It feels like I just did my 2/3 of the semester post, but seeing as this is the last week of class, I guess it's time for my post about the last third of the semester.
What happened to our time here? It just completely flew by. I'm totally shocked that it's time to go home already. The semesters in Raleigh seem excruciatingly longer by comparison. I guess our semester here is two or three weeks shorter by comparison, but still. I'm so not ready for the end! I want to finish my typeface and I want to have more time on my archive project, but mostly I want to stay in Prague longer. This weekend was so beautiful, the warm weather finally got here just as we are going to be leaving.
I feel like I've changed a lot this semester. I think I've grown up a lot, with dealing with money and being so far away from home, and I've learned so much from my experience here. I feel a lot more worldly. I think it's going to be really hard to go back to Raleigh. I'm ready to move on and go to a new place, and being stuck in Raleigh for another year is going to be a drag. I hope I won't get scared about leaving home all over again. Though I don't think I will, I think I'll spend next year anticipated leaving. This semester has allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable about the idea of leaving college and being on my own.
So now I'm left wondering, how weird will things be when we get home? I know I've changed, and I'll bet that my friends have too, I wonder if our reunion will be ackward. And I know when people ask me how my trip was, I'll just say 'amazing,' and that will be that, because I won't be able to describe to them how incredible this trip has been. But it's okay, because I know I won't ever forget. I'll just encourage anyone considering studying abroad to do it, because it's totally worth it.
In terms of design, I think meeting with the Berlin designers was super cool and gave me an idea of what I would like to strive towards. To meet young and fresh designers trying to establish themselves was really inspiring. I think also that doing projects that aren't necessarily catagorized as graphic design helped me to realize where my passion truly lies. These projects were much more different/open than some of my previous projects, and required a bit more thinking. I think getting that kind of experience was beneficial, moving toward real world experience, which we all really need. I'm really excited about our studio next semester, which is supposed to be geared toward those real world projects. I think my favorite project this semester was the typeface design. That opened a new window I want to explore in more detail in the future.
In conclusion, I can say that this last third of the semester, I have felt more at home in Prague than ever. We don't need maps, we can semi speak the language [kind of], we know the rules and traditions. When we help people find their way on the metro or laugh at the girl trying to get free tap water, I feel like I've really adapted to this culture and connected with this place. And it feels good.
I would be interested in your thoughts about design and designing during your stay. Do you think you have also matured as a designer? A maker? What of your experiences do you anticipate will impact your approach to projects next year and beyond?
Posted by: denise | 16 April 2007 at 06:12