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HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM

Basic Information
Full Name:
UC Email:
College:
Major:
Title of Project:
Thematic Area (choose only one):
Expected Project Start Date:
Expected Project End Date:

Anh Le Tran
tranar@mail.uc.edu
DAAP
Architecture
LEurope lamour pour tous
Global Studies
August 26, 2014
December 31, 2014

Project Information
1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
LEurope Lamour pour tous, which means Europe the love for all, is a Global Studies project that will be
carried out during my Exchange Program in Paris, France, at the Ecole Speciale dArchitecture for the Fall 2014, my
senior year at the University of Cincinnati. During the time of my studies in Paris, from August 26 to December 31, I
plan to embark on different cultures that exist in Europe as well as explore the visual and historical aspects of every
one of the visited countries. While I will be located mainly in Paris, I will be taking weekend trips to other areas in
France and neighboring countries in the Schengen States. Wherever I will be, I will be studying stories of the
architecture, the art, the history and the people through my sketches, photography and questionnaires when applicable.
Inspired by Human of New York and traveling photography/sketches I have seen by many adventurers, I plan to use
my artistic abilities to transform physical beauties into graphic forms that convey stories, making it my unique way to
document my experience living abroad in a continent of my dream since young. As I travel, taking pictures and
sketching will be primary parts of my time. There are a few ways that I could use to make this project happen:

I will continue with my sketch2photo series, as featured on my Portfolio http://wanhderlust.weebly.com,

the series that essentially combines sketches and (architectural) sceneries together.

I will do a cartoon illustration, which has been a new thing that I decided to pursue and try out.

I will sketch every new friend that I make along the way, ask them at least one question: What is the one
thing that you love most about Europe/this specific country that they happen to be in/their home
country? followed by my response to them about what I think regarding the mentioned country. I then
will proceed and take their pictures with my sketches.

All the pictures will be updated on my blog, W-anh-derlust, altogether with daily entries about my experience
studying and traveling in yet another foreign environment. My ultimate goal is to produce a picture book of my
European adventure, called Wanhderlust Anh in Europe, the only testimony that I need to remind myself that my
dream of traveling the world and learning more about everything and all the things have just begun. I have loved
traveling since I was aware that I could. Starting with my experience of studying abroad as early as the age of 14 in
Singapore, followed by my college journey in Cincinnati, Ohio, the USA and co-op adventures in three different

cities, I have become addicted to seeing newer places and people. If I want to travel, I also would like to do it in my
own way, which means bringing my own perspectives in seeing and believing to observe the world and try to tell the
stories through what I am good at, pictures and drawings. By doing that, I not only make my trips more intriguing but
also create a unique experience that will be memorable for a long time. Besides, combining the things that I love
doing makes every moment of the experience more enjoyable.
The planning of this project will take most of the time, since it will include figuring out my schedules so that I
will be able to travel while I dont take classes in Paris. It will take the least amount of 48 hours, which will be spent
on looking for transportation and accommodation details. After talking to some of the past exchange students, I have
found out that it is entirely possible to do weekend trips as long as studio hours work out. Therefore, right now I am
looking at a three or four-weekend-day of travel. Around 18 hours of each day will be spent on traveling (6 hours on
foot, train, flights, etc), sketching (1 hour), photographing (3 hours), indulging in local, cultural activities (6 hours),
and blogging/reflection (2 hours), making it at least 162 hours-a-month worth of exploration, if I travel 3 weeks out of
4. In four months, the total hours would be at an estimate of almost 700 hours. This will officially be the most amount
of hours I have put in for an Honors experience and I am very excited about this project.
LEurope Lamour pour tous, as the name might have already suggested, is my unique way to show how this
continent has been able to capture my heart and soul in all of his aspects.
ITINERARY (as of now)
August 24, 2014: Leave Chicago for Paris, France
August 25, 2014: Arrive in Paris
August 25, 2014: School orientation for Exchange Students
September 1, 2014: School starts, scheduling classes
From September 2-December 18, 2014: Plans have not been figured out since I will have to figure out my
schedules first when I arrive in France; Traveling in-between free times, using EuRail or budget airlines in Europe
December 19, 2014: Semester ends
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area
During and after my time in Europe, I hope to achieve these learning outcomes with this project, LEurope
Lamour pour tous, are

