Stay Classy, Guardamar!

I can’t believe I’m about to say this… but today was our very last full day in Guardamar del Segura, Spain. Can you believe that?! Aye well, before I get too caught up on how fast this summer has flown by haha… I should mention that Group 4 successfully presented today and this summer’s Arch 101 Studio Program in Spain… is complete. As far as the presentations went, everything went smoothly haha. We had new reviewers again today; they were great reviewers but the only catch was that they didn’t know any English. So, Alex had to translate every few sentences of each of the student’s presentations as well as the reviewers’ comments so that both end understood what the other was saying. It took a bit longer because of this but it worked out just fine. Haha by the way, Melissa has a new fan now! One of the reviewers, Jesus, was absolutely taken aback by her project – he was so mesmerized and he just couldn’t get enough of it! Haha in the end, Melissa ended up leaving her boards and signing them so that Alex could give it to Jesus. Oh man, he’s going to be so happy haha. Alex ended our Review with a few words of advice in the Architecture realm… it was like a sentimental motivational speech haha. It was nice to end on a happy note, even if it was bittersweet.

After Final Review, we went directly to the Pension and ate our last meal together in the Pension (AKA “Our Last Supper”). We definitely ate well. I had the usual, Carbonara and Roast Chicken haha. Even though the Pension serves incredibly greasy food and provides “bug juice” for their customers to use… I’m going to miss it haha. Really. Especially Vicente, one of the owners of the place. He has been so good to us this summer. I’m never going to forget not only his food and mannerisms, but his incredible hospitality to us “chicos y chicas.” He told us that he really enjoyed having us at the Pension and that we were an amazing bunch of kids to keep him company during the summertime. It was all so bittersweet… but a nice way to end this summer session. One of the students took a picture of him sleeping in the kitchen or something haha and we all passed it around to sign and give to him. Albert helped translate some words so I could write my little note to him in Spanish. I think it made him really happy. Oh! Melissa, Sherry, Lu, and I got to take a picture with him haha! That made US equally happy.

After eating and resting up a bit, we headed back over to the Ayuntamiento to pin down and pack everything up. Slowly but surely, as everyone showed up, the walls became bare and all of our presentation boards and mylar were either rolled up or laying on the floor for Alex to take home. I’ll admit that it was sad to think that it’s all over… but I am so very thankful that whatever is “over”… happened. I have made so many irreplaceable memories this summer that I will never forget.

Eventually, everything disappeared minus the stacked chairs and collection of models on the floor. Haha maybe it’s a good thing that none of us are able to take our models home on the plane; seeing our models laying on the floor the way I did today made me think of the models as pieces of us… yes, they were precursors to what our buildings would look like, but they’re also like a representation of us; we’re leaving a part ourselves in Guardamar haha. Is that cheesy or what? Before leaving, we all said our goodbyes farewells to Alex… thanks to Ceci, we were able to get a framed group picture of the class and him with our signatures on the back in time before he left. It was actually really cute! Haha.

Afterwards, Melissa and I spent some time at the daily market that’s held down by the dunes. Since it is our last day, I shopped more aggressively and efficiently as I didn’t let myself think too much about what I eyed and whether or not I should buy it or not. I’m so glad we went! We did have fun though; aside from the shopping we –once again – took some “silly” pictures together haha! They are priceless.

What can I say? It’s time to start packing everything up, for real this time, and moving on with new adventures. I have definitely had one of the most adventurous summer’s of my life here in Guardamar del Segura… even with the unreliable internet connection, “it’s been good, Guardamar, it’s been good.” I’ve also realized that for the past two months I have lived WITHOUT a cellphone, texting, air-conditioning (this is normal, but still), television, more than one meal a day, and a dryer for clothes… in return, I have lived WITH one large meal a day, nutella and bread in place of other meals, a tiny room for two, limited toilet paper, cockroaches, bugs in vinegar and soup, loud music playing until 7am in the morning, cigarette smoke just about everywhere, and the good ol sunshine to dry my clothes… the list is endless.

Come tomorrow morning at 11am, all of us will be checking out of our rooms and will be on our way… some of us will be heading home while others will be delaying their trip home for an extensive Eurotrip! Come tomorrow afternoon, Lu, Edgar, Jinah, Sherry, and I will be heading off to Venice, Italy! I’m so excited!

Watch Out… They Have THEE Pants!

Today was our second day of Reviews and I’d say it went well. We had two new reviewers instead of Vicente, so it spiced things up a bit. Overall, everyone’s presentations were great! I mean, each Reviewer had their own opinion about each project, as expected, but the critiques they gave were solid. I’m really proud of everyone haha. Both Group 3 and 4 were supposed to present today but since the Reviewers had to leave, only Group 3 got to present. Thus… we shall leave Group 4 for tomorrow.

This is the longest Review I have ever had!

