Humanities: Fall 2010

Humanities Retreat: I thought that the first year retreat at Recreation Unlimited was really one of the first times that I got to know my fellow Humanities students. The teamwork exercises were "interesting" and there was very little personal space. It turned out to be a lot of fun despite the cold wind and having to get up really early. From the trust falls to awkwardly trying fit our group into that small box, the retreat was a great way for us to become more comfortable around each other.

Chicago: I really enjoyed the Chicago trip. Honestly, I was excited about the Chicago from the first time that I heard about it back at Scholar's Day. I had never been there or any city bigger than Indianapolis before. In Chicago, we went to see a Second City comedy show. That was probably my favorite part of the trip. I also really enjoyed going to Navy Pier, although I never got around to riding the ferris wheel.

Zoo: Going to the Wildlights exhibit at the Columbus Zoo turned out be a lot of fun. The lights were really cool, although I spent most of the time talking. I was disappointed that we never got to see the polar bears, but we did see the elephants. Also, I want a pet sun bear. They were my favorite out of all the animals that we saw.

Humanities Fall Quarter

Sorry about the lateness of my post but I had some technical difficulties with the blog. Anyways during my first quarter as an OSU Humanities Scholar I attended the retreat, the Chicago Trip and the Potluck dinner. The retreat started out rather poorly as it required me to wake up early and ride on a bus, however, it was an interesting bonding experience. I believe, however, that most of the bonding occurred over the mutual commiseration about the early morning and the temperature, rather than the activities themselves. That being said I did enjoy participating in the trust fall. The Chicago Trip was an excellent experience, even though I had been there previously I had not spent as much time walking around the city itself. I enjoyed the free time and the ability just to walk around the city and immerse myself in the city's vibrant atmosphere greatly. The potluck dinner was a nice social gathering where I got to meet and converse with others in the scholars program. I was curious to see what food would be brought to a potluck dinner by a bunch of college students, most of whom lived in dorms. I have to say that I was rather impressed by the quantity and the quality of the food that was brought to the dinner. All in all I greatly enjoyed my first quarter at OSU and my participation in the Humanities Scholars.

all things humanities by Ashley Cornett2010x

Sorry Ben and Daniel I could not figure out how to blog last night! Any way this quarter I went to the Potluck, the zoolights, had a conversation partner, and went to the retreat. The Potluck was a lot of fun and i had never been to one, it was nice to see that everyone brought food to share and it made for a great evening. The retreat was crazy, first getting up in the cold was a struggle but once we all got there we realized that it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about my fellow humanities scholars. The zoo lights were soooo cool! I never even knew they existed so getting to see them was a cool bonus. Lastly, all throughout the quarter I have had a conversation partner that I met with once a week. It was a very educational experience getting to know all of south koreas customs and seeing how they differed from ours. Also, it was cool to get to help her with her english and become more comfortable around more people at osu.

Fall Quarter 2010 Humanities Blog

BP Dinner and Dialogue:

This Humanities Scholars event consisted of a professional expert discussing the effects of the BP oil spill which occurred earlier this year. Even though I was not able to attend the entire event, the portion that I did participate in was very interesting. The professor discussed the major damage and lack of clean up available to the spill. This enlightened me on the significance of government relations and the need for communication between large corporations such as BP and the United States government. Prior to this dinner and dialogue I was not informed of this environmental disaster. Overall, I found this to be very well detailed and an excellent presentation.

Humanities Potluck:

Fight Club and Cane's Chicken Fingers was a great way to celebrate the quarter. It was nice bonding experience with the Humanities Scholars. The movie was very thought provoking and offered a challenge to complete understand the meaning. I enjoyed discussing the movie afterwards with my floor mates back in Haverfield. I think that this was great way to bring together all ages and the Humanities Scholars and was a wonderful success!

Chicago:

This first year trip is close to the top of the best memories I have had so far this year. From traveling on the bus to figuring out the train, staying in the hostile, and exploring downtown Chicago, this trip really was excellent. My favorite memory of this trip was navigating the city on the second night. Two other Scholar's and I traveled through the city attempting to find a certain destination. Sadly, we never came upon the destination, but we were able to see the Chicago culture first hand. To me, being exposed to a new culture is what traveling is all about. It is an exciting way to learn about how other people live. Chicago is only six hours away from Columbus but everything is different from the entertainment to the people to the food. I loved being able to immerse myself in this city and I have taken a lot from this trip.

