seems alien to me, but after getting a closer look at all the things that make up the culture, it’s not all that different, but still unique.

The people of Santiago were generally very nice and relaxed. I’d probably contribute that to the stray dogs being all over the place, but I don’t know. I felt comfortable whenever I had to speak to someone, whether in English or Spanish. That really helped me adjust to the new surroundings and relax. That is, until I lost my wallet. Other than that though I felt safe for the most part and enjoyed whatever it was we were doing.

One of my favorite parts of Chile was the art. It seemed like there was some kind of sculpture or painting around every corner, especially in Valparaiso. It made what could have been another normal city into a lively and vibrant environment. Speaking of environments, there was so much landscape. Even inside the city! I thought that was a really cool feature that Santiago had. It made the city feel like it was more than just an urban, concrete fortress.

A Beautiful Ride

Nothing truly prepares you for the end of a journey.  Several noteworthy events materialize along the way: friends are won, learning moments are shared, tears are shed.  And somehow, the all encompassing feeling of those experiences can be felt in a single step, the step of a voyage complete.  But not all is lost.  We take with us the memory of the times we had, all those individual discoveries as well as shared stories, hilarious, frightening, exhilarating all.  We take back with us too the bonds we made with those extraordinary individuals by our side, those we could not fathom the beauty they held inside just a week prior.  This is a unique journey to be sure, one that if one is lucky will have at least once in their lifetime.  Men and women, young, curious, full of life and a drive, transverse as individuals across a sea to a place unknown, and come back with a deeper and shared understanding of the wonderful world they inhibit.  Santiago is a city whose people, streets, buildings, cooking, dogs, and everything else in between I will never forget for the rest of my life.  The spirit of those friends who saw all of those glorious features by my side will always be with me.  At the end of it all, as I step into a new phase of my life, all I can say is, it has truly been a beautiful ride.

Frank and I on top of the world

One of my favorite sketches of the trip

Veggie squad at our favorite restaurant

My Santiago crew

Regresar

The word return keeps popping into my head around this trip. It seems the root word tying together main lessons I gathered from my time in Santiago.

Kaz saw a tarantula.

A big group of us hiked 17km to this beautiful waterfall. It was well worth it.

Returning to South America brought a new, unexpected relationship with the city and culture we were dropped into. I felt far less giddy and nervous about the fantastic newness of this world than I was two years ago in Rio de Janeiro, and I think I saw the city clearer for it. It was wonderful to listen and talk with people with a context of Latin American city life. Bouncing my perceptions of these two great cities and people around each other in my head was a great joy, and I felt great joy in returning under different circumstances. If any young students read this, I would implore them to try and get abroad more than once in their time at school.

Kaz overlooking Valparaiso from Pablo Neruda’s back porch.

Returning back to the hotel with my best friend and roommate Kaz was a great comfort, and I am glad that I had him there to be my confidant. I think having a close friend in the larger group made it so fun to reach out to everyone else, just knowing that I had him by side. We made some amazing friends on this trip together. Returning to that feeling of fast friendship was heart-warming, and I feel honored to have such fun and bonding experiences with them. I shared some incredible views and unforgettable events with Kaz, Bryan, Rico, Megan, Carly, and several others; memories I anticipate returning to for years. Continue reading Regresar →

From Santiago to Columbus

It’s been a few days after our trip in Santiago. I am trying to catch up with the school work and escaping from the easiness of spring break. But from time to time I still recall our days back in Santiago. I think the days we spent in Santiago have become my most memorable ones in group trip. First of all, we traveled in a huge group but we didn’t ever put us in a dangerous or awkward situation. We all came back safe and sound. On the other hand, we always helped each other in a foreign country so we have developed strong bonds with other students. It is kind of interesting to see everybody again in Knowlton since the memories we shared in Santiago are so impressive. We all feel like we experienced the city of Santiago as locals.

Overall I think we all learnt many stuff in Chile both academically and culturally. From Park de la Infancia to Bicentenario Park,  as a Landscape Architecture student I get to learn many interesting elements that Chilean architects are concentrating on like the use of bright colors and focus on materiality. There are all good to know.

Last but not the least I want to thank everyone in our group because we are a good team!

Post-trip

We’ve been back at school now for a couple of days. It’s very cold here. I really miss the warm weather. 

Saying that I enjoyed this trip would do a disservice to the trip. This trip was amazing. I was able to learn and experience so much in such a concentrated amount of time. The fact that the trip was only one week is amazing to me. 

In one week I climbed a mountain, saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, visited 3 different colleges, saw the house of one of my favorite poets, went to the top of the tallest building, tried new foods every day, walked about a dozens of miles, and saw about a million dogs. 

I did everything on the trip that I wanted to do, plus more. 

I gained a much better perspective for the world and humanity through this trip. I learned what it’s like to be in a country where no one speaks your language. This was a new level outside of my comfort zone. 

My favorite part of the trip had to be the hike. I love the outdoors and I’ve never experienced any landscape like that. Every single view was beautiful. Being able to look down at a city was incredible. 

Another highlight was the trip to Valparaiso. I have never really experienced a city like that. I am used to very structured city’s with neat, cut up sections. This city seemed like a living thing. It moved strangely and creatively around its landscape. No two views from the city were the same. 

Ultimately, this trip was more that I could have hoped for. Now I am wondering where to go next.

Back to reality

It is almost a week after we came back to Columbus from Santiago, and the first thing first I felt when we back here was cold, really cold. After adapting to the charming weather in Santiago, I stand in front of my wardrobe don’t know what to was to stay warm in this cold weather for this whole week. It is so depressing to put all the summer clothes back into the suitcase under my bed, and I can’t even imagine we were far away from Columbus in South America just a week before. The whole trip seems like a dream now, all the views, architectures, and foods are unreal. The only thing can remind me is the photos.

Although it is not the first time I travel, obviously I attended a study abroad program while I am studying abroad… which I won’t really feel homesick. But lots of things in Santiago reminds me about Taiwan and I just realize that I am now alone and 18 hours flight from home. When we went to the beach in Santiago, everything at that moment brought me back to Taiwan, conquered me with nothing but everything that it could offer. I never travel with a group before except the volunteering project, and truly grateful to everyone in this trip that brought so much of joy into the journey and made my first group trip unforgettable.

After returning to reality from the wonderland, life becomes so busy and full of exams and papers. But I am glad that there are only less than 40 days till summer break and my freshman year. Hope everything goes smoothly. Summer break road trip counting down.

Neruda

Pablo Neruda reminded me how to taste what you make. While visiting his house, I was moved by his life, his work, and his playfulness. He designed things, he was a brutal professionalist, and yet he wove his sensuality into all of these endeavors. Indeed, he knew it was critical to lust for life if you want your hands to shape it for others. His home was humbling in its open kitsch, its discrimination between social and meditative spaces, its fixed wide eyes to the sea.

You have to understand fictions to understand art, that spirit that design tries to dip its toes into. Neruda knew fiction as a friend. I heard he would often dress in several disguises throughout the nights of his parties. He never passed up the opportunity for a joke, though he reportedly was bad at telling them. He collected knick knacks next to heirlooms, christened his armchair “the cloud,” and collected out-of-date maps. I like to think it was for the humor, seeing them misspell and misrepresent Chile on an old English survey. He held all this deep giggle tight within him even as he designed chimneys, poems, worlds, and engaged with the global public as his country was falling apart.

Maybe it was the openness. There is something so front-facing about the man and the spaces he touched. He just held his hands and eyes open at all time, ready to shake a hand, pick up a pen, grab a waist to dance. He let things flow through him and become the wonderful creations we remember him by, he didn’t think too much, at least how we might normal imagine thinking to be. Just a clear-eyed man in a giggling house by the sea. Continue reading Neruda →

Back to Business

The first few days back from Chile were pretty rough. After getting home around 3, I spent 13 of the next 15 hours sleeping, most of which was unplanned. It took me about three days to unpack all of my stuff. I’m grateful for every second of the trip, but it was hard getting back Sunday evening and not even having a full day to recover.

Going through my daily routine Monday felt bizarre. The cold wind and rainy overcast was a most fitting welcome back to Ohio. I found myself in a state of wander, subconsciously awaiting the voice of Sergio to direct me. Sadly, those directions never came.

Looking back, every day of the trip was it’s own adventure. It seems like we were there for way longer than a week! The amount of activity crammed in to everyday was truly impressive, but that did tend to come with a lack of sleep. I’m glad to be back home where water and bathrooms are free, but I do miss the amount of cheap ice cream we regularly had access to. I’m glad to be back in my own bed, but miss waking up the Bryan’s face every morning and a hot and ready breakfast just down the stairs. Although it’s nice to back home, I will treasure the memories and friendships that were made abroad.

Post departure Blog

Every single time of saying goodbye to a trip is heartbreaking. So is this time. Santiago is an amazing city, for the reason that it combines the peaceful life, passionate people and developing technology in all works. I will always remember the moment when I can hardly express my meaning in Spanish, I can only have eye contact and hand gestures with the waitress who is trying her best to understanding me. However, they never show impatience, they are so nice that they tried their best to help me and understand me. I feel so impressed by their willingness to help me, and I will always remember hospitable people in Santiago.

Another thing I noticed that is that they prefer playing with sharp edge of roof structure, which highly dealing with solid and void of various angled structure. Such as the roof in Benedictine monastery las condes. It is amazing how the shadow and light could be engaged with the architecture form by this method of special roof.

The most amazing part of this trip is no doubt the people who I travel with. I really enjoy every second spending time with lovely people. I love my attendant group members, especially there are not only architecture people, but also landscape architects like me, when we are analyzing for example Plaza de Arms, we can explore the plaza from different angles, such as the public spaces versus semi private spaces and how the plants are helping to create these spaces. It is a pleasure for me to get to know these people and become friends with them and share this memory of traveling Santiago with them. Last but not least, teachers and teaching assistants who help us a lot throughout the entire process of studying aboard. I really appreciate all the efforts teachers taking into for us to have a wonderful time in Chile.

Me, Ziyuan and Momo are trying to imitating the statue behind.

Smiljan Radic: Floating Weight

We had the wonderful opportunity to visit four different Smiljan Radic projects while in Santiago that really epitomize his ability to craft space. I believe he will be one of the great South American architects of our age, because he seems to have developed a subtlest eye for the connection from detail scale to diagrammatic essence, and the sensory experience that links them. Both his crypt design for Catedral Metropolitana, Mestizo, and Museo Precolombio show how he manipulates perceptual weight to create spaces of magic.

The first thing to know about Smiljan Radic is that he loves stones. Like a lot. He had a 14 ton Andean boulder imported to London for his installment of the Serpentine Pavilion. In his Santiago projects, he consistently used boulders and perceptually heavy structures to emphasize the space created by his architecture. This floating tectonic weight makes it feel as if the ceiling was hoisted with great difficulty, much like Gaudi would often do in projects like the Colonia Guell Crypt. Radic also often places visually (or physically) heavy elements on-end, or floating, sounding a low hum of the fantastic in the heads of visitors.

This sketch of the ceiling of Mestizo explores that heavy, floating feeling that brings magic to Radic’s work.

materialitymaterialitymateriality

This divider between the holy and accessible spaces shows the magic, fragile-feeling tectonics of Radic’s details.

I believe fear is a subtle tool he employs; that fear that brews into the sublime. Because there is some sense of danger or awe in being under one of his roofs, and feeling a weight is floating above you. While it always feels safe and sturdy, his spaces feel opened or hoisted for some brief period, that they may be swallowed up or tumbled after you leave and the magic dissipates. This creates a special sense of wonder and silent awe that he employs perfectly in the Crypt and the Museo, and more casually uses in the Mestizo dining area. By using architecture to create strangely floating tectonic structures, Radic plunges his guests into the realm of the fantastic, a space where they are primed to appreciate the textural details and design excellence of his architecture.

those wood steps just slay me.

This descent into Radic’s crypt prepares guests for texture and weight, and primes them for the strange weight of the space.

Back in the Saddle

I am here to write one last blog post and as I try to think of the words to say, I can’t help but feel as though I am trying to describe a dream that I must have had. To think that only a few days ago I was walking in the Andes Mountains, or on Chile’s coast , is almost mind blowing. Last week, which seemed to be slow moving at first went into fast forward and now, here I am, writing this post almost a full week since we have returned. The blur of a week which can be replayed in my head at a frame by frame is now only a vivid memory that has given me the confidence to be both more independent and open to interaction with new people and cultures.

Additionally, I have caught myself thinking of the food that I ate in Santiago and have even tried to make recreations in my dorm room, to no avail. While I didn’t expect to have withdraws so soon, I am already missing the tree-lined streets, constant views of the mountains, and the cool breezes that made the city feel so connected to nature. The bleak landscape of Columbus, no matter how attached I am to this school, is just not cutting it at the moment. And of course I miss not having the same level of responsibilities, but I suppose that is to be expected after returning from paradise to reality.

I am glad to be home with my friends and back into the swing of things with only four weeks to go in my first year. The time we spent in Santiago, while only a little more than a week, will continue to fill my mind with thoughts and memories for years to come. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible and to those who made it unforgettable.

I will let you figure out what was me and what was Mestizo.

 

 

Hasta Luego, amigos.

Captains Log Stardate 03232017

The father and Daughter I was able to have an casual conversation with in Spanish

Getting back in the swing of things wasn’t too difficult , but coming back to the weather was. Right now I am really missing the 80 degree weather that we were enjoying down there. Friends and family have been asking me about the trip. “How was it?” “What was your favorite thing?” “Do the toilets flush the other way?”. Its hard for me to express just how amazing the trip was, because no one thing sticks out. For me, It was an all around fun, jammed packed week of adventure and learning. Everyday was amazing in its own way. But if I had to pin point the one thing I enjoyed most about the trip, I’d have to say it was trying to speak Spanish. I am by no means fluent, or frankly even good, at Spanish, but everyday was a challenge to have a conversation with someone. I got very good at asking how much things cost and numbers are easier to understand now. My proudest moment language wise was when we were waiting for the bus to take us to Vina del Mar, and I had an actual, real life, casual conversation with a father and his daughter- Francesca. He came over to our group and was asking where we were from so I answered! I said a lot of things wrong and 50% of the whole interaction hinged on hand gestures, but I did it, and I’m glad I did.

This trip made me more confident and more motivated to travel in the future and I look forward to the next chance I get.

Goodbye Chile! I hope to see you again.

Back in Columbus-Post Trip Blog

This trip to Santiago was a wonderful experience for the first spring break trip of my college career. The beautiful 90 degree weather, my first out of country experience, all of the new lessons learned and all of the new culture I’ve experienced had a great impact on me.

I’ve made a goal of trying to be more interactive with people and spend more time with others every day rather than secluding myself to a dorm room. I enjoyed the week with limited use of my phone and in getting my new one, following an unfortunate series of events with a Chilean Uber, I found myself using less social media and just completely uninstalling some apps so I am less tempted to spend my time missing out on the world around me. The temperature change is still affecting me days later, I found myself wearing a winter coat today in 50 degree weather. But most of all I miss the constant view of the mountains. It seemed like every view of the city was picturesque with a beautiful Andes backdrop, even through the weekly buildup of smog.

I’m amazed we were able to experience so much in only a week in Chile, yet feel like there is so much more to see. This trip made me desire more worldwide travel and it was a much needed break from the normal rigors of college life.

More Wine, More Time! (Post-Departure Blues)

If the 50 degree decline didn’t kill my immune system, the surge of caffeine intake and lack of sleep that has come along with the restart of the semester just might. Good news/Bad news, the plants are alive but only by a thread. However, this isn’t what you’re wanting to read about.

Coming back to Columbus after fully immersing myself into the Chilean culture has been disorienting to say the least. If I thought switching between English and Spanish during our trip was bad, switching back to one full language has been even weirder. Between forgetting words for things, trying to pay for Starbucks in Chileans, or simply realizing I need to drive places, has made me miss the wonderful city of Santiago the last couple days.

It isn’t just about missing the cool sights we saw but missing the relaxing, Chilean culture. It was nice to be randomly stopped by a local and having a chat either in the metro or cafe. They would ask about the US and even ask questions that are considered social faux-pas! Being thrown back into Columbus feels chillier because the social interactions experienced abroad were so genuine and random! Here i’d be lucky to get hello out of my Michael’s clerk. As much as the trip was about learning the city, I find myself missing more the culture  I grew fond of the people quickly and I felt like I could’ve enjoyed at least one more day of the city. I wanna tell the piper on Guardia Vieja to go away one more time or be annoyed by the fifty-fifth “Helado-Hel-Hel-Helado” salesman!

Main point is, it’s been weird readjusting to Columbus after fully loving Santiago and it’s wonderful people. Sergio, if you’re reading this, I graduate this year! Tell your people to hire me!

#noshame

Reflecting on Santiago

It is always a sad day when you leave sunny weather and palm trees for Ohio in March. I develop an attachment to places when I travel, and Santiago is no exception. I started to feel a part of the city and the culture by the end of the trip. I loved the food, the landscape, the culture, and of course the architecture. My favorite buildings were the Benedictine Monastery, the Santuario Nacional in Maipu, and the two Pablo Neruda houses (in Santiago and Valparaiso).

The Benedictine Monastery blended together very well the world of the formal theoretical and the world of the phenomenological. I especially loved the entrance ramp towards the statue and the window into the yellow chapel. The Santuario Nacional was impressive for not only its scale, but site, structure, materials, and the experience of light and sound. I loved the Neruda houses and thought they were a beautiful blend of vernacular style, Modernist sensibilities, and maritime aesthetics. Of course there were many great buildings, but these were especially interesting to me.

I also loved learning and experiencing the culture. I became obsessed with the fruit juice that was sold on the street, it was so fresh and delicious I had to have some almost everyday. Empanadas were also a great highlight as well as discovering dishes “a lo pobre”.  And of course, pisco sours went nicely with any meal. And no culture would be complete without its people, and I met some very great people in Santiago. Sergio was a fantastic guide and had amazing insights into not only the places we visited, but the lives of average Chileans. There was also Alexi, the best waiter I’ve probably ever had, Martinez who gave us a very informative tour of Santuario Nacional, and the woman who sold juice near our hotel (such a saint). And of course, the many dog friends who joined us throughout our trip.

