I am writing this waiting for our flights to Santiago. I couldn’t be more excited to land and start to experience the culture and warm weather! I am excited for what the language barrier challenge will show about my non existent Spanish skills, and I am hoping that I leave this trip with a better understanding of the language. I am grateful that a handful of people on the trip are confident in their Spanish skills! I am also extremely excited for the warm weather and how all activities can be down outside. Specifically, I researched restaurants around our hotel, and one has a patio on the street, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I wrote a lot of my blog posts and finished my sketches there.  Overall, I am unbelievably excited to visit the selected sites, and more, and experience Santiago’s rich culture!

After traveling to London, I am confident in some of my traveling skills. But I believe Santiago will be much more difficult – I am up for the challenge! I am particularly excited to have this experience as a stepping stone in my education as I learn about South American culture and architecture in relation to North American architecture.

I am so unbelievebly excited for this trip!

I just want to say that I am beyond excited to go to Chile! This will be my first time on an airplane and my first time leaving the country so this is kind of a big deal for me haha. My big goal on this trip is to gain confidence and experience travelling abroad because I eventually want to travel all over the world. I’m writing this in the airport and everything is just now starting to feel real. I’m so excited to experience another culture! I think it will be interesting as well to see how much spanish I was really taught in high school. I’m most excited though to practice my sketching skills thar I’ve learned so far and hopefully get some cool sketches to show for it. I packed colored pencils that I’m pretty excited to incorporate into my sketches as well. Another thing I’m really pumped for is trying all the new foods I possibly can. I’m a big believer that one of the best ways to experience and learn about another culture is through their food. I’m especially excited for street food like sopapillas. I’d also like to track down some of those deserts that are similar to moon pies but better and Aimee brought them in with all that other Chilean food one day.

I put off writing this until I got to the airport because I could not believe that the day is here. It has been an hectic semester so I can not wait for a well deserved break. I hope that this class will be very educational but relaxing as well. I can not wait to escape this cold weather and enjoy some sunshine!

The thing I’m most exited about is finaly getting to visit the buildings that we’ve learned so much about. I can not wait to make my own observations of the buildings. I am also looking forward to the free day. I still don’t know what I will be doing, but I am excited to find out what interests me most.

I am looking forward to being surrounded with the Chilean culture and language. I will have to wait and see if my high school Spanish classes paid off. I know that I will have a bit of a difficult time due to the language barrier but it will be fun trying to figure out how to communicate through signs and pictures.

Ps. I am the most exited about the possibility to see or get to pet a llama. Because architecture is great and all that but the llamas would definitely be the highlight of this trip!

I find it hard to believe that it was several months ago when I signed up to go on this trip, and now today is the day that we’re leaving and its now a surreal reality. I’m eager to embark on this new journey because it will be an incredible journey and experience for me.

Despite my excitement, I was lazy when it came to packing as I spent my last 2 hours in Columbus packing. Although I had everything laid out and ready on my desk, I didn’t pack anything away into my carry on or my suitcase until last minute. I don’t know why I do, but I always procrastinate with packing.

I’m excited to leave the country and to experience a foreign place for the first time. In a way it’s kind of shocking that come tomorrow when we land in Santiago, we will all be engaged in a completely new culture that may very different from what we’re used to. Something that I’m looking forward to upon arriving in Santiago is noticing the little differences and contrasts between the United States and Chile. For example, I’m curious to see how things like traffic lights and street signs in Chile differ from what we’re used to in America.

As I sit waiting for the plane, I cannot believe that this day has come so quickly! It is beyond strange to think that although I am in my winter coat now, before I know it, I will be in shorts and a t-shirt under the warm sun. Not just that, but I will be roaming the streets of a completely new country and continent. I will be experiencing architecture in a way that I never have before, but have been looking forward to for a long time.

Whether aiming to better understand the architecture or the society itself,this is bound to be a great learning experience. I am curious to see what is ahead of us, and am ready to be immersed in the rich culture of Santiago, Chile.

Thinking back to the beginning of the semester, it seems like I have learned so much about Santiago since then. It will be so fascinating to experience the city in person and to apply all of the knowledge about the culture and city that I have gained. I am looking forward to documenting this experience through photographs and through sketches. Surely the memories we make will be ones I won’t soon forget.