Anywho, this evening was so much fun! Remember those really colorful and comfy pants that I bought several weeks ago? Well, five other girls and I had bought them too, so we decided to have a most epic photoshoot at the ol castle of Guardamar. Haha you should have seen us! We all wore our pants, slip on shoes, and a tank top. We took a BUNCH of absolutely ridiculously-amazing pictures with our most awesome pants on haha! We took jumping pictures, kicking pictures, “normal” pictures… a combination of everything with everyone! We were getting so into it and had such a great time. Cristian, Albert, and Yoshie came up a little bit later to see us and they helped us take pictures of us. Cristian called us Gypsies once he saw all of us dressed in our matching pants and shoes haha



All I gotta say is... "Imma Gypsy!"

My Jelly Fish Pulled Through!

Today is Wednesday. That means that today was the very last Mercadillio that we went to. We couldn’t, wouldn’t, and didn’t miss this amazing market for the world. So, we got ourselves out of bed before meeting up with Alex and browsed around a bunch of booths. Since it WAS the last time we were ever going to be able to go to a Mercadillo, I finally decided to buy a nice dress haha. I’ve been eyeing it for the past several Mercadillos… haha so I’m glad I finally got it. We scurried back to the Pension before meeting with everyone else; all the while I was mentally preparing for my presentation at Final Review that was about to happen!

So, today was Day ONE of Final Review… and I am officially D. O. N. E. with Arch 101! Since I’m in Group 1, I was a part of the first group to present today (Group 2 presented today as well). I think my presentation went well. It was the first time that I didn’t rush through my presentation and slur my words together haha. That usually happens since I get really nervous sometimes, but today… I handled it much better. The reviewers, Alex, Paloma, and Vicente (a visiting architect from Alicante) seemed to like my project. Vicente kept saying that my Jelly Fish were so… different and very unique. He couldn’t think of any other place that looks like my Jelly Fish haha. I guess that’s a good thing. Of course, my project isn’t resolved and essentially, it is still “incomplete” but for the amount of time I had to produce a building and with all the technical problems I was having with my complex Jelly Fish… I’m really proud of the end result! Final Review = Success! I’m so glad I finished today.



Anywho, half of the class finished presenting today. Up next: Groups 3 and 4! After Final Review, most people hung around for an hour or so and then everyone met up at the “Alone” café that’s right across the street from our Studio and we all celebrated the ending of our summer session with dinner. The owners of this café made a GIGANTIC pan of Paella for all of us with enormous shrimp and mussel. Oh baby! It was nice to eat with everyone and wind down after a long day of our first day of Review. Haha “Edgar and his women” were all sitting together having a blast and we were writing each other’s names in whatever language we knew… all over each others’ hands… just because haha.

Only three days left!

Now, THIS Is My Cup of Tea!

Oh man, so today we have been printing nearly all day at Copi Gama trying to prepare our boards and presentations for Final Review. It’s been pretty stressful because there were so many of us trying to print two boards on one plotter in the store. Also, a handful of us were having technical difficulties with our Illustrator files… some were too large to open or needed to be split into two different PDF files. All of which slowed down the printing process. But anyway! Haha in the mean while, the students who already presented were with Alex who was getting interviewed by the local news! Yeah! We really are the celebrities of Guardamar. They must have interviewed Alex for a while because we arrived at the pin-up space before everyone else did.

Aside from printing our boards, we spent most of today pinning up all of our work and making our exhibit look presentable. Once everyone else arrived at the Ayuntamiento we all just mingled together, nibbled on the snacks and refreshments that were brought to the exhibit earlier, and were occasionally taped by the local news who were walking around documenting the whole event! Haha. Since it was nearly 9pm by the time the press left, Alex decided that it’d be best to officially start our Final Review tomorrow! Group 1 and 2 will be presenting tomorrow on Wednesday and Group 3 and 4 will be presenting on Thursday. That’s totally fine with me. I just feel so relieved to have plotted!



As soon as I thought the day was over, a spontaneous idea came to mind. Alex asked us if –to those who have not gone yet— if we wanted to go to the Tea House. Earlier in the summer, Alex took most of the class to this amazing little gem outside the skirts of Elche, which is only about thirty or so minutes away. Since all of us were finished with our work, we really had nothing else to do, so we jumped on the opportunity! Haha it was getting late, but Alex and Paloma still drove a group of us to the Tea House. And let me tell you, I absolutely LOVED this place! Yes, it was dark when we got there. Yes, I was tired from the crazy printing session earlier in the day. But, “Oh my jesus,” I just couldn’t stop taking pictures (of what I could) and focusing my eyes on what was visible in the darkness haha. We ended up staying there for a good two hours. I wanted to stay longer haha. But anyway, it’s like a magical, exotic garden in the middle of no where… with beautifully-lit lanterns, lush greenery everywhere, lounging areas, tents that you can sit in and have tea, peacocks chillin’ on the roof (literally), geckos on the walls, kittens and puppies running here and there, an impressively-built house that you discover its history by running your fingers along the walls and walking through carved spaces… it’s incredible.



One of my most favorite things about the Tea House is the view of the stars at night. Since we got there pretty late, we could see so many stars out in the sky. And since the Tea House is located in the middle of nowhere, away from all the light pollution, it’s like being covered with a blanket of millions of stars when you look up. It. was. breathtaking. Being in such an exotic environment is almost as sweet as the teas and snacks they served us under the tent, or maybe even sweeter!

