Fall Quarter 2011!

I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked to this quarter, but everything I did was a lot of fun!

Mentor/Mentee Scavenger Hunt:
Well, only one other mentor in the group showed up and only two mentees, but this was still a blast! I loved getting to know my mentees and can't wait to have more time to get to know them! It was fun to see how much they had already learned about getting around campus too and getting to share my OSU experience with them.

Vampire Dinner and Dialogue:
This was great! I will admit...I love the Twilight books, but I know that the Cullen's aren't your typical vampires. It was interesting to hear about just how different they really are from vampires of the past.

Bellwether Improv

After seeing last year's spring Bellwether Improv Festival I knew that I had to return to support 8th Floor this fall. My self and several other second year humanities scholars dragged a few other friends to the festival. The great thing about Belwether is that you can come and go in between performances AND its free. Always a bonus. The groups were great once again. I recognized several of the improver's from last years show, and it was interesting to see which schools seemed to get better and which ones were even less funny. I als LOVED the professional groups, of course. It was really cool to see some of the senior members of 8th Floor Improv go onstage with the professional groups. It was as if they were improved as we watched just from being on stage with such great performers. I loved Belwether once again and I hope everyone goes to see it next year!

Study Abroad Expo

One of my favorite "start of the year" activities is the Study Abroad Expo. This years location was moved to Thompson Library, but it was just as satisfactory as the space they previously used in the Union. This year I came in with much more focus then last year. I know that I want to go to Australia for a semester and that I want to do so through a third party provider. This, however, makes the Study Abroad Expo less useful. The majority of the programs that were there this year were specifically Ohio State sponsored programs. I did however have the opportunity to grab some material on a few of the third party providers that also had OSU sponsored programs. I also spoke to someone about the Peace Corps and am now interested in looking into that. All in all, the study abroad expo was a great experience and I recommend it to everyone next year!

Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo

It was so much fun to get to go to the Columbus Zoo and see all the beautiful lights. I had a great time with my friends and it was nice before a very stress filled week of finals. I was sad that they had no giraffes but I did love the elephants too so it made up for it. It wasn't as cold as it was last year and it gave me time to see friends I may not have seen otherwise due to a busy finals week.

Treat the Hungry

I really enjoyed Treat the Hungry last year so Emma and I decided to do it again. We dressed up as the best pirates ever. We ended up collecting a ton of non-perishable food items and also people gave us candy. This also gave me a chance to work on my muscles which is always a bonus. Most people were more than happy to donate. Other than nearly getting a parking ticket it all went according to plan. Overall it was a great time and I would definately do it again next year.

Potluck and Movie Night

Although I was reluctant to go to this quarter's potluck and movie night because of our movie choice, I ended up really enjoying it. It was great to see other Humanities Scholars I had not seen in a while and I ended up really liking Shutter Island. It was a good time and a nice break from studying.

Autumn Quarter 2011

1. Mentor/Mentee Scavenger Hunt.

I was super excited to be a mentor this year, and I'm really glad we had this mandatory event. It was great to get to meet some of the new freshmen in person, especially since I didn't know a whole lot of upperclassmen last year.

2. Treat the Hungry.

Treat the Hungry is one of my favorite events of all time, and I'm glad I got to do it two years in a row. We met some really interesting people this year, and it's always great to collect all of those non-perishable food items for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. 555 pounds is awesome! I just wish that more people would participate, because it really is a good time.

3. Potluck and Movie Night.

Well, we watched Shutter Island, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the potluck and movie nights because it's a group of people coming together, who probably wouldn't usually, let's be honest, to watch a movie and eat food. Again, more people should participate! These events are more fun than people think they are.

Finals Study Break

The cookies and hot chocolate that were provided in the lobby of Haverfield Sunday night was a nice treat. Finals week is stressful and free food is something that will always brighten a gloomy rain filled week.

The Help Book Club

I was unable to attend the final book discussion, but the mid-book discussion was very fun. While the crowd was small, everyone had many opinions about the book and its themes. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm excited for The Help movie night winter quarter. I liked how the book was told through different perspectives, I think it helped create a more complete view of "the help's" life in the south and how it was viewed by outsiders. My favorite character was Cecilia Foote because she is just a lovable backwoods Barbie who is too sweet and simple for her own good. I think any book that can get such emotional reactions from all kinds of readers is successful and I saw that happen through the Humanities Book Club. I hope next quarter's book (The Hunger Games) is just as popular!

All-Scholars Football (x3)

Although we had a worse record then last year (0-3 compared to 1-2. That one win from last year was due to the other time forfeiting and if they did not, we probably would had to forfeit), at least we played all our games. For next year, we need, as a goal, to not lose due to the mercy rule, at least once. Every game this year, the mercy rule was enforced. Another thing we need to change it how we line-up on offense; we need to spread everyone out so the other team has to account for every person, instead of double teaming people because we have three people near the line of scrimmage "blocking". We also need to utilize the center as a receiver, since I noticed that the other teams usually didn't pay attention to the center.
Hopefully we have a better year next year. It also confusing how there are more women than men in the Humanities Scholars program, however, we can only get three to play? Pathetic.

Matisyahu

This past Thursday I had the opportunity to attend a unique musical performance starring the reggae and hip-hop artist Matisyahu. Matisyahu is best known for his songs pertaining to his faith and experience in the Jewish tradition. I've followed him since my earlier days of high school, and being able to hear him explain aspects to his songs such as "Jerusalem" and "King Without a Crown" as well as hearing him explain how he started sporting his yarmulke on stage was quite interesting. Although he used most of the time to perform, he used a small increment to explain the path he has taken from childhood to his current state. Overall, I walked away very pleased and recommend his music to anyone interested in something different than the social norm.

Treat the Hungry

This year I was out of town on HALLOWEEKEND so I was delighted with the opportunity to combine my two favorite things: Costumes and Community Service. At 5:45 My roommates and I put together some last minute costumes and headed to Haverfield. We had a great drive over in Cindy's luxury sports car, but an even better time collecting non-perishables for the Mid Ohio Food Bank. Most houses were prepared with bags of food, which was much appreciated. Ben and Daniel had to collect our bags half way through since we had collected so much food. All together we collected over 500 pounds of food this year, which is great!

Potluck and Movie Night

Last night was the annual humanities potluck and movie night. Quite a few people came to enjoy the buffet of Raising Cane's chicken fingers, chips, and desserts made and brought by us humanities scholars. We watched the film "Shutter Island." I've seen the movie a few times before, but I was glad to have the chance to watch it again. It's one of those movies that gets better every time you see it! The movie and potluck dinner provided a relaxing evening and a chance to socialize with scholars I hadn't seen in a while, as well as the chance to meet some of the first year students.

History of Haverfield

In this space, I would normally write about what happened at the "History of Haverfield", however, even though I went to the event at 7:00 p.m., like the Calendar said, apparently they started earlier than expected (or the time was wrong). Luckily, I went to this event last year and already know the basic idea of what went on. I also was in time for maybe the last ten minutes of the event, in which one of the men who served on the U.S.S. Haverfield during, I believe, Vietnam (don't quote me) presented the PSL scholars program director with a plaque for running a project to preserve the memories of both James Haverfield and the men who served on the U.S.S. Haverfield and also an old lighter that was used on, not necessarily on the U.S.S. Haverfield, but a naval warship for the display case down in the lobby.

Follow this link for a brief summary from last year. http://osuhumanities2010.blogspot.com/2010/11/haverfield-project-aka-history-of.html

The Bellweather Festival

I attended the 3rd annual Bellweather Improv Comedy Festival and was very impressed. I have never seen 8th floor improv let alone any professional improv groups (besides the one in Chicago of course :). At first I was a little weary about this because there were student run groups and you never know how good they will be since they are not professional. But all the groups were very impressive. I now want to go to all the 8th floor improv shows because I thought they were so hilarious. Also, the professional groups were by far the funniest people I have ever seen/watched. I was laughing the whole time. I am just very amazed by how people can simply make up things as they go and build off each other, all the time making it very funny. I would definitely recommend this event to anyone. I'm sad that I missed out on other 8th floor improv events but I will definitely attend more in the future!

Dinner and Dialogue: The Evolution of Vampires

I attended the dinner and dialogue about the evolution of vampires. I thought it was extremely interesting and a topic that is not discussed very often. I liked the fact that the professor running this dinner and dialogue focused more on monsters in general than just on vampires. I especially liked how he described why fictional monsters come about. The way he explained it was that these monsters reflect whatever society fears at that time. For example, the story of Frankenstein reflected the fact that society was afraid to welcome scientific knowledge and evidence. I also liked how he went into detail about vampires and the similarities and differences between older-known vampires such as Dracula and newer, more modern vampires like Edward Cullen. I thought it was a very insightful discussion and I am really glad I attended.