Fall Fun With Humanities: Foodbank, Urban Arts Space, and Chicago

Mid Ohio Foodbank:

  Way back in October, I volunteered along with six other Humanities Scholars, at the Mid Ohio Foodbank.  In around 2.5 hours, we were able to sort and box nearly 2,000 pounds of frozen meat that had been donated from grocery stores.  The boxed meat would then be distributed to local food shelters.  I have to say I was pretty impressed withe cleanliness and design of the Foodbank facility, as well as the Foodbank staff.  The building is brand new, and LEED certified.  The staff all had really great, positive attitudes, you could just tell they loved working at the Foodbank and helping others. 

Urban Arts Space:

I have always really enjoyed visiting galleries, especially when they show the work of local artists.  During our trip to the OSU Urban Arts Space in downtown Columbus, we were greeted with the instillation of the latest exhibition, "Hair Works."  At first I completely frowned upon what I saw, in fact, I was a little repulsed by it--one of the pieces included a hair ball, three feet in diameter, with hair that had been collected from around the city.  Another piece included a door mat, with "Welcome" spelled out in thick chunks of hair.  One of the directors of the space later explained the artist wanted to communicate the idea that hair on the body is considered beautiful, but once it's no longer on the body, it's repulsive.  After hearing this explanation, I was a little more at ease looking at the exhibit, but it was still pretty difficult.

Chicago:

Just like the other posts talk about Chicago, it was reallfun!  My favorite part of the trip was the Second City performance.  I was expecting a really big theatre, but was delighted to find the stage to be small and almost intimate. I had been a little uneasy about the idea of staying in a hostel, but it ended up being a really great experience.  I never really realized there is an entire world of hostelling to explore!    

So much fun with Humanities!

Graduating in 2014

Chicago:

I love the Windy City!! Everything about this trip was amazing. First off, the hostel was so much better than I had envisioned a hostel to be. I imagined a run down, dirty, and smelly place however this place was spotless and better than some of the 3/4 star hotels I have been to in the past. Another awesome experience involved Second City. It was absolutely hysterical. It makes sense that some of these comedians started here and ended up on Saturday Night Live. The hilarious songs, variety of skits, and clever plot line, added to a great atmosphere and great night. All in all, this trip to Chicago was one of the better times I have gone. I'm so glad I became closer to the people who went and had a great experience in general.

First Year Retreat:

The retreat at Recreation Unlimited was also an awesome time. Learning about the different ways to communicate with people, i.e. verbal, body, etc., proved both helpful and informative. Although we left early and the weather was dismal and cold, we all managed to huddle close and grow closer, similar to the college trip. In fact, I liked Recreation Unlimited so much that I am planning on applying to work there over the summer!

Colin Beavan:

Colin Beavan's book was one of my least favorite reads. Although his ideas and his way of following his beliefs are nothing short of admirable, I could not stand his writing style. His condescending tone was similar to nails on a chalkboard! The book definitely had its strengths though. One particular strength I found was Colin's intimate details about his family life and how their relationships changed. I found that part to be particularly interesting.

Flag Football:

Flag Football was unfortunately a bust. I was thrilled to be a part of the team, I love football and team sports, however, we could never get enough people to show up. I went for the second game and only 4 of us showed up, so unfortunately we had to forfeit. Hopefully our other intramural teams will have better attendance so we can play!

Aida and Wildlights!

Aida:
Wow! That's about all I can say! I'd never had the opportunity to see Aida before, but was totally blown away! It was so good! The story was amazing and the music was great (I love Elton John and Tim Rice!)! It was really cool talking with the cast and crew at the end too! I loved hearing their perspective on the play.

Wildlights:
So, I'd been to Columbus Zoo before, but seeing the zoo like this was amazing! It was so pretty! I loved walking around with my friends and seeing all of the lights and animals! I really hope we can do this again next year!

A Couple of Things...

Chicago:
I had a blast on the Chicago trip. The hostel was pretty cool and I got to meet a lot of different people. One of my favorite things was the comedy show. It was hilarious. I also went shopping and to the Sears Tower. Which was freakin' high! (I loved it)
I also learned that Ben Fortmen is freakin' famous in Chicago, everyone knew him. He's also a rebel according to Cosmo( in case you were wondering.)

Zoo:
The Columbus Zoo lights were pretty cool. However, I like my hometown of Toledo's lights better. I DID GET TO SEE A PUMA, the Polar Bear's weren't out. I know disappointing. But I had a lot of fun with me group: Jenny, Cindy and Emma.

chicago and retreat

Humanities retreat:
The humanities retreat was very fun. We left at about 8 in the morning and stayed until about 1 in the afternoon. I really enjoyed the camp grounds and all the activities we did. My favorite activity was the one we did at the end where we had to fit everyone through a tangle of ropes that looked like a spider web. It was really funny trying to fit everyone through this rope course. There was also another activity we did where we had to fit about 15 people on a really tiny block and everyone kept falling off the block. These activities took a great amount of strategy and were a lot harder than they appeared at first sight.

