The maldives journal, day 2: Future architects

Sophia Chrysanthou, Monday 13th November, Afternoon

Today we faced the reality that lies behind the beauty of the Maldives, Tilafushi island. The workers welcomed us to their facilities and gave a short presentation on how they deal with their waste; ‘always with a smile’ they mentioned. We walked around Thilafushi; piles of waste surrounded by crystal clear water with only one road separating the two.

We returned to Malé in the afternoon , went to the Maldivian market and later on we had lunch with the Dutch ambassador for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Parley for the Ocean and UN. After lunch, they gave two inspiring presentations and a touching speech from the Dutch ambassador.

We moved on to the Maldivian University where we met with architecture students who exhibited their work. Walter C. Kaufmann also was invited by the TU Delft students to give a short presentation about the most sustainable resorts located on the Maldives. That was the kickstart of a conversation between the Maldivian and TU Delft students. It was a great opportunity to meet locals, especially people close to our age. Everyone was pleased, some even surprised, to see the awareness of the young generation in regards to environmental issues. The majority of students' projects were orientated towards sustainable design; which was unquestionably inspirational for every member of our group. The difference in culture was obvious, hence the interesting conversations between the two groups. We have architecture as a common interest, however this did not limit the conversation only to one subject. The Maldivian students talked about their lives in Malé and other islands, culture, religion, and politics, giving us an insight which would have otherwise been unable to discover.

We closed the day with a nice dinner with the students and got ready for our next day trip in Laamu.