New York City 2017

I finally visited the Big Apple for the first time the week after OSU finals ended! MUNDO’s one-week winter break experience was in New York City. This blog post will record my experiences and perspectives.

This experience will challenge each individual with a new way of viewing our vast world through experiencing different cultures and learning about the history and legacies of one of the most dynamic cities in the world.

We will focus on immigration  and its impact on the development of NYC and the Latin communities specifically in the context of NYC. The role of theatre in conveying a message and creating empathy will also be examined through two Broadway shows!

Photo from wallpapercave.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15th, 2017
“Travel Day”

  • On the road by 5:30 am
    • I slept on the long bus ride, as did virtually everyone else. With our suitcases in the cargo area of the bus and lights turned off and curtain blinds pulled down, it was a quiet and peaceful ride.

      Our bus driver Matt has been with us for many MUNDO travel experiences.

  • 11:30 am – Lunch break on the road in Pennsylvania
  • 1:20 pm – Continue on journey
  • 4:00 pm – Arrive in NYC/check into hostel/orientation to the area with dinner on our own
    • We stayed at Hostelling International, which is on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, for the duration of our trip. This hostel is like a hybrid of a hotel and a university dorm.  Staying here is pretty cheap compared to the other housing options in the city. I highly recommend this hostel! They provide breakfast and linens, towels, and pillows, but I suggest bringing your own as well. The building had plenty of spaces for people to lounge; it even had a café, a billiards table, living room space, a theater, a downstairs kitchen for people to cook and store food, a ballroom, and a laundry room. Around the same time we arrived, Buck-I-Serv also reached New York.
      See hinewyork.org/ for more information!
    • Before entering the city, we had to pass through a number of toll booths. Each person tipped the driver Matt $5.
  • 5:30 pm – (optional) visit Times Square at night
    • Since I was about eight, I have watched the ball drop for New Year’s. Times Square is lit up 24/7 and never stops shining with all the TV screens constantly flickering and traffic weaving in and out of narrow spaces on the streets. I could not believe that I was able to stand in Times Square. Julius, MUNDO program coordinator/advisor, took a small group of students to this area.
    • Times Square receives over 50 million visitors each year! We had to show off our Buckeye pride at this spot.

      This is me posing in Times Square!

  • Evening – Free Time
    • The group I was with decided to go to Tom’s Restaurant for dinner. This restaurant was the diner frequented by the characters in the TV series Seinfeld! Afterwards, we visited Columbia University, including a quick stop in their bookstore to see what it was like, and then roaming around their campus for 10-15 minutes. The students there were busy prepping for finals. Their campus is beautiful, especially the libraries from what I could see from outside. They also had holiday lights wrapping around an entire aisle full of trees, similar to how OSU has lights on North Campus.
    • We were all provided Metropasses to take the public transportation system an unlimited amount of times for the entire week. However, the transit system is confusing for first-timers such as myself. A MUNDO tip is to never venture out alone; bring a buddy or two. I always went with a group of at least four people because often during the day, people’s phone batteries die so we had to rely on multiple people to use their phones to navigate. Google Maps was incredibly helpful too. I am also grateful that in the MUNDO drawstring bags everyone was given was a power charger for on-the-go charging!Please see: www.mta.info/nyct when planning your routes!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16th, 2017
“Washington Heights”

  • Breakfast at hostel
  • Operation Exodus
    • In the Washington Heights neighborhood is Operation Exodus, where we spent the entire morning volunteering with the organization’s annual holiday party.
    • Operation Exodus is a faith-based organization that believes zip code should never dictate the quality of education a child receives.For over 26 years, they have made a tremendous impact on inner-city children through after-school achievement like reading and math help and programs for middle-school and high-school students like mentoring and clubs including digital media, theater arts, and more. Operation Exodus also offers empowering parenting workshops (adult literacy, scholarship/financial education, job training, etc.).We were honored to join them for a morning and volunteer with their annual Holiday Party. We helped set up tables around the room. We played basketball with the boys and constructed gingerbread houses and colored with other children. Bagels and orange juice were provided. Afterwards, children went to different classes; they were separated by gender and by grade in school (e.g. first grade boys). While they learned and hosted a holiday performance somewhere else in the building, MUNDO went to work decorating the space with streamers and lights. Tablecloths were put on each table to make cleanup easier. Dozens of people strolled into the kitchen to drop off home-cooked dishes for the holiday meal. We set up dishes at each table. The feast involved a great slew of items: chicken, chicken nuggets, spaghetti, mac and cheese, cake, and more! Operation Exodus had so much food that they invited us to stay to enjoy it.

      Thank you Operation Exodus for all that you do; please visit http://operationexodus.org/ to see more of their work and impact.