Population Ethics Dinner and Dialogue

Going into this event, I thought it was going to focus on abortion and is it the best thing for certain people to have children. But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when the talk was about how Philosophy applies to population ethics- given that the professor who spoke is the head of the Department of Philosophy. Nevertheless, I found the arguments he shared to be incredibly interesting. I especially enjoyed when he discussed the repugnant conclusion. In a nut shell: humans should not reproduce...doing so only brings bad into the world. I found it infuriating that all of the arguments leading up to this conclusion were sound in and of themselves, but that they only led to one solution: having children is bad. Repugnant is definitely the best word to describe the situation.

Waiting for Superman

I was surprised at how emotional Waiting for Superman made me feel. I've seen other documentaries but I guess there is something about the future of children that pulls my heartstrings even more so than other issues. But I understand why so many parents would go through so much for the education of their children.

The discussion afterward was really interesting to me, especially the point of view of the students that actually come from magnet or charter schools. Being a product from a public school in the suburbs, I had it really good compared to the public schools in the city, and it didn't really hit me until now.

Doc & Talk Waiting For Superman

This was the 2nd time I saw the film and it was just as good and emotionally striking as the first time I saw it. I think it really provided a reality check to everyone that watched on how good we have it. I really enjoyed the discussion afterwords, it was interesting to hear different opinions on education, especially people who have gone to charter or magnet schools.

Access88 Trip to Sardinia, Ohio

This weekend, I had an amazing opportunity to go on a service trip to Brown County, Ohio, where we had the opportunity to talk to 8th grade students about the accessibility and importance of going to college. On Friday, we woke up at 6:00 A.M. and by 7:00 we were all loaded into a big, white van and hurtling towards southern Ohio. When we arrived at Eastern Middle School, we were promptly welcomed by the office members and the generous principal. There were 11 people on the trip, including the two group leaders. We split off into two groups and gave presentations to 5 different classes, including some 7th graders, about college. We urged the importance of looking into college early in high school, not to rule out education due to financial standing, and motivated them to take challenging classes to be prepared for the college curriculum.

Afterwards, we went to a local corn maze, where we "got lost for money," and then headed to the local elementary, where we volunteered at the annual Fall Carnival. This was a great opportunity to work with the community members and to establish friendly ties. Later, we went to the church that was housing us for the evening, talked to local teens who were members of the church, and watched Evan Almighty.

On Saturday, we focused on volunteer work: mainly, cleaning up the exterior of both the Russellville Library and Sardinia Library, and enjoyed a complimentary lunch at a local, quaint restaurant.

Dinner & Dialogue: Evolution of Vampires

This past Thursday, Professor Amanpal Garcha from the English department, fascinated many humanities scholars with a look into the distinct history of vampires and monsters in English literature. From Dracula, to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and finally Twilight, this brief mini-lecture encompassed the world of deviation as high sexualized and very much a part of the fears that people had at the time these works were created. When talking about Twilight, Professor Garcha stressed the difference, the influence, that religious belief had on the restraint of the characters. For example, in comparison to Dracula, who had the appearence of taking every woman for his own, Edward, in Twilight, resisted the temptation of taking over Bella. This is extremely significant, as it suggests a mentality in contemporary society towards a common theme of sexual repression that has taken over, in comparison to Dracula.

I found this discussion to be highly enlightening and look forward to more in the future.

From Impossible to Easy with Robert Irvine

I thoroughly enjoyed this event as a food network geek and general foodie. Not only did I attend the event, I also got to interview Robert Irvine for the Lantern! Even though he's huge and can seem pretty intimidating on TV, he joked and gave me cooking advice (use grapeseed oil). Both parents and students loved the event, and Irvine interacted with the crowd, giving away everything from t-shirts to ramen. He emphasized the importance of eating healthy and exercising, as well as "paying it forward". Irvine donates almost all of the money he makes to charities, such as cancer research and veterans affairs. He was more than willing to answer everyone's questions and pose for pictures, even after the OUAB staffers tried to shut him down.

Flea Market

So I went to the flea market with my roomies and it was an overall good experience. I enjoyed checking out all of the vintage tshirts and sifting through the records. I ended up buying 2 John Denver records for $2 a piece. SCORE! Kristen bought Jeni's for a dollar so that's awesome. The flea market was a really cool environment. I'd for sure go back. WIN!

House / Divided

Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 8:00 P.M., Drake Performance Center

After reflecting over an entire year of the Builder's Association residence here at OSU and the Columbus area, I find that their performance yesterday evening was something of a marvel to behold. I was under the impression, after first coming in contact with the troupe last year, that they were a very contemporary and edgy performance group from New York that wanted to push the boundaries of theatre and communications. While this is completely true, and because of their highly technological performance, I have come to the conclusion that the Association was a means of provoking a moving portrait and juxtaposition between two very different, and yet very similar, time periods with similar aspects of human life.

The presentation itself focused on John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," and used an enormous amount of technology to advance not only the ideas Steinbeck intended to show in his book, but also the complexities of life both established in that time period and modern day. I was very impressed with the use of projections, particularly the use of scrims with the projections and means of lighting. Afterwards, I had a discussion with another Humanities member who did not have the opportunity to be involved in the discussions last year, and he seemed a little put off by how sparse the plot line itself was constructed. However, I felt that because I had acquired such a great knowledge of "The Grapes of Wrath" from this project, it seemed to me that the great majority of the Builder's ideas were based in the process of making the show, rather than solely the final product.

While in some cases critics might call this a weakness of the show itself, I was more than okay with this learning process and being a part of the advancement of culture and social ideas. With more performances to come, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a good, contemporary show with a myriad of elements.

Study Abroad Expo

I'm not 100% sure that the Study Abroad Expo is counted as a Humanities Event, but I'll blog about it anyway!

It was held today, October 6th, at the Thompson Library. The expo did a very good job in covering locations and majors. I went in empty handed and came out with so many booklets! There was loads of information on different programs and locations. I just had to keep an eye out for one that interested me. If you have a specific location in mind or you haven't really thought about studying abroad but you know your major, then there probably is a program that fits you.

And I was surprised by the amount of scholarships out there!

This expo got me really excited for of all the opportunities and I'm glad I went. =]

Mentor-Mentee Scavenger Hunt

Today was our scavenger hunt, one of the first events of this school year! I had a lot of fun with my mentees searching for pieces to complete our puzzle. We were able to find all eight puzzle pieces and got a few bonus points! We even found a family who were willing to do an o-h-i-o picture for us. It was a good time and a great way to get to know my mentees better!

Spring Quarter

This is soo late. Better late then never?

I went to see two movies at the Union, both 127 Hours and Harry Potter. It was the second time that I had seen 127 Hours before however I found it to be just as moving as the first time. This incredible story of the triumph of the human mind and the will power to survive and overcome great odds is incredibly inspiring. I also really enjoyed Harry Potter but I was put in Ravenclaw. RAVENCLAW?! Might as well have put me in Hufflepuff. Lame. I enjoyed the nosh as well and the atmosphere as a whole. When I saw the movie at the Gateway I dressed up as Ron, for some reason people think I look like him...I'll never understand that.

I also have been incredibly busy with BuckeyeThon. Even though the February one ended as a great success, we wanted start off with a big bang! Our goal, 275,000 is a little over a 20% increase and we are pumped to decimate that goal!

One year down, it went by too fast. I will miss the friends I have made and wait anxiously for the awesome times we will share in the future

Spring Quarter

Sorry this is a little late, but unpacking and everything made the past few days a little hectic! This quarter was a ton of fun. I went to see 127 Hours at the Union. The movie was amazing and the story was incredible to hear. I also went to the special showing of Harry Potter event at the Union. I was a bit put off that I was sorted into Hufflepuff (because who honestly wants to be a Hufflepuff?) but the food and drinks were delicious and it was such a fun atmosphere. My last event was the Humanities dinner at the end of the quarter. It was fun to look back on the year and to see a lot of other Humanities scholars. The free food didn't hurt either! Overall, Spring Quarter was a great one and I can't wait to come back in the fall!

Spring Quarter 2011

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend many events for the Humanities Scholars this quarter as I would have liked.

I did attend the Banned book club. I went in thinking that I would be able to participate, because, although I read the book a long time ago, I loved the book so talking about it would be no big deal. Yeah, I was wrong. There was a lot of interesting conversation and I was happy to be there listening to everyone's opinion and insight. I loved the guest speaker as well. She guided the whole discussion really well.

Anyway, the reason that I have not been that active in the humanities scholar this quarter is because I have been trying to help start a new organization on campus. The Latino Student Association.

The idea started in a Latino student retreat at the beginning of the quarter. Many experiences were shared and they all had the common theme: feeling left out in the Involvement Fair when everyone is looking for a Latino organization and not being able to find one in the sea of student organizations. The we were talking about how there were no student organization just for Latinos. There was a Puerto Rican Student Association, there was a Latino Fraternity, a Hispanic Student Business Association. But what about the student that are not interested in any of those categories? So we started planning to start the new organization.

The meetings for this potential new organization were every Wednesdays, conflicting with the Humanity Scholars Community Meetings. Many Latino students, who a lot of people have never even met, attended these meetings. As a part of the retreat group, we were so excited for the turn out.