Chicago trip:
I also really enjoyed the Chicago trip. One of my favorite activities was the comedy show Friday night. The stunts the comedians did were hilarious- especially the skit where they pretended to be a radio show. I also really enjoyed walking around Navy Pier and the shopping we did Saturday afternoon. There were so many stores and places to see including a glass museum, a giant Ferris wheel, and shopping centers about twice as big as any I have ever seen. I have never been to Chicago before this trip, but I am really glad I had the opportunity to see this city. I also really enjoyed seeing the giant reflective bean in the center of the city.

Humanities Fall Quarter

Chicago Trip: I have been to Chicago before, but this time was extra special. I loved being surrounded by my friends and not my family for once. I could experience the city in a whole new way. I enjoyed the time we had to roam around Chicago Linda and I went to many restaurants and ate an item from each. Sprinkles cupcake bakery was by far the highlight of that day. Although, going into the American Girl Doll Store with Tony, Karl, and Chase was hilarious. I thought the speaker at the Humanities meeting had an interesting idea, but the way she delivered her speech was rather flat and boring. I didn't think her speech was horrendous, just slightly hard to be engaged in. Chicago was a great time and I learned a lot about the people in the Humanities Scholars Program!

The Italian Festival: I loved the Italian festival because they sold my absolutely favorite food, cannolis. The fee to get in was quite large, but it was all worth it to eat a cannoli. My friends and I sat in a tent and ate pizza while watching men and women perform a traditional dance to Italian music. I thought it was fun to people watch because I definitely saw some of the stereotypical "guidos". It honestly looked like some of the guys popped straight out of the TV show Jersey Shore. Overall, I had a great time with my friends and ate delicious food.

Treating the Hungry: I had a fantastic time at Treat the Hungry. My roommates and I dressed up in ridiculous outfits and had a ball running around the neighborhood. It was hilarious to watch peoples' reactions because they would first look at us with disgust because we were so old and then they would light up once they found out why we were there. I would definitely do this opportunity again. It was a blast and I even got some free Halloween candy!

Humanities

The Chicago Trip:
The Chicago trip was pretty fun...I had never been to Chicago so that was exciting. I was pleasantly suprised at how nice the hostile was, and at how centrally located it seemed to be. I really enjoyed seeing the city, eating, and taking pictures infront of statues. Olivia and I, wanting to eat at as many places as possible, decided to eat an appetizer at one restaurant, an entree at another and so forth. Even though we were unable to entirely complete our goal we still managed to eat an unreasonable amount of food over our short trip, so we consider it a success. I was also able to visit the American Girl Doll store- I had felt left out all these years as my friends would visit it, so I consider that childhood dream fulfilled now. The humanities festival speaker we heard was interesting, I had trouble following some of the questions the audience asked her but I thought she did a good job considering the subject. Overall it was a good time.

The Italian Festival:
The Italian Festival was interesting, although I felt the admittance fee of 5 dollars was excessive. I was able to eat pizza and get an italian ice from a Corbo's Stand from Cleveland so that was exciting. I've been to my fair share of Italian fests and although this one offered an abundance of food it was lacking entertainment, except for some carnival rides for small children. It was nice to get off campus and see the short north though!

What Motivates Us

So waayyy earlier this quarter I went to see the FYE with guest speaker Dan Pink who gave a talk called Drive, What Motivates Us.

To give a very brief recap of what he said - people do more/better when the reason for doing it is because they want to as opposed to because of whatever material reward they may gain from it.

He said that in the 20th century, the "if you do this, I'll give you this," reward system worked very well, but it won't in this new age. True motivation, he explained, constituted three elements: autonomy (or doing things without someone making you do them), mastery (getting good at something), and purpose (small sacrifice for greater good) He said that now, with technology that can do so much of the work that people did before, we are leaving the age in which technical skills are emphasized and entering a time in which creativity and empathy are more valued.

A few people asked him questions related to their majors or their career. They weren't sure if they should pursue a certain major or career because it was really hard, or they didn't like it, or they were just doing it for the salary etc. He suggested that people ought to pursue what really makes them happy. First, they'll probably do it better than those who don't, and second, they're creativity in that area could give birth to remarkable things that could change the world.

Good stuff.

Catching Up.

I am very behind on these.