      This organization is a valuable resource for adolescents and parents as well as other members of the community like their passionate volunteers.

  • Central Park
    • We walked through the park to get to the Met. We stopped a few times to take photos! I was surprised to discover from Julius that this park is man-made; city officials realized that health is vital and created this ‘natural’ environment for citizens to enjoy. Another fun fact is that one of the architects of the park also helped design the Oval on OSU’s campus!

      Tip: Do not go to Central Park after dark.
      During the day, it is very lovely.

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue)
    • It felt like an honor to be able to step foot in the Met, which has 5,000 years’ worth of art. This was the largest art museum I have ever visited. I enjoyed looking at the different exhibits.
      The site www.metmuseum.org has what you need if you want to visit this museum!
  • Explore The Met
  • Free time
  • Meet at Studio 54 (354 W. 54th St)
  • 8 pm – View performance of “Latin History for Morons” starring John Leguizamo
    • Our first Broadway show in New York was a hilarious one-man-show. You may find John Leguizamo’s voice oddly familiar; he is the voice actor for Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age movies! I did not know what to expect from the show except to learn a bit more about Latin history. John really got into the characters he was portraying, and the ending was the most touching. He drew my attention from beginning to end.

      John used a blackboard to write and draw diagrams and pictures that helped the audience understand the material. He had wigs and other props too!

    • Here is a synopsis of the show:
      When his son gets a school assignment on heroes, John Leguizamo seizes the chance to teach him all about the great minds of the Latino world. But once he sets out on his irreverent crash course across three continents and 3000 years of history—from conquistadores to cumbia, Montezuma to Menudo, and taking on the characters in all of it—he uncovers provocative truths that shock even him.
    • Visit https://www.broadway.org/shows/details/latin-history-for-morons,616 for more information.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17th, 2017
“Lady Liberty”

  • Breakfast at hostel
  • Take subway to Battery Park, then take the ferry.
    • The ferry was a good experience; there are multiple levels. You can feel the crisp, cool air and see birds perched right by you. The view is also spectacular.

  • Statue of Liberty
    • The statue was a gift to celebrate America’s Centennial by master sculptor Fredric Auguste Bartholdi! Whenever I think of New York, I think of this statue.

      She is a beauty.

      Part of the MUNDO group posed in front of the Manhattan skyline.

  • Ellis Island
    • From the statue, the ferry takes you to Ellis Island, where about 15 million immigrants passed through as they found their new home in America. I liked the museum very much and learned more about immigration, including the process that people faced hundreds of years ago, from entering the baggage room to getting medical examinations.
  • Free time
  • Salsa class
    • MUNDO had a private dance class by a wonderful instructor named Nancy, who wore tall and narrow high heels. The hour-long session was productive; I liked her teaching style. Soon the students went from simple steps to complex moves. Music filled the room and people were evidently having fun swinging around and doing fancy footwork. I did not participate in the dancing; I read a book but later joined for a few minutes. Dancing is something that I have never done in my life and even being in a class was an experience that I was not ready for.  Nevertheless, my peers enjoyed dancing!

      Nearly all of the trip participants also elected to take this salsa class! Even after it ended, people ended up staying a half hour to an hour to continue dancing.

  • Free time

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18th, 2017
“Melting Pot vs. Cultural Pluralism”

  • Breakfast at hostel
  • Depart for Tenement Museum
  • Tour of Tenement Museum
    • Our specific tour focused on hardships of two families who grew up in the tenement in the early 1900s. This museum preserves NYC immigrant stories; some people did not wish to have their family’s histories be discussed by the museum, so the museum honored this. I was disappointed when the tour ended but was thankful to hear about people’s experiences because it opened my eyes to what the conditions were like. The area we were in is called the Garment District because many people’s lives revolved around making clothing. Entire families would work together to sew and embroider clothes to sell to department stores; they did this in their homes as opposed to working in factories.

      Our guide Jakub provided us a great description of life in the early 20th century in the Garment District/Lower East Side.

  • Lunch on own in area
  • Take subway to Lower Manhattan (Essex St. Station, take J or Z downtown to Broad St. Station)
  • Tour of Wall Street, then walking to 9/11 Memorial
    • After walking around Wall Street and the Financial District, we saw the Raging Bull and Fearless Girl. The bull market means that the market is doing well; a bear market is what stockbrokers and financial investors do not want to see because it means stocks are going down.
    • I was interested in Fearless Girl much more.

      A staff mentor and former MUNDO student coordinator during her undergrad years poses with Fearless Girl!

      To me, Fearless Girl means that girls can do things that boys can do too. Females should be given the same opportunities as men, including equal pay.