It is 1:35PM and we’re all sitting at the airport waiting to check in for our flight to Santiago. It was a long line to check in, but I’m excited to go through security and see airplanes along the gates. My group made it through security and checked in at the gate with Christine and our plane had not arrive yet. Then Edith, Mallory and I went to grab some food in the airport and had endless chats. The food was tasted pretty good and was very healthy. It is now 3:16PM and we have return to the gate area. It is a cloudy day out and the airport is not super busy at this hour. It is a little more than an hour until we depart from Columbus, Ohio. I had an obsession with airplanes and how loved it when it was time to take off or land and it is still something that I am looking forward to experience again! I’m excited to see a new city and experience summer in the middle of what is usually winter for me. Most importantly, I am so excited to learn and experience a new culture, language and try out some street food while in Chile.  Continue reading Kevin’s Pre-Departure →

It really hit me after I got through TSA. Sitting outside gate B32 waiting to embark on the first leg of our trip, I am beginning to fully realize the reality of this trip. Im am realizing that when I wake tomorrow I will not only be in another country but another continent. Santaigo as the final destination fuels my yearning for new experiences. Being emmersed in a new culture, with a different language and different customs will be refreshing as an outsider.

With my major being finance, I am also very excited for all of the architectural exposure I will receive from this 9 day trip. Coupling both my finance and architectural interests, I am particularly interested in the innovation center that we will be visiting. Beyond the striking architecture, I am hoping to have either a conversation with a respresentative of the center or obtain some literature regarding their business incubator program. A side note is that I am starting my own small scale business incubator program in my hometown, so if I am able to understand the structure of their high scale program, I could better structure my own program.

I am really looking forward to all of the experiences that I will have over the course of the next 9 days.

Having prepared so much for this trip, I don’t really think it feels like it’s happening. I often feel like this before big trips, but I think this one feels especially odd because I haven’t traveled with a group since Sophomore year of high school. Also, these last couple days have been crazy; trying to spend time with people before I leave, do all the school work I need to do (including prepare for a review I’ll be missing), and prepare for the trip at the same time has been a lot. In the end, though, it’s a push that has been challenging in a good way, and I’m excited to relax now.

I think first and foremost, I’m excited for the free time we have. I really appreciate the mix of presecribed activities and open time incorporated in this trip. To me, it gives both the opportunity to see the sights-and maybe learn something about from someone who knows- but also explore on our own. This exploration is really important to travel and is also a time I’m really excited to take some photos. I like taking street photos, and being in a large group can sometimes alter the dynamic of that.

Oh yeah, and the food and architecture doesn’t hurt as well. The benedictine monastery is the architecture project I am most excited about, and parque Bicentenario is the landscape project I am most interested in. Pictures (usually) don’t do these places justice and its the atmosphere that adds so much.

     It’s hard to believe that tomorrow I’ll be on a totally different continent. My week has been so jam packed with reviews, packing, and club activities that I feel like I’ve barely had time to let everything sink in. I woke up at 8 this morning to cross off the last things I needed to do to get ready and still have that feeling that I’m forgetting something. But I know I have my passport, electronics, money, and some clothes so I’ve got all the important stuff. The day of traveling ahead is a little daunting but I actually kinda enjoy flying so I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up on some of the sleep I missed this week on the plane tonight and be able to wake up ready to hit the town in Chile.

     All the last minute stress aside, I’m incredibly excited to arrive in Santiago. I’ve never been to a Spanish speaking country so this will be a totally new experience for me culturally and I’m looking forward to broadening my horizons in that way. I’m also looking forward to getting to actually walk through the projects we have talked about. Especially the Innovation Center, Parque de la Infancia, and the Benedictine Monastery. The day trip to Valparaíso is another thing that I’m excited about because of how colorful everything is there. I can’t wait to be somewhere warm with so many fascinating things to do.

Buenos días!

I can not believe it comes so quick. In about 6 hours from now, we will be flying to Santiago Chile.
I remember that when I transfer to the Ohio State University, the advisor at Knowlton Hall was explaining a variety of study abroad programs at the Knowlton school. I was really excited and thought if I would be able to join.

As I started the Knowlton program, I started to feel fear to apply for these study abroad programs due to the financial matter and the fear of traveling with a group of people I may not comfortable with. However, Fortunately, I got wonderful friends, and we were able to apply to this class together. Aimee always makes her lectures very interactive and had some activities to make classmates know each other.

I am now very excited to travel with my classmates and friends! and I am excited about the colorful mountain town, Street dogs, Vega Market’s food, and the Chilean Cultural Museum. My only regret now is that I did not have enough time to research fun places for the free time. But, I still have a long flight time which is perfect for last minutes research! I will double check with my baggage and…. I am ready to go!!

