Retreat!

As a commuter student, I really haven't been able to get to know many of my fellow Humanities Scholars. Whenever I would I go to meeting, I would feel super awkward. Finding out about having to wake up at 6:15 AM in order to get to Haverfield by 7:30 AM for a retreat in 30 degree weather didn't make me any more excited either. I took a nice nap on the way to Recreation Unlimited and woke up pretty bummed about how cold it was. As the day progressed, I got more and more close with my group and started enjoying myself! The trust fall was my favorite activity because we definitely had to work as a team in order for everything to work out. In the end, I'm much more comfortable being a Humanities Scholar and I'm happy that I chose to be apart of the program.

First Year Retreat

On October 30, the first year Humanities scholars were rolling out of bed in order to make the 8am bus trip to make the mandatory retreat. I, like many other scholars, was very not so happy to be up and running at 8am on Halloween weekend. The cold October air quickly caused many of us to complain about being outside, but after an hour or so, the temperature wasn't too bad. The actual retreat started (for the gold team) by passing around a ball in order to get to know each other's names. I felt as if I was back in elementary school, but understood the purpose in the activity. Throughout the morning we participated in other activities including a blind fold maze, getting across carpet squares in specific patterns, and the trust fall. Each activity was somewhat ridiculous, but in the end each one had a specific message to go along with its purpose. Whether it was learning to work together towards one goal or to plan ahead in order to achieve success, each activity was accompanied by a hidden theme. I was never happy to be on retreat on Saturday morning, but I have to say that I came out of the retreat knowing a few more people from our Humanities scholars program and now had the ability to relate to them.

Trick-or-Treat for the Hungry

This past Thursday (October 28), I joined a group of Scholars that went to Hilliard to trick-or-treat for nonperishable food items for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. My roommates and I had a great experience at this event. The people were very generous, and we filled the trunk of my Bug with cans for the food bank. Actually, when we unloaded and took all the food up to our room, it fit in a giant trash bag! The homeowners praised us for what we were doing, and thanked us by giving us candy. It was a great night and a lot of fun.

-Kierra Dye

English Conversation Partner

I was nervous at first to be a part of the English Conversation Partner program because I was not sure how well I was going to be able to communicate with my partner. However, after I met my partner, I became less nervous and more excited to meet someone of a different country and culture. My partner is from South Korea and she is a Senior this year. She knows English fairly well and so it is fun to just go out to lunch and talk with her about her college/life experiences.

I think this program is a great idea because it allows American students to learn about different ways of life and interact with people that they would not normally have a chance to before. I also think it is very good for the international students because they can be helped to improve their English or to just make new friends. I think it is also important to note that our society is becoming much more connected to other countries and it is important to be well-versed in different world cultures.

All around, I think this program is beneficial to everyone and it can teach everyone a little something.

Flag Football 10/10/10

Two Sundays ago was the kick-off for the Intramural Flag Football. Even though all the food was gone by the time our team got to the football fields (and therefore many of our players had nothing to eat since who knows when), I still enjoyed being on the football field again. In the game, we did score first on our first possession and were in the lead. However, we never scored again, leading to our crushing 31 - 6 lost. We still can make the playoffs because the International Affairs Scholars Program team forfeited this past Sunday (maybe the Obama Rally had something to do with it...) and this week we are playing the one team that has a worse record then we do. We just need to win this weekend.

Towards All Flag Football Players: DO NOT FORGET THAT WE HAVE A GAME THIS WEEKEND @ 4:30! Thank you. :D

Tommys Pizza Night

So last Thursday there was an alumni night going on Tommys Pizza on Lane Avenue for the college of Arts and Sciences here at OSU. It was a lot of fun, there was tons of free pizza and drinks, and students had the chance to talk with alumni about majors at Ohio State. I talked with a guy who had gone to Ohio State, I think he said he graduated in 1992, and lived in Drackett while he was here. He works at Nationwide now, I wish I could remember his name; he was really nice.