  • Subway to Chinatown
  • Walking tour of Chinatown and treat in Little Italy
    • We walked around Chinatown, which was a massive neighborhood. My friends and I were only able to visit a few stores and did not see how massive this town truly was.

      This colorful mural caught my eye and I had to pose by it. Bubble tea, one of my favorite drinks, originated in Taiwan and is now popular among Asian and Asian-American people, especially millennials.

    • Julius treated us to cannolis when we finished a quick exploration of these two ethnic enclaves.
  • Depart for Washington Square Park
    • This public park is in the Greenwich Village of New York’s Lower Manhattan area. Not only will you see NYU students but also joggers, people with their pets, couples, and street musicians.

       

  • Dinner with Buckeye alumni meet-up at NYU
    • I was surprised to see Bernie Saverese greet us as we entered a building. Bernie went to school at OSU for his B.A. in Political Science. He also earned his Master’s of Business Administration here. He was the Director for University Orientation and First Year Experience and is now at NYU as the Assistant Vice President for Student Success.
    • According to Bernie, NYU and OSU have some similarities and differences; OSU is one of the largest public universities and NYU is one of the largest private colleges. Two-thirds of Buckeyes are from Ohio while two-thirds of NYU students are from out-of-state, with 1/4 being international students. At NYU, 1 in 4 students are Pell-eligible. An alumna who graduated from OSU in spring 2017 also talked to us; she works at Google! The third representative was a male who attended OSU for graduate school and has worked at NYU for over 2 decades now.

      Bernie often spoke at freshmen orientations! He spoke at mine and used corny jokes such as “What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo? A pouch potato!”

  • I visited a bookstore called The Strand, and then headed over to Bryant Park, where there was a holiday market, with dozens of vendors selling artisan crafts, foods, T-shirts, jewelry, and more. This week, I was able to explore so much of New York, from the common tourist destinations to lesser-known gems.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19th, 2017
“Once on this Island”

  • Breakfast
  • Top of the Rock
    • From left to right: Our Outstanding MUNDO member of fall semester, a Newark Buckeye, and Park-Stradley Assistant Hall Director!

       

      The Top of the Rock tour allowed me to view the vastness of New York.

  • Recreating Rockefeller Photo for MUNDO’s 20th Birthday
    • This day was extremely special for Julius Mayo, our program advisor who co-founded MUNDO in 1997. It was 20 years ago that the MUNDO group visited New York and took a photo at Rockefeller Center.
    • Happy 20th, MUNDO!

      MUNDO has been Buckeye Strong for two decades. We Serve, Learn, and Lead no matter where we are.

       

  • Grand Central Station/Grand Central Terminal
    • Located on 42nd St and Park Ave, Grand Central is one of the busiest train stations in the world, and serves nearly 200,000 NYC commuters every day.
    • MUNDO stopped here for lunch. At this time, there was a Holiday Market where artisans set up pop-up shops to sell goods.
  • United Nations Headquarters

    Photo credit: http://static.thousandwonders.net/Headquarters.of.the.United.Nations.original.6498.jpg

