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On December 4th, 2019 I attended the late-night breakfast hosted by IA, PSL, and ACES. The advisors of these Scholar’s groups made us breakfast at 9:00 pm, knowing that we would be up late studying for our exams. I got to interact with other members of these other Scholar’s group that attended. I met a girl from PSL who was really nice and we are currently friends. Yes, I know we are supposed to be “rivals” but at the end of the day we are all Smith-Steeb residents and we are connected in that way. I think that as an International Affairs Scholar, we are noted for our kindness and how outgoing we are. We now are taking courses together this semester and see each other almost every day.

This event is related to international affairs because as a scholar’s group, we are expected to be approachable and open-minded people. I think this was a perfect event to meet new people and bring awareness to our group. This event helped me become motivated for the exams to come in the following week. Not only did it give me a little break before the storm, but it helped me connect with others for study groups. I think this motivation is what everyone needed to start off their studies. I hope that we can have another similar event this semester!

On Sunday, October 19th, Lindsay Woodruff attempted to set up the documentary American Factory in the Smith side basement. However, the sound would not turn up loud enough for everyone to hear so she sent us to go watch it on our own time. My roommate and I ended up watching the movie together in our room. This movie relates to International Affairs because it compares the work culture between China and the United States, pointing out the flaws of each. It is important to see the connection between our cultures.

I was aware before the movie that many Chinese employees have worse working conditions than of us in the United States, but the documentary showed a whole new level to their work environment. They treat work as a privilege and that they aren’t just working for money but for the good of the company as well. The unions in China work hand in hand with the company’s management, unlike the United States. Chinese employees also work every day of the week, with longer hours, less pay, and dangerous working conditions. They are willing to skip their lunch break in order to finish the job successfully. Meanwhile, American workers demand proper lunch breaks, work 8-hour shifts, have work safety laws, and do not work on the weekends. The CEO of Fuyao made it clear that Americans are less effective than the Chinese and contrasted the working culture between the two.

I think that most people entering the workforce need to be aware of the differences in work conditions across the globe. Since many country’s economies are interconnected, people are working for the same outcome but with very different conditions. It is important to be aware of the cultures around the globe and how it can either create a great industry or problems within the workforce.

On Tuesday, October 15th, the fourth Democratic presidential debate was housed at Otterbein. My roommate and I decided it would be essential to watch the debate live to learn more about the people running for our country. I watched the whole debate all the way through and I was informed about many ideas the candidates have about different policies. Personally, ever since I have been at college, I have fallen behind about worldwide news and the 2020 presidential election. Watching the debate was able to give me a good idea about what has been going on and who the front runners are for the democratic party.

It seemed throughout the debate, the other candidates were trying to make Elizabeth Warren look like a fool. She was trying to describe her plan for Medicare and she used the words “Medicare for all.” The other candidates criticized her saying that she was giving no specifics about the plan. Vice President Biden was questioned about his son working on the Board in Ukraine and he stated that they had never talked about their work to each other which contradicted past statements. They all say that they have one thing in common, and that is getting Trump out of office as soon as possible. Many stated that he is the most corrupt president to have been in office, and everyone agreed.

I thought that it was essential that the debate ended by including how each candidate has had relationships with Republicans and how their differences were their strengths. Ellen sat by former President George Bush at the Dallas Cowboys football game and someone captured a photo of them laughing together and it blew up on social media. She addressed it on her show, saying that she has many conservative friends and there is nothing wrong with that. The candidates each had a chance to describe a time that they have had a friend who had opposite political views and how it has made them stronger as a person. It is important to have friends with different opinions so it makes everyone a more rounded person and sees the strengths in differences. Many of the candidates brought up John McCain, which may or may not have made me tear up. It was a surprise that this concept would be brought up in a political debate but I am glad that the American people were inspired to have a variety of relationships regardless of political views.

On Tuesday, September 10th, I attended the Study Abroad Info Session set up by my RA Gabby on Steeb 8. We met in the common room on the Steeb side and had snacks to go with our meeting. A representative, Louise Yahiaoui, from the Office of International Affairs came and spoke about how to get involved with study abroad programs. It relates to IA because it is traveling abroad to another country to continue my studies while learning about new cultures. I want to travel abroad because it would be a chance to experience a different culture by living how they do. My major, public health, provides several study abroad opportunities that Louise mentioned to me. The one that interested me the most was the summer trip to Japan.

I had many questions about costs, length of the trips, how credits would transfer, and so much more. I learned about how to apply to scholarships early. Louise told us that we should talk to parents, relatives, friends, and neighbors because they are often more than willing to help sponsor students who wish to study abroad. Louise created a very open environment and she emphasized the point that their purpose was not to turn students away or weed them out but to encourage them to come. I became very comfortable with starting to get involved in the process of studying abroad because of the Office of International Affairs gives off. This was a big step for me to become more confident and excited to go out and start searching for the right program for me. I cannot wait to meet with Louise in the future and start planning my study abroad experience!

On Friday, August 30th, I attended the social event of eating dinner at Happy Greek with other IA Scholars. I originally did not make the cut to attend, but on Friday at 5:00 pm only 13 of the 15 students showed up. My roommate called me and asked me to come so I rushed to get ready and head to the restaurant with everyone. It was a great experience to try food from a different culture. One of the big reasons I wanted to join IA was to experience different cultures that I had never tried to experience before. It was nice to learn about everyone’s wishes of places to travel, their favorite cultural foods, share stories, and learn about everyone’s different experiences.

This event impacted me in a social way. I met other IA scholars from the ninth floor of Smith-Steeb who I never get the chance to talk to. I also got to meet some of the second years who do not live in Smith-Steeb and listen to their experiences from last year. It opened my eyes to how delicious Greek food was. Before going, it always shocked me that it was custom for Greeks to eat lamb, but after dinner, I experienced how delicious it was and now no longer question them. I achieved a personal goal of starting to branch out and try new cultures. I learned different items on the menu that are custom of Greek food and for what occasions they eat them. It made me want to travel to Greece even more!

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