Possess global literacy, including knowledge of geography, history, current world issues and similarities

and differences among cultures

Interact with individuals from different cultures and express a sensitivity, appreciation and respect for the

complex range of experiences of diverse peoples

Participate in a global society and understand the role of a global citizen

My project will be able to address the first learning outcome of possessing global literacy such that I will be able
to get exposed to many historical and architectural monuments as I travel to the countries. As I visit a country, I will
do my best to learn as much as I can about their stories, either through talking to the natives or doing a pre-visit
research, which then will be confirmed by my direct experience being in the country. Different travels will also allow
me to grasp a better understanding about the differences and similarities among cultures in Europe.
The next learning outcome, interacting with individuals from different cultures and expressing appreciation and
respect for diverse peoples, will also be achieved through my project. A very specific part about my project will be
dedicated to learning more about the cultures through the people that I interact with. Taken from an experience that I
had while traveling in Spain before, my sketches of people are my best way to get to know more about them. For this
project I will be sketching all of the new friends that I have made and use the sketches as the start of our
conversations. I also have friends all over Europe as a result of my co-ops in different parts of the United States. I plan
to visit these friends (in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey, France, etc) while I am there and learn even more
in-depth about their home countries.
Last but not least, this project will also able to address the third learning outcome of participating in a global
society and understanding the role of a global citizen. Without a doubt, I consider myself to be a global citizen, such
that I see so much in other cultures that I can learn about and tell the stories back to the people back home(s). I have
begun becoming a global citizen the moment I decided to study abroad, to step on an international flight and to live
out of my suitcase. There are plenty moments when I realize that, being able to travel and see various things and
people could be the most rewarding gift that life has given to me. With this project, I will be able to live and explore
Europe, a continent I used to think that it was just a faraway dream that might come true one day. Now the dream is
approaching to reality. LEurope Lamour pour tous, will be able to assist me tremendously in my learning and
developing myself as a global citizen during my time in Europe.
3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories
A.

Bilingual in two languages, Vietnamese and English, with English being my second language since I was

twelve, I have always been intrigued by foreign languages, especially the Romance languages. I find French out of
everything else the most beautiful and elegant language to be spoken. However, I had never had the chance to
properly learn French and thus ended up teaching myself the language when I was in high school. When I started my
college education at UC, I picked up my passion for French again through my involvement with the UC French Club
as their Vice President and my trip to Paris during Spring break in my first year. Since the trip, I was determined to
find an opportunity to study abroad in Europe. I then heard about the Exchange Program that DAAP has with the
Ecole Speciale dArchitecture in Paris, France, and told myself that I was going to France in my senior year at DAAP.
I have been preparing myself in order to fulfill my goals of becoming fluent in French and learning more about
architecture from a different perspective. After three years of patiently waiting, I finally am going to Paris to pursue
one of my greatest goals in my undergraduate career. After many years of patiently waiting, I finally am going to
embark on one of the greatest journeys yet to see much more than just architecture of Europe.

Traveling has become one of my top priorities since my high school year in Singapore. Now that I am located
mainly in the United States, I have done co-op in Hawaii, Chicago and now Boston. Last spring break, I went on my
first backpacking trip in Europe, spending ten days in Spain in five different cities with one of my studio mates. I have
found myself learn so much more as I am exposed to the world: Architecture, culture, languages, cuisine, people.
Therefore, this opportunity with the Ecole Speciale dArchitecture in Paris, France has been my goal since freshman
year and it is creating opportunities for me to travel and study more about my dream destination on my bucket list,
Europe.
To me, it is an opportunity to broaden my knowledge in my architectural and design journey, academically,
professionally and personally. In Paris, I plan to explore the city and live an exciting life full of adventures. In Europe,
I plan to travel to different countries, visiting all the friends that I have known from many life occasions and
documenting every moment in my photographs and sketches. Just thinking about all the possibilities of events that
might be taking place at ESA, in Paris, and in Europe, motivates me a little bit more every day to work harder to
achieve the dream that I have been building up since three years ago. I know that, after this semester living in Europe,
I will come back a changed person: more open to different design and life perspectives, more educated about various
cultures, and more eager to embark on the next step of my life, whatever that might be. Paris sure is the city of love:
love for the Architecture, the People, and the Language... just some of the loves and passions that have been flickering
inside me. This project will be able to help me tremendously in potentially reshaping and bettering my sense of
design, which is an important development in my career as a student and Architecture intern. My personal interest in
design, too, will be positively influenced by this project, such that I get to improve and explore more about myself
through my sketches and photography. Altogether, in many aspects, LEurope Lamour pour tous, will be able to
bring out the best and least expected in me by putting me in yet another foreign environments and traveling.
B.

