Reflections by Robert Capps

America > Museums > Theatre > Pinyin > Traditions > Tea > Mountains > Rain > Music > Performance > Shopping > Professionalism > Appalachia > Gifts > Communication > Experience > Workshop > Design > Wayfinding > Airplanes > Cities > Friends > Signs > Powerful > Collaboration > Languages > Relationships

Traditional tales say that when different types of sand are mixed together you will never be able to separate them. This saying struck home with my heart; as I say goodbye, I realize that a group of students have changed how I view myself. The bond created in such a short amount of time became unique and solid like compressing sand to create glass; a glass that would become a view port into the inner workings of the soul. As I reflect, this whole journey starts because I need a credit hour to complete the schedule requirements for graduation. I never thought that this experience would change how I view things in design and in relationships, but shortly after sitting in an airport waiting on the students to arrive, I combined sands with a new culture and ideas. These experiences range from my views for design techniques to “hiking the mall” and ending with some tea.

Model Building Techniques

How does one begin to create? This is the question that heads all problems. Until this point, I look at design in a linear type of fashion and design to meet a certain criteria in school. This at first seems very normal because the chance to develop ideas through different majors does not exist in architecture school. The chance to collaborate and plan with different graphic design styles, painters, sculpture, and book makers brought to life a new way of thinking. This really became a topic of interest while touring the Art and Architecture building, the students thought it was weird that the building is separated down the center and the chance to mingle is limited. Why do we have such competitiveness between one another, and can we begin to work together through design?

When I sat down with the students I realize that they have already began to research pathways and major locations within the city of Knoxville. Now at a disadvantage, I began to learn what the students want to get out of this project. I notice that the story boards were very accurate and unique in the mapping and design style to look like a museum; this concept both visually and diagrammatically displays the keep components of the route. Zhang Xiao Ying, a freshman, designed this diagram and was very clear in how she prepared the path through Google Earth. Next, we talk about the symbols and design elements for the project that would act as signage for the pathway. Zhang Yunru develops a series of symbols starting with a simple square. This series became the driving factor for our “Wayfinding” project. The students told me that the symbols were derived from the Chinese translation of Tennessee, pronounced Tian Na Xi. The word Tian is a square split into fours which represents agriculture and farming. They felt that this is a major component of Tennessee.

Now, we began to examine the major sites on the path and found symbols that could represent each area. The last component of the design was the sign itself. This is when we really began to collaborate as a group. We each built a paper model and altering every design to be unique to the designer. Once everyone was done we all decide on the one design to pursue. I was learning through the process that the Chinese culture is very, ornamental and elaborate, focusing on every detail. This opens up the design to a patterning idea where Sun Jing Yi, Zhang Yunru, and Ma Jia Huan began to base a patterning system off of the symbols for the path. This also shows a new scale of the design being on a personal level as well as city level. During this time, I was working on a map with Lui Xiao Chang and Hu Chen Yun. I was showing them how the architecture majors set up presentation layouts. This would also lead into the designing of the model. The whole group builds a model that would represent the signage in a way that is realistic, and shows the collaboration between the U.S. and China.

Now at this time, I am thinking we are done and we must present in few hours! I began to walk around when I notice Zhang Xiao Ying building these paper diagrams that Sun Jing Yi was helping her put together for the presentation. These items were small and throughout the whole week I did not realize what they were until now. The paper diagrams were unique and very interesting because they describe, in a simple way, the whole project. Zhang Yunru was putting together a PowerPoint presentation and the other students were working together; insuring that the project was being completed. I have never seen group work like this. Each member was helping meet a deadline and the only thought was the project not the individual. To me this was remarkable because teamwork in the U.S. is so individualized and separated that the project becomes a book of parts rather than a unique piece of art. It was in those closing hours and minutes that they showed me the most. They did not want to see me fail, and their professionalism rose above and beyond what I could have ever wished.

Hiking the Tanger Outlet Mall

Sunday, the optional day, is a day I will never forget. The idea was to go hiking up to the top of Clingmans Dome. This experience was going to be a unique one for me because I have never been there either, and the chance to share the view with students that appreciate beauty, was exciting. Instead, the view would end up as a rainy day, but the detour would prove to be an interesting journey through the language barrier and shopping skills.

