Traveling is an invigorating experience – one that can change your perception and alter your path forward. For Tatiana Florexil, a fifth-year Architecture student, the Gilman Scholarship was a blessing that made her first abroad journey a memorable one.
During her fourth year, Florexil didn’t apply for the HCAD’s exchange program that would allow her to go to Austria because she thought she couldn’t afford it. After learning about the Gilman scholarship during her senior year, she was still apprehensive because she wasn’t sure if she could join the trip after she graduated. Her honors advisors suggested that she look into the Council on International Educational Exchange’s (CIEE) study abroad program for winter of 2024. Scanning the list of programs, Florexil chose the architecture course in Seville, Spain.
Once accepted, Florexil was relieved to learn that the program covered most of the tuition costs associated with the travel and the CIEE provided a discount voucher for a reduction in the fare for the plane ticket. Once she landed, Florexil was greeted by her host family and host mate. The host mate helped with communication because Florexil wasn’t fluent in Spanish, which her host family solely spoke in.
Florexil celebrated New Year’s Eve with her host family, it being the first time she didn’t spend the day with her family. She described it as a strange feeling not celebrating Haitian Independence Day on January 1, as she typically did. However, she found her host family to be very welcoming and enjoyed meeting their children and grandchildren.
During her classes, she learned how essential Roman architecture is to Spain. She was amazed by the many field trips to the city’s Roman ruins, and saw many structures and ruins that illustrated the brilliance of the ancient civilization’s craft. Through the guided tours, Florexil learned about the Roman aqueducts that are still in use by the historical district and remain resistant to floods. She was particularly impressed with the ingenuity of their design because modern sewers in Seville often experience flooding.
One of the biggest differences she noticed from her experience in the U.S. versus in Spain was how integral walking was during her trip. In the U.S., she shares how she drives to school, which reflects the situation of many other students and workers. In Spain, however, she had to walk for 20-30 minutes just to get to class in the study center. She felt she walked more in just three weeks in Spain than she did over an entire semester in the U.S.!
While learning about the rich architecture in Seville, she observed the presence of different elements from Islamic, Christian, and Roman culture. She described seeing many churches that were formerly mosques and those that incorporated Islamic architectural values. This style is called Gotico Mudéjar. Mudéjar(s) refers to Muslims who remained in Iberia after the Christian reconquest. This style combines gothic and Islamic architecture.
One of Florexil’s favorite visits was to Grenada, a neighboring town of Seville. The tour guide showed Alhambra, an ancient Islamic palace and fortress that the Spanish royal family transformed into their home. Seeing the palace made her realize that while Europeans are perceived as being dominant in the arts, they wouldn’t have been as successful without trading ideas with other countries and their cultures.
At the Alhambra, she noticed that every detail was intentionally made. The Alhambra was surrounded with water that flowed towards the palace, demonstrating how powerful the structure and its rulers were. Even one’s walk through the palace was intentional – you had to climb a long series of stairs before meeting the king. The positioning of the building also aligned with the sun, blinding those who stood before the king and symbolizing the mysteriousness of the ruler.
This visit made Florexil consider her own architectural projects. She shared that “When you’re in school, you try to get work done for deadlines and grades. Professors do encourage thinking about the design and journey. However, when you walk through it [Alhambra], you really understand its importance and the message that the architects want you to experience.”
During her trip, she ran into one of her professors who was travelling with his family. They met up and discussed graduate school opportunities abroad. Florexil was inspired and is now considering options in Europe because of how immersive this experience was for her. “A different perspective opens your eyes to inspirations of architecture, and working with individuals with different cultural backgrounds is a good experience.”
This three-week program encouraged Florexil to spend more time studying architecture and revisiting old studio programs to apply what she learned to her designs. She also developed a deeper appreciation for the culture through the cooking classes she took and the information provided by the tour guide, which helped her understand lifestyle differences in Spain. Even the walking trips have motivated Florexil to incorporate walking in her day-to-day lifestyle in hopes that it will become a habit. Florexil remains excited as she reminisces about this experience, and is eager to incorporate travel into her post-graduation plans.