Now, by the end of the quarter, we have gone far. We are officially declared as an official student organization and have elected the executive board and also any other people who are a part of the organization. Anyone and everyone is welcome to the meetings next quarter. Also, if anyone from another organization is interested in any collaboration with LSA feel free to contact.

Awareness events

Earlier in the quarter, I attended two similar events that not a lot of other people attended, so I thought I would combine them in one post.

Eating Disorder Awareness (April 27 Lazenby)

Eating disorders are still somewhat taboo subjects in our society but they effect a significant amount of students and really consume the students affected. Since it was the same time as the weekly meeting that week, I was a little hesitant to go but I went to learn especially because I have a friend that has struggled with anorexia and wanted to understand her experience better.

It was interesting to learn that anorexia is a life-long struggle for most people. Even after recovering and getting back to a healthy weight, most people struggle mentally and often fall back into old habits. I was really grateful for the opportunity to go because they also mentioned how helpful a support system could be to those with eating disorders. Because so much of the disorder stems from negative self-image, having friends that are accepting and encouraging can have an impact. Listening to the panel, I made mental notes to genuinely compliment her more often and to be watchful to make sure she doesn't binge eat and later hate herself for it.

An interesting subject I didn't expect to talk about was the way eating disorders effected males. According to the panel, there are a lot of males that fall into negative self image and eating disorders but are less likely to admit it. They said more males are probably effected today because stores like Abercrombie & Fitch have started making an ideal mold for guys pretty recently whereas molds for the ideal woman existed much earlier. Acknowledging guys struggle with self image and learning that overcoming an eating disorder doesn't mean the struggle is over, I realized the importance and need for kinder words and eyes.

Take Back the Night (April 28 Wexner)

The outside space at Wexner was lined with tables representing different organizations. I didn't get to stay for the entire event but I stopped by as they were setting up/starting out the night. My favorite part was the clothesline filled with hand-designd t-shirts. Each t-shirt was designed by a victim/survivor of oppression or abuse of some kind. Some of them were angry and some were solemn. Even though the angry ones were shocking to read at times, the honesty and freedom to be that honest was refreshing. These words had obviously been harbored and waiting to be vocalized for a long time. Some of the coolest ones were the t-shirts with messages of forgiveness and freedom from any previous burden/regrets. It was interesting to see all stages of emotions represented at once. It really captured the reality of what abuse victims/survivors go through.

Through these events, I was able to understand how desperately some voices are waiting to be heard and the importance and significance of awareness. I was really grateful for the change to learn and am hoping to get more involved in the near future.

In Other Words

On April 12, there was this poetry reading program happening at the Hagerty Gall Crane Cafe. I will admit that I only went to the last half hour or so to see my Major Adviser read in Greek, because my major is Ancient History and Classics, so I will eventually have to take Greek anyway. Also, I never have heard Greek, anyways, so this would be a good first experience. The funny thing about this is that in my last Latin 104 class, my Latin teacher gave us a poem named Ithaca, which my major adviser read at this event. This poem is obviously about journeys (and how you should enjoy the adventure toward your destination) and references the Odyssey. I just thought it was funny that I hear this poem in Greek back in April, than here in June, my Latin gave us this poem (which he said was one of his favorite poems).

This quarter I went to a gallery hop in the Short North with my roommates, Linda and Lisa. It was so much fun to view all the awesome art. I think my favorite part though, was when we went into a vintage clothing shop. Dressing up was hysterical! We also, ate at Northstar and got some ice cream at a little store. Linda and Lisa sang "Don't Stop Believing" on the street at a karaoke station. It was a riot.

I also went to the screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the Union. The atmosphere was so much fun. I got sorted into Gryffindor which I was very pleased with. The butter beer and chocolate frogs were delicious. I had so much fun at this event!

Also, this quarter I volunteered for Relay for Life. I worked on the ceremonies committee and stayed at this event for 24 hours straight. I had such a great time with the rest of the committee. It was a fantastic cause and I was so glad to be a part of the group. I will definitely do it again next year.

Columbus Arts Festival

Last weekend was the Columbus Arts Festival downtown. Few students wanted to go because it was the weekend before finals, but I grabbed a friend and made the trek down there. It was scorching hot, but there were plenty of lemonade and water vendors. It was set up all around the art museum (which was open, air conditioned, and free to the public for the weekend). There were tables/tents with artists from all over the country. The types of art ranged from sculptures and pottery to paintings and sketches, to jewelry and crafts. Plus there were plenty of art tables for the kids to start their artist careers.
Overall the festival was really cool. It was nice to be out in the summer heat enjoying art with members of the Columbus community. I felt more connected to the city, which is nice because I often feel like I live in a campus bubble. I recommend the art festival to everyone who enjoys that type of thing. It's every year in June.

Spring Quarter 2011

I truly cannot believe that my freshman year of school is already over. I am so happy to be a part of Humanities Scholars because it has given me my best friends and my future housemates for next year!! This year I went to Gallery Hop as a tradition with one of my friends from high school. The amazing part about Gallery Hop is that within Columbus one can find every single type of person. I really enjoy walking into the boutiques and being able to meet some of the artist is really cool. I also read the banned book for the quarter The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the discussion at the end of the quarter because I was working. I had read the book a couple times before, but the aspect of this book that I really fell in love with the first time I read it was that I discover new aspects of the book each time. It was a really nice break from the stress of the end of the year to be able to end my days with one of my favorite books. I also participated in the end of the year celebration. I really enjoyed the awards and hearing what the seniors' favorite part of the year was. I cannot wait to be standing up there after my senior year telling all the freshman how amazing this program is. Something that I am really excited for is the mentor program that I was accepted into. I am really determined to help the incoming scholars be excited about their freshman year and aid them anyway I can. I know that I felt lost my first year and I want to make sure that they know everything is going to be okay and that they can come to me if they need to. Thanks for an awesome year everyone! Looking forward to three more amazing years!!

Spring Quarter

1. Holocaust Speaker at Hillel

A survivor of the Holocaust spoke about her experience. She reflected on the tragedy and how she became a survivor. She spoke of her life moto of always helping others. Her speech was both inspirational and emotional. I enjoyed listening to her very much and I think it is important for everyone to hear a story like this.

2. OTL- "The Drowsy Chaperone"

This play was a play within a play. It told the story of a famous woman and her struggle to decide between fame and love. It was an exciting and funny show. It engaged me and I really enjoyed seeing this performance.

3. Humanities Banquet

This was the end of the year banquet that presented awards to Humanities Scholars of 2011. It was a fun award ceremony. The senior's advice encourage me to stay active within the scholar's program. I am really excited for next year!!!!

Springtime.

1. Dime-a-Dog Clippers Game was one of the best things the Humanities put together. Cheap food and great game, I don't what more I could ask for. I think we ate around 60 hot dogs collectively and the sumo wrestlers in the middle of the 5th were absolutely hilarious. Great experience.

2. The Short North Gallery Hop is an event I do every month so once again, this was a great time. It's nice to branch out and get of campus even if its for one night. Along with the gallery hop, I also went to the All-Scholars exhibit at Urban Arts Space which was such a cool time. The OSU dancers were fantastic!

3. The last of course the oddest was the hypnotist. I'm pretty skeptical whether or not it worked for those contestants, but that's probably because I was bitter that I wasnt one of them.

8th Floor Improve

Well heres another late post. I went to this all the way at the begining of the year. All I can say about it is talking dancing mice and men almost kissing. It was great and mostly hilarious. One of the best nights of the year for me. That may be a little sad now that I think about it. Oh well it was a great experience and I'll be looking out for more of there performances.

Asian Festival

Did no one go to the Asian Festival?
Doesn't matter really I did. It was really hot and sunny but man was it awesome. The stage for the cultural performances had no shade but I watched some what I think were Indain dances. The food was great and there was cheap watermelon and shaved ice to combat the heat. Also there were a wide range of shops! I bought and learned how to put on a Sari. I think that is the spelling for the customary Indian dress.

It was really fun and I am next to the only one in my group that didn't get burned. Makes me feel special. Hope those words don't come back to bite me. Next time more people should go!

Spring Quarter

This first year at OSU flew by, it is amazing quite amazing to look back at all of the great experiences that were fit into one year. This quarter was especially full of special memories and new discoveries, whether it was jumping in Mirror Lake after the death of Osama Bin Laden or the discovery of Oval Beach. For this quarter I participated in the All-Scholars exhibition. This event was definitely highlighted by the dance performances. Even though I was not always sure the reasons behind the dancing it was very entertaining and exhibited the great skill of the dancers at OSU. I also went on the New York trip. This was an excellent adventure as I had never been to the Big Apple before. I found the trip a little to short for my liking though as I was unable to visit all of the great places that the even Manhattan had to offer. However, while I was there I enjoyed the Broadway plays and the Met and even participated in a community service event while strolling through the Columbia University campus. Finally I was at the end of the year Humanities celebration. This event was enjoyable for both the good food and the time of reflection back on the year that was. It also shed light on how difficult and what an honor it is to make it through all four years as a member of the Scholars program.

