Group Photos

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!

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 →

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.