The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Of Working From Far Far Away

“What’s the time in Toronto right now?” is probably my most frequent thought while being in Rome. I have 2 reasons for this:

1. I want to know if I can call my friends and family.
2. I want to know what day/time it is so I know how to gauge when to write my articles!

I have been writing for Studio Jonah (& Onah Jung) since May of this year but only just recently have gotten into a LDE (Long distance employment) and I am here to tell you, if you’re wondering, that I’m still here!

The Good

• Rome is 6 hours ahead of Toronto- which is great! This sets back the deadline panic for at least 6 hours.
• Living in Rome is expensive.. Having some pocket money for groceries is not a bad set up.
• Friends/classmates are curious- “You do things other than school?”
• Being an architecture student doesn’t always demand writing and having constant practice to avoid getting rusty is the perfect remedy.
• The OnahJung Blog is not called “Life outside of architecture studio” for nothing- sometimes you just need to think about something else that isn’t your studio project.

Traces of a studio deadline – chairs askew, models left drying, and paper everywhere.

The Bad

• Being 6 hours ahead means waking up to emails, and being in a LDE, means emails are the only form of effective communication.
• WRITER’S BLOCK. This happens internationally and locally I’m sure but I swear it’s even worse being far far away, distracted by a different beautiful city such as Rome.
• Friends/classmates are too curious to the point of pestering- “Are you done yet? I can help proof read”.. “What about now?”… “You’re still writing?”

An empty (cleaned up) studio after deadline.

The Ugly

• Studio Deadline- Tomorrow + Article for Studio Jonah- Tomorrow + School Field Trip- The Day After Tomorrow

Here we see architecture students in their natural habitat.

Like any professional experience, it has been, so far, rewarding in the sense of learning new skills and broadening views. In another sense, working far far away and multi-tasking a study abroad term has taught me that priorities, time management, and active thinking are critical to keeping the LDE successful.

I prioritize my school projects and work responsibilities accordingly but of course, it doesn’t always work (see The Ugly). So managing time becomes a more instinctual response to gauge how long I should be spending on each task, work or school. Finally, active thinking, meaning being efficient on a day to day basis. For example, each photo I take when I am outside I think about how I can use it within the blog topics.

Thus far, it has been an extremely independent and self-regulated journey to bettering my own professional tactical skills. It may not always give me the time to go out for gelato every other night (like some of my classmates) but at least, I can write about it.