Till Next Time OSU!

This quarter was super intense but it was a lot of fun. I joined the Dancesport OSU club and quickly learned that that club is filled with AMAZING people. Really fun to dance with, really fun people in general.

I was really glad to be able to see Mary Poppins. It was really interesting hearing from two of the actors about their experiences working in drama production.

I love OSU for the way they celebrate Harry Potter. Walking into the performance hall at the union and seeing cardboard cutouts of the characters and chocolate frogs and butterbeer totally made my day.

It was a little rainy outside the day of the renaissance festival around the south oval, but it was still pretty cool. People had unique talents for craftsmanship. Some people worked with leather, some with metal, some with wood. I could tell how much they really loved their art.

I love the Asian Festival! I go every year! A few of my friends actually performed. A lot of restaurants that I frequent were also there. The weather was also really nice, fully appreciated while walking about Franklin Park all day :)

Next year I'll be in Taiwan! Bring on a new adventure! See you all next, next year!

Spring Quarter

I attended a lot of things this quarter and this quarter was by far my favorite. I had many fun experiences and am sad to see the year end.

This quarter I went to see a speaker Yaacob Trope. He was discussing his psychology findings regarding people and their relative views on things. It was interesting to say the least that people actually relate to things better depending on their distance from them.

I also attended the Grammar Smackdown this year. It was a lot of fun, even if I am terrible at it. It definitely taught me a few things that i probably should work on knowing better. Just getting to interact with the other humanity scholars in a fun competition was really interesting and fun for me.

Lastly, I attended the end of the year celebration. It was pretty awesome to see the slide show of all the things we have done throughout the year. It was kind of sad though at the same time. Seeing the seniors who we have come to know as mentors leave isn't the best thing to come to terms with. It was really nice to see all the friends I have made throughout the year one last time though before the end of the year . Thanks for the Memories.

Russian Tattoo

I attended an interesting Lecture on the history, and meanings of different symbols in russian culture. It was interesting to see what some of the symbols actually mean to the people in Russia.

Spring Quarter :)

As Carly said spring quarter almost makes up for winter quarter, almost. This quarter I went to the Union to watch the Aaron Ralston movie "127 hours" and then a week later I went to see him speak at the Union. That experiences was really cool, he is a very inspirational and down to earth person. Also at the Union there was a comedy event that had the comedy teams from a lot of different schools like Harvard, and Ohio University. This was really funny and it was nice to see so many different takes on improve comedy. One weekend there was also a gallery hop which was a lot of fun. I hadn't realized all the different types of art in Columbus and it was cool to see all the different styles. One Sunday morning this quarter I had breakfast with Ben and Daniel, well mostly Daniel and his fiancé as they sat with us, but it was still fun. (sorry Ben!) Sometime this quarter was the Unions birthday so I went to help it celebrate and get a birthday cake shake. It was nice to see all of the activities and such that we put on to celebrate the Union. Lastly, this quarter I went to see the Hypnosis guy at the Union. It was pretty cool to see what happened, but I still don't know if I believe in hypnosis.

Spring Quarter,

Over spring quarter, I didn't get to go to many things but the ones I did make it to was very fun. I went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie at the Union. I'm a big HP fan, it was really cool. I also won a years 1-6 on dvd (awesome right?) I also, went and saw The King's Speech. Which was an awesome movie. We had a short discussion afterwards. I went to see Mary Poppins with my fellow scholars along with some art scholars. The show was amazing. We also were able to talk to some of the actors, which was even more awesome.

To wrap it all up, I went to the end of the year dinner. It was really nice to see all the scholars together(even the people I have never seen before.) The food was good, the slide show was good and my overall experience as a first year in the Humanities Scholars was amazing.

Spring Quarter

This quarter I attended gallery hop in the Short North with Olivia and Lisa. Although most of the galleries were mysteriously closed, we still got to go to a few. I enjoyed most of the art, but it was a little too contemporary for my taste. After going to some galleries Olivia, Lisa and I ate ice cream, went to thrift stores, and karaoked on High Street. Overall it was a very enjoyable Humanities event. The second event I attended this quarter was the OUAB showing of the 7th Harry Potter movie at the union, the highlight being the free food. The third event I attended was when Olivia and I went to see the OUAB sponsored hypnotist. I had seen him before because he came to my high school several times, but it was definitly worth seeing again. The forth event I attended was the Humanities end of the year banquete. The food was great and it was fun to see everyone in Humanities one last time before the end of the year!

Spring Quarter!

Spring quarter has by far been my favorite quarter, as far as Humanities activities go. I attended many more than past quarters and enjoyed them a lot more.

1. Ohio Union Birthday
Happy Birthday Ohio Union! I think the best part about this was the birthday cake milkshake at Sloopy's, yum! The whole celebration was fun and it was cool to be involved in the one year anniversary of a very important campus building.

2. Bellweather Comedy Festival
This was sort of a disappointment from what I expected. Being enrolled in the comedy freshman seminar this quarter, I was encouraged to go for that and Humanities. I only saw about two teams perform, but it wasn't anything I would have to see again.

3. Gallery Hop
The gallery hop in the Short North was really cool. It was great to see all of the art done by students and get Jeni's Ice Cream!

4. Spring Game
Being involved with the marching and athletic bands, I was required to go to this, but I see it at a different perspective than the typical spectator. Sitting right next to the field is awesome, but at this game, I was just ready for it to be over so I could go see my family for Easter. Plus, it had been a long day already with having a 5:30AM report time to the band center. I was impressed with our new quarterback Braxton Miller though! I can't wait to see him in action this fall!

5. Aron Ralston
Having first heard his story in 7th grade, I was so excited that he was coming to speak at OSU! Hearing him speak was incredible, but the coolest part for me was meeting him. I had brought my book to have him sign, which I have had since 7th grade, and he was very impressed that I own a first edition copy of it! I also went to see the showing of "127 Hours." I was impressed with how good the movie was, especially taking place in one spot for most of the movie.

6. Hypnotist
Having seen a hypnotist at my high school before, I was really excited to see that this was going on. Everything he makes them do is hilarious and it's something you have to see to believe.

7. Brunch with Ben and Daniel
We sort of stumbled upon this on accident actually! We totally forgot that it was that day and ran into Ben and Daniel at North Commons. Daniel and his fiance ended up sitting with us and it was great to talk to them outside of Humanities stuff.

End of the Year Dinner

I really like how the Humanities Scholars program has an end of the year dinner. It was a really good way to see everybody for the last time. Daniel's Top Ten moments was a nice touch too because I didn't go to all those events and they looked like fun so I will try to attend more next year. YOu also can't go wrong wit free food haha

spring quarter activities

1. Picnic on the Oval:
This was a really fun event and the weather turned out to be sunny and perfect. Me, Ben and three other girls walked over to the Oval from Haverfield and had a picnic. It lasted about an hour and mostly consisted of talking about the Cap City half marathon and other topics. I am now really interested in running it next year. More people should have came to the picnic, because this was a really great event.
2. End of Year Celebration:
This was a very enjoyable event with really great food. I really enjoyed seeing the slides of favorite humanities scholars events. The funniest part was the video with Ben and Daniel wearing snuggies and dancing around the oval. I also enjoyed reminiscing about the Chicago trip and other fun events humanities scholars has done throughout the year. It was also nice hearing all the advice the seniors learned from their experiences at Ohio State. The reoccurring theme seemed to involve taking advantage of every opportunity available at this school.
3. Asian Festival:
This event was very fascinating because it allowed me to learn more about a culture with which I am not very familiar. This festival was enormous! I heard somewhere that there were over 100,000 visitors. I really enjoyed all the food there was to offer. One of my favorite foods was the spicy Chinese noodles. I also enjoyed all the performances, especially the martial arts demonstrations. I also really enjoyed the performance by the Japanese singers. Overall, this was a very well organized event.

Spring Quarter :)

1. New York.

This had been my second time going to New York with a gigantic group of people, but this time I had way more freedom, and I was super excited about that. I spent a ton of time in Times Square, hands down one of my favorite places in the world. I really loved American, and I'm actually going to see it again on its national tour. One of the best parts of the trip, though, was when a few of us ventured to Battery Park at 9:00 pm to try to see the Statue of Liberty, in the pouring rain. It was definitely an interesting experience.

2. Mary Poppins.

This was also my second time seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway- I saw it last time I was in New York. It was a little less exciting seeing it in Columbus, and it was much less extravagant. The sets weren't as big, but then again, this is not New York. Regardless, it was still a good show.

3. Dinner and Dialogue: North Africa.

I wasn't really aware of what this dinner and dialogue was going to be about, I just saw North Africa, and was in. I love anything foreign. It turned out to be a really interesting discussion over North Africa, and the things that are happening there. He wanted us to start thinking about the things that are happening in the Middle East and North Africa from a less American point of view, and I think that is an interesting perspective no one really ever thinks of.

