15 September, 2008

Classes have started at Princeton. I have settled into a rigorous schedule of academics and extracurriculars. And while the most adventurous summer of my life now seems like a distant episode, everyday of my life is colored and informed by that experience.

The body of artwork I created over the summer will be exhibited later this year at Princeton. The drawings and photographs serve as excellent starting points for my certificate in Visual Arts (especially my Junior independent work). Though the project was non-academic in nature, even in the first few readings of my architecture courses this fall I constantly find references to paintings and buildings I came across this summer.

Most importantly, it has been a journey of self-discovery. I realized that the most challenging and also the most fun part of the project was that I was traveling alone. While it made it difficult at times to deal with situations (such as being followed late at night in a deserted Paris), it also forced me outside of my comfort zone. I actively sought to meet as many people as possible. Those encounters with people, paintings and architecture will remain a part of me forever.