"You have beautiful honey eyes."

Oi, oi!

Today the IRES headed out to PUC-Rio again to begin the 2nd workshop collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh and PUC-Rio. The first workshop was in 2009 with the IRES during that time. First off, PUC-Rio is abbreviated from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. 

The workshop went from 10am till 7pm but it was an exciting day filled with lots of discussion (about bamboo), laughter, delicious food and amazing students as well as professors. I met many graduate students today--Diego, Joao, Andre, Andrea, Lorena, Flauvia, and Daria, They were all from different places around the world and from different backgrounds. Listening to their research and their work so far completed was amazing. I was empowered to make sure my research was just as inspiring and innovative as all of theirs. We hope to accomplish great findings as well as meaningful and progressive research for bamboo.

At PUC-Rio Dr. Ghavami, a Persian professor who went to complete his undergraduate study in Moscow, Russia and then went to England to do his PhD and following that coming to Brazil, is the KING of bamboo. At PUC-Rio he became interested in bamboo--it first was a hobby then it became his primary work. His passion for nonconventional materials such as bamboo and other natural fibers is endless. The energy and motivation he brings to the future of construction and the future of engineering applicability cannot be described with words. He is quite an inspiring professor as well as a unique individual with great ideas, beliefs and hope for humanity. I was speaking with him today at lunch and I really enjoy his personality as well as his stories about his travels. Asia came up in the conversation and eventually my nationality so we talked about Korea a bit and he commented that I had beautiful "honey eyes". He explained to me the phrase as a Portuguese phrase relating honey to a wonderful natural delicacy and that I guess explains my eyes...either way Dr. Ghavami has become one of my favorite people in this world--someone who I will never forget. Because first for allowing us this opportunity to be in Rio de Janeiro and second, inspiring us to continue to be the change in our world with the force of bamboo.

Boa noite~