4. Dime-A-Dog Night.

I love baseball. So when I had the opportunity to go to a game for only $5, I was all over it. As a group, we ate a ton of hot dogs. It was shaping up to be a fairly decent game, but we ended up leaving early, because of the oncoming tsunami. It was a good time, while we were there.

5. Banned Book Club.

This was my second time reading Perks of Being a Wallflower, and it was interesting seeing how much more I understood the book. The first time I read it, I was in 8th grade, and I did not really pay attention to the things that were happening. The discussion was really good, and I especially liked the discussion over the actual banning of books, and why it happens. Banned books are things I've always been interested in, and I can't wait for next year's banned book club!

Take me out to the ball game...

To the Columbus Clipper's Dime-a-Dog night, to be exact. Gold team (consisting of Kristen Mitchell, Whitney Kindell, Natalie Howard, and I) got our tickets from Daniel in the lobby and left a little early for the game to beat the hungry rush. We got our ten cent weenies, found our seats, and watched the first half hour of the game. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because my cohorts had an executive board meeting for BHN Hall Council. We were sad to leave, but we were glad that we got to experience this fun event for the little time that we did! I hope to do this again next year!

Book Club

The Spring (Banned) Book Club choice was The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

I'll preface by saying that it is an excellent book... but, I was slightly disappointed with it as the choice for the banned book club, I was expecting a bit more depth. I have previously read the book (my freshmen year of high school) and loved it. At that point in my life it was definitely relevant. However, as a freshmen in college I found it less relevant. The themes (such as: be who you are, living deliberately, accepting mistakes, along with a major emphasis on loss of innocence) are cool and I totally dig the writing style, a set of letters to an anonymous friend. I just feel these are issues that are dealt with over and over in literature. Perhaps, Chbosky was borrowing too much from the classic literature he referenced.

The discussion was nice, the English professor had some interesting points to make, I just feel overall theres not that much to deal with in this book (though I'm not denying that it is a really great story and one that needs to be told).

I do love Adriaticos, more so when Ben is buying.

North African Social Movements

I have yet to be disappointed by a Dinner and Dialogue and last night was no exception. With all of the revolutions occurring in North Africa in the past 5 months, it was the perfect time to discuss what exactly compromises a social movement? Professor Barchiesi did a wonderful job of explaining how the recent demonstrations by dissatisfied citizens of North African dictatorships had broken some of the stereotypes associated with that region. These protests have been fairly peaceful and have been driven not by radical Islam, but by an honest desire by the people to establish a democracy. He went further to explain how these protests are a part of Africa's history, and why these movements toward democracy have a better chance of surviving than their ancestors in other parts of Africa, most of which are currently in a state of disrepair. Also, once the dictators have been ousted, how long will the close-knit group of revolutionaries stay bonded? It seems their only connection is in their anger with their current (or in some cases former) tyrannical regimes. I can't wait to see how the political hotbed of North Africa plays out in the coming months and years.

Visit to the Columbus Art Museum

A cold, rainy Sunday is the perfect time to visit an art museum. Though we have several on campus, it's always pleasant to get away from the chaos of OSU and actually visit Columbus.
I was very excited when I heard the Columbus Museum of Art had reopened, and the visit did not disappoint. The museum is not large, but it houses many works despite its' size. The ground floor exhibition dealt with food and art. I especially enjoyed the message boards located around the museum so patrons could leave their own comments. I found the upstairs much more intriguing, also it was less crowded. One room held many classic paintings, but the only problem was the lighting. Many of the works were displayed at such an angle that you couldn't even see them. While I loved the limited amount of Impressionist paintings, my favorite piece was a room full of 35 hanging glass boats. Everyone that walked in just stopped and stared, attempting to take it all in. I hope the Columbus Museum of Art continues to grow and add to its' collection.

Brunch with Ben and Daniel

I usually don't like North Commons, but hanging out with Humanities Scholars is always great. We walked over to the dining hall at noon and swiped everybody in. It was actually a pretty good meal, and we got to spend some time talking with Ben and his wife, while Daniel and his finace sat with some other scholars. It was a great time and more scholars should go next time!!!

The Drowsy Chaperone

A strange, yet provocatively humorous show, put on by OSU's student led Off the Lake, "The Drowsy Chaperone" was first and foremost a great effort and combination of talent accumulated on the stage. The story begins with an hilarious introduction by The Man in the Chair (Tyler Rogols) who's natural sense of stage presence and overabundance of talent created a light-hearted and easy going atmosphere straight from the start. The Man in the Chair is an older man, guiding the audience through what he calls "his favorite album in his collection." It is clear that the time period in which the Man in the Chair speaks is more contemporary in comparison with the actual story of "The Drowsy Chaperone," which takes place in 1920s Prohibition. Characters Janet Van de Graaff (Hannah Schwieterman) and Robert Martin (Justin LaBelle) are to be married in this sappy comedy; however, such characters as the unhelpful Chaperone (Jenna Lee Shively) and Aldolpho (Nick Navaratnam) stand in Janet's way of coming to terms with whether or not she should actually be married to a man that she hardly even knows.

"The Drowsy Chaperone," in its glory, prooves most spectacular; but there are still some elements of design that are left to be questioned. First and foremost, granted the space provided, I was confused by the layout of the set and the orchestra, which bisected the stage in an almost distracting manner. I found that at times the orchestra was overcoming the cast with their music, partially because there was no barrier in between them: like, for instance, and orchestra pit that is seated below the stage, entirely away from the level of the actors. I would have liked to see the orchestra at a different area, perhaps even in the balcony, to keep the distraction away from the actors and the set. The use of the cast throughout the audience was great, but the use of lighting to keep track of them was distracting. I thought that the intense white hue of the spot lights did little justice to the characters, and could have better been used as a softer white or yellow.

This performance of "The Drowsy Chaperone" was a great display of secular talent, which, hopefully, will lead to greater things in the future.

Medieval Faire

On May 7th the South Oval was filled with what reminisced the cultures of the 11th century. The Medieval Faire was filled with themed clothing, role play, and sounds from the actual Medieval period. As I walked through the South Oval I could only think back to one childhood memory, going to Medieval Times in Myrtle Beach, SC. If you have never been there, then I suggest going no matter what age you are because it's quite exciting. Overall, I found the event somewhat enjoyable due to the uniqueness of the faire.

Grammar Smackdown!

All week, I was very excited to attend the Grammar Smackdown at this evening's Humanities Community Meeting. (And yes, now I am watching my grammar in this very post!) Allow me to set the scene:

-five or so teams of 4-5 people

-two rounds

-the first round consisted of correcting sentences

-the second round was a tad more brutal, involving running to the head table and grabbing questions, then dashing back to your team to find the errors on each card

I found the event to, overall, be a fun affair. I did find the title to be a little misleading, as spelling corrections were also a part of the competition.

50 foot Hav sundae

today was just absolutely amazing out--so nice after all the rainy weather. I couldn't have asked for anything better than a 50 foot sundae to finish off the day; however, advertised as a lie, the 40 foot sundae was still delicious. I helped cut up bananas and scoop ice cream in the ground floor hallway, and it was a good time. A lot of people showed up so it was a lot of fun.

Picnic with Ben

So the rain held off long enough for four of us to join Ben in a simply lovely picnic. We mostly enjoyed playful banter about the Cap City Half Marathon. All of brought our own dinners while Ben partook of just a Wendy's beverage. We ate on one of the benches on the Oval. It was a lovely half and hour and I think more people should definitely come next time because it was simply delightful.

Mary Poppins

I thought Mary Poppins was very good. The set was phenomenal, the actors were great and did a wonderful job singing, and the choreography was great. That being said I don't really enjoy the plot of Marry Poppins very much. I just never really understood it very much and was often confused. It really isn't one of my favorite movies. I did enjoy the experience though and the talk back with the actors afterwords was extremely interesting.

The King's Speech

Allow me to begin by saying that this was not my first time seeing The King's Speech. I was able to see the film over Christmas break, before it gained the attention of the film community and the critics. As with any book or movie, the more you read/view it, the more you pick up on. I thoroughly enjoyed The King's Speech the first time I saw it and this second viewing left me with the same impression. Following the movie, the very limited amount of people who remained attempted to engage in a conversation about the significance of the film. The effort was not in the least successful and I found the comments to be bothersome. I was not at all surprised to see that the conversation lasted less than ten minutes. I think that in further Humanities video viewings, it would be productive to bring a film studies teacher to lead the discussion and therefore keep students from deviating to topics of pop culture and Pippa Middleton's choice of gown at the royal wedding. A movie that has earned such high critical esteem as The King's Speech deserves proper attention and discussion, not to be disregarded and only thought of when determining the "hotness" of Colin Firth.

The Psychology Colloquium

I went to the Research Colloquium that was hosted in the psych building today, May 3rd. It was really interesting to see all the different posters on several different research projects. There was food, and the students were really eager to share their findings with anyone who would listen. I also got to enjoy delicous cookies.