I’m super excited to visit Chile and can’t believe that today is the day. This trip seemed so far away at the beginning of the semester but it feels like these weeks have moved rapidly and now here we are. This has been one of the busiest weeks for me regarding school work with assignments due, so I’m very relieved to finally be finished with most of that. I haven’t gotten much rest for the past couple of days so I’m really looking forward to getting some sleep on the plane.

I’m ready to totally immerse myself in Chilean culture. I think that what I’m most excited about changes daily but I am looking forward to visiting the sites that we have learned so much about in class, particularly Torre Costanera and Mestizo. I’m also excited to ride the fernicular and take in the views.

It looks like we are in for such a long journey to get there but I think that on the way in it won’t be that bad; coming back to Ohio will be another story. I’m also pumped about the expected weather, the temperature change should be interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow , well today.

Finally, it is departure day! I am really looking forward to being outside of the country for this spring. It feels like an opportunity to continue my education, but in a less formal setting. Honestly, the value of studying abroad is vastly underplayed as I believe most see it as a vacation rather than an educational experience. Sure, I am excited to visit Chile and see a part of the world I have not yet experienced. However, I am even more excited for the fact that this trip could potentially change how I experience architecture.

As I have been pursuing an architecture degree for 2 years now, I believe I have become a bit jaded about my own perception. Being successful in school means you have to be highly critical of not just your own work, but of work done by people you might admire. To do this I have had to be more evaluative of work and have not just stepped back and actually enjoyed the projects in their entirety. For this reason, I really want to force myself on this trip to not find faults with the projects I encounter and instead appreciate the effort or intent of the project. Since I will not be in a school setting, it will be easier for me to simply admire the work and focus on representing it through sketch. Essentially, I would like this to trip to be an exercise in how to perceive and represent the architect’s vision.

It feels like just yesterday that I worked up the courage to sign up to go abroad. I would see Aimee’s slide pop up every lecture class in 2300, urging us to go to Santiago. I figured that if she was as persistent about sparking our interest as she was, that it has to be a good trip.

As tomorrow, our departure day, rolls around after months of eagerly awaiting it, I could not be more excited. Unfortunately, however, my excitement is masked by all of the desperation I have to finish my assignments before Spring Break. I think of how this time tomorrow, I will be (hopefully) asleep on a plane leading me towards good food, amazing weather, and even better sights. One of the sights I look forward to most is Elemental’s Innovation Center. I spent a lot of time analyzing it in 2300 after I figured out that I was all in for this trip so it will be nice to see the comparisons, differences, and new findings in person.

I  have all of the essentials such as sunscreen, my passport, and of course spending money so I hope I am not forgetting anything, but I guess ill have to wait to find out! I also got a few extra gadgets such as camera lenses and disposable cameras which I am thrilled to put to use.

Saint Augustine once said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” I personally believe traveling the world is essential for education but also for personal fulfillment purposes. It’s important to experience a variety of cultures. People can grow in a multitude of ways that they perhaps would have never done inside a classroom.

For me, I have always dreamed of going to South America. I just never had a program I could happily participate until now. I currently look at my fully packed suitcase, eager to being this journey tomorrow. I cannot wait to discover a realm of different culture. I have been graced with an amazing opportunity to blend my love for traveling with architecture. I know I will discover first-hand a different form of design, influenced by Southern American cultures.

The highs and lows of traveling all create such a unique experience for every individual. My personal highs for an adventure like this is discovering local cuisine, conversation with locals, and exploring traditional neighborhoods, parks, and streets. Conversely, I am not looking so much forward to the long, tedious flight. Regardless, they all comprise this journey to Santiago, Chile, and I cannot wait until it commences! I am beyond excited to broaden my horizons and read a couple more pages that the world innately holds in its colossal book.

I am honestly extremely excited to be going abroad for Spring break my senior year before graduating. It’s such a privilege to go abroad and study in such amazing cities like Santiago. I look forward to a lot from the food to the NICE weather. But most of all, I am looking forward to growing from this experience as a student and personally.

As a scholar, I hope to grow my understanding of Chilean architecture. Furthermore, hope to learn more about Chilean history through my discussions with the locals and visiting the museums. In addition, I hope to grow my Spanish speaking skills. Specifically, I am excited to use my Spanish extensively and hopefully expand my Spanish speaking abilities by adding on Chilean slang. In addition, I hope to utilize my Spanish as I navigate the streets of Chile. In addition, to learn through conversation with locals the importance of understanding the strong history that has molded today’s Chile.