"Two In The Wave"

This recent Friday, I and a couple of my friends went to see a French documentary about the "New Wave" that occurred in France. The documentary was a sort of biography about the two most popular filmmakers in France during "La Nouvelle Vague," Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Rather than showing a bunch of boring interviews, the film frames its backward looks with images of the actress, Isild Le Besco, looking through old magazine articles and visiting significant places in accordance with the story. The documentary starts from the beginning: how the two filmmakers first met, how they progressed throughout their lives through films, their interactions with each other and with the public, and even the conclusion of their professions within the "Nouvelle Vague." The film is narrated by a male voice actor and occasionally the actress, Isild. Although some may find reading subtitles and listening to French boring and a waste of time, hearing how a local Frenchman speaks the language while reading English subtitles is a very thrilling experience. I, personally, had an advantage, seeing as I have a limited amount of knowledge of French. Overall, the experience was very enjoyable. I learned about the past of another country's culture, as well as expanded my horizon with the French language. I suggest to anyone interested in foreign languages or just someone who enjoys foreign films to go to the Wexner Center and inquire about any additional foreign films they will be playing for the next couple of months.

Italian Festival!

Going to the Italian Festival was like going home for me. Lebanon, OH loves to have festivals for everything, my favorite being Apple Fest! I loved the small town feeling that the Italian Festival gave off. I had no idea that there was such a strong Italian presence in Columbus. I loved that there were people speaking Italian everywhere, it was fascinating. I saw a lot of Italian foods that I had never seen before...or even heard of! I had a great time with all my fellow Humanities friends! I would definitely return next year.

Gallery Hop

I know this is long overdue....but rather late than never, right? (Or something like that!)

So Gallery Hop wasn't anything like I expected it to be. First off, Short North looks EXACTLY like my hometown's downtown. (Lebanon, OH anyone?) Tons of antique and novelty stores. Unique family owned shoppes that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else! (yeah right) I guess I was sort of underwhelmed by it all. I thought that something as famous as Gallery Hop would be a little more unique to Columbus. It turns out that it isn't really unique to anything.

It turned out to be a horrible night for gallery hopping anyway so my group and I didn't stay long; we weren't really partial to trudging up and down the streets in the rain and cold- to each his own. We ended up going to a member of our group's grandmother's house- who lives in Short North. I got more out of that than anything out of the Gallery Hop itself. This woman opened up her home to 3 complete strangers and made us all hot chocolate and brownies. Talk about feeling welcomed. I guess it just goes to show that in an area where I expected to find a snobbish, artsy population...I found home :)

English Conversation Partner

I must admit that I was fairly nervous when my roommate and I went to go meet our English Conversation Partners last Monday. I had no idea what to expect. I was hoping for someone who was a native of a Spanish speaking country (as I have studied Spanish for the past 5 years.) I thought it would make communicating a little easier. But when I walked into the room, I saw that every single conversation partner was of Asian descent. Wow. I knew that their presence on campus was strong, but I had no idea that there the program catered to the Asian community. Not that I'm complaining about my partner or this fact...I was just shocked that other nationalities weren't represented. That being said, I am looking forward to future meetings with my partner. Her name is Xinhui and she is here at Ohio State pursuing a masters of accounting. After our first meeting , it seems that we both have a lot in common. I think I'm going to learn A LOT about China and it's really going to open up my eyes to other cultures. Even though there are a lot of Asians on campus...I find myself realizing that I don't branch out to talk to people of other cultures that often. I guess birds of a feather really do flock together. I'm excited to break out and make a new friend.

Italian Festival

Yesterday I went to the Columbus Italian Festival. I used to go to all the cultural festivals in Toledo (where I'm from), so it was nice to be at an event that felt familiar. Everything about college is so new... the sights, voices, noises, scents, flavors, etc. The Italian-ice, lasagna, dancing, gambling and singing is more or less the same no matter which culture appreciating, festival hosting city you find it in.