Aron Ralston: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

I attended the Aron Ralston discussion and was overall very pleased. It was definitely very exciting to be able to hear the story from Ralston himself. I've never actually seen the movie 127 Hours starring James Franco but from what I saw of the previews it looked very interesting. To be able to hear his story first hand was definitely a unique experience and I'm glad I got to go. It is amazing to actually see live photos of the accident and it is even more amazing to listen to how Ralston survived. His story is very inspiring because it shows how the power of determination and the will to live can get you far in life. It is absolutely astonishing how Ralston's determination saved his life and how his will to live kept him alive for almost a week. One thing Ralston said that gave me chills was the description of the vision he had when he was at his lowest point. He said he saw a vision of a blonde hair, blue-eyed baby that called him Daddy, and all of a sudden he had even more determination to escape alive. What was amazing is that he now has a son, Leo, that has blonde hair and blue eyes. This fact just astonished me and I thought it was really amazing. Overall, I'm very glad I attended this discussion and am very glad I got to experience Ralston's story first hand.

Spring Game

Although the spring game fell on Easter weekend this year, I was still able to make it out to the game. It was definitely a different scenario not seeing Terrelle Pryor taking the majority of the snaps, but Braxton Miller looks to be living up to the hype that is surrounding campus. It was no surprise to see the Scarlet offense defeat the Grey defense, but if what was witnessed on Saturday can be built upon for the upcoming season it looks to be a promising year.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

I also attended the OUAB's Flicks for Free featuring Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at 9pm and it was so awesome. The work put into this event definately paid off. They had houses and "sorted" you which meantly they randomly gave you a sticker with a house on it. They also had trivia challenges for each house and then picked two people who won the trivia challenge house wise to compete against the other houses. They also had lanyards for each house and a variety of refreshments including butterbeer (soooo delicious), chocolate frogs, and chocolate culdrons. It was an amazing time especially for what would have been a boring Wednesday night.

New York City

I went to NYC last weekend with the Humanities and Arts Scholars and it was simply amazing. I loved that we had so much free time and the ability to explore on our own. I met some of the Art Scholars and got the chance to become more acquainted with some of the older Humanities Scholars. I loved all of the sites I saw in New York City and had some adventures and considering the cost of this trip I feel like I won big time. It was very exciting to see shows actually on broadway and I would go back to NYC in a heart beat. Overall this trip was an A for absolutly fantastic minus the bus ride!

Bellwether

On April Fools weekend a group of my friends and I went to the Union to partake in an evening of laughter. 8th Floor Improv and OUAB hosted "Bellwether" a large improv comedy festival with schools from all over the midwest. I ended up seeing about half of the acts during both Friday and Saturday as we left to eat dinner in the middle of both evenings. Most of the groups I saw were very funny, OSU's 8th Floor Improv were the one of the best- a surprise considering the last few times I've seen them I didn't think they were to great. Each evening ended with a professional improv troupe- they were both hilarious. I'm so glad I decided to go to Bellwether, I will most likely look for it next year for a weekend of laughs.

New York City

Last weekend I had a fabulous weekend in NYC with the Arts and Humanities scholars. Although the bus ride there was definitely the worst part of the trip, (over night on a bus is never fun) I would still give the trip an A! Some of my favorite parts were the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, which was extremely interesting regardless of the hours of standing, shopping in Times Square (four floors of Forever 21 anyone?) Sister Act- a wildly entertaining musical, American Idiot- a high energy rock concert/musical, and three blissful hours in Central Park in the sun on Sunday. It was so great to be able to explore NYC and really get good first hand experience at navigating around the city without an adult saying "and now we're going here, and now we're getting off on this stop." Although it wasn't my first time in NYC it was definitely the most independent I've been in NYC and I can't wait to go back!

Gallery Hop

So my room mates and I went to gallery hop tonight. I've never been before so it was pretty cool to go. We saw these really cool pictures made of crayons, and when you stood back you could see a face. They were so cool-- I would never even think of doing anything like that. They were definitely my favorites. Good times.

Humanities Last Quarter

Yikes this is late!

I have done a number of humanities related events.

BUCKEYETHON 2011!! This was so amazing. I had the privilege to help organize the event. Watching it unfold before my eyes was truly a thing of beauty. We more than doubled our final total, this years total was $222,518.17. We are the fastest growing dance marathon in the nation!

Another amazing opportunity that I had involved Buck-I-Serv. If you haven't done it but have thought about it, DO IT. One of the most amazing experiences I have ever encountered. We worked half of the day for Habitat for Humanity and the other half at Ruth's Reusables. Ruth's is a warehouse/store that gives away and sells discounted school supplies to teachers in need. I'm going to continue participating in Buck-I-Serv for years to come.

Another experience I had that I was surprised about involved showing my room in the Hav to prospective students. I really liked it and may be a Scholar's Ambassador next year.

Great quarter and super pumped for Spring!

Stuart

Mmmm...cake

Happy anniversary Union!!!! Thanks for the cake!

Good Friends, Good Times, Humanities.

For Humanities this winter, I went to the Eat-With-Your-Mentor thingy. I didn't eat with my own mentor, though, but with someone whose name is Katie, I think. I could be making that up.

Katie's original mentorees are Devon, Chelsea, and Molly. They are all very friendly people, very fun people to eat with. Once we chose our meals and settled down, they started talking about a lot of things, like good-looking men, teachers who teach as if they are teaching kids, Terelle Pryer's misbehavior...yes, all of which are my favorite subjects.

You know, I find quite a lot of enjoyment in sitting down, eating, and getting to know new people. For a small example, if it wasn't for the Eat-With-Your-Mentor thingy, I would never have gotten to know Chelsea (and her name). Now she's someone I say hi to every time our paths cross. And the same with Devon. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have known that thing about Terelle Pryer.

New Book Club

I just joined my mom's bookclub because I love reading and it is a way that my mom and I can stay connected while I am at school. We started off by reading a book of my choice called "The Mountain of Light" that is actually a book about the history of an orphanage that I stayed at in Honduras. It is the facility's story and growth from what it was to what it is now. It is a wonderful book about the values that the facility stands on. They house children who have HIV/AIDS and all the money that they recieve through work groups and sponsers goes directly to the children's medicine and care. My favorite part of the story is where they turned the funeral home in the back into a computer lab because the children are able to live healthy lives now!! It is a wonderful and touching book and you guys should check it out!

Winter Quarter Happenings

Wow! This quarter went soo quickly. I cannot believe that it is almost the end of Freshman year! Let's recap on this quarter....

Taste of OSU- This event was really cool but really crowded. I walked over for about an hour before I headed to work to see what the event was all about. There were tables for food and lots of free samples of everything!! It was really cool to see what clubs are at OSU because there really are activities for every type of person. The various cultural performances were really cool and it was really nice to see everyone supporting and respecting the views of others.

Film festival- I attended the film festival and it was SO cool to see everyones take on the environment and their innovative ideas for conserving energy. I really respected all the hard work that each group put into the videos. I thought it was a really fun and creative idea to bring us all together and also do some research on the environment. It is so interesting to me that each group recieved the same project and we each took a different stance and approach to it. I really enjoyed it.

Ice Skating- I went to the Scholars group sktaing and it was a nice winter-time activity. Sometimes it is so hard to stay in the same dorm room all winter and it was a nice change of scenery and I had a lot of fun.

Winter Quarter :)

1. Inception.
I had never seen the movie before then, but I really really wanted to, and I'm super glad I did. I'm prone to liking anything with Leonardo DiCaprio in it, but I actually liked this movie. Everyone was telling me the first time I saw it, I would be so confused I wouldn't like it, but I was only lost for the first couple of minutes, then I started following what was going on. It was a really cool way to just hang out with other Humanites Scholars, without having to really do anything.

2. Dog Shelter.
This may very well have been my favorite volunteering experience ever. I love dogs. Period. End of story. There isn't really any other way to express it. So, naturally, I loved being able to just go and kind of hang out with a bunch of dogs for a couple hours. I got to meet some new people through this as well, which is always a good thing.

3. Mardi Gras Dinner and Dialogue.
My favorite part about this was probably the food. But the information was interesting too. I didn't realize how much I don't know about Mardi Gras until this night. I didn't know there were parades. I knew it was a big deal in New Orleans, but I guess I just kind of thought it was just one gigantic party. I never actually realized it was a cultural thing that they do.

4. McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
Honestly, going into this I had no idea what this was about. I had never heard of this before. Then once we got into it a little, it kind of surprised me. Who would have thought our country got so crazy that it was preventing people from acting because they may or may not have been communist? I didn't know that it got that far in depth.

5. Urban Arts Space.
This was my first trip to the Urban Arts Space, and I didn't really know what to expect. The first thing I saw was the Arts Scholars' exhibit, which kind of bewildered me, mostly because I am one of the least artistic people on the planet, and I am always surprised when I see someone my age doing something like the things that were on display. There was also some live art, I guess you could call it, with these dancers that was shockingly interesting and frightening at the same time.