Personally, I hope to grow my understanding of what an immigrant is from the perspective of a Chilean. I want to learn about the economy and the government. Moreover, learn about the push factors that cause many immigrants to migrate to other countries with better opportunities. I hope to learn a lot about myself in Chile as I discover and learn about this great country!

¡Hola!

There is about 24 hours until we leave to Chile. I remember the orientation like it was yesterday and now that the day is tomorrow, I should probably start packing…

I am most eager about the warm weather and gathering my summer clothes and flip flops out from the back of my closet. It will be nice to take a break from Columbus’s sad cold weather. I can’t wait to get to see Elemental’s projects, I’ve admired their focus on sustainability which as architects we should try and minimize our impact on the environment! I believe Santiago is one those places that could benefit from sustainability due to it’s resource of sun and vegetation.

With all the sunny days and beautiful landscape that Chile offers, I am looking forward to using my new camera. I’m interested to try and capture the picturesque mountains to the amazing food to the artsy streets of Valparaiso. Since I’ve upgraded my phone, I will have amazing photos to brag to my friends and family! I think there are certain things you can’t capture with a photo but can with a sketch, which I am also excited for. I plan on exploring my drawing skills on this trip with the many pencils, pens, colored pencils I’ve purchased, which I think won’t be hard to do with the Chile’s scenario doing most of the artwork.

¡vamonos a Santiago!

It seems like not too long ago we were just starting class and being introduced to all of the basics of Chilean culture and architecture. Now we are one day away from departing for Santiago, and I couldn’t be more excited. I still haven’t packed or done laundry for the trip, so I have a busy night ahead of me.

It was very exciting to talk to Aimee on FaceTime today because she updated us on all of the restaurants and sites that we are going to visit. I think that I am most excited to get out of the cold Ohio weather and finally get to experience the climate in Santiago. Seeing the weather forecast for our trip has also made me very excited because it looks like it will be sunny and warm every day, which is a much needed change from our current temperatures.

I can’t wait to try lots of new foods while in Santiago. When I was younger I used to be much pickier about the foods I ate, but in the past few years I have grown to enjoy trying new foods, and I think it will be very interesting to try authentic foods from a completely different country.

I am looking forward to boarding the plane tomorrow, and hope that our travels go smoothly so that we can have a great start to our trip!

I am so excited to be going to Santiago tomorrow! This study abroad program is giving me the opportunity to travel to South America for the first time and I think it will be very interesting to see the differences in culture from the other places I have visited. I am looking forward to trying new kinds of food and drinks, like sopapillas and huesillos, and visiting Mestizo. It think it will really cool to experience all of the different things that Santiago has to offer and see how overall life compares to that in the U.S.

Another aspect of the trip that I am excited about is the architecture. I think it will be really cool to be able to experience the different styles of architecture that can be seen in Chile and I am most excited to visit the Innovation Center, Museum of Memory, Mestizo, Parque de la Infancia and Parque Bicentenario. I am also very interested in visiting the San Joaquim campus and seeing how it compares to OSU. I feel that sketching is a really great way of documenting these experiences because it is much more personal than a picture, so I am excited to be able to improve my sketching skills over the trip and to be able to look back on these sketches once the trip is over.

Thinking about how we will be in a different continent in two days makes my heart pound and and stomach turn. I am so nervous for such a long flight and super excited to be in Santiago! I am almost packed, but I still feel like I am not even close to being ready. Which, I know my Spanish isn’t ready to visit Chile. A semester of Duolingo can only go so far. Thank goodness you can download the Spanish language on the Google translate app.

The past couple of days I have felt a little bit like a celebrity because of all the texts and calls I am getting from family and friends asking me to send pictures in Chile. I am very fortunate to have this opportunity. Not many people get to do something like this and, according to my mom, I am this week’s talk of the town.

I can’t wait to be in whole new part of the world. Experiencing a new culture, food, geography, people, and so on will be an eye opening experience to me. Ohio can only show you so much. I want to make the most and best of my time in Santiago. This trip may be over spring break, but I know it won’t be a break for me. I am going to be busy experiencing and learning all that a can in the week we are there. I don’t know if I will be able to sleep tonight due to excitement and I probably won’t get much sleep there. I will just have to save that for the plane ride.

Wow!!! We are going to Santiago TOMORROW!!! Second semesters always dragged on forever in high school, but it has absolutely flown by this year. Not going to lie, I’ve been so busy recently that I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that we’re headed to a different country in a matter of days.