I am using my knowledge from my very first study tour, done in Spring 2012, Contemporary Paris to

remind me of my learning and experiences in Paris during those ten days. This time it will be a lot different
considering I will be living in the country, while still being able to visit the rest. Contemporary Paris was able to give
me a peek into Paris current era, one that is still beautifully influenced by the history of the people and the arts.
I am using my knowledge from all my Art and Architectural History courses from Fall 2011 until now to assist me
with information on buildings and their history in Europe. The knowledge from these courses will allow me to use my
own sense of aesthetics and architecture to examine the architectural monuments and decide for myself whether they
live up to the expectations that have been built upon thanks to the lectures.
I will be practicing my French during academic environments such as the studio at ESA, and in daily life. I have
taught myself French since high school and took an official 2000-level class at UC in the semester of Spring 2013.
Without a doubt, this opportunity will be a golden one to become fluent in one of my most favorite languages, French.
Speaking a Romance language will be a great help when it comes to traveling in Europe, since speaking the language
already suggests learning of the European cultures and the aspiration to interact with European.

4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity

As I have demonstrated above, I want this project to be uniquely mine and so I plan to bring out my best artistic
abilities to make my story telling as special as possible. Using my sketches, specifically my sketch2photo series and
my one-minute-portrait sketches, I will portray Europe and its people in my own way. To me, drawing, traveling and
meeting new people are three of the best things to do, and to combine all of them together is to create something
special.
Regarding the ESA exchange program, which is the foundation of this European exploration, I have been very
active about the school since my freshman year, and have since been in contact with Dr. Williamson regarding my
participation in the program. To prepare for this exchange program, I have been improving my French and
architectural skills, both inside and outside the classroom. My ultimate goal is to become fluent in French, the
beautiful language that I have fallen in love with for a long time. The best way to learn the language is to live in the
country, and now I have the opportunity to do so. With ESA, I will be taking studio and other electives fully in
French. Even though I will be struggling at first with the language barrier, I am confident that I can surpass that
obstacle, just like I did with English when I first moved to Singapore. I have also planned out all of my traveling and
housing details in France, and soon my traveling in Europe when I settle down in Paris.
5. Reflection
I plan to maintain a travel blog on my personal Honors website, http://wanhderlust.weebly.com. It has been a
tradition that I keep a blog whenever I move to a new place. France, and Europe in general, are the next project. My
blog will be constantly updated on social media with all my friends, and is the place for them to check out what
adventure I am doing at that moment in Europe. I love blogging, and am willing to share with people my thoughts and
feelings as I go through a completely unfamiliar environment. Each of my blog post will be about my experience
living in France and dealing with cultural shock and schoolwork. I will also be including my sketches and
photographs, the two forms of experience documentation that I particularly enjoy very much, in my blog posts. All the
pictures will be taken with my loyal DSLR that has been following me everywhere for years, and sketches with my
travel sketchbook (following the sketch2photo style and cartoon illustration). They will be of the architecture, of the
food, of the new friends I make, and of everything else that I stumble upon in Europe.
6. Dissemination
I also plan to provide the Honors Program with the website so that more students could check out my Parisian /
European adventures. In the end, my ultimate goal is to compile my best photographs and sketches into a picture
book, Wanhderlust -- Anh in Europe. Since this exchange program has been one of my greatest goals in college and
the soon-to-be dream-come-true of traveling in Europe, I would like to document these four months as much as
possible, to my best abilities. I will produce at least three copies of the book: one for the UC International Programs
office, one for the Honors office and one for my keepsake. Through my blog and book, I hope to inspire more students

to take up opportunities to study/travel abroad during their college education, because it truly is the best time anyone
could use to travel as well as observe their life change in front of their eyes as they go to a foreign land. I am also
willing to talk to freshmen Honors students about the things they can do in Global Studies thematic area and/or any
other areas, as long as they are willing to step out of their comfort one and pursue the things that they are passionate
about.
7. Project Advisor (list the persons name, title, and contact information)
Dr. Rebecca Williamson
Title: Assoc Professor
Office: 7280B Daa Addition
Tel: 513-556-6426
Email: rebecca.williamson@uc.edu

8. Budget (if applicable)

Air fare to Paris (one way):

Housing in Paris (4 months):

600 USD
700USD x 4 = 2800USD

Groceries:

400USD

Transportation (Metro and Eurail):

700USD

Misc (Textbook and Architectural materials):

1500USD

Total: 6000USD