Sunset over downtown, view from Santa Lucia

Back in Columbus

Leaving that beautiful 90 degree weather in Santiago was definitely a challenge for me. I immediately noticed the 40 degree drop in weather right when I stepped off the plan. Looking back at all the amazing adventures I went on and all of the things that I learned within the last week brought a feeling of sadness I as was uber-ing back to my dorm. For me, the most memorable day was our free day when me and my friends decided to complete the four hour hike in the Andes Mountains. It was probably one of the most dangerous things of I’ve done, being that the trails were probably 6 inches wide and we were hiking on the side of the mountain with nothing to catches if were were to take the wrong step. But, walking on the trail and pausing every once in a while to take in the view around me truly made me content and grateful for having the opportunity to come on this trip. Not only was I able to make long-lasting memories with my fellow architecture friends, I also learned how to survive for a week in a country that barely spoke English. I am excited to sign up for more study abroad programs in the future and can’t wait to apply for the London study abroad program next year!

Nice walk in the park after Mestizos

5 minute break on a nice rock after hiking for 2 hours

Amazing views from Santa Lucia

Post-Departure

It had been an absolute whirlwind of homework to do and assignments to complete since returning to Columbus, but I find myself stopping and thinking of Chile and it is making these hectic days all worthwhile.  Looking back on this trip also allows me to stop and enjoy my surroundings and experience life the way the Chileans do, with ease and little technological interference.  I have found myself putting down my phone more often and trying to interact more with the people around me.  When it comes to the overall experience of this trip I can easily sum up my feelings in one sentence: amazing time with amazing people.  Getting to experiences this new city with so many great people is what made this trip incredible.  I especially loved seeing all the bonds that were formed along the course of the trip, I even made friends with people in my major that I had never had the chance to meet before.  In terms of the study abroad portion of the trip, my favorite architectural site we visited was getting to see the innovation center in person and experiencing all the different levels.  I had highly anticipated seeing this building and it did not disappoint!  Overall it was an amazing trip, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to experience it.

¡Salud! Cheers to Chile!

Cheering at the vineyard in Maipo Valley

The Santiago trip is definitely the best Spring Break I’ve spent. Everyday was well spent and filled with many memories. This trip has exceeded my expectations. The city had great architectural sites surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Green spaces filled the city and the mountains in the view reminded me each day how I was in a whole new place. I will miss the Chilean food, how the people spent quality time outside their homes and off their phones, and the warm weather.

After landing home, I immediately felt the difference. The first meal I ate at home was campus burritos which just didn’t have the same appeal or freshness as that of Mestizo. Around campus, people had their phones out including those crossing the street. On Monday morning, I walked to work in 30 degree weather (that’s Fahrenheit) and in rain. Although I walked through the oval, the amount of green space just did not compare with Santiago’s tree filled street sides.

Sunset from Costanera tower

I will be missing Chile for quite awhile and will have to take some time to fully accept being back home. I have tried to wear some of my alpaca merchandise and lapis lazuli earrings to stay in denial of leaving Chile. This trip was absolutely an experience I’m glad I took. Although I’ve left Chile, I have been able to take back new memories, experiences, and friends. To that, I give a huge cheers to Chile.

Cloudy Columbus – After Departure Post

It feels so weird being back in the United States after being in Chile for the week. The first thing that I noticed was how cold it was and how dark and gloomy the atmosphere felt. As soon as I walked off of the plane, I could feel my joints tighten up from the cold weather. The atmosphere is just so cold and dark compared to the sunny warm days and colorful lively streets of Santiago. Sadly, I think that I have jet lag or I am just plain old sick after the flight from Santiago to Texas. I’ve been drinking plenty of water and getting some sleep but I still feel so sick. I have lost my voice and I keep on sneezing and having to blow my nose. Hopefully, I just need to readjust to the cold weather and I’ll be able to feel better soon. Overall, I really miss Chile and wish that I was still there. Although I missed the people that I care about back home, I much rather prefer the culture and food of Chile. I miss going out late for dinner and exploring the sustainable architecture of the city than having to deal with real life responsibilities at home. Although, I was ready to leave by the end of the trip (hot, grumpy, and tired), after being well rested I want to go back. The trip was also very beneficial to practicing my Spanish skills and I was able to learn some new words that I am able to bring back and use in my Spanish classes. All in all, I am really happy that I went on the trip and I loved learning about sustainable architecture by interacting with the buildings in person, rather than just learning about them through a picture and explanation.

Back to Columbus

The second I stepped off the plane in Columbus, I felt the cold Ohio air and saw the gray skies and reality hit me, as I realized I was thousands of miles away from the warm summer days of Santiago. While the first two days back in the states have been rather gloomy, I am still in awe of the experiences I had in Chile. Reflecting on my time in Santiago, I feel that I have had an incredible first international experience. I loved the feeling of being in an new and unknown place that is culturally different from what I am used to. Santiago is a beautiful, warm, and colorful city that I will truly never forget. I was inspired by the landscapes that I saw, including the Andes Mountains, the parks of Santiago, and the coastal towns. Highlights of the trip include walking the streets of Valaparíso and hiking in the Andes Mountains. Being in Santiago further opened my eyes to how big the world really is, and  I have realized that there is so much more for me discover. I can’t wait for the next time I travel abroad. Specifically, I hope that I can further explore South America, and even one day return to Chile.

Up in the Clouds Going Back to Reality (post Chile blog)

Chilean Winery squad

Back to Columbus

I honestly was having withdrawal symptoms of missing Chile as soon as we were boarding the bus to leave for the airport. I didn’t want to say goodbye to the beautiful city, the culture, the food, nor the people of Chile. The first full day of coming back to Ohio, it was 35 degrees outside and raining. Not the best weather to come back to after being in 80 degree and sunny weather of Santiago. Although I do have to say that I am grateful we at least came back to rain and not snow.

The Santiago trip exceeded my expectations immensely. I not only gained an understanding of the Chilean culture and new sketching skills, but I also gained some amazing friendships along the way. Overall my two favorite parts of Chile was the nature and the importance of not being on your phone 24/7. I fell in love with the landscapes Chile incorporated throughout all of Santiago. Every street, every walk you took, you were surrounded by trees that bordered the road or trees/plants that created spaces or provided shade. There were numerous amounts of times when a lot of us wanted to be under the shade of a tree and it was provided no matter where we were. The importance of nature was really prevalent in Santiago, even their malls had openings to let in natural sunlight and fresh air. 

I also enjoyed not having cellphone service in Chile and how in the Chilean culture, they really want you to not be on your phones and to experience the conversations and the surroundings you are in. One of the restaurants even had a place mat that outlined where to put your phone in order to not be on it. I appreciate the amount of importance Chile promotes to not be on your phone and wish America promoted it as well. 

My experience of the Santiago study abroad trip has been one I will never forget and I hope one day, I will get to go back to see even more that I missed. 

Return to Reality

Coming back to school is definitely as hard as I had planned it would be. As the wheels of our plane hit the tarmac while touching down at CMH, the reality of life hit me like a ton of bricks. Sleep deprived, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower after 22 hours of travel on the return route home, I waited for my dad’s flight to come in from Boston before I could officially head home. During this time I reflected on my sojourn to Santiago. Since October I had no clue what this trip would entail, all I knew is that it was a unique opportunity set before me that I knew I could not let pass by. Today, now that everything has been said and done I can truthfully state that this trip was everything I had hoped it would be. Being immersed in another unique culture on the other half of the world in a land most people forget about was a life changing experience that I am undeniably thankful for having been a part of. Along with that, it has given me the confidence to hopefully continue with my studies and travel abroad throughout the rest of my time here at OSU. Here’s to the worldly journey’s to come, and here’s to Santiago 2017; the once that kickstarted them all.

Post-Departure – Colleen

When people ask me how my spring break was, I honestly don’t know where to start to describe it. I did and saw so many amazing things that I’m not sure what to talk about first. Do I talk about the massive size of the Andes, the freshest food I’ve ever had, or the great people I met and got to know better?  This trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life, and it far exceeded the expectations I had of the trip. I knew it would be fun, but I had no idea how much I would learn and experience. My favorite thing about Santiago was all of the landscape within the city. I liked that you can live in a big city, but still have these oases like Cerro San Cristobal, or Bicentenario Park, to visit that are so close to where you live. All of these outdoor spaces were really well designed and planned, and I really appreciate that a big city like Santiago recognized the importance of having these spaces open to the general public. What I enjoyed most about the trip though was getting to know all of you guys. I don’t know that many people outside of engineering, so it was really nice to talk and become friends with people in other majors. I think that all of our different backgrounds made the trip a lot more interesting, and I just wanted to say thanks for being such a great group to travel abroad with!

Recall the Trip

the Virgin Mary Statue on Cerro San Cristobal

The journey of Santiago has already been over. I took off my shirt and wear my coat again. To some extent, I am happy to back to Columbus where is a most familiar place. On the other side, I cannot forget the days in Chile. It is an amazing trip that everything seems unreal.

I was so surprised that there is a fantastic city like Santiago in South America. In my memory, the countries in South America are poor and boring. However, I totally change my impression after this trip. The architecture in there is various. Same as landscape. You can see some historical  building like Santiago Cathedral while some architecture are contemporary such as Innovation Center, The Monastery Church and the Museum of Memory. And we also appreciate the colorful residential in Valpariso. I feel so fortunate to visit Chile as a landscape architecture student because I can broaden my horizon. In addition, I cannot believe there is a good metro system in Santiago. Since in most city, even in Columbus, there is no metro. It is so cheap and convenient to take the metro to anywhere in Santiago.  Moreover, the food is so nice. All meal I had during this trip, especially the group meal, is awesome. I am also glad to taste Chilean wine which is famous. But the most unforgettable thing is Monte con huesillo. It is a local drink that is sweet. Besides, I was amused to learn some words of Spanish from this tourism. I can say ‘Hola’,’La quanta’ and ‘Gracias’ now. Last but not least, I feel happy to meet many new friends. I would never forget that I traveled with them to Chile.

Post-Departure

Upon return to Columbus I was very sad. We were greeted with dismal weather and a slow baggage claim process. Immediately I missed Santiago. I missed the warm sun and friendliness of the people. I also missed the absence of technology that I enjoyed so much while being abroad. This was truly a once in the lifetime experience and I wished we were spending another few weeks there. Experiencing the Latin American culture made me want more because it was something I have never experienced before, even having traveled before. I would have loved to have more time to visit the market in a smaller group because that was something I have never experienced before. Just the rush of the people and aroma of the fresh produce was delightful, and something I wish we would have done earlier in the trip. I miss the fresh fruit vendors that would be outside our hotels, and just how fresh everything was there. I would also like to get to the country side and experience more rural Chile as well. Of course there was only so much we could do in 10 days but I be excited to learn more in class about what we did not see.

Departure

Overall my experience in Santiago Chile was amazing. My family told me before I left that this would be a trip of a lifetime and it truly was. This trip exceeded all of my expectations by far. My favorite part about this trip would either have to be the free day or Santa Lucia. On the free day I went hiking. The views were amazing and we saw so many cool things. At the end of the trial was a waterfall that we hung out in for awhile but we also saw some cool things along the way such as wild cows and lizards. This was my first time seeing big mountains too which was an exciting experience and some views I will never forget. Santa Lucia also took my breath away. The long trial up to the top had some cool plants that I had never seen before and everything was so colorful. Once we reached the top we stood up there for a long time and just soaked up the views. There was also a man playing the guitar up there and it was so peaceful. This trip was one of the best trips I have ever been on and is one I definitely will never forget!

Santa Lucia

Cheers to Chile

If I’ve learned anything from this trip, it’s that I love to travel and that although I have called Ohio home for 13 years, I’m ready for a change, and hopefully a warm one! Traveling to Santiago was truly an amazing experience and I was so surprised by everything that Chile has to offer. I am so glad I went on this trip and I am so appreciative of the country’s culture and have nothing but great things to say about it. Not only did I get to explore and discover a new place and culture, but I also gained a lot of new friends along the way.

To be honest, going into this trip I wasn’t really expecting much. Who ever thought about going to Chile anyway? It could never beat my trip to London, but I was totally wrong. Although I really loved London, Santiago was just as amazing. The food in Chile was incredible! I did not have one bad meal while there and I probably had my best meal ever at Mestizo. The weather was so nice and such a nice break from the snow here in Ohio and I was so sad to arrive home to 30 degree weather, overcast and rain. I will never forget the lush green landscape and geography of Chile, and I didn’t even get to see half of the geography that the country has to offer. It was such an incredible experience to witness the Andes and the steep slopes of the ocean-side towns of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, being led by our amazing guide, Sergio. Another thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the parks and Metro system. The city parks were so well-done and clean and the Metro was very dependent and pretty easy to navigate. The lively and vibrant culture of Chile is one that I will never forget and one that I will hopefully get to experience again. Cheers to a truly amazing trip with some really amazing people! Until next time, hasta luego, Chile!

Group after our bike tour of Viña Cousiño Macul on our free day.

“What was your favorite part of Chile?”

Home sweet home!  We have made it back to Columbus safely.  It has been a little over 24 hours since we landed in Columbus.  While I was excited to see my friends and am excited to see my family next weekend, I can’t help but miss Chile a little bit.  When we got off the plane in Columbus and I looked out the window, all I could see were gray skies and brown, leafless trees, the total opposite of the lush, green parks of Santiago that I loved.  I have to say that this has been the best trip I have ever been on, and Chile is now my favorite place.

I have spent the last 24 hours trying to get back into my normal routine.  I unpacked, did laundry, cleaned a little, and went to class today.  Going to class was good because I got to see all of my friends and we got to share our spring break stories.  Just about every person asked me “What was your favorite part of Chile?” and every time I have to pause because it is such a hard question.  So many answers immediately come to mind- the food, the weather, the mountains, the views, the parks, Valparaíso.  There are so many things I loved about Santiago that I can’t decide.  I was excited for the trip, but this trip greatly exceeded all and any expectations I had for it.

The food I found to be incredible.  I loved the idea of fried eggs on everything and I also loved the fresh fruit.  It was some of the best fruit I have ever had.  I also really enjoyed the empanadas, tres leches, and charquicán (Chilean stew).

The weather was incredible, and stepping off the plane into 30 degree weather was probably the saddest part of being home.  No more sunny, blue skies, flowers, or green trees.  Everything thing here looks dead and sad.  Hopefully spring gets here fast because I miss the warm weather (Today was the first day of Spring, but it wasn’t very promising).

I still can’t get over the views.  Just about everywhere we went had amazing views.  Cerro San Cristobal, Cerro Santa Lucía, Costanera Center, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, the Benedictine Monastery, Innovation Center, and Cousiño Macul Winery just to name a few.  I miss the mountains.  Ohio is so flat.

The parks in Santiago were amazing.  I can’t get over how many trees they had in their city.  Whether they were just lining a street or scattered throughout a park, there was a ton of greenery.  I loved it.  I often felt as though I wasn’t in the middle of a huge city, but rather a forest or just out in the country.  In Columbus, our parks have trees, but usually you can still see from one end of the park to the other through the trees.  The trees in Santiago parks were so dense that this would never happen.  I wish Columbus had more parks like this.

Valparaíso was like nothing I have ever seen before.  I loved all of the colors and how the houses covered all of the hills facing the ocean.  The street art was amazing as well.  It was a very cool city to see, and was very fun to jump over to Viña del Mar and sit at the beach for a little while.  We even saw seals!  We just have traditional suburbs and the Olentangy and Scioto.  Nothing compared to Valparaíso’s neighborhoods and body of water.

Chile is a place I definitely want to visit again.  Maybe next time I will explore the natural aspects more like the mountains, desert, Patagonia, and Easter Island.  I keep joking that if I could speak Spanish I would move there.  I mean, the Adolfo Ibañez Graduate School was really cool, who knows?  Until next time Chile, adiós!

Go Bucks! (Sunset from the Costanera Center)

Post Departure

After all these days we spent in Santiago, I found out the truth that Chile is an amazing country and has many amazing things to be explored. This was my first time to south America. Before the trip, I have many guesses about this continent. After the trip, I got a deeper understanding of their culture. This trip to Santiago is a great beginning of my South America travel.However, I found this trip was totally not enough. I’m already thinking about next trip to South America because I realized there are much much more things that I can experience there. Next time, I want to explore the Easter Island, the Kaap Hoorn, and other amazing landscapes in Chile. Also, I really want to go to Bolivia, Argentina, Brasil, and Venezuela. The first thing I have to do before the next trip is definitely to learn Spanish. I knew nothing about Spanish, so I found very difficult to communicate with Chilean (usually we made gestures to communicate…). Then I think I need to do more workouts to get a better physical condition because I found I will fell super tired when I walked a long time especially when hiking… Really want to change this situation.
After all, this was a good trip and I was richly rewarded.

Post-trip Reflection: Missing Santiago

Making friends on a Study Abroad with the Pacific ocean in the background

It’s been just over 24 hours since landing in Columbus and I already miss Santiago. The cold weather in Columbus wasn’t helping, either. Upon returning I had to catch up on emails, one of which was in regard to my internship for this upcoming summer. I started thinking about summer plans and it dawned on me that I would have to drive to and from work every day this summer. This actually saddened me after returning from Santiago since a lot of the city was easily accessible via the metro. The wait for the metro rarely exceeded two minutes, which made it easier to arrive somewhere on time. I was reminded of this when I was waiting for a CABS bus on my way to class this morning where I had to wait about five minutes for the next bus. For lunch today, I was disappointed when I had to return to campus dining food rather than exquisite Chilean cuisine. I enjoyed trying new foods in Chile from hot dogs with tomatoes, avocado, and mayonnaise to empanadas. Now that I am back, I am limited to dining halls on campus, of which I’ve been eating for the past four years. It was refreshing trying new plates that I’ve never had before. I’ve even ventured as far as to try piranha (and I’m not a fan of fish). While our Spring Break was packed full of exploring and learning, it was still a much needed break from the fast-paced, stressful and busy days on campus. I always prefer learning new material in a foreign country than in the same set of buildings each year. A study abroad is always worth the investment.