6. Film Festival.
The entire film project was an interesting experience. While I didn't meet anyone through this, I saw four people who had never met, who lived just down the hall from each other for over 10 weeks sort of get to know each other. The festival itself was another experience. The movies introduced me to the personalities of some of the Humanities Scholars I have yet to get to know.

Winter Quarter

I enjoyed all the events I attended this quarter. One of my favorites was the Dinner and Dialouge: Mardi Gras. The food was delicious and the speaker was great and very informative. It gave me alot more insight into a deep and rich tradition. I attended OSU Urban Arts Space exhibit with the Art Scholars. Although I am not very artistic myself I really enjoyed the exhibit and also the many other exhibits that were displayed. I especially loved a piece by one of the art scholars, it was a large close up of a rose but it was done in purple, it was beautiful. Another thing I attended was Spring Awakening. I thought the actors and the set were great but I did not like the show overall. I attended many other events also and it was a great quarter

Winter Quarter 2011

Hi, so I almost forgot about posting a blog for this quarter =[. Anyway, I participated in a couple of Humanities events this quarter. The Taste of OSU is one that pops out a lot. It was a really packed event, but it was a lot of fun. There were different nationalities represented, and they all had great food. Except maybe their bubble tea, I think the franchise has a different recipe than what a traditional bubble tea is.

I also went to the Mardi Gras event. The presentation was really interesting and it connected many things about Mardi Gras that I never really connected. The food there was also really good. I think it was from Jay Gumbos, that new restaurant that opened on High street, which I highly recommend.

Winter Quarter

This quarter seemed to fly by. Well anyways this quarter the first event I went to was Taste of OSU. The place was packed with people there trying the food and the numerous clubs were represented. It was interesting to not only try the different foods, but to also see the different cultural performances. At the All-Scholars Ice Skate it was once again rather crowded, but it was fun to watch all the people attempt to skate. My team for the relay race took first place easily and received some nice plastic medals. The Humanities Scholars Film Festival was an interesting experience. It was great to see all videos and the different takes they all had on the project. Unfortunately I did not win a sham-wow.

English Conversation Partner

Well I know not many people seem to be doing this or at least blogging it but I've continued to meet with my English conversation partner. Weizhou and I have started to compare our languages and what's similar about them and what's not. Unfortunately we haven't had much time to meet lately and I'm not sure we'll continue next quarter.

Winter Quarter!

So, since I just remembered that this is due tomorrow (today I guess!) I am working on my Humanities Scholars blog post at 3:30 in the morning, from the comfort of my couch listening to my cat snore (yes, my  cat snores, louder than most people I might add!).

Taste of OSU

Taste of OSU was...crowded! Even though I didn't try any of the food, it was really interesting to see all the different clubs come together to put on this great event. It all smelled delicious, and had I not just eaten a huge dinner, I probably would have tried something.

Dinner and Dialogue: Human Sexuality

Well, this was definitely...interesting, to say the least! It was entertaining and it really kept me thinking. And, having never attended a Dinner and Dialogue before, this was a great way to spark my interest! I really enjoyed the speaker, and would definitely consider taking one of her classes in the future.

Dinner and Dialogue: Mardi Gras

This Dinner and Dialogue took me right back to January and being in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl! I was most excited to eat New Orleans food again, but the information presented was also very interesting! It made me want to return to New Orleans! Maybe even go for the Mardi Gras celebration!

Humanities Film Festival

I loved seeing all the hard work my fellow first-year Humanities Scholars put into their videos! This was such a great way to showcase all of the diverse talent we have! It was really cool to see my group's video up on the big screen too!

Winter Funnn

Even though winter quarter was extremely busy, I managed to squeeze in time for my fellow Humanities activities. I watched Inception with a bunch of people. I saw the movie once before and was totally not into it. (Completely lost) But, when I watched it for a second time, I found it was extremely interesting. I even figured out the ending. (Maybe.) I also volunteered at the Franklin Country Dog Shelter. I had so much fun. The dogs were to cute. Even though most of them couldn't be taken for a walk due to surgeries, the ones I was able to take were so energetic! I even walked one of the sick puppies, it had Whooping Cough sad I know. It was a female boxer but she didn't have a name so I named her Zula. After I got back to the dorm I called my parents and told them I found us a new puppy. Unfortunately, they didn't think so. :( I went to the Red Scare thingy with some people from Hav 3 and the PSL people. I t was interesting to say the least. From what I gathered ( I was playing Bubble Shooter) it was a pretty crazy time. I do feel bad for the actors/writers that were black listed. Let's face it, that was messed up.

So all in all my winter quarter was good.

Since I;m posting this a day before it's due, I just want to add in

HAPPY SPRING BREAK GUYS :)

Ericca

Winter Quarter

Although I was busy winter quarter, I still found some time in my schedule to go to humanities events. My first was the Urban Art Space Exhibit with miss Leisa DeCarlo. The exhibit was incredible and was really nice to see. The art scholars room was my personal favorite. This is also where we found Daniel which was refreshing. The finger food was pretty good, and the art was exquisite. So all in all it was a wonderful time and I'd go back anytime soon.

My next event was the all scholars ice-skating later that night. I wasn't there for hours, but it was tons of fun. It was cool seeing/meeting other scholars and enjoying the company of my humanities scholars. Finally I partook in the film festival, which actually was exciting and funny.

Hip Hop Dance Class

Way, way back in January (because procrastination is the name of the game here), a group of us Humanities scholars traveled over to Pomerene Hall to take part in a Hip Hop dance class along with some Art scholars. Though I had taken dance classes before, I was unsure of what to expect. Our instructor was very enthusiastic and upbeat; she even had Ben groovin before he had to leave. The dance routines were a little hard to get the hang of, but we had fun once we got them down. At the end we performed a whole combination to music. I walked out of the class sweaty, sore but ready for the next class. I hope a similar class is offered for spring quarter!

Winter 2011 Humanities involvement

I had a great time with the humanities scholars this winter quarter. Here are a couple of the great things we did.

Film festival: I really enjoyed viewing all the projects made this year. They were all very creative, informative, and funny. I do believe this project should continue in the future. It is a really fun way to explore different humanities themes. I also really enjoyed the video by Ben and Daniel. I never knew how much entertainment that could be derived from one snookie :)

Book club: For the book club this quarter, we read the Kite Runner. Though I did not have a chance to attend the final book discussion, I really enjoyed the mid book discussion. I think it is interesting the way the book explores the points of view of a culture so different than our own. I also believe it is a tragedy what happened to the little brother. Our book discussion went all the way up to the part where the family left for America.

Volunteering at Angora: I really enjoyed volunteering at Angora. Angora worked with young children in disadvantaged neighborhoods to give them a warm meal, fun games and activities, and a church service that these people might not ordinarily get to have. I believe it is a great thing that Angora is doing for the community and I really enjoyed being able to meet the little kids.

Film editing clinic: This event occurred in early February. Before going to this event, I had no idea how to use Windows Movie Maker- or even the fact that there was a Windows Movie Maker on my computer! Now I know how to add clips, shorten them, lengthen them, put captions on them, and many other ways to turn short film clips into movie productions.

Marti Gras Festival: At the Marti Gras Festival, there was a wide variety of tasty New Orleans style food. I really enjoyed eating all this food because the recipes were unique and like nothing I have tried before. I also really enjoyed hearing the speaker talk about the various historical aspects related to Marti Gras.

Film Festival

I had a good time at the film festival, the free popcorn and drinks was an added plus. Making the film project wasn't very hard and it created socializing opportunities which was pretty cool. I don't see why this event shouldn't continue.

Humanities Film Festival

Just last week was the Second Annual Humanities Film Festival. I thought that the film festival ran very smoothly and the videos were entertaining, especially Ben and Daniel's. It was definitely a different project than I have done in years past, but I enjoyed making a 5 minute movie much more than writing a 5 page paper. Overall, I'd say the film festival was a success.

The Kite Runner: Book Club and Movie Veiwing

Yesterday we had the final meeting for this quarter's book club. We discussed the second half of the book during the book discussion portion of the meeting. It was neat to compare the first half of the book, which focuses on the narrator's childhood, and the second part of the book, which tells about the narrator's return to his childhood home in Afghanistan. We were able to make many connections between events that occurred during each section of the book. It was really cool to see how the author used these comparisons as well as metaphors and other literary techniques, to tell the story and encourage us to read deeper. After the book discussion we watched a film version of the book. The film adaptation was good, but I have to say I liked the book better. I feel like the film left out several important details and events. However, I did think the film was well done and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the banned book club next quarter!

Indianapolis Service Trip

It's amazing to think that even with all of the opportunities for community service in Columbus, a team of fifteen Humanities Scholars were able to go out of the state to Indianapolis to serve at Habitat for Humanity on March 5, 2011. The members of the organization were happy to have us in the city on Friday evening, where we had a wonderful dinner at Buca de Beppo and then had a peaceful evening of movies and logic puzzles at the hotel. The following day, we woke up and immediately went to the Habitat office, where we helped organize and paint a room in the office. It was a great experience to help out with the Habitat community.