Traveling is something I’m so interested in and passionate about that I feel so grateful that this opportunity has come to be a reality. The thing I’m most looking forward to is watching the locals to see how they live compared to us here. Taking in the language, the culture, and (obviously) the food- I can’t think of anything better.

Speaking specifically of the sites, I’m most anxious to see the Costanera Tower and the monastery. The view from the tower looks absolutely breathtaking, and I can’t wait to get a sick panorama video on my GoPro!!! From the pictures we’ve seen and what we’ve learned in class about the monastery, I have the feeling it will be quite special to get to experience the architecture.

Another thing I’m really looking forward to is sitting in Plaza De Armas and sketching the surroundings. Seeing life go past me, hearing all the sounds of the city and people speaking, and being able to experience it through sketching.

I’m just so excited!!!!!!!!!! Santiago here we come.

It’s so hard to believe that we depart for Santiago in two days! While this semester has flown by, it still doesn’t feel like we should be leaving in less than 48 hours. With all the work in classes piling up and the weather resorting more and more into a winter feeling, I can’t wait to be in the warm weather and feel the sunshine.

I have never been to South America before so this will be a new experience! I have, however, been on long flights, some of my longest ones being to Hawaii, Ireland, and Germany. I am hoping to sleep on our long 10 hour flight so I can have lots of energy for our first day in Chile! I am most excited to see the Andes Mountains and the amazing architecture we have been learning about. I feel like when we get to see all of the architecture for the first time, it won’t even compare to the pictures and videos we’ve been seeing.

Another thing I’m excited about is all of the sketching. I feel like my sketchbook will be an amazing reminder and memory of this trip. I hope that my sketches can become more of how I envision them to be.

I can’t wait to arrive in Chile, feels like I have been stuck inside Knowlton for the past couple weeks so the sun is very welcome.

Anytime I have traveled somewhere very recognizable, like to see the Statue of Liberty, or the Hollywood sign, it almost feels like a dream to actually be seeing this famous thing in real life for the first time ever. I feel like, with how much we have studied and learned about Santiago, that seeing some of these buildings/parks/etc. will evoke the same feeling. Not only that, but I have never left North America before, and even then I just went to Toronto. Being so far away in a completely different culture will be a completely life-changing experience. This trip will be a much-needed change during a long semester and I’ve maintained that experiencing such a different culture and seeing how the culture effects their architecture will be an eye-opening/ mind-opening? experience that will benefit me as a person and academically. I always used to love drawing when I was young and have really enjoyed doing it more often in class, but I’m excited to actually put my skills to the test trying to document all the amazing sights we will see. I love traveling and this type of trip where we see as much as possible is right up my alley. Hopefully they have as many coffee shops as we do here.

I can’t believe it is almost time for us to depart to Chile! Time has really flown by and I am incredibly excited. I can’t wait to fill my sketchbook with drawings I can look back on to help me remember this once in a lifetime opportunity. I also hope that when I look through my sketchbook when we get back that I notice some improvement. I am also excited to get out of my comfort zone and try new foods. I usually just stick with a grilled cheese here in America so I can’t wait to expand my palette a little.

I’ve never flown out of country before (the longest flight I’ve ever had was 3 hours to Las Vegas, Nevada), so I’m really excited to gaze out my window at the beautiful parts of the world that I’ve never seen.

I can’t wait to have many pictures, stories, sketches, and souvenirs to give/show to my family and friends when we get back. If you would’ve asked me one year ago what I thought I’d be doing for spring break, I never would’ve guessed that I would have the opportunity to travel to Santiago. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to make the most of it!

        I am amazed at how fast this semester has gone by as I prepare to finally take off for Chile! I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to travel to South America for the first time and in particular to a country I never would have thought I would get to see if you had asked me even just a year ago. I am definitely ready for warm weather too. This education abroad trip will certainly be a once in a lifetime experience for me.

       Chilean food, culture, architecture, landscapes, history and much more await our eager and curious minds. I am excited to document all of these new experiences in my sketchbook, which is something I have never brought along with my on any of my trips before. This sketchbook will hold so much importance to me after this journey as I use it to recall our daily activities and sightseeing, show others such as family and friends what I learned, and to inspire myself to keep working on my sketching abilities after this trip and class are over. I look forward to my first of hopefully many study abroad experiences, the chance to use my rusty Spanish skills, the invaluable architectural exposure, and the many memories to come!