The Hike to End All Hikes, Episode 2

Now officially separated from the rest of our hiking buddies, we rested for a moment in some rare shade before traveling onward and literally upward.  It was midday, around 85 degrees, and we had already climbed the equivalent of 300 flights of stairs.  Rico noticed the mood slipping as we trekked on and began to play some music from his phone, and everyone immediately became re-energized.  We walked to the beat and got to know each other better by asking funny questions about one another.  We were all growing hungry, but decided it would be well worth it to hold out on eating our packed lunches until we reached the waterfall.  The mountains began to flatten out as we neared our destination and we were SO grateful.  We reached a park ranger who informed us we were cutting it close to making it out of the park before it closed and that we could only spend 15 minutes at the waterfall once we arrived.  What we all thought would be a chance to relax and recharge before the four hour hike back turned into a quick jump into the water, a few rushed pictures, and shoving a few bites of food in before retracing our steps.  We began again, extremely excited that the majority of our return would be downhill.  We continued to ask questions and share stories and we jumped down the face of the mountains, watching each one of our steps as it is much easier to wipe out on the descent.  We hiked this way for a few hours, and as we neared the last stretch of the hike, we found the rest of our group!  We were so excited to meet back up and share stories of what had happened and what we had seen over the course of the day.  We had seen a waterfall, they had seen giant hairy tarantula.  We were all grateful to be alive after an unexpectedly hot, grueling, and physically exhausting day.  We finished the last hour of the hike together and returned to the base all in one piece, give or take a few cuts, bruises, and cases of dehydration that were to be expected after a day like ours.

The Hike to End All Hikes, Episode 1

During our free day, a decently sized group decided we would tackle a hike in the Andes mountains closest to Santiago.  We had all done research before we left on which mountains we would need a guide for, which mountains actually had trails, and how we would go about getting there from downtown Santiago.  We talked to our tour guide, Sergio, and he recommended a place about 30 minutes outside the city called Las Aguas de San Ramon.  We woke up bright and early Friday morning, packed our bags with what we thought would be enough food and water, and headed out.  Once at the site, we were given an option of a one, four, or nine hour hike.  Figuring there was a small chance any of us would return to the Andes any time soon, we decided on the nine hour trail and were on our way.  About 30 minutes in we were feeling it, and around half of the group fell back.  We met up later on when we stopped to rest and cool off in a small river and waterfall, then continued on and tried to stay together as best as possible.  When we became separated, we would yell ‘HELADO’ into the mountains and await a response from the rest of the group.  This was our way of making sure we weren’t too far apart and that nothing bad had happened to anyone.  About four hours in, our group gave a resounding ‘HELADO’ – and no response.  We tried again and still got nothing back, so assumed we had gone too far from the rest of the group for them to be able to hear us. We debated hiking back to them, but decided to keep trekking since we had to reach certain checkpoints by certain times in order to be allowed to make it to the waterfall, and we were falling dangerously close to falling behind.

Post (best trip of my life) Departure

As I sit here in studio, I cant help but stare at my sandal tan lines and miss everything about Santiago. The week I spent in Chile was one of, If not the most valuable trips I have ever taken. I would not trade my experiences there for anything in the world. I loved how the city resembled one located in Europe, but was an entirely different entity. Unlike in Europe, Chile was so connected to the people living there. I loved how proud of being a Chilean most everyone was. Despite their past with dictatorship and cruelty, the city has a feeling of hope for a better future. The lack of censorship with their street art really made that message clear for me. Whatever the citizens are feeling, they have the freedom to display that message publicly and visually, which in many cases created beautiful pieces of art that truly reflected the city. The feeling of connectivity expanded to the metro and bus lines. I also noticed that traveling with bikes was very common. The city felt accessible, which for me made me feel very at ease as a newcomer. Overall, Santiago is a place that one can feel at home at very quickly, and will forever make a lasting impact on anyone who visits.

“I have a heavy case of post-travel blues and how do I deal with it?”

This trip was one of the most amazing trips I have ever been on and I will never forget it. Although I was excited to come back to Ohio to see my friends and family and tell them about my travels to Chile, I miss waking up to the sun and 80 degree weather, trying new and delicious foods, and exploring and adventuring in Chile. Today I am feeling quite sad to be honest, so I searched the web to find out how others who have experienced post-travel depression dealt with it most effectively and here were the top and most common responses that I found:

  1. Ease into a Daily Routine: Slowly incorporating old habits from before you traveled with maybe some new ones that you developed while abroad can help eliminate that depression because the new habits will remind you of your travels and how you felt doing them. If possible, don’t rush quickly into this routine, do it slowly and take your time.
  2. Log your travels in a Creative Way: Perfect for us, we had to do a lot of sketching and write blog posts! I found that sketching in the spaces for me personally, was one of my favorite things we did because it forced me to look closely at detail and observe how the people interacted in the space. Creative outlets like sketching and blogging are helpful because it serves as a reminder of the feelings and emotions that we were experiencing at that time. We can easily look back on these if we are feeling sad and they can bring us joy.
  3. Travel in Your Own Backyard: Make new experiences at home by exploring Columbus and what is has to offer! Just like we were all adventurous in Chile, take that sense of adventure and try new things like restaurants, museums, parks, etc… Do things you normally wouldn’t do and be open-minded.
  4. Start Planning Your Next Trip: One of the most encouraging responses that I found. Look forward to a trip in the future and start saving for it! You’ll be very motivated and sadness will be replaced with a sense of excitement like we experienced before we traveled to Chile.
  5. It Takes Time: Use the time after your trip to reflect and think about your travels and your life back at home. Ask yourself: why were you so happy abroad? Are there things that you can incorporate into your life here back at home in order to feel that same sense of joy? Also think about what your life has now that you were unable to obtain while abroad…don’t take your life for granted and have a greater appreciation for it. It takes time to adjust back into your normal life, so don’t sweat it!

Well I hope that this is helpful to anyone who is feeling a little sad like I am! Chao!

We’re not going hungry in Chile

Food may not be the first thing you think about when traveling to another country, but it actually plays a big part in the trip. I was a little nervous about the food in Chile, but it turned out to be better than I ever expected. Honestly the food is one of the things I will miss most about chile.

Fresh fruit and eggs with hotdogs

I’ll start with breakfast. Everyday for breakfast they offered lunch meat and cheeses, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs with hot dogs, toast, cake, and cereal. I usually had fresh fruit and cake—I know, cake??? I will for sure miss being able to have cake for breakfast everyday without being judged. The fruit was some of the best fruit I have ever had—strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, and grapes—all of them were very good.

Cake for breakfast!

My lunches and dinners usually consisted of dishes containing empanadas, fried eggs, and mayonnaise. Empanadas are a baked, or sometimes fried dough with filling inside. They’re kind of like big raviolis made out of dough instead of noodles, and there are so many different varieties. I had cheese, beef, shrimp, spinach, and veggie filled ones. All were equally as good. I definitely want to learn how to make empanadas at home because they were just so good. I’m pretty sure I had them with most of my meals.

Cheese and beef filled empanadas

I was surprised by the amount of fried eggs the Chileans eat. I’m not a huge fan of eggs, but I actually loved having a fried egg on top of normal dishes that we already have in America. My very first meal in Santiago was a sandwich with sliced beef, cheese, and a fried egg, and it was so good. The egg really made the sandwich. We also hade fries one night with chopped beef and a fried egg on top. It was equally as good!

Fries with beef chunks and a fried egg

A weirder trend in Chile is the use of mayonnaise, on EVERYTHING. Sometimes mayo would be on things like burgers and chicken sandwiches, like in the U.S., but the Chileans take it one step further and put mayo on pretty much every sandwich.

A very popular dish in Chile is actually called an Italiano. This is a hot dog with mayonnaise, avocado, and tomatoes. The colors of these toppings are the same as the Italian flag, hence the name Italiano (that one took us some time to figure out). This did not sound very appetizing to me, but we are here to experience the culture, so Lisa, Anthony, and I tried it one day for lunch. This was probably the only thing I didn’t like in Chile. Lisa didn’t care for it either, but Anthony enjoyed it. The combination of mayo and avocado was weird to me. The Chileans really love hot dogs, though. One day we went in their local grocery store, and in the freezers that are in the middle of the isle that we normally fill with turkeys near Thanksgiving, were filled with hot dogs. I have never seen so many hot dogs in my life.
I have noticed that the Chileans eat a lot of meat in their meals, especially beef. I already talked about the shredded beef sandwiches and the fries, but I also had many more great dishes with beef. At Mestizo, I had a beef ragout, which was shredded beef over gnocchi with a white sauce. It was amazing and one of the best meals on the trip.

Meal at Mestizo

I also had a burger for lunch one day. At first I was unsure about ordering a burger because we have burgers at home, but I’m glad I got to try it because the Chileans do theirs a little differently. Everything was the same—burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato—but they also put fried shredded potatoes on top. I really enjoyed this on my burger because it added an extra crunch. They were very similar to the potato sticks snack you can buy at home.

Chilean burger

Probably my absolute favorite meal of the trip was a traditional Chilean dish called charquican. The stew consisted of potato, carrots, peas, pumpkin, and onion, with a piece of braised beef laid on top. I can’t even describe how good it was. I am definitely going to figure out how to make this at home.

Chilean stew was my favorite meal!

I also tried a few desserts while in Chile, my favorite being the tres leche cake from Mestizo. It was layered cake with milk and whipped cream. It was very moist. Dulche de leche, which is pretty much caramel, is also a very popular treat in Chile. I tried dulche de leche fudge and it actually tasted a lot like the caramels with the cream centers. I also had dulche de leche gelato. It was pretty good, too, but I don’t think dulche de leche is my favorite flavor.

Tres leches

Overall, I loved all of my meals with the exclusion of the Italiano hot dog. I was really surprised by this and kept waiting every time I ate for the food to be sub-par, but it was very excellent every time. I don’t understand how all of the Chileans are so fit with such good food. I’m hoping to learn to make some Chilean dishes so I can have my favorites again.

Post in Dallas

 

After nine hours flight, I survived from the flight. I feels like experiencing a torment every time I take flight. The seat is uncomfortable and the airstream makes me nervous. I slept about three hours, which is longer than last time. After I woke up, I cannot perceive my butt and my foot were swelling pain.
The overall trip to Santiago is memorable and unforgettable. This is the first trip that I focus more on architectures and landscape architectures. With the background we learn before we depart to chile, I have more understanding about their buildings. Santiago is an very interesting city. We can not only saw the bustling downtown, but also impecunious neighbors. It is feels like a combination of New York with a third tier city. The architectures we visited were fascinating and well designed but their neighborhoods seems need to be improved.
This is a awesome trip. It lets me meet more Knowlton people and engineering people. It is also good to see people in different majors analysis things in different ways. I still remember when we are in Moneda cultural center, different

City view of Santiago

Continue reading Post in Dallas →

Plaza de Armas

Groups in shade at Plaza de Armas.

Plaza de Armas is easily one of the most intriguing and exciting spaces I encountered in Santiago. I’ve never experienced a space that so embodied the feel of a true urban watering hole. There is an air of calm lounging in the shade of a planter or a palm with your friends, slowly watching groups mingle and stroll. At the same time, an ever-present air of impending action floats through the bright square; you always feel on your guard. That blend of feelings was invigorating.

I think it’s bound up in two main things: the plaza’s historical context, and its placement as a hub between wildly different kinds of spaces. Historically the space has been a hub of social and political action. Even through several major overhauls to the Park’s design in the last two centuries, through colonial, communist, and totalitarian regimes, the park has remained the first place for protest. While watching historical footage in the Museo de Memoria I witnessed a student protester being beaten to death by Pinochet officers. Then I heard a cathedral bell, and slowly understood that he was lying near the edge of Plaza de Armas. That blew me away, realizing the bloodshed and the chaos such a peaceful place had seen, where children splashed their hands in a fountain while church congregations sang their hymns.

The Plaza is also located at the junction of two of the most different spaces I visited while in the city. When our group first visited the plaza, we approached it by descending what I would call the “political power hill” of Santiago. This is an imaginary hill that centers on La Moneda Presidential Palace, and rings outward across downtown over seats of less- and less-direct power, the Nueva York and Paris Y Londres sitting closer to this imaginary cerro’s peak.

Plaza de Armas is located about halfway down this hill. The bottom lies at Mercado Central, perhaps most opposite La Moneda in tone, formality, and direct power that is possible. On Saturday, our small group approached the plaza from this end; climbing the hill. Here we see the informal energy of democratic mass and sociopolitical poverty that extends all the way to Plaza de Armas. It is the other half of the brilliant mix of people that fill its shaded spots and crisscross the square.

So the plaza stands at the threshold of two worlds, two times, and two classes. This hub is the physical center of a symbolic power gradient at the heart of Santiago. Like a tuned string, it is this tension that give Plaza de Armas it’s beautiful ability for both repose and revolution.

O’higgins Skatepark

While in Santiago, I was able to visit a couple of skateparks. Buscamente was the preferred one, a large street plaza with boxes, rails, a few ramps, and a great social atmosphere. We were able to interact with many locals there. The park had a tricky flow, but we got used to it.

Another skatepark I visited was in Ohiggins park. It was very very oriented, with bowls and larger ramps. However, the upkeep was poor. Concrete was chipping and many spots and litter made it difficult to ride through many parts. The park had a couple features Buscamente lacked, but collectively Buscamente was the preferred park given its location, simplicity, and atmosphere.

A sketch of the parks layout from one corner.

A photo for reference.

Last Day

Food in Mestizo

Dessert in Mestizo

Time is going fast. It’s already last day in Santiago. This is a busy trip that we probably never stop our step. However, I recorded the Chilean food as well as I always do. I think Chilean food is tasty over I imagined.

To begin with, I want to talk about the drink I taste on Santa Hill on first day. Actually, I am unwilling to try this strange drink when I saw it in the first time because it is not good looking. However, somebody taste it and recommend to me. I just had a try. To my surprise, it so sweet! I immediately fell in love with this drink. According to a local person, it is a famous drink in Chile, called Monte con huesillo. People put wheat, peach, red sugar and water together and boil them over one and half hour to make this amazing drink.

Moreover, I would like to say something about restaurants we have been. In fact, I think all of the restaurants we had group meal in are good. But I like Mestizo most. To begin with, there are a good environment. This restaurant is half close and half open that customer can appreciate the pretty surrounding when they are having food. Besides, the food is also delicious. I ordered beef with pasta. The beef is smooth while the pasta also taste good. I also like the dessert which is as sweet as honey.

At last, I also want to recommend the fruit in Santiago. Mulberry, Blueberry and grape are famous here. They are sweet and full of water. Maybe this is the reason why their wine is well-known around the world.

Overall, I totally change my impression of the food in Chile. I love the food here. It may be a reason if I back to Chile for travel again in future.

Figures and Voids: Universidad Católica

Innovation Center – concrete exterior creates a heavy feeling of the building

Plan of Lo Contador campus

Interior lobby of Innovation Center

The day we visited the Universidad Católica was a day of figures and voids. At the San Joaquín campus, we studied two figures: Torres Siamesas and the Innovation Center. Each was an inverted version of the other. Torres Siamesas, built first, had a exterior wooden material patio with a glass structure standing in the center. Inside the glass shell is a polycarbonate pair of boxes that have slight displacements on the top. The heavier interior with a softer exterior is reversed in the Innovation Center with a heavy concrete exterior and softer wooden, glass, and steel interior. The Innovation Center is a heavy (in terms of weight) and light (in terms of light) from the concrete exterior and smooth and light inside the lobby. The first image is a sketch of the lobby of the Innovation Center. The difference between the two buildings reflects what Alejandro Aravena (architect) wanted and what his client wanted.

Lo Contador campus focused on voids. With limited space, the university chose to build down into the earth rather than up into the air. The center band of the university was a void used for traffic, displays, projects, sketching, and more. Cutting into the ground allows there to be classrooms and libraries under the ground level and maintaining the voids. The contrast of this void with the heavy structural figures at San Joaquín creates a dichotomy of the two campuses of the same university. It’s important to remember the importance of site characteristics and boundary conditions when designing.

Valparaiso- 3/15

On Wednesday we visited Valaparaiso. The city was absolutely breathtaking. Every corner you turned was filled with color and street art. The 2 hour walking tour through the streets was practically a hike because of the drastic change in section throughout. The buildings were all so different in form and color, making for a very intriguing skyline and beautiful view no matter where you looked. It was clear they had jammed in as many buildings as they possibly could. It was interesting to hear that if you took up residence in a house for at least 5 years, you can claim it as your own. A detail that I believe made the difficulty of the economy there more clear to us. There were multiple funiculars, which we used to get back down from the hills, just as we had at Cerro Santa Lucia. Following this, we were waiting on a bus and had a nice conversation with a man and his young daughter about the area. We then drove down to the beach and spent few hours of our day cooling off in the water, admiring gift stores and buying the majority of our souvenirs. And we tried the street food for our lunch, there were fantastic empanadas, and finished the experience sketching on the rocks along the ocean and getting ice cream.

Kate’s photo from Valparaiso because I lost my phone

Wine + Bikes + Gorgeous Views = Slice of Paradise

On our free day, a group and I decided to visit a vineyard near Santiago that was fairly easy to get to by metro and a 10 min taxi ride. The vineyard was called Viña Cousiño Macul and it was located south of Santiago. The vineyard was founded in 1856 and is still in the hands of the original family (the 6th generation now) which is rare because most vineyards have been sold off to bigger companies in around the Santiago area. The tour that we did was the bike and wine tour which included a guided tour through the vineyard on bikes, a tour through the processing facility where they make the wine, and a tour through the cellar where they stored wines to age. Our tour also included four wine tastings as well. I thought that the tour was so amazing! The vineyard was so beautiful because you could see the mountains from the property and one fact that I found really interesting was that the vineyard actually stretched all the way from the outskirts of the city to Plaza de Armas when it was first founded, but was slowly sold off over the years. The wine tastings were amazing and our tour guide who was an American from Colorado, showed us the proper way to taste wine which was the “5 S” rule:

See: Look at the wine first and see if it’s transparent or opaque…if it’s more transparent, the wine is much younger, if more opaque, the wine has been aged longer.

Swirl: Swirl the wine in your glass and see if the wine runs slowly or quickly down the walls of the glass. If the wine moves quickly, it will have less body in your mouth because it has less viscosity, and the opposite if it moves slowly.

Smell: Smell the wine and try to pick out different notes. Is it fruity, is it earthy, etc… everyone’s sense of smell is different, so no judgement can be given.