The Social Network

It's been over a month ago, but one of the first events of the quarter was a OUAB free showing of the Social Network. I must say I was impressed that not only was the movie free, but we were also offered free popcorn and drinks. Only four people went to the showing, including Ben, but it was a pretty decent time. The movie was a lot better than I expected it to be considering it was about facebook. There was a lot more drama involved too than I expected—but that's what made it good.

It was a good movie & a good experience with OUAB. I would definitely not mind going to another movie next quarter.

Pansori

Last Thursday I attended a special seminar about Korean Folk Songs or pansori. The lecturer, Prof. Park Youn-Ho, was not only a very talented singer, but he also brought with him a warm and bright atmosphere. He spoke of how one could distinguish pansori from various regions of Korea, by the way they sang. Around the Kangwon province, songs had a nasal-y sound. Around the Seoul area, songs had more power coming from the throat. In the South, around the Cholla province, songs are sang from the belly. Interestingly, the pansori originating in the Taebaek mountain range, the songs were sang with a rolling sound, kind of flipping up and down. This made me think of how the geography correlated with the style of singing in Korea. As if the land of Korea were the body of a human, the style of the North is to sing from the upper parts of the body and the style of the South is to sing from the lower parts of the body. Also, the style of the mountain range, the backbone of Korea, is to sing with a rolling sound. Prof. Park could sing it all. I have to say, it was pretty sweet.

McCarthyism and the Red Scare

Okay, Drinko Hall is a bit of a walk when it's freezing out, but it was absolutely worth it to see the presentation on McCarthyism put on by the Arts and PSL Scholars. They did a dazzling performance of the congressional hearings by the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee). Seeing it in action really brought to life how insane the whole process was and how different ,yet in some ways eerily similar, the 1950s were to today. I especially enjoyed the panel during the last half of the evening. They described all the underlying reasons for the inquisitions into Hollywood, some of which I found to be quite discriminatory, but sadly not very shocking. They also drew parallels to some of the paranoia Americans deal with today, specifically terrorism. Though today, we have not had such a harsh and unwavering reaction, there are still some obvious correlations. The part I found most interesting was the point that America has consistently undergone surges of paranoia, and McCarthyism was simply one manifestation of this. I simultaneously  do and don't hope to be around when the next wave hits. The history was fascinating and I'm glad I was able to attend.

Agora Ministry

alright Ben.. i know this was like 7 weeks ago, but a blog's a blog right? :)

anyway, this event was extremely enlightening. i, being from out of state, dont really know that much of columbus, least of all the differences in economic standings across the city. i really had no idea that there was such poverty and hardship across the west side. it was a huge eye opener to work with the kids who have such a hard life and have become very tough and ready to protect themselves. at Agora they let the kids play around for an hour or two, which is complete chaos, then they do a very short church service and then have serve the kids a free dinner. i really admire Agora and their mission to help and provide a safe place for these kids to spend their Wednesday and Saturday nights. the workers were all very kind and welcoming but knew how to handle all the kids, especially the ones that were so willing to fight over the smallest of things. overall it was a great night, i was exhausted after because the kids were so demanding, but i had a good time and i want to go back again if the opportunity presents.

New York

i went to New York City this last weekend and had the awesome opportunity to see the Phantom of the Opera. I have seen the movie before and absolutely love it and the sound track, but the actual play was so much better. the music was superb and the vocals were seriously unbelievable. i love being able to experience Humanities-ish things out in the real world. they make me very happy to be a part of this group. I can't wait to see more plays, concerts, etc. and to think of all the ways those are related to humanities!

Mardi Gras Dinner & Dialogue

Tonight was the Mardi Gras Dinner and Dialogue. We had an excellent speaker and delicious food (props to Ben for the vegetarian fare).I probably should have guessed, but there is a lot more to Mardi Gras than just getting drunk and catching beads. There is a whole tradition both around New Orleans, and rural Cajun areas.Basically the whole point of Mardi Gras is to have a big communal gathering, celebrating the unique neighborhoods and traditions. Kate Parker talked about the differences between the real Mardi Gras and the tourist version of Mardi Gras.There is a long history of racial and neighborhood tension between different Krewes that organize the parades. I love how the different Indian "tribes" battle about who's the prettiest and craft such intricate costumes. I can't wait until I'm old enough to experience the true Mardi Gras!

Inception

I attended the showing of Inception at Royer, even though I had already seen the movie 3 times. Even though I had seen it before, I still found scenes throughout the movie where I did not understand exactly what was happening. Seeing the movie multiple times really helped me to fully understand the whole movie. Because it was so thought-provoking, I learned something new about it every time. I'm glad that I went to go see it again because it definitely keeps my mind focused and engaged. Inception is a very interesting concept and one that I still cannot fully wrap my mind around. That is why I liked Inception; I like movies and books that actually require me to think and have a purpose.

Annual Conference on Leadership and Service

On Saturday, February 19, I got up early, headed over to the Ohio Union for some coffee and an early morning dosage of leadership tips from the annual Conference on Leadership and Service. Benefitting the OSU community of students, the Conference had a guest speaker from the House of Representatives and many mini breakout sessions that involved information that was very important for becoming a strong leader in the college community and out in the rest of the world. Along with the individual sessions, there were also elective groups that we got to visit, and overall the day was very interesting--learning about leadership in student affairs and groups, and how to build your own club at the university.

Taste of OSU

As soon as I heard about Taste of OSU, I was extremely excited. Being a Spanish and Korean double-major, I'm very interested in learning about different cultures - especially their food!! My friends and I arrived pretty early so when we got there, it was actually pretty empty. As the night when on, the whole room filled up - so much so that you could barely move an inch. Overall, it was an amazing experience and the food was absolutely delicious. Also, the cultural performances were wonderful, especially because some of my friends were performing in them!

Where For Art Thou Cultural Distress?

There doesn't often come a time when I have become completely entranced by a spectacle, whether art, performance, or a person in general; but there are always exceptions to the normal standard of amazement, and the HAUS showing of "The Rape of Europa" was one of them. Centered around the central theme of Nazi Germany during World War Two, the documentary gave a fascinating outlook on the war as a cultural plight rather than a complete genocide of specific "terrorized" races. The historical aspect was like none I had ever seen before, and certainly, I feel, there should be more mention of this topic in high school literature, as it was an extremely important part of Adolf Hitler's plan for a perfect society.

In trying to build this new society of great men, Hitler had a cultural and lifestyle goal as well as a plan for domination. The movie showed vast information about his plans to rebuild the city to make an empire city dedicated to culture: art museums, theaters, libraries, all very fascinating in retrospect. In fact, had he not been such a world terror, he might have been considered a complete genius! The most interesting part of the film was, most certainly, about the plundering of the European great artwork, such as the Mona Lisa.

"The Rape of Europa" is a must see for all history lovers and fans of world literature. Be sure to check out the film or the book if you ever get a chance!

Author of The Jew is Not My Enemy Speaks to Students

Tarek Fatah, author of The Jew is Not My Enemy spoke yesterday evening in Hitchcock Hall focusing on unraveling the myths that fuel Muslim anti-semitism. This event was sponsored by Byuckeys for Israel, the Schottenstein Chabad House, and the North African Students of OSU. Fatah's speech seemed to focus on coexistence between nations and religions. However, it became apparent when the room was opened for questions that many Muslim students felt that he wrongfully targeted the Islamic faith (ironically enough since Fatah feels Muslims use Judaism as a scapegoat). One student asked repeated, rather forceful questions of Fatah, who in turn continually interrupted the student making his own mildly angry claims. I found the event extremely interesting, as I consider myself Christian I had a rather neutral view on the subjects relation to faith, but I do believe religious coexistence is extremely important to any sort of peaceful international relations.

Humanities Book Club

Last night I attended the mid quarter meeting of the humanities scholars book club. This quarter we are reading the book "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. The book is about two boys growing up in Afghanistan during the mid 1970s, then shifts to their lives as adults and how conflicts within their country have impacted their lives. At the book club meeting, we focused on the first half of the book, which focuses on the childhood of the narrator Amir and his friend and servant Hassan. Our discussion was mainly centered on the relationships between the characters in the book, mainly those between Hassan and Amir, Amir and his father Baba, and Baba and Hassan. I'm afraid if I go into details, I'll give away too much of the book, so you'll just have to read it yourself! It's a very good book so far, and I would recommend it to all of you to read too.

Scholar's Day

Back in January (yes, I know, this blog is LONG overdue!) I had the opportunity to help out with the annual scholar's day. I participated on a student question panel with several other humanities scholars. After Ban and Daniel presented information on the program, the students and parents were able to ask us questions about the program and being a student at Ohio State. There were several questions that were directed more towards the older students, so I actually learned a few things along with the future buckeyes and parents! I enjoyed meeting some of the upper classmen in the humanities scholars program too. Helping with Scholar's day was a rewarding experience, and I would love to help out again!