The church that hosted it was gorgeous, the people were friendly, the music was good, the dancing was entraining, the food was delicious, and the world's largest meatball, though, I heard, slightly smaller than the world's largest, was a humorous sight to behold. I especially enjoyed the tent with art for sale. The oil paintings of Italy we're beautiful and, from my perspective, had a dream like quality about them. Most of all, I enjoyed watching the copper painted man move from his statue position and startle onlookers whenever little kids dashed forward to place their parents' donations in the urn.

Another added bonus for the evening- I took my English conversation partner, Yinghao, with me to the festival. Before we left I explained that in the US, because we have so many people from different backgrounds, we like to have festivals to celebrate each other's culture. He told me they have festivals in China for holidays, but not for Greeks, Irish, Italians, etc. My friend and I got him to try Italian ice, which he enjoyed. I took him in the Catholic Church and explained all the statues, pictures and architecture styles. He told me that he hadn't been around so many Americans all at once. Also, that in China it's crowed everywhere he goes. He says a lot of the shopping malls are as crowded as the festival was last night! Can you imagine that!?

Everyone I talked to enjoyed the festivities hosted by St. John's Church. For me, it was nice to be around the familiar. For my friend Yinghao, it was a mess of new things. Overall, it was a very nice event.

English Conversation Partner

I must admit I'm surprised no one has done a post on this already. I know a couple of people who went to this.

I went to the English Conversation partner orientation and have already met up with my partner after the meeting. So far we've only talked about ourselves and the various differences in our lives and cultures, which I have learned are many. I'm looking forward to continued conversations.

We speak entirely in English but I'm hoping that as soon as my Chinese's skills improve perhaps we can communicate both ways. I also feel pretty good about really helping someone improve his skills so he has an easier time living here in the USA.

Colin Beavan: No Impact Man

I attended the Buckeye Book Community, An Evening with Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man. I really enjoyed the book No Impact Man when I read it over the summer so I was very excited to see him speak in person. While originally reading the book it gave me many things that to think about. I began to try and implement small changes in my life. When he came up on stage and started talking I liked how he didn't immediately start right off into the content of the book. He first talked about how his daughter was and made a few jokes about the whole project. He didn't actually talk much about what changes he made in his project or what was in the book. He instead focused on why he started this project and what we can all do to make a difference. During his lecture he made many good points and I liked that he included many small stories that had very good lessons. One point he made was that if you are passionate about something you should find ways to incorporate it into your life even if it won't become your profession. I also like how he made that point that it doesn't matter who created a problem but we all need to work together to get it fixed, otherwise, it will hurt us all in the end. This made a very powerful point to me and I think many people overlook this fact. We all have to do our part to help change the world rather than looking to place blame on others and waiting for them to fix it. I greatly enjoyed listening to him speak and I loved how he brought insight and humor into his speech. I would definitely recommend reading his book and listening to him speak to other people because he brings such meaningful insight and light to such a large issue as the environment in today's world.

Short North Gallery Hop

Taking the COTA bus down to the short north was one of the easiest things I had ever imagined. The only thing you had to do was to make sure you got off at the right stop or you'd have to walk farther than you would have liked. The shops along the short north are not all galleries. There are shops with almost anything that you can think of: clothes, jewelry, shoes, hats, pets, food, restaurants, etc. Although I did not walk down to the Convention Center, where most of the art works and galleries are, due to the rainy, cold weather, I was able to wander along both sides of High st. looking at a few local galleries here and there. I and my friends stopped at zpizza where we had a very nice and filling pizza dinner. It was very helpful for me and my friend, Kathryn, especially considering our food allergies, for which zpizza gladly accommodated us. I have the feeling that my experience may have had a much more positive spin if the weather wasn't as dreary and gloomy, adding a more negative effect on the whole experience. However, now that I know how to take the COTA bus down to the short north whenever I please, I anticipate going back again when the weather may be much more pleasant. I suggest to those who are curious about the short north or those who just want to go hang out with friends and get away from the college life for a bit, go see the short north: wander around the shops, for you can find pretty much anything, and explore to your hearts content as you experience the Columbus life in the short north.