Sip: Taste a small portion of the wine and try to pick out any flavors that you smelled. Are you surprised by the taste? Is it sweet, more acidic, drier, etc…

Savor: Enjoy the wine!

Learning how to properly taste wine was so much fun and I encourage others to try the 5 S rule when trying new wine!

Here are some pics from the vineyard:

Rows of Grapes

Close up of some grape…they were delicious and sweet!

Guide to making some wine!

 

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls 3/17

These are some pictures from the trail

These are some pictures from the trail

These are some pictures of the trail

This was a long day. The plan was to have we our free day to go to the mountains and go for a long hike, approximately 9 hours. Thankfully it wasn’t actually that long. We started at 8:30, which became 9:00 when we weren’t all ready. So we called an Uber and made our way to the mountains. We started around 9:40 on what little ignorant me didn’t know would be one of the hardest, mentally, physically, and spiritually, challenge to ever happen to me.
It started rough. Nice vertical climb up a dry and desolate path. Eventually we reached the top, and I was very glad I could rest my calves a bit, this was only a tiny, minuscule portion of the events to come. We continued on the path and it became easier. Not sure if it was because my legs were beginning to go numb, or stretching really helped. The path started to become more vegetated and shaded, until we reached the first landmark. A smaller creek and mini waterfall. So of course, we took a little break to climbed around the water. Then we continued on, more excited than ever, what a fool I was. We ran into another group of osu students that wanted to keep going as well, so there’s about 12 of us now. The next portion of path, was what I call death mountain #1. Long story short, it sucked and I thought I was going to die. After a good 20+ minutes of climbing, we reached the top. It had a nice view so we took a group picture, good use of a break. Then we continued forth. This part was much more level compared to what we just went through.
It didn’t last long.
Introducing death mountain #2. Just as high and just as long as it’s brother. We reached the top of that, but we were starting to spread out. I lost contact with the people behind me, and couldn’t keep up with the ones in front of me. I was alone. To be continued….

Day5&6

Little sculpture in La Sebastiana

Decoration on street in Valparaíso

In day 5, we got up early and start our trip at 8:00am. Taking 2 hours on bus, we went to a costal town, Valparaíso. The geography in there was steep. Houses located from bottom to top of mountains. We straight to La Sebastiana, which is a big residential of a poet, called Pablo Neruda. He is also a receiver of Nobel. This house was facing to sea with a big terrace. Standing on the terrace, you can have a good view of the whole town and the sea. There are 5 floors in this house although each floor is narrow. (This looks like a character of houses here. )Going upstairs, You can see amounts of treasures displayed in La Sebastiana. I even found some pretty Chinese drawing! After appreciating this delicate house, we walked around the town. This town is special because all buildings are colorful. You can see scrawl on wall anywhere. And it is also interesting that design is fulfill in any corner. For instance, the stair is painted in black and white, looks like piano. Then, we go down to seaside. I enjoyed the feeling when wind flowed on my face.
Time comes to day 6. We took metro to Santiago Cathedral and Museum Memory. Santiago Cathedral is a brilliant and holy place. You would be conscious to keep silence when you walk into it. Museum Memory is another respectable place. I learn a a lots about Chilean history there. Through some video and relic, I know how Chilean experience war and gorven. I respect them because I think it is difficult for them coming from battle. After visiting Museum Memory, I have a deeper understanding of Chile.

Food in Santiago

 

 

One of the most exciting things for me in Chile is the foods. These days in Santiago, I tried many foods in this city and I want to share my experiences with them.

I like seafood very much, so seafood was my first choice when I went to any restaurant. In the night days, I tried 3 kinds of fish staple food, crab, and some appetizers with shrimp and other seafood. Salmon is super popular here. I had three meals with salmon and the most popular way they cook salmon(and even all kinds of fish) is fried. Also, I tried perch and hake fish. Different from salmon, they are white meat and have a lighter flavor. I liked the Perch which was taken from a French restaurant, but the Hake was not as good as I thought.

Because of my curiosity, I tried the Chinese food here. The Chinese restaurant was a fancy one in the shopping mall. It’s a little bit expensive but not really good as Chinese food. We ordered five dishes and three of them tasted all the same. The only difference I can tell in that three dishes was the material- one made of chicken, one beef, one shrimp, and octopus. Also, I ordered chicken fried rice, a very common Chinese dish. However… the rice tasted wired and I felt it was not cooked enough.

Overall, I’m a little bit disappointed about the foods in Santiago, because I hope I can get some fresh (alive) seafood here, but all I found was chilled. Still, I had really good time here.

Hake

Rib

Oyster

Salmon

Perch

Chinese food

lunch box I found on the street (looks wired but really good)

Day 7-8

In these last two days in Chile, we had 7 hours hiking on San Carlos de Apoquindo Natural Park and went to the Vega market. The hiking in the free day was amazing and I was exhausted after it. All I wanted to do was lying on the bed and never leave it!!! The waterfalls in the mountains are beautiful. We drank the river water (because we didn’t bring enough water and the day was super hot) which is clean and sweet. After I went back hotel, I found my white shoes were covered by thick dust and they became black. My pants also turned from black to brown…

San Carlos de Apoquindo Natural Park

The very last day, we went to Vega market. I really like the market which is full of local foods and super fresh fruits. I haven’t seen so many fresh strawberries, yellow peaches, and blueberries and I found some fruits I had never seen before. Many local people were purchasing the vegetables and fruits with little carts. The flowers there are beautiful. After getting out of the market, I saw some people selling the lunch around the market and I got one box of the food. That was really inexpensive and good!

Vega market

Wednesday Adventures

Wednesday was my favorite day of the trip so far. It exceeded all of the expectations I had. The views were unbelievable and everything was so colorful. My favorite thing about Valparaiso were the colors that were present there. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The walls were not normal colors and they also had a lot of graffiti on them. This is what made them so distinct. Every single wall had something unique on it and was so interesting to look at and analyze. The people of this town don’t see a lot of the stuff on the walls as graffiti, instead they think of them as art. This made for an amazing experience on our walking tour.

This is a sketch of the hill at Bellavista

Another part of Wednesday that I really enjoyed was going to the beach. The beach was absolutely amazing. From the hot sun and the warm sand to the cooler winds up on the hill, it was perfect. The sun was ever present wherever you were on the beach. This made everything so much happier and more enjoyable. We walked up to the board walk and bought some juice and candy. Everything here was so enjoyable and I hope this continues throughout trip.

 

This was a huge palm tree that I saw on the side of the hill at Bellavista

Goodbye Santiago!

Vega Central

Today we went to the market as our last spot before departure from Santiago. The market is crowed with people from all around the world. At the market we see different kinds of fruits and some of them are in cool colors I have never seen. The market is pretty similar to the one we have in my home town, but much cooler.At noon we tried the Peruvian style sushi which was super good too.

Overall in think Santiago is a beautiful place with mixture of South American and Spanish colonial culture so at many spots you might feel like your are in Europe instead of South America but in some place you suddenly realize you are still in the city of Santiago.

We will be soon going back to Columbus but I will never forget the adventure in Santiago. I will remember the street trees-sycamore which provide nice shade when we waked along Ave. Providencia. I will miss the old-fahsioned drink(peach and wheat) at street corner. I will miss the dogs as our companion during our walks. I think this city is such a fusion of different experiences. The point is that you can see everything in the city of Santiago instead of going to different cities to experience different ideas and cultures, which I think it’s cool, too. What’s more, I will miss passionate Chilean who helped us during this trip!

Similar Chile

This is the very last day in Santiago, Chile. In this morning, I have the same fruits as what I had in these days, I will probably miss the fresh fruits here, especially peaches and strawberries, they tasted so sweet! I will miss the fruits here. Then we take the subway to the vega market. I don’t remember whether I have mentioned that the metro system is very similar to the metros in my hometown, shanghai. But shanghai has about ten metro line ways, and the underground system is way complicated than what is happening in Santiago. Every metro station has at least three different exit and where various metro ways intersect each other, the exits system become more difficult. But one thing I noticed about the metro here is they have seats where facing vertically to the direction of the metro, like the situation on the bus, that’s interesting. When we get to the vega market, it’s very crowded. It’s also similar to the markets in China. I remember when I was little, I used to go to the market with my grandmother. The various kinds of fruits and vegetables always catch my attention. It’s a good place to learn about names of fruits and vegetables when I was little. However, maybe my height isn’t helping me to follow our group of people, I feel that I will get lost in the market. Fortunately, everyone follows up the group. A lot of things here in Santiago reminds me of my childhood in Shanghai, I kind of having homesick for seeing the similar hometown sceneries in Chile.

VEGA market

Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar

Houses in Valparaiso

On Day 5, we took a trip to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar, which are possibly two of the most gorgeous places I have ever been to.
The first stop upon arriving to Valparaiso was La Sebastiana, the house of the poet. This house was sitiutated on a hill in a way so that it overlooked the the entire city and the coastal ports. From its windows you could see all the colorful houses making their way up the hill.
In regards to the colorful houses, I was pleasantly surprised when I got a closer look at them during the walking tour and found out that they were in great condition and none of them had faded paint. My original perception was that they were not in good quality up close, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. During the walk, we even came across a handyman who was repainting on of the houses where the color had faded, inidicating that perhaps keeping the houses’ color in top condition was enforced.
After the walking tour, we made our way down to Vina Del Mar for lunch and to spend time at the ocean, which was absolutely refreshing since the water was so cold!
On the bus ride back home, I thought about how the different lifestyles of the people here must be compared to back home in the US. There is definitely much more walking involved seeing as most of the houses are situated on hills and staircases. The coastal and clean environment kept in these winding neighborhoods gave the place a sense of liveliness, in which the colors also played a large contribution. Overall this day, and the little houses filing up the hill, will be one I hope I never forget.

Day 6

In day 6, we had gone to the museum of memory, which is about the 1973 Chilean coup. Besides this museum, many other places in Santiago about this coup. The coup is an important historical event in Chile and strongly affected the Chilean culture. The appearance of the museum shocked me. It covered by bronze apertured pieces, which make museum looks like a huge bronze cuboid in the white square. The strong contrast between the dark green and white colors seems to remind people of this heavy history. Inside the building, the apertured cover pieces allow people can see the outside through the windows. This makes the museum has a strong appearance and less oppressed when people get inside there. The profiles of people who died in the coup are hang up on the walls, making me truly feel those people had gone. Also, watching those watches, drawings of children, and many their articles of daily use are exhibited on the walls, I can’t help imagining their life before the coup and feel sad about the tragedy. The museum reminded me of many World War two and Sino-Japanese war museums in my country. I think those museums around the world is telling to people that stop the war because the war always hurt the common people.

 

Some thoughts on landscape and architecture design

During these days visiting various architecture buildings, I notice that the combinations of how landscape is starting to correspond to architecture is creating amazing moments.
The first time I notice this is outside the Benedictine Monastery Las Condes. Because that’s the place where natural landscape context is corresponding to manual landscape design outside the church. And the church itself is painting pure white, it’s a high contrast with the green landscape and blue sky. As the saturation of context such as plants and sky are always very high, the white architecture could easily pop up to catch my first attention. Also, the shape of plants along the outside ramp of Benedictine Monastery Las Condes varies, from tall pine trees to square boxwood, it helps me to open my horizons to further natural landscape such as background of mountains.
White architecture buildings also occur normally in urban campus. Where the landscape design is more formal with ivy as ground cover. Helping the architecture itself to show off from the background.
Not only green plants are used to be landscape design, but also stone designs could be a special way to illustrate beauty. Such as the stone spheres in front of the innovation center in PUC. The stone spheres is emphasizing the shape of circle while the with contrast of formal rectangle shape of innovation center is creating the sense of recreation. So people can feel more entertained.

Sketch of natural landscape vs organized landscape

Natural landscape outside Benedictine monastery las Condes

Landscape design outside Benedictine monastery las

Stone spheres

Day7 in Santiago

Today is the free day. Finally I had a morning that I don’t have to get up very early. We got up at around 10 am and had a lunch at a mall two blocks away. It is a nice place to have brunch and there are some great stores next to it. We don’t have any plan for the free day until we got lunch. We bought ice creams and started our local street tour. We decided to visit the central cultural Matucana 100 and we were hanging out on streets to finish our ice cream and took uber to the cultural center. It was disappointed when we got there. We thought the would be some great exhibitions in the cultural center. But it looks scared inside the building. There is just a big auditorium with a cafeteria. The only people there is the cashier behind counter. Then we decided to visit the NAVE cultural center. It was several blocks away from the cultural center. On the way to NAVE, we experienced their local people’s life. We passed thorough lots of apartments along streets. There were murals on walls. Houses were painted with different colors. They were pretty like the small town we visited couple days ago. We also saw a elementary school was ended. Children were seating in their school buses and waiting other people back home together. But when we arrived there the NAVE finally, we cannot find any entrance. We found some doors without fences but it was still locked. The worker that was clearing walls told us it was a restaurant and would opened at 3pm. So annoying. Then we just back to hotel.

Santuario Nacional in Maipu

Today Asya, Serena, and I went to Maipu to see the Santuario Nacional. The Santuario Nacional is a massive church that was built to commemorate the Battle of Maipu, considered to be the victory which won Chile its independence from Spain. The church is a Modernist building which was built over the course of many years. The church faces the main avenue in Maipu and it is visible from the main intersection where the metro is located. The main intersection was bustling and full of people, there was a mall, vendors, and dozens of buses. Walking along the avenue towards the church, the busyness quickly went away and we found ourselves in a massive sand plaza surrounded by semicircular colonnades on both sides. When you’re in the plaza, the scale of the church is very overwhelming.

Upon entering the church, the first thing I noticed was the arches. They weren’t traditional semicircles, but instead parabolic curves. The ceiling curved down from the tower in the front to the altar in the back and it was articulated with coffers. There was a large stained glass window on the front façade that according to Martinez (a guide who we befriended) is one of the tallest stained glass windows in the world. There are also stepped stained glass windows flanking the sides. The apse of the church looks a lot more like a U.N. hall than a church, because it is ringed with flags of the world. In the center is a statue of the Virgin Carmen.

The altar at Santuario Nacional

After visiting the church itself, we went to the top of the tower (where we met Martinez). There is a window on the floor of the tower which lets you look down into the church from above. The window is also a compass and points to sites around the world where it is said that the Virgin Mary has appeared. Our guide told us that the tower is about the same height as the Statue of Liberty. He said that Maipu is built on an area with poor soil and an aquifer, so most of the buildings are only two stories tall. Because of this, the church has foundations that are over two hundred feet deep and the main material used was concrete to protect against earthquakes. Overall, the building was very interesting and a unique church.

Interior of Santuario Nacional

Free Day- Tour in the City and Cultural Centers

Starting with a fantastic brunch, we started our city tour. We found a nice spot at the street corner. The city of Santiago becomes more interesting when you started to stop a little while and look at the people passing by. The students who just left from schools are chatting on the curbs. The older people are strolling by then busy streets. In the middle of the road there is a guy busking as the signal turns red. Far away from your position, there is a man carrying a giant ice cream box on his shoulder with loud cries of selling. Suddenly you realized somehow it is the culture shapes the city and what you see is really the reflection of Chile history.

Coffe Cup in Brunch Restaurant

Corporación Cultural Matucana 100

Later we went to the culture centers near Quinta Normal Park. The culture centers are having seldom exhibition while the architecture itself is good enough to visit. Again many murals can be found in this art district. Corporación Cultural Matucana 100 is mainly composed by a central theater. The exterior of this theater is a historical remnant with red bricks. Inside we see the wood structures holding high ceilings. Then you can explore more on the lower level. There are some mini exhibitions going on there.

Chile: Hills and Churches

IMG_6890-2fs81ig

 

The last few days in Chile have been filled with tons of culture. I’m the type of person to ask tons of questions if I am curious about something. When we went to Valparaiso I was constantly asking questions about what life is like there. Sergio told one story that stuck with me, when we had stopped at a high point to look around the city he told us that he saw a man building the house that was next to us about a year ago. And that’s amazed me because I find it so culturally different that people are able to build their own house rather out of need or want. I also wondered how people described where they live if the city is constantly changing and was never planned in the first place. I imagine people would have to say something like “it’s the Orange house down the street from the church and to the left of the t-shirt shop”. This kind of development is similar to Santiago as people spread out further from the city. This causes wealthier and poorer neighborhoods to intermix. But then you get whole other cities like Maipu. Where Shelby, Asya, and I traveled to today. We went to see one of the most beautiful churches I had ever seen. We had to wait for the tower to open but when we were finally able to go up it was a spectacular view. And we had a spectacular guide. This older man told us all about the Santuario Nacional and the city of Maipu. One of the most interesting things he told us was about the form of the basilica. He said the church represents the patron saint of Chile, the virgin Carmen. The colonnade represents her arms embracing the children coming in, the draping ceiling was for her long robe, and the observation deck was for her eyes that could look over all of Chile: the Andes in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atacama desert in the north, and the glaciers and Patagonia in the south. This description made me love the church more than I already did. The stained glass was like something I had never seen before as well. All in all the hour long train ride to the outskirts of the city was worth it.

Traveling Far and Wide to Maipu

On our free day Shelby, Serena, and I took the longest trip ever to Maipu. It’s a suburb southwest of the downtown area. We took a 1 hour cramped metro to the bowels of Maipu. We expected to come out of a subway to a barren land far away from the main city, but inside we were delightfully surprised. We arose from the depths of the metro to find a bustling plaza. Cars, people, and busses were speeding in every direction. We made our way to the mall first to grab food. We stopped at a small shop, where I had some of the best food I’ve had so far on this trip. Then we hiked over to the Church of Maipu. We were greeted with a circle of barren land. The church was surrounded by a colonnade, and the structure erected high into the sky. Inside, the breathtaking interior bled colorful light into the tall space through the stain class Windows. We stayed there and sketched a little until the tower museum was opened. We traveled around 200 feet into the air to get to the balcony of the tower. There we met our tour guide Martinez. He told us about the symbolism of the structure and how it was to represent the Virgin Mary with her arms stretched out. This church has been my favorite site so far, and I really enjoyed talking with Martinez about all the symbolism and meaning the church had for Maipu.

