Trading Places and Spaces

Well, I have to admit: my trip to Jamaica this time around was definitely the most productive in quite a while!  I tried curried crab for the first time (excellent dish - but a bit too much of a task cracking into the shell for me to be fully satisfied with the overall meal), and I finally got the opportunity to stop by a social for the Jamaica Association of Young Professionals (JAYP), which was quite interesting.

The highlight of my trip however, was my time spent at my alma mater, the Caribbean School of Architecture, in Kingston.  I had initially stopped by to say hi to a few of my favoured lecturers and friends, and to my surprise was invited to be a guest critic at the 2nd year Design Studio final presentations the following week.  Although I had assisted friends in the years below me with design ideas in the past, this would be the first time I would take part in a design critique, acting in this capacity.  Considering I had graduated only 2 years prior, I was initially a bit nervous (thinking that perhaps I'd clam up and have very little to offer), but instead I opened up and spoke as objectively as possible in a very subjective scenario.

Needless to say, the presentations were impressive.  In general, the students were ambitious, and many appeared to want to 'go out with a bang' this semester.  I witnessed some presentations that took risks in their design concepts, while others took a safer route but decided to 'spice things up' in the aesthetics of their presentation.

Briefly stepping inside the shoes of my former lecturers/critics allowed me to understand how human they in fact are.

Overall, I was grateful for the experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!  Hopefully, in a few years I'll be able to step inside those shoes permanently and with a bit more confidence.

Here's an article that was written on event: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/montserrat.php?news_id=10633&start=0&category_id=22