Nehemiah 6:9
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."
I leave August 9th for Croatia, and will be spending two months with the Historic Preservation program through the University of Oregon which I currently attend for Architecture & Interior Architecture. Long story short, I am one of 3 undergraduate Architecture students going with about 20 graduate students.
I am minoring in Historic Preservation, and when I found out they had a hands on summer program with a fall internship, I jumped on the opportunity!
I have been so blessed already in my studies at the University of Oregon. I have excelled in studio design classes, and thanks to encouragement from professors, found my niche in Interior Architecture with a focus on restoration. My study abroad in Croatia will not only fulfill my minor, but will be a great life experience to see if international restoration work is what I want to do!
My hope is that I experience architecture in an international setting, and learn how to serve others with my gifts.
Abandoned stone villages of Drvenik Veli
A little history:
At the close of WWI in 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known as Yugoslavia. Following WWII, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal Tito. Although Croatia claimed its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of bitter fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics, Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-1995 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Despite this long and rich history, Croatia is today in the position of recreating many institutions and programs that existed previously within a centralized Yugoslavian government. The faculty and students of the Croatia Historic Preservation Field School are participating in their efforts to document and preserve authentic traditional landscapes and architecture, as well as promote resettlement programs for areas where the population is seriously diminished because of emigration. This work is not only vital to the economy of Croatia, but our work will shape the vernacular reconstruction of a war torn country, in its most rural settings.
Trogir, on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, is the location for the capstone exhibition of work accomplished by the students, involving an oral and visual presentation to the Croatian government and civil restoration committees.
Trogir's Office of Ministry of Culture is the local sponsor of the field school which will focus on two island sites under its administration, Brac and Drvenik Veli.
What I am doing:
To date, the majority of heritage conservation efforts by the Republic of Croatia have focused on World Heritage Sites such as Diocletian's Palace. Our conservation efforts seek to address the vernacular matrix of common everyday houses and village settings of everyday life. The goal of the Croatia Conservation Field School is rural and urban heritage regeneration. In other words, we seek to "activate heritage" as opposed to viewing heritage as a closed entity for commemorative purposes only. It involves both large capacity building, such as our educational mission in Brac that focuses on the continuation of traditional stone masonry skills through hands-on training and recordation analysis, and adaptive reuse planning.
Students from 2009 program analyzing village layout
While our beginning efforts are focused on preserving and interpreting local architecture with an eye towards protection, it is hoped that through cooperative efforts with the Ministry of Culture, the Mayoral offices of Trogir, and local citizens we can achieve an economic, social, and ecological sustainable planning strategy. Such intentions are referred to as Heritage Led Development.
Students will learn how to address heritage conservation policies within an international framework, and actively participate in the stabilization, restoration, and eventual adaptive reuse of historically significant resources. Once such goals are achieved, a book will be produced based on our collective efforts and multiple disciplinary insights. Such a conservation handbook will outline best practices for building treatment, the identifying features of historic resources, and encourage broader acceptance and appreciation of these valuable traditional architectural resources that shape the Croatian Dalmatian Coast.
Field Recordation
Where I am going:
The first half of the field school will be located primarily on Brac Island, the longest and most elevated island in central Dalmatia. On Brac, we will be trained at the Klesarka Skola, a stonecarving/masonry school. We will be replacing a dilapidated stone roof of the Eremitic monastery "Blaca". After being trained by the instructors at Klersarka Skola, we will spend 7 days under the supervision of the last remaining traditional Croatian stone roofer. He will direct us, and we will finish as much of the monastery as possible. (Backpacking up the high elevation of the island and carrying loads of local stone quarry. Hot days under the sun! yay!! :))
"Blaca" Monastery on the Island of Brac that we will be restoring
Last year's work
accommodation while on Brac
The second half of the program will move to the island of Drvenik Veli, located 2km from the mainland. It is only 12km long, and is home to 168 people. This is an elderly population which lives by agriculture, fishing, and some tourism. The island was first inhabited in the 15th Century and is covered with abandoned stone villages. Young people and families do not locate there because of the scarcity of economic opportunities, lack of school, and potable water.
Work on this island will be focused on strategic recordation and documentation of abandoned villages. We will aim to develop strategies for sustaining and growing the population and developing sustainable economic growth; this year's project will be specializing in rainwater entrapment. We will analyze the island's water collection system which provides the only potable drinking water on the island.
Field Analysis
Instructors from Klersarka Skola
Prayer Requests:
-Safety in all my travels. -(Two weeks after the program I will travel with a friend through Eastern Europe. We will be taking a boat over to Eastern Italy, travel to Switzerland, up to Prague, to Budapest, and back to Croatia to fly home.)
-STILL a war torn country...-There are still land mines. Needless to say, we will be avoiding going off the beaten path.
-Strength on the job! (it's going to take physical and mental strength to survive weeks of manual labor. And no special treatment just because I'm a girl! :P )
-Patience with the small program- I am one of 3 undergraduate architecture students, and about 20 graduate level students. Enough said. :)
-An open mind- To be open to the idea that I will either be called to international restoration work, or I will simply use the knowledge and apply it to work in the States. Either way, I'm just happy to have the experience!
1 Chronicles 28:20
David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished."
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