The church from the central gathering space.

human rights

Walking through the museum of memory and Human Rights was a very heavy experience. First of all the museum itself is visually very beautiful. The building was unlike the surrounding buildings,making its clear that the content inside was important. When you first walk in the building, the photos that pictorially create the landmass of the world set up the narrative the museum wants to tell. Human rights is a global issue, and the atrocities that were committed in Chile are in many ways similar to other happenings around the globe. It’s a terrifying thought that a single person could suggest the killing of thousands of people, and have a large portion of that country’s society get on board with that idea. It goes to show how fear and hatred can be the fuel for horrific acts, and how we need to learn from those acts for a better future for all human beings. It made the problems in our country seem very scary, and I just hope the American people do not let the fear and hatred many are feeling towards certain groups fuel those kinds of acts.

Day #5

One of the highlights of this trip has been day 5 in which we visited Valapariso and Viña Del Mar. These two coastal towns were absolutely stunning, and were more beautiful than I could ever imagine. My favorite part of day 5 was doing the walking tour of the streets of Valapariso, which were filled with colorful buildings and street art. I enjoyed the contrast between the murals and the colors of the buildings, which blended together nicely. The cobble stone streets also added to the appeal of the layout of the city. Despite its beauty, it seems very easy to get lost on the streets of Valapariso, as they are narrow and not marked by a sign.

Going to Viña Del Mar was a nice break from being in the fast paced city. I could see a noticeable difference between the coastal towns and Santiago, as the coastal towns are much more relaxed, have less people, and are more slow paced than the city. I hadn’t been to the beach for a long time, so taking the time to relax on the beach was great. The water was extremely cold as expected, and I was surprised by how strong the pull of the waves was.

View of Valapariso

View of the Viña Del Mar beach

 

Sketch of palm trees in park

That homey, beach feeling

IMG_6038-11t1zui

Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar were more than I could have imagined. After a two hour bus ride there, we zipped up to the tops of mountains to get to Pablo Neruda’s house. It was gorgeous! It was an eclectic space made obviously for entertainment purposes. The house has small portholes on every floor which I really enjoyed. Also there was a sink decorated as of it was chinoiserie that I wish I could have photographed!
Next, Sergio walked us through a maze of streets out loads of graffiti. The street art was insane! Mostly the illustrations were of scantily clad women however, some murals contained bits and pieces of amazing art. The colorful Spanish style homes reminded me of Viejo San Juan back at home.
Following, we drove down to Viña Del Mar. I dipped my feet in the Pacific but it wasn’t don’t with me. The violent waves came and splashed all long the top of my calves. Thank goodness I hadnt gone for a swim! I also perused the markets alongside the beach and got some trinkets and things for the family. Overall, the day was fairly quiet and low impact which I really needed. I wish we could’ve spent more time but Santiago was calling.

Valparaiso, A City of Chaotic Beauty

Someone once told me that the irony in his major of study, was that as a planner, his favorite cities in the world were actually unplanned.  I felt this observation in the steps I took and the meandering change of elevations I made along the streets of the seaside Chilean town Valparaiso.  The artistically and visually rich city was interesting from top to bottom, every wall displaying a unique piece of art.  This colorfulness of the city’s walls and buildings was matched also by its inhabitants, and namely one of its more famous, Pablo Neruda.  The Neruda house, La Sebastiana, was filled to the brim with visually stunning objects, and a visually stunning view of the sea as well.  Each object had a story, but my favorite was a map all the way at the top of Pablo’s house in his study.  Reading 1698 at the top, I knew that as a lover of history (and maps) I would be spending at least fifteen additional minutes pouring over the ancient artifact to learn the many secrets it held.  Valparaiso was beautiful in many ways.  It’s chaotic beauty in the realization of its city-scape is apparent, matched by the rolling Pacific Ocean to its west and ever-present Andes to the east.  Having experienced every facet of the topography of Chile’s capital region (save climbing a mountain) has helped me understand Valparaiso and Santiago better than a map or a book ever will.

One colorful street in Valparaíso. One of many, each with its own set art and architecture.

Captains log Stardate 031617

Sketch in the Museum of Memory

The Museum of Memory was an experience that moved me tremendously.

It started with the open stair case. Wasn’t that an incredible way to start the viewers off? The stairs behind then though were what got me, because to me, they represented the people who couldn’t leave the country and had to watch their friends and family leave them.

I thought the layout of the museum as a whole was done very well too. In a lot of museums, there is a big chance that you miss information because the hallways to and from places are all similar. Here, it’s just on recangle with one piece of circulation on the side. It’s hard to miss displays, which is good for such an informative museum as this one.

The glass box that created a space for reflection was very special. Separated from the hallway by a sign lair square column, it made us look at the faces of those who were lost to history. An interesting thing that I noticed was that the crystal lights that illuminated the inside perimeter of the box flecked in the glas walls, making it look like the lights continue in space and touch the photo wall. Your own reflection was in the glass too, making it look like you were with the ones on the wall. I think that moment of reflection alludes to how if you don’t teach people about history, it is bound to repeat itself. The glass box makes you wonder, as it put you up on the wall, if history reap eats itself, will it be me this time who suffers?

All in all, I highly recommend this museum.

Let’s go to the beach

A video of what I saw on the bus while in Valparaiso

In class seeing the pictures of Valparaiso I was amazed at how colorful and compact the city was. But, seeing Valparaiso in real life was definitely different because I saw its colorful buildings, amazing murals, and that it borders the Pacific Ocean. Our first stop in Valparaiso was the Pablo Neruda’s house, walking through it, I could tell that Neruda was a man with a large personality and that he loved his work and friends, and he also was a player. He had like 3 wives during his life, it kind of sounds like a telenovela. Anyway, walking around The Sebastian (Parks and Rec reference) I noticed the view from his bedroom, is was breathtaking. It was a clear view of the buildings in Valparaiso and the ocean, I loved it. Then from Neruda’s house we started our walking tour. The walking tour allowed us to see the street art and murals, the town we were walking through was filled with beautiful colors and styles of art. I appreciated seeing that and as I was walking I tried to take some drawing tips for styles in my experiential map. As we were walking a few strays tagged along and followed us to the funicular, something that I noticed about the dogs in Valparaiso was that they all poop in the street. You don’t see much dog poop in Santiago and it’s probably because there’s more grass and vegetation in Santiago than there is in Valparaiso. Thinking back, I couldn’t remember walking past a park in Valparaiso.

Pictures of Valparisio and the colorful homes.

We took the bus down to Vina Del Mar and ate at El Rincón de Greda, an Italian restaurant that Sergio suggested and the food was really good. Then from there we walked to the beach. I was very excited because this was my first time seeing the ocean/ a real beach (if Lake Erie doesn’t count) and we spent 30 minutes there, but I wish I had some more time to actually swim but I enjoyed playing in the ocean. Valparaiso was one of my favorite trips that we’ve gone on and I’m so grateful for being able to see the city and the beach.

We were in Vina del Mar, playing in the Pacific Ocean.

No hablo español

Probably my most used phrase—”no hablo español.” When applying for the Santiago trip, my biggest concern was the language barrier. I can count to ten in Spanish, say hola and por favor, but that’s pretty much it. In high school I took Latin classes, which sometimes helps with root words, but other than that is almost no help. Thankfully, I am usually with Lisa during the trip, who knows enough Spanish to get us by.
This entire trip has been a learning experience. Slowly I am building my vocabulary word by word, just through interactions with the locals. Here are the most important things I have learned so far:

“I’m sorry” – “Lo siento”

“Excuse me” – “permiso”

“How much?” – “quantos”

“Can I have the check please?” – “la cuenta por favor”

When talking about the price of things, it is the number followed by “mil”

“bathroom” – “baño”

The Baquedano Market—where I got to practice my Spanish

Relative to the language barrier comes the term “gringos,” meaning a white, English speaking person.  “Gringos” is considered a derogatory term, and I have encountered it a couple of times.  The first time it was really directed at me was when a few of us went to this bar to just check it out and see if it would be a good place to go another night.  Upon entering, we were greeted by a waiter who only spoke Spanish, who yelled down to the 4 women in the basement, the only other people in the place.  He told them we spoke English not Spanish.  The women replied with something in Spanish but we caught the word “gringos” among the words.  Immediately after that interaction, the waiter turned towards us and said drinks were 10,000 pesos, which is similar to $15 in the United States.  Obviously he tried to take advantage of us and we left.

Today, we visited Quinta Normal Park and the Museum of Memory.  During our free time we went to lunch at a small, cheap restaurant near the museum.  Half-way through our meal, a man across the streets yelled to the ladies at the table next to us in Spanish: “Oh I see you’re sitting by the Gringos.”  I thought this was a really weird thing to say.  In America, this would never happen.  It doesn’t matter who you sit by, we consider ourselves equal.  This man did not just say that, but he yelled it across the street.  I did not get offended because I know it is something that their culture does and has been doing for years.  It just made me think about how diverse and integrated the United States is compared to Chile, which was something I have never thought about before and was very interesting to think about.

 

 

Travel Interview: Sergio

When I first thought of some of the activities I wanted to do in Santiago, speaking to a citizen of this amazing city was near the top of my list. I was curious to see what they thought of their hometown; what they thought of the U.S.; or what they even thought of us, as study abroad students. From what I have seen so far it seems like we have been recieving positive reactions from many of the locals. So after some searching I found a Chilean citizen to interview.  It turns out the person to talk to was none other than our tour guide Sergio. Below are 8 questions that I asked him on the ride back to Santiago from Valapraiso.

Q1: What is your full name?

A: Sergio Andres Molina Rodriguez

Q2: What is it you like about your job?

A: I like that it gives me the chance to practice my English, teaching people and also I do not have to be in an office.

Sergio speaking to OSU study abroad students about the murals of Valparaiso.

Q3: What do you like most about Santiago?

A: I like that Santiago is safe, clean and well connected to other cities. It is also very active so you are never bored. However, like most people, I do not like the winter. It is also cold and gray.

Q4: What is you favorite site in Santiago?

A: My favorite site is San Cristabol, it has a lot of activities.

Q5: If you could visit 3 U.S. cities where would you go?

A: I would go to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. Also now Ohio since I have met you all.

Q6: Is there any U.S. entertainment that you like?

A: I like to watch TruTV. The towing shows and Storage Wars are my favorite.

Q7: Did you attend college? If so, where and what did you study?

A: Yes, I attended UTEM. That is short for Metropolitan TEch University.

Q8: What has been your most memorable experience with OSU so far?

A: My most memorable moment with OSU would probably be meeting you all, your arrival from the airport. I also would have to say Plaza de Armas.

 

Almost the end

Day five & six

These two days we went to lots of beautiful place. Yesterday we went to the Valparaiso, an awesome beach town. We first went to the Pablo Neruda’s house, La Sebastiana, which was a small but wonderful house. All the collections inside the house had their own history and story and it made the house more meaningful and unique. There is a Moai scruple next to the window I second floor, and I think it is a interesting moment that the house eventually having something about Chilean instead lots of the collections from other countries. After that we having a two hours walk of the neighbor, all the arts were so special and colorful and I really enjoyed the tour. And we ended up the day on the beach which was a nightlight of this trip.

Today we first go to the cathedral that we can’t go inside last time. Then we go to the museum of memory, it is a meaningful museum which make we feel really heavy but amaze at the same time by the history. The space on second floor is the best place of the museum. Surrounding by the plastic rolls that symbolize the candle, and the glass wall showing the reflection of it which make the place looks like surrounded by the candles. After that we walking on the street and there are some art market which I find lots of fun stuff. And we also go to the park and spend some time to sketch. Can’t wait for tomorrow and I hope I will survive after the nine hours hiking.

The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends

One of the last sonnets Pable wrote in his home in Valparaiso. Pablo compares the bond he and his wife share to various things in nature, implying a deep and pure connection.

Spending the day at Valparaiso was possibly my favorite day yet. From seeing the street art to swimming in the ocean, I felt like I really got to experience some of the best things the city had to offer. We even stopped at a sandwich place Anthony Bourdain ate at!

Sandwich from the shop Bourdain stopped at. It had ham, bacon, onion, peppers, and a fried egg.

It was actually my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean period. I heard it would be cold, but I had no idea what I was getting into. A couple of us ran into water at the same time with no idea how cold it would be. My body felt like it went into shock; I had never been in water that cold. Sergio wasn’t playing around.

I didn’t have high expectations for the two hour foot tour, considering it pushed back lunch. I was pleasantly surprised however, and really enjoyed the street art that I saw. It was colorful, confusing, and I felt like each piece told a different story. Between dodging dog poop and keeping up with the group I was still able to get some cool pictures.

My favorite stop was the house of Pablo Neruda. It’s interesting to see the space hat he actually existed and worked in. The things he surrounded himself can give an insight to the influences of his thinking and in a sense the decorations of his own mind. The view from his house was great, but what was inside will stick with me most.

3/16 -Memories

So today was a fairly simple day. Go to the cathedral, the park, museum of memory, then eat. I’m really glad we got to go to the cathedral too. I’ve seen some cathedrals in Spain before and they are massive, even compared to the one we saw today, but I appreciated the use of space that this cathedral had. Like adding the crypt underneath the alters (I think). Which I also though the crypt was really cool how it shows a transition from the clean white marble, to the rougher, tan marble and wood hand rail ends and steps. I’m curious on why the hand rails were purple too. The only reason I could think of is it was supposed to be a wine like color, and the wood ends are like the wooden cups that Jesus would have drank from. Other than that it’s a mystery to me. The park we went to today was actually really cool, we took a walk around the whole thing after doing a sketch and it had some real interesting trees and features to it. It was a fun time. The memory museum today though. That got a little deep. On an architectural standpoint, I though it had really good spacing between each display and the path you would follow was easy to go through. As for my emotional state, it made me feel numb. I couldn’t read almost everything in the museum, but the images speak for themselves. Knowing that an entire country was changed in a single, devastating day, makes you think for a moment. I don’t know exactly all of the details, but I got enough to understand that a lot of people were torn apart during this time. Wether that be because they lost someone dear to them, or had to leave everyone dear to them. The museum captured what was to be felt and understood about its history, and I’m glad I was able to have this experience be a memory that I won’t forget.

Museum of memory

Picture outside the crypt

Picture inside the crypt

Rapid fire thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts about this trip that aren’t enough for an entire blog post, so I’m gonna say all them here.

 

 

There are dogs everywhere. I know they are stray and this isn’t a good thing but I like it.

This dog took a break from the hot day at Plaza de Armas.

They eat dinner really late here. Like 9. I don’t really know why.

The Pacific Ocean is really really painfully cold.

Don’t be fooled, this water is ice-cold. Also look at all the mayo on the sandwhich.

The street performers are really talented.

Empanadas are amazing and everywhere. Big fan.

They listen to American music and watch American movies. I feel like it’s hard to not feel an American presence everywhere.

Monte con huesillo is a drink type thing with a liquid that tastes like sweet tea, some mangos, and some sort of grain in the bottom. It’s very good and pretty cheap.

This is the amazing treat.

There’s way less red brick here. I also just realized how much I like red brick buildings.

Everyone seems more relaxed here than American cities. For example, in the Plaza de Armas, everyone was just sitting on benches enjoying the weather.

The weather here is amazing. I’ve eaten outside everyday so far. I only do that about twice a year at home.

Pablo Neruda has an amazing house. It doesn’t seem like much from the outside, but the views are amazing.

This is my sketch of the view from Neruda’s dining room.

There aren’t many bugs. I’ve seen bees but that’s it. I also haven’t seen roaches, rats, or mice.

Finally, the mountains are amazing.

Lord of the Rings: One and 3/8 Towers

It was on this day that we visited Torres Siameses, Alejandro Arevena’s glass tower on the PUC campus, as well as Elementals Innovation Center. On the metro ride back to our hotel we met a man who was a student at the University. We told him how much we enjoyed these buildings and he was amazed because it’s was so simple on the outside. We described to him the inner beauty of the building, the reason why us architecture students loved it so much. I really enjoyed the texture of the concrete created by the molds used to form it. It was really unique how they chose not to enclose all of the fixtures and workings of the elevator system, as well as the central atrium, making the building far more sustainable as a whole compared to Torres Siameses. In this building, the glass skin that Arevena intended to make the building more sustainable and create a convection current around the building, to save on energy, seemed to make the building even hotter. The design also provided for issues with maintenance, in the areas where windows were later added, the most noticeable aspect was how dirty the building was between the two layers.

My drawing of the concrete’s texture at the Innovation Center

 

Valpa-raise the SPF on my sunscreen

I was hoping to eat some crab in Valparaiso, instead I ended up looking like one. SPF 30 just doesn’t cut it for me I guess, but Valparaíso and Viña Del Mar were everything I was hoping they would be. La Sebastiana was truly a treat in the fact that I have known of Pablo Neruda’s work for some time and it was awe-inspiring to set foot in the residence of a Nobel Laureate. The views from BellaVista hill of the Pacific were enthralling, stunning, and in much a way magical; having come to the realization that we truly were seemingly on the edge of the world. Viña Del Mar across the bay on the other hand really lived up to its reputation as a place built by the rich for the rich. It’s tree lined boulevards, high end retailers, and pristine beach views offered a setting to rival that of some of the best beaches I’ve ever been to. After a day of severe UV radiation it was a highlighting moment when dinner that night was a “treat yourself” experience. To preface the situation, the evening took place at Giratorio, a revolving restaraunt on the 18th floor of a tower down the street. There, with my glass of champagne, I savored over a risotto of crab, octopus, scallops, and octopus tenctles. To top it all off, my gustatory palette was completed with a flan of epic richness in taste. A perfect meal of melatonin inducing foods gave me a good night’s rest before embarking at 10 the next morning for the Museum of Memory. Personally, having always been enthralled with history, in years past I had researched about the Chilean coup d’etat and knew of the atrocities against human rights committed. Inside the museum though it was fascinating and profound to have in one space a compilation of people’s testimonials and the history behind this nation altering event. The reflection given to me from the museum also has made me reflect on all that I have been exposed to on this entire trip. As the free day approaches and the end of this journey is near, I become more and more thankful of everything I have been able to share with our group here in Santiago.