I really, really want to go back. Maybe if I'm lucky enough I'll go back to the Tea House in my dreams tonight haha. Wish me luck on tomorrow's presentation!

Go, Jelly Fish, Go!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... it is my pleasure to announce the official completion of my design project for Arch 101 Studio this summer! Yes! You heard right. The only thing left for me to do is to plot and present within the next couple days. Even though I've been having so many difficulties with the complex geometry that I used to create my "Jelly Fish" forms and even though I had to start over and redo everything a countless amount of times, I'm pretty happy with the result of my project and I'll admit, these Jelly Fish of mine have really grown on me haha. I mean, we did only have a couple weeks to crank out the whole project in its entirety! The last two weeks or so have been brutal, but we made it through! Melissa and I have been working so hard these last few days. It's crazy how we even forgot to eat... since the hours pass as quickly as a shooting star shoots through the sky. The lack of sleep and decent food has really drained us, but that was expected... haha. As soon as I got up this morning, I literally sat up and clicked "Save" on the render I had left running over night and set up another render... I did this all even fore going to the restroom. What's up with that?! Haha.

Well, anyway, it was definitely another L O N G day today. Melissa, Albert, and I were working all morning, afternoon, and evening. Once we saved everything and were ready to go print, we got the news from some of our classmates the plotter that we were using broke... after seven people plotted, it broke. It was expected though, twenty-five kids plotting two boards right after another... it was bound to happen! It sucks because we really wanted to print today and we were ready to get it over with, but it's okay. We'll just have to print tomorrow. Hopefully.



I'm really proud of the work I produced in these last couple weeks though! I really, really am. The renders I made came out pretty well. And thanks to Albert, Melissa and I were finally able to successfully produce a "night render." It's awesome! But anywho, I'm probably going to hit the hay early tonight and finish up some other little things tomorrow morning.

Go Jelly Fish!

"La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha, Ya No Puede Caminar..."

Oh it's getting down to the grind! I somehow managed to get myself out of bed today and ever since I succeeded doing so, I have been working on my project and preparing for Final Review this week. The work, work, work hasn't stopped so today wasn't very eventful, unfortuntely haha. I don't know whether or not I should mention this or not haha... but the most eventful part of the day may have been finding a cockroach in our room. I freaked when I saw it and I just could not even begin to imagine where on earth it came from! Melissa saved the day and took care of the situation... haha! Afterwards, I turned my suitcase and everything upside down to make sure there weren't any of the critter's friends left behind...

Haha so other than that, today's festivities was a close repeat to that of yesterday's with the whole parade down the main street here in Guardamar. We saw some of the same intense and elaborate costumes this evening. I think the only difference was that during this parade, there were some intense battle scenes between the "Moors" and the "Christians"... and seeing people toss torches into the air like batons was awesome!

We have the best seats in the house from our balcony.

Down To The Last Spread.

Today, Melissa and I opened our last jar of nutella that we are going to eat this summer in Spain. Remember how we’ve been surviving off of bread and nutella? Well, it has gotten us through all these weeks and we’re pushing towards our last week in Guardamar. I wish I saved all the empty jars of nutella that we consumed this summer… between the two of us, we must have eaten nearly TEN jars of nutella. That's crazy haha. Yes, it’s probably more than what our bodies' need. But, it has been gentle on the wallet and it still tastes so good. SO GOOD, like a pie... SO GOOD.

Anywho, since it’s the weekend we didn’t have to meet in Studio today so Melissa and I got to work in our room. It’s significantly cooler in our room and infinitely more comfortable than studio so we were happy about that. As soon as we woke up, we started working on our laptops and didn’t stop until we were too hungry to go on anymore. At that time, we went downstairs to catch dinner in the Pension. There were so many British visitors walking inside and outside of the Pension; apparently, many British families come here to Guardamar on holidays to enjoy the hot weather and festivities during the summer. There are about 17 thousand permanent residents that live in Guardamar year round, but during the summer the population increases to about 80 thousand people! That’s a significant jump!



The last week has been full of festivities and performances as it is a tradition for Guardamar to celebrate the city’s rebuilding in 1832 and the rest of its rich history. Of all that has been going on this week, today’s parade in the main street was quite impressive, as it was the Moors and Christian parade. The parade lasted for two hours and we all stood outside of the Pension to get a good look at the costumes. The costumes were so LEGIT, let me tell you. It looked like something straight out of Brave Heart… rows and rows of people dressed in the most elaborate and intense costumes marched down the streets as bands played to represent both the Moors and Christians marching out to battle. People of all ages participated in the parade; babies that were pushed in strollers to senior citizens that proudly led their group – all whom dressed equally stunningly and painted their faces so vibrantly. It was quite a sight to see!

Now that the "formal" festivities are over, all of Guardamar is partying it up haha. When I say "all of Guardamar," I mean everyone single person and child haha. The streets are literally filled with people everywhere and the music and fireworks aren't stopping for several more hours!

Alright, back to work I go!