1. The Windy City.

As you all know, the first year students took their trip to Chicago in the beginning of November. I have never been there, and I would have absolutely no problem going back. I mean, I practically know my way around now. Not really. But it was great. I have an obsession with big cities. There is just so much to do. In two days, we saw a comedy show, heard a woman speak about scandals, went to Millennium Park, went up in the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower, and will probably always be referred to as the Sears Tower), ate authentic Chicago pizza, and made new friends. I think that was one of the main purposes of the trip, and I'm glad I was a part of it.

2. Treat the Hungry.

The Thursday before Halloween, a group of Humanities Scholars ventured out into the semi-cold to find canned goods for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. The way it was done was not your traditional canned food drive, though. We went door to door, and instead of getting candy, we asked for non-perishable food items. I had never heard of doing anything like this until I came here. It was an interesting experience, and people were very generous. Some houses gave us grocery bags full of items. I was slightly shocked at how willing people were to give away their food. I got to meet new people through this experience as well, which kind of makes me excited, because I came to Ohio State being able to count the people I know here on one hand.

3. Potluck and Movie Night.

This was probably the only experience in which I did not meet anyone new. I did, however, love the concept of everyone getting together andcontributing to the food we had. I was in many groups in high school, and none of them really did anything like this. Once a year, the band would get together in the gym and watch a movie, but we were not responsible for food. Plus, I had never seen Fight Club, and it was completely different than I thought it was going to be. I ended up liking it way more than I anticipated.

4. Aida.

Up until I got the program for Aida, I had no idea what it was about. I knew it was a musical, and that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. I was told it was a rock musical, so I was expecting some 90’s street theme. I was a little taken off guard when I found out it was set in Africa, and I wasn't really sure how it was going to work out. I ended up liking the story, but the ending threw me off a little. It was a good ending, and it was different than your typical love story, and not what anyone was expecting. But there is just something about musicals that doesn't sit well with me. When songs start taking too long, I get antsy for the story to continue. I like a progressing storyline. I get bored when it stops on one thing for too long, and that happened to me a couple times during Aida.

5. ZOO!

On Friday, we went to the Columbus Zoo Wildlights. And I got to pet a baby goat. As sad as it may sound, it was the highlight of my night. I was very excited. I am an animal fanatic- you can even ask my roommates if you think it is necessary. The lights were nice, but I was way more interested in the small amount of animals the zoo had to see. I can’t even tell you my favorite, because I do not have one. I met someone new on the zoo trip, so I consider this is a good way to finish out my first quarter at Ohio State. in the small amount of animals the zoo had to see. I can’t even tell you my favorite, because I do not have one. I met someone new on the zoo trip, so I consider this is an excellent way to finish out my first quarter at Ohio State.

My English Conversation Partner

Zhang, Zhang, Zhang. Though I had known you for only three quarters of an hour, I’ll always remember this day we met…

Well, it was a Friday, if my memory serves me correctly. I arrived at the front of Fischer College, saw no Zhang, and took a seat on the steps. I waited as ten minutes passed. I waited as twenty minutes passed. I even waited as this huge passing line of middle school kids began mocking me. Really, I didn’t mind waiting, but after about forty-five minutes he came and introduced himself as if he arrived right on time. I offered to take him out for lunch.

To teach English to a man six years older than me was quite amusing, but soon I was touched by his sincere eagerness to learn. I tried to explain that, back in high school, I had once taught an ESL student enough English to pass his English Ohio Graduation Test. “You’re lucky to have me,” I said jokingly, but seriously, too. He grew silent, and from the look on his face it seemed as if he was not gettin' what I was sayin’. After that short moment, he just reached in his pocket and gave me a small red box. Inside was a cute necklace.

So just like that, I never saw him after that day. He never showed up where we planned to meet (which is okay; like I said, I don’t mind waiting). I called him now and then, but every time he never answered. Once, it seemed like he did pick up, I could even hear his presence on the other end, but suddenly the call must have dropped. I redialed right away but then what I heard was something like “This line doesn’t exist...” or whatever. I don’t know. Life can be so mysterious.

I guess this necklace he gave me is the only thing I have to remember him by.

I wear it every day.

(This blog is long, and you should stop here, but I would like to mention another strange thing that happened later that day) I was relaxing in a hot tub while enjoying a smoothie, and this woman in her fifties sat next to me and mentioned what a good-looking boy I was (which I know is not the least bit true). She took my hand, examined my pinky knuckle, and told me that a lot of girls would be coming my way. I would break up with one when I’m 19, another when I’m 25. I don’t know how she was coming up with these numbers. She then turned my hand over to read my palm, and I saw that she had a concerned look on her face. “You’re very stubborn, and when you grow up you're gonna be bad with your money."

Eh?