Panorama from La Sebastiana

Continue reading Valpa-raise the SPF on my sunscreen →

Costanera Mall-3/13

The day was a long one and the exhaustion caught up with us all about halfway through. We had been on the bus travelling from the monastery to the graduate and undergraduate architecture schools here in Chile. Then we had dinner at Mestizo, enjoying a delicious lunch of salmon with flan for dessert, followed by a walk through Bicentennial park where we fed the birds and enjoyed a walk. Following the events on our itinerary, we managed a group visit to Costanera tower. The whole group made their way to the 62nd floor of the building for a breathtaking view of all of Santiago. My friends and I took our time making our way around the building to see all of the angles. After we gad a small rest, we went to the elevator and took the elevator down to the 5th floor. We explored the next 4 floors down the mall beneath, comparing the stores to those we have back home and enjoying the Chilean culture we could observe. We did this for about the next 3 hours and managed to find out way back to the hotel. We then went to dinner at Ekika Ilmenau across the street. We got some Chilean style burgers and fries and enjoyed a few hours together.

One of the really cool art pieces at the University Adolfo Ibanez graduate student campus.

Wednesday’s adventures!

Wednesday was my favorite day of the trip so far. It exceeded all of the expectations I had. The views were unbelievable and so colorful. My favorite thing about Valparaiso was the colors that were present there. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The walls were not normal colors and they also had a lot of graffiti on them. This is what made them so distinct. Every single wall had something unique on it and was so interesting to look at and analyze.

Another part of Wednesday that I really enjoyed was going to the beach. The beach was absolutely amazing. From the hot sun and the warm sand to the cooler winds up on the hill, it was perfect. The sun was ever present wherever you were on the beach. This made everything so much happier and more enjoyable. We walked up to the board walk and bought some juice and candy. Everything here was so enjoyable and I hope this continues throughout trip.

Days 6&7

Sketch of Santa Teresa from the Cathedral

My favorite parts of day six were the walking tour and also the trip to the beach. It was really cool to see all of the graffiti and drawings on the buildings. It’s a lot different to see businesses and residences covered in street art when I don’t see a lot of it back in Columbus and especially back home in the suburbs. The bright colors of the street art really complemented the bright hues buildings that stretched the hills of Valparaíso. The trip to the beach was actually a lot more fun than what I expected. I thought that the water was going to be a lot colder than what it actually was. I’ve never been to the beach where the waves have been so strong. My friends and I later that night went to Giratorio, a fantastic restaurant that had a rotating floor and piano player. It was kind of expensive but I honestly love eating all of the nice food that Chile has to offer. I was really happy that we were all able to go to the Cathedral of Santiago today after we weren’t able to go inside the other day. The Cathedral of Santiago was beautiful. I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a lot of stained glass. I’m wondering if this is because of the earthquake problem or just the style of the cathedral. The Museum of Memory had a lot of heavy material but I think that it was really well done. The exhibits were very simple which I find important when the material is very complex and heavy. Dinner tonight was not my favorite, however I feel good to be staying in tonight to get some work done before my free day tomorrow.

 

 

 

A Costal Excursion

Some street art in Valparaiso

My sketch of La Sebastiana.

The last two days have been very eventful. During the two hour bus ride to Valparaíso, Tamina and I watched Moana while everyone else slept. When we arrived, we went straight to Pablo Neruda’s house, La Sebastiana, and took an audio tour. While I initially felt apprehensive about visiting the house of a poet with whom I was unfamiliar, the eclectic design of the house and sweeping panoramic views of the city below quickly made me appreciate the romantic style of the setting and the poet’s enigmatic life. I was surprised to find that he had been an ambassador to France and was such an important figure in Chilean culture, especially considering that authors today, aside from a select view, are not nearly as celebrated as before.

I enjoyed the city tour of Valparaíso and while the street art was varied in color and style, it was not necessarily my favorite thing that I have seen in Chile. The excursion to Viña Del Mar, however was one of the greatest things that I have done here and it was made even better by the Pizza Hut Lunch accompanied by music and trip to the beach.

Today, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the Museum of Memory and had a much greater sense of empathy for the victims of the dictatorship. Combining this experience with the Santiago Cathedral, I feel as though I had a mind opening and relatively refreshing day. The empanada I bought on the street definitely helped with that too. I am really looking forward to the free day tomorrow as I hope to go hiking in the Andes with a group.

Day 3-4

‘Sun’tiago

During these days, we visited the various universities around Santiago as well as the Costanera tower (tallest tower in Latin America). At the universities, I had a chance to observe the interactions between the students which turned out to be very similar to the interactions of American students. The layout and the structure of the colleges played an important role in helping enable the social environment. The college had large, spacious courtyards where all the students gathered to hang out between classes. The fresh air and view in which the college was situated in which added to the fresh environment. Studies have proven that having ventilation and sun help improve creativity, thus a prime setting for a university. The landscapes around the building were mainly shrubs or shrub-like looking trees, helping maintain greenery and preventing potential soil erosion. After visiting the university, in the evening we went to the Costanera Tower. We went up to the 62nd floor to watch the sun set behind the Andes mountains. It was absolutely gorgeous. In addition to the gorgeous sunset, the architecture of the top of the tower was also breathtaking. There was no ceiling at the top, so the air surrounding us was fresh, enhancing the experience. All around the top floor, there were hidden drains that would take care of any water that may accumulate with any precipitation.

After the sunset, we explored the rest of the tower which was essentially a shopping mall. We went into the department store which closely resembles a Walmart or a Costco from back home in Ohio. Overall this day was amazing; the views and the similarities I noticed between Chileans and Americans were striking.

Sketching for Stress Relief

Today and yesterday were such peaceful and relaxing days. Yesterday we took the bus out to Valparaiso which was an awesome beach town. Pablo Neruda’s house was very interesting and it had great views of the city. I really enjoyed the colors and vibrant culture and art everywhere. I thought the waking tour was great and I really enjoyed the city’s use of section to its advantage. It was also nice to get the afternoon to enjoy the sun and the beach, which is something that us, Ohioans, needed greatly.

Today, we finally got to explore the inside of the cathedral in Plaza de Armas. There, I sketched the statue of Saint Santiago which was in the first niche in the nave wall. Next, we explored the Museum of Memory and had the rest of the day until dinner to explore and sketch more. I decided to sketch the exterior of the museum and also the Catedral Castrense de Chile. The rest of the day we spent in Quinta Normal Park. I really enjoyed the peacefulness of the park and really enjoyed just sitting for a little bit and observing everything happening in the park. I really liked today because I got to sketch a lot which is something that I’m starting to enjoy more and more. It’s something that I find relaxing and stress-relieving and it also allows me to document my interpretation of a space or object. I really enjoy sketching much more than I did before coming on this trip, and I plan on continuing sketching after this class to help relieve stress and give me an opportunity to be creative.

Becca, Lisa, Megan and I in Valparaiso.

Sketch of Pablo Neruda’s house in Valparaiso.

Sketch of the statue of Saint Santiago in the cathedra.

Sketch of the Museum of Memory.

Sketch of the Cathedral Castrense de Chile.

Pablo Neruda’s House and Vina Del Mar

Making the long drive to Pablo Neruda’s house, La Sebastiana, was worth it. The house perfectly fit in the sea of colorful houses sitting on the mountain. The breath-taking views from the house were simply amazing. The house was very eclectic with its colorful walls, narrow staircases, cut-out doors, and opulent statues. Pablo Neruda’s house towered above the surrounding houses with its five floors and large patio. I loved how each room had its own them and was very unique in its own way. My favorite floor in the house was probably the bedroom with its amazing views. I can’t imagine waking up every morning to see all the colorful houses next to the ocean. Going to Vina Del Mar was very much needed in that I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep the past few days and taking a nice long nap on the beach with the sun on my skin and the sand in my toes definitely helped. The beach city of Vina Del Mar was picturesque and I can see why it’s named one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With floral trees and bushes lining the street, the city seemed so lively. Hopefully I will come back one day. Looking forward to the free day tomorrow!

Sketch of La Sebastiana

Vina Del Mar

Day 5

In day 5, we had been to Valparaiso, a colorful seaside town. It was a sunny day. Thousands of colorful houses on the hill are really clear from the fourth floor of Pablo Neruda house. The Pablo Neruda house is super interesting, where is like a treasure house. I found a candlestick decorated by men with hindquarters of a goat and likely they are Pan, the god in Greek myth controlling flocks. Also, I saw the plate with a pattern that a woman in a nautilus, a teapot with a lady’s head, and many other interesting collections. The overall arrangement of the house is also cool and I really like the small spaces with exquisite furnish and decorate.
The murals around those little houses on the hill are amazing. I haven’t seen so many murals at the same time before. In this city, every corner is colorful and has amazing details. I can really feel the people’s enthusiasm for art and life.
Afternoon, we went to Vina del Mar, where has good beaches. We took lunch at a Mexico restaurant and then walked to the beach. There was really too many winds and sunshine on that afternoon. I felt super cold when the winds blew me and felt hot when sun on me.

Valparaiso

Bustamente Skatepark

Rico and I visited the Bustamente skatepark two days in a row. It was a lot of fun, and I feel like I got to connect across language with Chileans by skating beside them.

The skatepark is located within Parque Bustamente, a long swath of green space that extends south from Baquedano the metro station. The Parque is excellent! It’s about a block wide and continues for over a kilometer, with swaths of public green space, playgrounds, and even a library at it’s midpoint.

What I noticed most about the skatepark and the larger Parque surrounding it was not its design but the sheer amount of use it saw. It seems that on some days the park lighting is mostly off, save for the skatepark. However, there were still hundreds of people using the Parque, seated in small groups and talking, or participating in classes like self-defense and yoga. The skatepark had over 40 people actively skating, and over 100 more just sitting and watching.

That is absolutely unheard of at all but one of the 75+ skateparks I’ve visited in the US. Two design choices support this level of public use.
First, the park is sunken into the site, and lined with ramps that encapsulate it into a bowl, with a pleasant tree-dotted lawn hilled around. This makes the park into an arena, as entertaining to watch as to use. Second, the placement of the park in a central Parque is a simple but bold decision. It is much more common in the US to place skateparks far from the city center.

As nice as the supportive design decisions for the skatepark are, I think that the excellent use of Bustamente park comes down to culture. Over the rest of the week I hope to search for the origins of that culture of rich public life, to find how to bring it to cities and skateparks of the US.

Travel within Travel

Ayer se ubica como uno de los mejores días de mi vida hasta el momento. He aquí un breve resumen de lo que pasó:

montañas -Watched pasan a Pink Floyd durante dos horas

-Toured La casa de Pablo Neruda y mirado a su colección litografía probablemente más tiempo que nadie jamás

-Drew Valparaiso de arriba a abajo

-Toured La ciudad y vio la más bella pintadas y murales de mi vida. Sintió totalmente inspirado por todo. Comprado obra y fue consolada por serigrafías en las paredes. Se recordó que la letra impresa no está muerto

-Found Un agujero en la pared lugar sándwich en un accidente que Anthony Bourdain había sido rellenado y nuestras caras en las rocas. Subió alrededor y dejar que el Pacífico salpique nuestros pies

-Cambio En trajes tan rápido como sea posible y se fue al océano a gran velocidad, dejando que el agua fría de hielo se convierten en nuestro mejor amigo para las próximas horas

-Frank Perdió sus gafas, Rico puede haber experimentado la hipotermia, y Kaz era del mismo color que la arena

-Walked Por el paseo marítimo y tuvo éxito en la búsqueda de un anillo y un novio

-fieltro Gusta llegamos al final de la tierra al final del paseo marítimo, regresamos a la tierra, se convirtió en una de las cajas de arena, sol, y la pizza

-Más montañas y Pink Floyd

-Más El Huerto, la conversación y el vino

-Reír tan fuerte que no puede respirar

-Más amigos.

Santiago Interacts Better

We took the bus to El Parque Infantil and I was presented with a feeling of utter joy that was so overwhelming I began to tear up.  We sat watching the children play in the water, exuberant with every interaction they had with the water, the ground, their mothers, fathers, each other.  I sat and took it all in, becoming more amazed by the human connection every second.  I was reminded of the importance of attempting to make a connection with everyone you meet and the impact this can carry.

Fast forward two days and we are enjoying a group lunch at a beautiful outdoor restaurant called Mestizo.  We had just finished a bus trip to a small private university, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez.  My first impression was similar to that of the college I attended my freshman year – small, antisocial, lacking diversity due to the steep price.  But as classes ended and lunch rolled around, the public spaces turned into mini social paradises.  Since the students do not live on campus, they made incredible use of the campus in between class instead of retreating to their dorms and apartments.  It looked like such a great release to be able to socialize to that degree and it left me wishing that Ohio State students would simply walk with their heads up to class.  Frank Brought up an interesting point – was it due to growing up up in a predominantly warmer climate that was condusive to utilizing outdoor space well?  What if we were to build a city in a colder climate, but treat the outdoor public spaces as if it was warmer?  Would the social culture begin to shift?

There is always something to think about.

First Moments

We have landed in Chile after a 10 hour overnight flight on which I dreamt of various approaches to my next lithography project.  As we touched down, the sun was beginning to rise over the Andes mountains and they appeared as some kind of flat construction – three pieces of faded paper pasted onto one another and hung around an entire city.

I had forgotten what travel really felt like, the freeing energy you feel walking down a street on the opposite hemisphere as your own.  An odd familiarity paired with an uneasy feeling of knowing absolutely nothing makes me feel like a child again.  It felt wonderful to have these feelings again and to recieve happiness and joy from the simple act of presence.

We dropped our belongings at the hotel and 20 girls managed to change in a bathroom made for three.  From there we headed to Cerro San Cristobal – rode the cable cars up the hill, joking the whole way up but taking a few silent moments to absorb the sights around us.  When we reached the peak I was able to spend some time alone to recharge and reflect, reveling in all the intense feelings travel provides.

Feeling Less like a Tourist

Today some of us got to go to a market near Baquedano, just by the metro stop. There were food stands, street musicians, dogs, and even some breakdancers entertaining the cars stopped at the red light in the crosswalk. It was really exciting, and you could tell most people were just going on about their daily business; totally mundane. I wish my everyday life walking to work or home had this much excitement. I was able to buy some nice souverniers for my family, and even haggle with a few vendors!

We also had the chance to visit a skatepark in Bustamente. It was awesome! It was full of locals, we tried hard to fit in with semi success. The park was pretty basic but still a blast. I got to interact with a few locals, mostly apologizing for almost running into each other. There was heavy traffic all throughout the park and you really had to be aware. It was a good time.

One thing I’m noticing is all of the street art around here. From the bus graffiti to the public murals, this city is bleeding with artistic expression.
This interesting piece was seen on a tourist info center near Baquedano.

Murals, Colors and More Food!

Valpariso is a magic place. People here are nice. The murals are beautiful. Even dogs here look lazier than anywhere else, stretching and sleeping everywhere on the ground. The walls in Valparaiso are painted into different popped colors. Great amount use of bright colors light pure yellow and blue is reasonable and cool. One of the most features of Valparaiso attracts me is that the combination of the sinuous and wide, straight streets which create distinguished feelings when people travel through the town. Meanwhile, I noticed many interesting details of this town from the structure of architectures. This base structure of a wooden lofted house is pretty interesting since it is featured with its pointed foundation.

Pointed base

The spheres of Roadblock also remind me many spheres pieces we saw in Santiago downtown.

Painting on the Roadblock

Creative artists here transformed this mounted town to a paradise for tourists.

At night we went to Baco and we have a nice dinner there. The place is pretty popular even it’s a Wednesday night. The atmosphere was buoyant and people were chatting and having fun. As usual we ordered fish and steak. This time we also had the salmon salad which was made by raw salmon and lettuce. It was also good!

Hitchcock vs. San Joaquin’s Engineering Building

Sketch of façade of civil engineering building at San Joaquin

Civil engineering building at San Joaquin

My favorite part of Day 4 was visiting PUC’s San Joaquin campus. Not only were the Torres Siamesas and the Innovation Center beautiful buildings, but so were all the others on campus! The campus had so many beautifully designed buildings, as well as landscapes. As you enter the campus, you see the innovation center on the left, a statue in the center, and another interesting building on the right, that work to bring you into the campus to explore more. After walking through campus a little bit, I decided to sketch the civil engineering building. It is one of the coolest buildings I’ve ever seen, and I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s made mostly of concrete, but the façade has steel pillars that start out as one, and then branch off into two or three in the top half of the building. Im not sure if those serve any structural purpose, since there are concrete pillars placed at even intervals which seem to be doing most of the structural work. It was just a really interesting building, that probably makes the engineering students that attend classes there stop and think. Thinking back to Hitchcock, which is home of the civil engineering department, why can’t we have a building as cool as the one at San Joaquin? Hitchcock is a run of the mill building from the 1960’s, with a basic layout and brick façade. It would be nice if at some point Ohio State could redo Hitchcock, because as the main engineering building, it should fascinate the students that go there, and force them to think about the building in terms of what they learn in class. Similar to how Knowlton does this for its students.  Overall, it was a really interesting campus.

innovation center

Innovation center perspective view from outside

The UC Innovation Center was my favorite building visited on the urban campus visits. Although I was initially more excited for Aravena’s Torres Siameses, I found that the Innovation Center was the more successful project in the end. While Aravena’s solutions to budget constraints for Torres Siameses were innovative, it also created maintenance problems for the building. The wearing wood exterior ground and the unwashed glass showed signs of problems reached in the post production of the project.

View of atrium from ground floor

Meanwhile, the Innovation Center’s more simple form created many features with just the element of shifted prisms and voids. Voids were important in this volumetric building in creating openings between the concrete for occupiable balconies that also let light in. A central void running through the central axis mundi of the building created an atrium that let light shine through all the floors of the building. Another void acted as the entryway into the project. From the exterior, the voids seem to be shifted along three rows of the facade with double height balcony spaces. This creates ambiguity between the indoor space that actually holds 11 floors.

Innovation center facade

The voids created transform from balconies to entry to atrium creating outdoor spaces and clerestory. Staying true to its name, this project takes innovative plays of breaking the box.

Day 4

This is the fourth day we come to Chile. We kept going for our journey.

Today, our first destination is Universidad Católica de Chile. We got to there by metro. It is busy and crowded in the metro line because we traveled on weekday and hush hour. Taking about twenty minutes, we arrived the university and visited a building of computer science. It is designed by Alejandro Aravena. This building used glass and wood as major materials. The windows were parallelogram. And this architecture separated into two tower on the top. Looks like ‘Y’. That’s interesting. However, I prefer the building we went later, the Innovation Center. This is also Aravena’s work. It is made up by geometry. The wall is concrete with huge concave windows. It looks clear. You cannot recognize how many floor there are when you have a look from outside. Actually there are 11! The indoor design is also fantastic. A big hollow space is in the middle. There are four elevator which is bare in the central space. The wall is decorated by wood. Everything seems modern!

