I am thankful that I can visit the World Expo again since I couldn't fully appreciate it five years ago at the Shanghai Expo. Visiting the site with my fellow architecture classmates makes the overall experience better since we can discuss the pavilions all together. Compare to the Expos in Zaragoza and Shanghai, this year's pavilions use a lot of exposing framing structures that were made out of wood instead of concrete. The main concept "feeding the planet" works well as the theme for general visitors since food cultures from different countries tend to generate great interests.

I also got to visit Milan again after 10 years with my friend Tina's help as the local guide. She's a third year med school student at the University of Milan. We had a great chat about third culture kids and study abroad experience. It's always good to catch up with old friends and gain a new perspective  of them. 

I don't know if it's the age or because I've become an architecture student, field trips don't seem to be the same anymore. It is not the matter of more fun or less fun, it is more about the logical side of the objectives. The concept of time becomes irrelevant. It is about listening to the world and experiencing what it has to offer you.

As mentioned in the previous post, location and people are the two critical factors of traveling. Different proportion on either side alters the outcome of a trip. I think it is something everyone needs to realize through out this study abroad year.  

A ripple has been made in the pattern. I do not know where the waves will carry me, but eventually everything will return to the same spot.

The 3-day field trip to the Northern Spain is filled with great moments. The fact that everyone was focusing on planning the independent study week and had little expectation to the trip makes the overall experience even better. The visit to the Zaragoza 2008 Expo site is an one of the kind experience for me since I had been to the 2010 Shanghai Expo and about to go to the 2015 Milan Expo. The mix visit of Romanesque, Mosque, Gothic and Contemporary Architecture is also a highlight of the trip. It is a trip designed for architecture students, and only architecture students can fully appreciate it.