During the trip up the mountain I began to ask questions to Lui Xiao Chang and the instructor Yung Diyu about different sentences and slang that they use back in China. It was this experience, that made me learn how to speak some Chinese and understand how to pronounce the different sounds in the Chinese dialect. I learned phrases such as; iowachu, which is slang for “oh my god”. This phrase would become a huge inside joke with me and all the students.

It was about halfway to the top of the mountain when we stopped at the visitor center and I received my first taste of their shopping habits. At this point, I did not know that the price difference was so huge between the U.S. and China. Apparently, America’s prices are cheap on certain items and their enthusiasm to buy stuff was at full force. One instance stuck with me the most when a student, not in my group, was trying on items and wearing it around the store. I began to notice a manager following her around and watching everything she was doing. When I approached the manager she told me that the young lady has not paid for the items. So I had to explain to the young lady about the policies in the store and realized that the culture must be very trustworthy. Trustworthy, because of the way all of them proceed to do the same thing in every store later on.

After all the rain and a long drive through the mountain, the group decided to head into Gatlinburg and go to the Tanger Outlet Mall. This is probably the craziest experience of the whole week. The students and instructors were so delighted to go shopping that we literally spent 5 hours at the mall. The amount of items would shock a normal American and the money that was spent literally closed down registers. I would walk around to different stores watching the students and making sure everything was going okay due to the visitor center experience. One aspect that I struggled with was how they disregarded other people or rather trusted them enough to put their bags down and wonder off to shop. I was constantly reminding them to pick up their bags and never leave them unattended.
I would finally end the shopping experience by buying items for each one of my group members. I remember Lui and Ma love basketball and are big fans of the Miami Heat. So I bought each one a hat from Lids and then decided to purchase all the females in the group charms or earrings. I realize that this would cost me a lot of money, but nothing could equal the friendships and experience that they would show me. I also knew they love to give gifts and this would be one way for me to show my thanks to them for all they have done.

Chinese Tea!

One of the most rewarding experiences gained was in the traditional tea drinking. In America, especially the south, sweet tea is a normal everyday drink that is enjoyed at all times of the day, all day. I have never liked warm tea, because I never gave it a chance, and to try it with a group was extremely different. I was told it was a tradition to drink the tea and that the preparation was one of specialty. The tea was given to me by a young man named Meng who we all called Mengmeng.

It was late a night around 10:30 when I got my first experience with tea. Meng told me that there are three different types of tea. The types were green, red, and black. I told him I want to start with the green because that is one I have heard of before in stores. The process of tea was interesting; Meng had this whole set where you warm the water in this coffee pot looking thing. This was a very important aspect of the tea, and the most time consuming, because we have to wait for it to reach a certain temperature. After the water was warm enough he opens this package and pours the items inside a glass container. The leaves look as they were dried and preserved, but then when the water hit them they would swell up into the size of a normal leaves. He also would dump out the first serving of the tea. He said this called washing the tea. After he would wash the tea, we were able to drink the next serving. Then as you drink the tea the water starts the process over again, and we wait on it to reach temperature.

There were many students that came in and participated in the tradition. This was a great experience for me, and made me feel like they enjoyed my company. My group especially was present and I always enjoyed their company. Through the whole process we learned so much about one another. It was this time of storytelling and reflecting on the difference in cultures that we became really close. We watched videos of their school and talked about their majors, and learned jokes from one another. It felt as if we had been friends for a long time. This opportunity also allowed us to exchange contact information and found ways to keep in touch with each other when they left. I remember not wanting to leave them because I knew it would be a long time before I ever see them again. It was two in the morning and I had to be at work at eight, this is when I decided to say goodbye. I walked to the elevator and they all followed me down and walked me to my car. I remember hugging each one of them, and felt heartbroken that I could not spend the next week with them. I felt like I let my group down and became teary eyed. It was at this moment I said stuttering, “I have to go before I cry”. I drove away knowing that the connections I made were real and the events that follow would only bloom to form a spirited connection that no one will ever take away.

Conclusion

The end of this journey is really the beginning of a life time.