In the afternoon, we visited another school at San Joaquin. We also did an assignment there. By drawing plan and section, I was clear to understand the construction of that school although it was complex. In this school, all the building has connection. There were some channels connecting different departments. Some of them are on ground while some are under ground. I think the designer did a good job to associate the old building with the new. It is great to keep the old building instead of destroy and rebuild.

That’s what I generally saw today. I feel happy to appreciate lots of amazing architecture. Hope the following days would be more interesting.

central space of the Innovation Center

Colorful Chile

Along the colorful walls heading to the Neruda’s house

Today, we went to the Neruda’s house. The Pablo Neruda’s two hours’ bus ride. In order to be the very first group visiting the house, we headed to the home use from early morning around eight. From taking the bus, I noticed the landscape changing along the highway. When it comes to the nearby context around Neruda’s house, the first thing interested me is the painted walls along the ramp heading to the top of the Valparasio. Because when the bus is going up to the hill, the street is too narrow for two cars to pass through, I nearly can see the people’s shoulders are rubbing the side of our bus, which scared me. However, the play of various colors along the wall is fascinating. The color and painting actually helping me to reduce the sense of distance or time. The reason why I say so is that the same situation also draws my attention while walking along the hill Cerro Concepcion, a two hour walking tour should be tired for me especially under the weather of 80 F. However, the surrounding environment of colorful paintings along all sides of the wall is filled with artistic creatures, is making the entire space a place where people could forget the time and location. I don’t feel tired at all, totally want to be embraced more by the colorful site while breathing the wind, which smells a little bit salty as the sea and looking at the sky, which corresponds to the blue of the further sea view as well.
Another place where there’s a lot usage of colors is the Pablo Neruda’s house. The location is at the high point, so I wonder whether there will be any relationship between outside environment and insider decoration. I find the colorful decoration inside this special building, not only the bright colors of walls inside all the rooms, but also those colored details on the glass or window. I bet every single day, when Pablo Neruda wake up by the bright orange and pink wall, sitting on the green coach and looking out of the colorful window, seeing the azure sea and sky, he will probably have a good mood.

Sketch of the living room of Neruda’s house.

 

Spheres and Rocks (Day 4)

Today we took the metro to visit Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Campus San Joaquin. While visiting the Innovation center on campus, I was intrigued by these cement spheres that were situated in front of the Innovation center due to their unique design and diverse purposes. There were three sets of the cement spheres containing roughly thirty various sized spheres in close proximity to each other. The texture of the spheres looked like a mixture of cement and other aggregates. As I was observing how the spheres related to the campus, I noticed they were being used more so as a place for gathering, sitting, and elemental design instead of relating to its context. Multiple people were sitting on the spheres, including our Santiago group, to rest or meet people to go inside the innovation center. The cement spheres acted as its own location marker due to how easily it was to spot and notice them. 

While walking around campus, there was also a stone garden that was behind the Complejo Andronico Luksic Abaroa (the cylinder brass looking building). The rock garden contained a rigid path passing through the empty space of two adjacent buildings and included various metamorphic rock types on each side. Lapis Lazuli, a very deep blue color, was one of the rock types shown in the stone garden and  an important one to learn about because of its mining origins and how native the rock is to Chile. The major source of mining for Lapis Lazuli is mined from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Andes mountains within Chile. 

Cement Spheres

Lapis Lazuli

Sketch of Spheres in front of Innovation Center

 

Day 5 in Santiago

 

Today we took two hours coach to Valparaiso. This is a colorful town and all of houses have different colors with various murals in those walls.i like those murals and it gives me a good chance to get lots of great photographs. They build their houses on the mountain and those streets are pretty steep. I am curious about how those local people drive and walk in this town.
I really like the Pablo Neruda house. I went to Hemingway’s house in Key West last winter break. They have lots of similarities. Those poets like to live in those kind of little houses and write tranquil. They all have a large houses in a really small town near sea. In Pablo’s house, he has lots of decorations: the oil paintings and old maps on the wall are brilliant. I really admire he has big windows to see the view of this town and sea. I was standing near those windows and imaging the feeling when he looking the beautiful view. I think it would be give him a lot of inspiration for his poems. It is also a really romantic town. Life in here might be really slow and peaceful.
Along the sea shore, the town becomes busy and they have lots of restaurants in there. We picked a Mexican restaurant and the food in there is tasty. After lunch we went to the cafe near our gathering place and enjoy the sea wind and sunshine in the afternoon.

Phones in Santiago

During this trip one thing I’ve realized is the people here are never on their phones. When you walk through the Ohio state you see a lot of kids walking while on their phones. Some people have their headphones in and listen to music, some people are texting, and some people are chatting on the phone. Here everybody is involved with what is going on around them. They do not text or open their phone wile hanging out with other people. I think it creates a better atmosphere because they give their undivided attention to one another and truly enjoy each others company.

Another thing I found very interesting is that they do not live at their school. The only time they see each other is during the day so they really enjoy their time together. This may be why they don’t use their phones as much but it was interesting to see. When we told them that we live at our school they were all so shocked and couldn’t comprehend the concept that we stay at school. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t the normal to do this. I find it very interesting to see the difference between cultures and I am looking forward to observing more differences!

Day 1

My first days here were amazing. I knew this trip was going to be awesome the second we walked out of the airport and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The bus ride to the hotel got me very excited and I enjoyed seeing the neighborhoods a little further out.

My favorite thing we did yesterday was take the cable car up to the top of the hill. The views from the cable car exceeded all of my expectations. I am a little afraid of heights but the views were worth it. They were unlike anything I had seen before.

View from the cable car

A very interesting experience I had yesterday was going to the grocery store. I was trying to get very basic foods so I could pack sandwiches everyday because of my allergies. Trying to order meat from the deli was very interesting so I just had to point and hope for the best with whatever meat I was given. We all got some interesting looks but overall it was a funny experience. At the grocery store we came across Twistos which I recommend every has once. By the time we all got home the two bags were gone. So far my time in Chile has been very fun and I am looking forward to this week!

Follow the Yellow Brick Mountain

The front facade of Santa Lucía

The one place that we saw in class that I wanted to visit was Cerro Santa Lucía, I was beyond excited to walk over there Monday. But I will admit that I was not prepared to walk up the hill, I began to pant on the 3rd flight of stairs, it’s sad. We walked around the side of the hill, then to the top of it and then walked down to the front of it, it was a weird order.
The very top of the hill gave this amazing view of Santiago, it had a clear view of the Andes mountains and the surrounding neighborhoods.  I honestly have never been so happy in my life. We also saw the front facade of the hill which was beautiful the yellow color really pops around the green surroundings. The fountain also was a nice addition to the background. I was talking to Patricia and she told me that Santa Lucía had a great gift shop with a bunch of souvenirs and Surgio said the stuff was relatively cheap. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go to the shop, but we’re definitely going back to the site because the entire mountain is amazing, it’s truly beautiful, one of my favorites. Also a kid stopped Lisa to take a picture with her, which was really cute.

Kaz’s Park and Recreation

From its lush water garden and adjacent world-class restaurant, to the many centers of play sprouting spontaneous bouts of fun, Bicentenario Park is a fantastic and massive space that is an absolute gem within the city of Santiago.  After an utterly delicious meal, I was able to explore this space with great delight and a spring in my step, first starting with the water garden.  The vegetation drew me to what I would find to be the most beautiful part of the park, complete with flora and fauna both familiar and novel to me.  Being a child of a “birding” family, and having a general affinity for wildlife, it was joy to see a sundry of new types of birds utilizing the space together.  I would spend a good amount of time here taking pictures of the jumbo koi fish and every feathered friend I could spot on the water.  Safe to say, I was updated by my family to which species I had seen after relaying the images back to Cleveland.  The water garden felt both planned yet in a way to create moments of spontaneity, those like the areas where you can feed swans or flamingos, or anyone looking for a bite really.  These types of moments would fill my time spent in the rest of the park, one occupied by beauty, calmness, and spontaneous fun for people of Santiago and for anyone who has the pleasure to visit as well.

Residents of the park, the black-necked swan, commonly referred to by their scientific names: “honkers”. Complete with jumbo koi

Flora, fauna, and Radic’s Mestizo: a recipe for a perfect day in the park (if you can afford it)

Day #3

The first activity of day 3 in Santiago, drivijt into the foothills of the Andes to visit the Benadicine Monastery, has been one of my favorite sketching assignments. The site and building were beautiful, and I enjoyed taking the time to draw in a quiet and peaceful setting.

Our next activity was driving to the University Adolfo Ibanez School of Architecture. The entire time I was there, I thought about how incredible it would be go there and attend a school in this landscape. The view of the city from the foothills was truly breathtaking and a view that I’ll never forget.

Mestizo Restaurant was the highlight of my day, and easily one of the best meals that I’ve ever had. Not only was the food incredible, but the atmosphere and design of the restaurant were amazing. I enjoyed exploring the park, and loved the ponds and overall landscape of it. I continue to be impressed with the landscapes and parks throughout the city; and wished that the United States would invest more in their parks, especially in urban dwellings. Going to the top of the skyscraper was another amazing experience, and despite feeling slightly dizzy 300 meters up, the view was truly breath taking.

 

Parque Bicentenario

View of University Adolfo Ibanez School

San Miguel

Today was another fun day of exploring Santiago. I really enjoyed visiting the different universities in the city and experiencing how the Chilean students went to school. However my favorite part of the day was exploring San Miguel and seeing the murals. Riding the metro over there was hectic. We were stuffed like sardines in the cabins, and it was extremely hot. All of this was worth it once we reached San Miguel. One of the most intriguing parts of the journey was seeing how the neighborhoods transitioned from what we would consider middle class to lower class. Unlike in America, where it is more gradual, I found that the transition here was more sporadic. One street would have nice gated homes, then the next street would have more social, low income housing. One guy eventually pointed us in the right direction of the murals. I was amazed at how large and colorful but detailed the murals were. My favorite one is captured below in a photo as well as my own sketch of it with pens and watercolors. What I liked most about this mural was it was reflective of the rich history of Chile, incompassing the statues we saw in the Pre-Colombian museum. It uses some traditional colors and patterns native to the culture, and the woman is dressed in what looks like some traditional headgear. Throughout this trip I have been extremely curious about the people and culture of Chile, and I feel this mural represented it best.

 

My favorite mural in San Miguel.

San Miguel

Today was another fun day of exploring Santiago. I really enjoyed visiting the different universities in the city and experiencing how the Chilean students went to school. However my favorite part of the day was exploring San Miguel and seeing the murals. Riding the metro over there was hectic. We were stuffed like sardines in the cabins, and it was extremely hot. All of this was worth it once we reached San Miguel. One of the most intriguing parts of the journey was seeing how the neighborhoods transitioned from what we would consider middle class to lower class. Unlike in America, where it is more gradual, I found that the transition here was more sporadic. One street would have nice gated homes, then the next street would have more social, low income housing. One guy eventually pointed us in the right direction of the murals. I was amazed at how large and colorful but detailed the murals were. My favorite one is captured below in a photo as well as my own sketch of it with pens and watercolors. What I liked most about this mural was it was reflective of the rich history of Chile, incompassing the statues we saw in the Pre-Colombian museum. It uses some traditional colors and patterns native to the culture, and the woman is dressed in what looks like some traditional headgear. Throughout this trip I have been extremely curious about the people and culture of Chile, and I feel this mural represented it best.

My favorite mural in San Miguel.

Size Does Not Matter

So today I saw how size does not matter when it comes to forms of amazement here in Santiago. To help justify this statement lets take a look at two examples starting with the smaller end of the scale. On our way to another campus of PUC we passed a house that had a privacy wall with purple and white flowers growing down it. Now I understand, just flowers; we have them in Ohio, however I have never seen a flower like this one before. After some research I discovered the name of the intriguing flower, it is a Passiflora × belotii. Also, to my amazement, I found out that there are similar flowers in the family that grow in Ohio. I believe this flower to be a prime example on the smaller end because as we passed by the house, there was a stop. Seems a number of students could not continue their walk without snapping a show of exotic plant. This obviously is something amazing and rare to us.

 

            Passiflora × belottii
       Found as far north as Ohio

My second example of scaled amazement would be the UC Innovation Center. This monolithic structure cannot help but bring attention to itself. Its the first building you see when walking from the train and last one on your mind when you go. The color and shape truly work to the building’s advantage. It is this hard gray giant that sits in the foreground of the Andes, and from some angles on the campus, looks like it is rising from the soft canopy made with the trees on campus. This just goes  to show how size is not necessary when it comes to being amused by Santiago

The Innovation Center of UC looking north

 

Two Projects with Sustainability in Mind, One Success.

Today we were able to visit the San Joaquin Campus and had the chance to explore two projects there: the Torres Siamesas and the Innovation Center. While I do not have the specs on the energy consumption of these two buildings, it was quite evident which building had more success in its design in conserving more energy and creating a more comfortable environment in my opinion. The first building that we toured was the Torres Siamesas. My thoughts were kind of split down the middle when it came to this building’s overall design and its attempt to mitigate the effects of solar gain due to the radiation of the sun. Firstly, when it came to its aesthetic design, I had mixed feelings. I found some details like the shape of the building and details in the interior like the lights and staircase to be quite interesting. On the contrast, I was not fond of the choice in material for the lower exterior. Although I appreciated the contrast in materials and a weathered wood would have still looked nice, the durability of the material was terrible and some areas were so deteriorated that it was unsafe to the public. When it comes to sustainability with this building, I believe the intentions were good, but I don’t think it was executed as well as it could have been…and I’m not sure if this was due to the budget, or general failure in the design. The building seemed to be quite hot on the upper levels and the double walled system did not seem to be working properly because heat was being trapped. This is quite problamatic because in order to cool the building it will require a lot of energy. Possibly too much solar gain was occurring for this building and maybe a better type of glazing would have helped, but these are only speculations. Overall, I’d say the design was not a complete flop, but definitely has flaws.

The Innovation Center was a different story than the Torres Siamesas, and I found this project to be very successful and was one of my favorite buildings I’ve seen so far on this trip. The choice in materials was ingenious and beautiful and I loved everything that this building had to offer. The exposed elevator system was not an eyesore and was rather quite fun and inviting, the cantilever pieces on the building acted not only as sun shaders, but were aesthetically interesting as well, the functionality of each floor was intriguing, and the atrium tied everything together. On a sustainable level, I thought this building was extremely successful. Concrete is a more sustainable material due to its properties with thermal bridging, and the atrium in the center helped heat from the building to rise and escape at the top. This building was much more comfortable than the Torres Siamesas, and I think that this project was wonderfully executed.

Innovation Center Sketch

 

Photos everyday

Day three& four

These two days we went to lots of amazing place that is so remarkable for me. And I also got lots of nice photos which is the most excited thing.

Yesterday, I looked at the whole view of Santiago at 62nd floor of the Costanera Center and having a video record. The time-lapse video shown the traffic of city and how the shadow of the Costanera Center changed. It was really cool to see the shadow moves while the time pass. Although it’s not a super high building (compare with Taipei 101), it’s nice to see the wild view with the details of the city and having the nature light coming down from above in the open space. And the lunch we had in Mestizo was so good just as the architecture itself.

Today we go to the San Joaquin and PUC. It is cool to have such a experience of visiting other campus in different country. And I think it is also interesting to be able to compare Knowlton with the other architecture school. I get my best photo(I think it is the best today) of today at PUC which is the reflection from the window of the college students while they setting up the event. And we also find the buckeye tree when we on the way back to hotel, the Chilean buckeye thrill me up so much and giving us a great ending with the picture.

Half

O-H-I-O! Chilean Buckeye.

UAI

Chilean version of Knowlton big stairs.

Architecture Just Got Interesting

I went to a Catholic school for 9 years so I know a thing or two about being bored in a church.

That wasn’t the case in Santiago.
Yesterday we visited the Benedictine Monestary. I haven’t really found an interest in the architecture until this visit. This place was awesome (and that’s probably the first time I’ve correctly used that word).
The first thing I noticed was that’s there was zero artificial lighting. This was especially impressive because there were no direct views to the outside. It was natural lighting without feeling like forced natural lighting. This was the first time I was in awe about a specific design of a building. The entire room was light better than the church I grew up in, but it seemed more organic.
After exploring more of the building, I’ve fallen more and more in love with the place. I found a Chapel with a view that could not be painted better. Behind this Chapel was a perfect outline of the Andes. I am used to having a Chapel with a very good view of the middle school parking lot. This was a good change of pace.
After the Chapel was a garden. The garden looked like something out of a fairy tale. The gorgeous lime trees were moving with a breeze fresh from the mountains. If I were asked to create a better environment, I don’t know what I could change. I was soon asked to leave by a very nice man who spoke decent English.

Bottom line: I fell in love with a building and I get why all these architecture majors do this now.

 

This room is entirely lit by natural light.

 

 

This is the building that made me understand why all these architecture students go to studio for hours a day.

Costanera Tower

Top floor of Costenera

On Monday, the group visited La Costenera tower. It is the tallest building in South America and we were able to ride up to the top floor to get fantastic show views of the city and mountains surrounding it. Like the Andes, La Costenera is a signature of Santiago that can be viewed from various parts of the city. While Chicago has the WIllis Tower, Santiago has La Costenera.

 When heading towards the tower, it was clear which direction to head towards because it was so visible from far away. As we finally reached the tower and looked up at it, I realized just how tall it really was.

View of tower from ground

One detail I noticed about the tower and other buildings surrounding it was that the glass exterior had a purer blue tint to it compared to most American buildings. I wondered if it is an ode to the lapis lazuli stone of Chile. After walking past the lower levels of shopping centers, the group made its way to the top floor. I noticed the intricate beam structures holding the glass building together.

As I went to observe further, I noticed that there actually was no roof and was exposed to the sky instead. The top floors, glass enclosure and an open ceiling created ambiguity between being in an indoor or outdoor space. I felt that perhaps it was a way of further attempting to connect the outdoor site to the interior of this skyscraper. To end the day, I watched the sun set past the mountains which was concluded with a round of applause by the visitors.

Another day, another 650ish pesos

Curves in the benedictine monastery

We have been here for four days now and tomorrow we are going to Valparaiso, more commonly referred to as the BEACH! I’m excited to go tomorrow but I can’t let my excitement overshadow the experiences that I’ve had here in Santiago. On day two, I had a great time with my friends touring the Cerro Santa Lucia, a smaller and more structured hill in the middle of the city. I really appreciated the panoramic views from the top of the hill and the structures and landscapes that covered the small mountain. Although I was separated from the group on the way down and consequently left alone in the city without a map, the studies of the streets and understanding of the subway system got me back to the hotel.

On day three, I really enjoyed visiting the Benedictine Monastery and sketching in the space. I found a spot full of curved edges which was in surprising contrast to the very angular structure. The view was incredible too and I left with a stronger than anticipated appreciation of the building.

Furthermore, we toured a private university in the foothills of the Andes and even had the chance to talk to students at the school. I was surprised to find out that one of the girls there had studied abroad in Cincinnati, Ohio and new of my hometown in Dayton. She and her friends were also willing to take a picture with my gnome, Norbert, who has been traveling the world with me since 2009. I’ve actually been taking pictures of Norbert with every student on this trip and hope to make a video compilation of the pictures. More pictures of the gnome to come.

In case it was missed before, the BEACH is tomorrow and it’s going to make the two hour bus ride worth it.

Great Food and Even Greater Edge Conditions (Day 3)

Salmon and Quinoa Aesthetic

Pampas grass

Papyrus

Diagonal walkways/borders of plant species cutting through the pond

No doubt the food here keeps getting better and better, especially when we ate at Mestizo Restaurant! I got the salmon and quinoa dish and it was the most perfectly cooked and aesthetically pleasing meal I had ever seen/tasted before. Muy Delicioso! After lunch my favorite part of the day was exploring the edge condition of Bicentenario Park. The water gardens were filled with numerous plantings, such as Pampas grass, Feather Reed Grass (Karl Foerster), and Papyrus. With some of the grasses reaching up to 10ft tall my views were limited, but the diagonal walkways reaching to the middle of the water garden, my interaction with the landscape changed. I was able to not feel enclosed by the vegetation and able to see the views that I couldn’t see when I was standing on the perimeter of the garden. The implementation of different programs within the water garden were also fascinating. Different sections of the garden contained an Egret and Flamingo sanctuary, Carp and Fish pond, and a section for marketing their decorative hedge designs. After the water garden, Bicentenario Park began to transition its landscape into more open spaces with less vegetation. Incorporating park like amenities, such as playgrounds and different jogging, biking, and walking trails. A drastic difference between the beginning of the park and the end of the park.

Universities: Santiago vs Columbus

From visiting the Universidad de Adolfo Ibañez (UAI)and Universidad Católica de Santiago (UC), I started noticing differences between the campus layout and culture. One of the more unique features of the universities in Chile is the use of outdoor space. In the Universidad Caólica and Universidad de Adolfo Ibañez, there were many spaces created outdoors for students. Much like Knowlton at OSU has the big steps, large steps used for sitting and socializing were found in at least three different instances outside in the open at UAI. There are many outdoor café’s and patios. There were multiple ping pong tables at both universities outside and often in use. Many projects from the architecture and design students were put on display in outdoor spaces. It was common to see students socializing or studying outside. In contrast, most is done indoors at OSU and the outdoor space is often used for recreation or socializing. This is logical with Columbus being a colder climate than Santiago. The university was also spread across different campuses with different colleges (engineering, medicine, etc.) at each campus. Unlike OSU where all colleges are on one campus, UC had the engineering campus separate from the design campus.

Steps outside at UAI, similar to the big steps in Knowlton

Another difference was that the university students did not live on campus. Instead, they commuted, often from home, to the university. This is hard to imagine when the university could be an hour away or longer to get to when the farthest location at OSU is roughly 15 minutes away for me. That long commute time is less time for studying or getting involved in activities. A lot of students on campus were also wearing jeans and semi casual clothes when it was nearing 90 degrees. While in the US, it’s all about comfort, in Chile, it’s about looking nice. I was unable to spot a single Chilean in gym shorts. It is great to compare how the universities are set up around the world so we can see what is worth replicating and appreciate what we already do well.

Captain’s Log Stardate 0315217

Chemamulles exhibit

Sketch of Chemamulles exhibit

I know this was yesterday, but I can’t get over the Pre-Columbian museum- specifically the Chemamulles exhibit. They are wooden statues that were placed on the tombs in ancient Mapuche burial sites and they represent the spirits of the dead. The sky light from above gave soft, but still strong lighting to the statues that accentuated the details of the figure. The eyes, nose, chin, and breasts in the women especially. The order in which they were placed was smartly done as well. It goes from high to low from, if you’re looking at it, left to right, with hierarchy given to the farthest left figure which is the tallest and has the biggest head. All are male figures except for two, the second and third from the left. This tells the observer that women were also given these carvings to adorn their graves and help them into the afterlife, however they are some of the smallest which may indicate social class. I also thought it was interesting that one is leaning to the right. The display allowed for imperfections which I absolutely love in design. No human is perfect so why should their spirits be any different?

Aside from the subtle inferences one can glean from what is presented, they also have a significant effect on the underground gallery as a whole. As you go from display to display, you are acutely aware of the shadowed eyes following you. I hope for some, the feeling that someone is watching them will encourage them not to use flash when taking photos down there. Although, I believe for most, they act as watchers over what is left of their people in the gallery and reminders that the people who used and wore what we are seeing there, are now dead and these Chemamulles were their grave markers.

Museo Cielo Abierto San Miguel

The Museo Cielo Abierto San Miguel is about a twenty minute metro ride from downtown on the yellow line. The “museum” is a neighborhood of social housing that has been transformed by a collection of murals. The murals line the north and south facades of the buildings facing Av. Departamental and Tristan Matta one block north. The surrounding area is visibly a much lower income neighborhood than the other neighborhoods we’ve been to in the city. It’s interesting how a low-income neighborhood has put itself on the map, per se, by investing its time and effort into public art.

On our way there, a man asked us if we were going to Cielo Abierto, and we told him we were. He gave us exact directions and walked with us a ways. I found it interesting that we were immediately noticed as not belonging to the neighborhood and that the murals had gathered enough attention that people who lived there were used to visitors. I’m currently in a class focusing on how art and culture can help improve the quality of living in cities and one thing that I kept thinking about was how the murals had changed the neighborhood. Of course the residents have these great pieces of art to call their own, but many of these people aren’t living in the best conditions. While we were there, I almost felt obligated to find a local shop to buy something as a way to give back to the neighborhood, however most of the places had closed already. I think it is an issue that needs to be addressed when thinking of places like this.

This project is very reminiscent of Quartier Etats Unis in Lyon that I visited last year. It was also a large section of social housing that had become worn down over the years. The residents and municipality decided in order to entice people back to the area and improve the poor quality of the buildings themselves, they would commission a set of murals. The murals there tell the history of the city and the Etats Unis development. The San Miguel murals represent a more eclectic mix of messages and styles. My favorite was one that seemed to capture the spirit of the city of Santiago and it also cleverly incorporated a shack in front of the mural wall. Other murals took inspiration from other cultures and some even had messages like workers’ rights. The murals definitely had a great impact on the space and have become a unique trademark for San Miguel.

The murals are located on the previously blank facades facing the street

 

This mural utilizes the shed in front as another surface to paint on as if it was one, uninterrupted mural. This mural is a showcase to Santiago as a whole.

The sun sets on another day in Santiago

Beginning to watch the sun set

Currently I am on the 62nd floor, open roof, observatory deck of the Costanera Tower. After a long exhausting day of exploring all over Santiago, it is nice to finally sit and just observe. Our day started with a drive to the Benedictine Monastery, which was incredible and had amazing views.

Sketch of Benedictine Monastery

Benedictine Monastery in relation to landscape

Then we travelled to Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, which was equally amazing. I think I enjoyed the graduate school more, but both were incredible buildings with incredible views (although it was scary climbing the mountain in our huge coach bus).

Universidad Adolfo Ibañez

We rested with a huge and delicious lunch at Mestizo. I had Meat Ragout over gnocchi and tres leches cake for dessert. It was probably one of the best meals I have ever eaten. I was so full I don’t know how I ate it all.

Beef Ragout over gnocchi

Tres Leches was FANTASTIC

Then directly following the meal, we walked through Bicentenario Park, which was super lush and green. Santiago is a very Catholic country, and within the park we found a small chapel. I had no idea it was a chapel from the outside, but it was so peaceful inside. The tree really surprised me. Then we met the group and walked another 15 minutes to the Costanera Tower.

The landscape at Bicentenario Park was beautiful

IMG_3582-1mtx6qi

So, here I am, reflecting on my day as the sun goes down behind the mountains. I can’t believe we fit all of these things into this one day because it feels like that trip to the Monastery was forever ago. I still can’t believe I am in Chile, even South America. I honestly never thought I’d have the chance to come here and I am so happy to have this opportunity. The city is amazing, the weather is fantastic, the food and drinks are awesome, and the people are so friendly. I am loving Santiago.

After an hour and a half of waiting, the sun finally set, and it was so worth the wait.

Buckeyes in Santiago

 

My favorite part of today’s adventure is that we were able to explore the PUC Lo Contador campus. It’s cool to see how different other schools are compared to Knowlton. My favorite part of the campus would have to be the stair design in different buildings. The use of different materials for one stairway was very common among the buildings that we toured. The yellow and red stairs also contrasted with the neutral stairs around campus. I was really impressed with the auditorium space and loved how the seats were bleachers. For some reason I’ve never thought to use bleachers for a lecture hall space but it truly is a good idea to get the most use out of an area. One thing about Santiago is the variety of different trees and plants that can even be found in the city. Some of these plants are a lot different than the ones that we have in the U.S., however I was far too familiar with this buckeye tree. Brett found the buckeye tree on our way back to the hotel from Lo Contador by seeing stray buckeyes on the sidewalk. It was good to see a taste of home and to know that there is some luck with us on the trip.

Stairs near Lo Contador library

Brett holds buckeyes that we found on the street.

Monks, schools, and parks! Oh my!

The sun has been unforgiving and the sights have been ever more wonderful. Our third day started off within a chilly, Dominican monastery. This was unlike any other church I had been to. Rather than having to traditional large panels of stained glass and the Latin cross motif, the modernist church was radical and anything but traditional. It’s sharp edges and small, strips of sunlight illuminated the bright, white walls of the monastery. One of my biggest regrets currently is not having gone inside the chapel. There was a small, rectangular window on the wall that allowed for the golden light from the monastery to shine through with no hints to its contents but a wooden cross on the chapel wall.
Next, we had the bus ride of horror to the Adolfo Ibanez University. The university was wonderful and beautiful however, that bus ride was reminiscent of the childhood error I faced when riding Space Mountain. Our driver deserves a medal; that man is talented and I now trust him with my life. I digress, Adolfo Ibanez’s Grad school and Undergraduate campuses we wonderfully beautiful. The white buildings clashed against the lush, dry Andes in a way that highlighted the architecture of the campuses. I remember preferring the Graduate school over the Undergrad solely because of the materiality within the campus. I felt that the Undergrad was very inconsistent with the relationship between the hallways and doors. This may sound like a small detail but it really drove me bonkers that the graduate school mimicked the wood of the railings whilst the the undergrad did not.
We had a lovely dinner at Mestizo and walked the Biccentenial Park. I was super full and exhaustedly waddling but nonetheless, enjoying the splendid landscape. Everything was so lush and smelled spectacular. I got to feed flamingos! And then ended the day by seeing the city from the highest building in South America…. Humble brag!

 

Day 3

The Monastery Church

The ramp of Universidad Adolfo Ibañez

Yesterday is a sunny day. We meet early and began our journey. We climbed up to a hill to visit a church, called Monastery. To be honest, I rarely focus on church. And I believe this church is the best design I have seen. I think the designer is good to use sunlight. The Windows’ location and size are comfortable. Sunlight go through the windows and come into indoor space, making a sense of holy. And the huge hall looks majestic. Walking into the church, you would be shocked by this masterpiece.

Besides, we went to Universidad Adolfo Ibañez which is a local university. I witness a famous ramp that I just saw in photo. This ramp let me associate with the ramp in Knowlton hall. However, there are a lot of differences. This ramp is more flexible. It is curve that looks really artistic. And the space is much bigger. People can have a open vision when they stand on the ramp. Last but not least, the detail is fantastic. The middle of wall is white while the bottom is gray concrete. And the armrest is made from wood, which is different with the wall material.

Overall, these two building impressed me a lots. They are designed in different way. But they are both successful in details, using materials and space design. I fairly appreciate them.

Exploring the Architectures in Schools

If I have to pick highlights in these two days’ travel, I would definitely say the schools we visited. First of all I think the Architecture Graduate school of University Adolfo Ibanez impressed me by its central plaza. The plaza was occupied by many students who were chatting and circulating around. Such scenery is actually not common back in U.S. I think what I see in U.S. most is that people do their individual’s work more and seldom make connection with others directly. Despite many of them are still greeting each other and have common chat. I am not judging or being critical about this since I think it is all about cultural difference. In the undergrads school of the same university,  we see many open public spaces like the ones we had at Big Stairs in Knowlton( though it’s indoor) under circumstances. I think it’s pretty interesting.

Quick Sketch looking at the Central Gathering Space


And a day after, we went to the famous innovation center in PUC. The architecture itself from exterior is fascinated. To go further you might notice the structure seems to be in a weird but meaningful proportion which I think it’s pretty interesting. I also love the details inside of the building and I did a couple of sketches.

Exterior-Innovation Center

Furniture Pieces inside Innovation Center

 

Culture Continued

Mural in San Miguel

Mural in San Miguel

I’ve decided that my goal is really take in as much of the culture of Santiago that I can. I was talking with Sergio today asking about “po” and other colloquialisms of Chile. As he taught me some I started to really become elated. I said that these are the things you can’t learn in class or through pictures or being a tourist. It’s when you ask questions and take 45 minute train rides when you start to really gain a glimpse of what the culture is like. Asya, Shelby, and I went out to the Museo Cielo Abierto de San Miguel. The murals were each unique and beautiful and complex. It made me think of the complexity of Santiago and the history and the culture. The murals were on social housing in a lower income neighborhood. And I’m going to this neighborhood I saw a side of Santiago I hadn’t seen. Sometimes as a tourist you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the city with all the flashy architecture, but it’s nice to see the other side of things. A man coming off the train in a suit helped us find the murals and a woman with her son waved to us from across the street. It’s these personal interactions that excite me as much as the architecture. Going to the universities the last two days has also given me an idea of what it would be like to be a 21 year old college student in Santiago. I still can’t fully understand what it would be like to live at home all through college or to take the super crowded train to class everyday but I understand better now. And that is the goal to understand parts of the culture from multiple perspectives a little better by the end of the trip.

Judgements on juice and ice cream

In these couple of days, I tried different types of fruity juice and ice cream. I’m pretty surprised by how different could a fruit turns into drinks. Because when I have breakfast at the hotel, the fruits such as melon and strawberry have really sweet taste, but juice has a bit of bitter, which reminds me of the super sweet dessert in the restaurant at parque bicentenario.
First of all, I tried some fruits that I have never had before, such as the custard apple from the same restaurant. The custard apple juice have the balance of sweet and sour, it surprised me how the sweetness could overweight sour taste, and it actually could stay in your mouth for a little while, which is very interesting.
Another juice I tried is the pomegranate juice. The pomegranate juice is much more bitter than what I expect for, probably is because they don’t peel it when getting the juice. I get it near the subway station of la moneda, there’s people extracting the juice from the entire pomegranate near the station. The process of witnessing the fruit being extracted into juice is amazing.
From the San cristobal hill in day one, I got the juice named mote con huesillos, it’s new to me with the sweetness both from the juice part and fruit part as it is probably peach. I love the various layers in this juice.
I tried different ice cream as well, from the frozen yogurt nearby the hotel, I can chose two types of fruit I would like to add into the ice cream, I choose strawberry and pińa, and I experienced the way they mix fresh fruits with yogurt and frozen it into ice cream. The machine of mixing and freezing it is incredible, and the taste is good. Compared to this, another ice cream store called emporio la rosa, the flavors I tried are lime and coco chocolate, the lime one is super sour, which could prove its 100% natural extracted from fresh fruits. And the coco chocolate one isn’t strong enough for me to taste out coconut. Probably the percentage of sugar is reduced from that to enlarge the flavor of natural fruits.

Custard Apple juice

pomegranate juice

mote con muesillos

frozen yogurt

emporio la rosa

Meeting the Locals

Yesterday, I sat on the 62nd floor of the Costanera Center with Lisa, Megan, Becca and Bryan as we watched the sun set over the mountains. That was an experience I will never forget. Yesterday and today have been such incredible days, I have taken so many amazing pictures of the amazing places we visited. Some of my favorite highlights include the Benedictine Monastery, the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Mestitzo, and the Costanera tower, and PUC. I was truly amazed by the monastery. I thought it was incredibly well down and beautiful especially in the morning with the sun and the mountains in the backdrop. The food at Mestizo was honestly probably the best I have ever had. The food was just as great as the architecture. I also really enjoyed visiting all the architecture schools. It was such a unique opportunity to be able to compare my education and facilities to theirs.

Today I had some great experiences with locals. On our way back from PUC we met a local on the Metro who is studying law at the university. He talked to us about what we were doing, where we had gone, gave us some suggestions and even offered to give us a tour of the law school. Later today, during our free time, we went to Bella Vista and had a great experience at the market. After wondering around looking for food, two locals approached us and began to talk to us. Their names were Lucas and Moses and they were salsa dancers who enjoyed learning and using their English. They walked around with us for a bit and eventually led us to a great place to eat. After a long day of lots of walking and meeting locals, we returned to the hotel for the night. I’m so glad I have gotten so many opportunities to sketch these past few days here in the city, but I am really looking forward to our trip to Valparaiso tomorrow for a change in scenery, weather and culture.

O-H-I-O on top of Costanera with Bryan, Megan, Becca and myself.

 

Probably my favorite photo from day 3 of the Monastery.