    • We received a guided tour of the United Nations building. As we were proceeding into the security check, delegates were exiting the gates. After making it out of the security check building, I saw a sculpture of a gun with its barrel twisted into a knot. This is the non-violence sculpture, also called Knotted Gun. I stand with non-violence.
    • MUNDO was split into two groups because of our size. The tour was incredibly informational, and I learned about the three pillars of the UN: human rights, development, and peace & security. The UN was created after World War II, in 1945. There are currently 193 member states in the UN, with Palestine and South Sudan not yet joined. I learned about the chambers of the UN, like the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. We were able to go into these different rooms since there were no meetings being held at the time.
    • We also learned about UNICEF’s School-in-a-Box operation for worldwide use within 72 hours of an emergency so that students can still learn wherever they are, whether they have a physical school building to attend or not. We saw this resource in person and I am impressed that we have something like this available. The kit contains exercise books, pencils, number tables, a wooden clock, and more, for up to 40 students to use. The lid of the metal box can be painted using special blackboard paint so that teachers can write in chalk on them. The only suggestion that immediately popped into my head was that the box can be heavy to carry, especially for tinier teachers like women. Perhaps in the future, the boxes could have wheels on them for easier transport!
    • The Tour Guides, or UN Ambassadors, interact with millions of visitors. They actually are debriefed every morning so that they are well-informed about international events prior to their tours. Our tour was about an hour long, so it went by quickly. We saw conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction, including a statue that suffered from one of the major bombs during World War II. It was surreal to see these artifacts.
    • One of my favorite parts of the UN Headquarters was the #DreamBigPrincess Exhibit on the ground floor. As a female myself, this exhibit was pleasant to view, and I saw how girls worldwide are making differences, in STEM fields, by surviving cancer, etc.
      https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/dreambigprincess-exhibit-opens-united-nations-headquarters-new-york/
    • Facts:
      • Although the complex is geographically a part of New York, it is under the sole jurisdiction of the United Nations, not the U.S. government.
      • The complex opened October 9, 1952.
      • After much debate over the location, the Manhattan site was purchased for the United Nations by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. as a donation. The land was $8.5 million (estimated to be approximately $83.4 million adjusted for modern inflation.)
      • The flags out front are the flags of the 193 member nations in alphabetical order.
    • On a wall was the quote: “The world is over-armed and peace is under-funded” – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
      This quote spoke volumes to me because it is true. I feel like countries should not be so concerned with accumulating weapons to defend themselves and spend more time communicating with other nations to address conflicts.
  • Circle in the Square – “Once on this Island” Broadway Musical
    • This was a breathtaking musical and was well-executed with brilliant, talented cast who all have powerful vocals. As we sat and waited for the musical to start, the floor of the ‘stage’ was covered with sand. Actual live chickens and a goat were present. The cast interacted with one another and got into character. This musical will remain in my heart and mind as a reminder to fight for what I want despite the odds.
    • This is the sweeping theatrical power of Once On This Island—the universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods (played by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, Alex Newell, Merle Dandridge, and Quentin Earl Darrington), Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart. The groundbreaking vision of Tony Award-nominated director Michael Arden and acclaimed choreographer Camille A. Brown conjures up “a place where magic is possible and beauty is apparent for all to see!” (The Huffington Post).

    • Some MUNDO members remained after the show; we lingered by a fence to wait for some cast members to come out and talk with us! Only about 30 people were outside, and nearly all of the cast actually came out!

      Hailey Kilgore, who plays Ti Moune, was very gracious and took the time to thank us for coming to see the musical. Her performance was splendid and magical; you can hear the emotion in her voice and see it in her actions. You are a bright shining star!

      Lea Salonga provided her lovely vocals for Princess Jasmine and Princess Mulan in the Disney animations.

      Isaac Powell, who plays Daniel, is a 2017 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He had a great performance!

WEDNESDAY, December 20th, 2017
“Exploration”
(This was a day where students could roam around NY; there was no set agenda. This is what my friends and I did.)

  • Breakfast, store bags in hostel storage room
  • Bronx Zoo
    • We spent two hours here, looking at rhinos, sea lions, reptiles, birds, and snow leopards. Peacocks freely roamed the grounds.
  • American Museum of Natural History
    • This is the setting of the “Night at the Museum” movies. I did not get to see the third and fourth floors of the museum, but the floors that I did get to explore were incredibly fascinating! I loved the cultural exhibits and the scientific exhibits related to human population and health. The ecosystems/biomes were wonderful as well. What I especially appreciated was how the dioramas give a lot of perspective and look very realistic; when I look into an exhibit, its like I am looking into a different world. I hope to return here sometime to venture into the areas I was not able to see due to time constraints.
  • Greenwich Village
  • Brooklyn Bridge
    • I loved the skyline of Brooklyn. When my friends and I were in the area, few people were around. It was quiet and we ate dinner at Shake Shack; they have my favorite burgers and fries.

  • Times Square
    • We visited the Disney store and it was gorgeous! The walls lining the escalator are painted to resemble scenes from Tangled, the movie about Rapunzel.
  • Return to hostel for a short respite
  • Make journey back to OSU (our bus left around midnight)
  • We reached OSU around 9 am on Thursday, December 21st!

This trip felt unreal to me at some points – all the lights, the diverse people, the stimulating streets, etc.
I overheard a wide range of languages spoken around me; even with the people walking their dogs, I saw a variety of dogs (at least 20 different breeds). I gave my extra snacks and drinks to homeless people and people that were collecting food or money for the needy. Although NYC is a great city, there is a lot of inequality and I felt hurt with homeless people shivering on the ground as they slept their hunger away. Another thing I encountered was a rude man who cursed at another person in line; this seemed unnecessary to me. Also, I overheard two young boys, perhaps around age 7, speaking gibberish as if they were mocking another language. This bothered me too, and this is probably because of how NY is divided and how people, even in a diverse city, can be ignorant to other cultures.

Additionally, I noticed things in America’s most populous city that I have not seen elsewhere: heaps of trash bags piled together on the sidewalk, which is a public health issue. I took note of sodium signs displayed on menus; they are triangular symbols with a salt shaker in the center, indicating that the food item is high in sodium, and this also relates to public health. This should be in place throughout the country! Restaurants had signs for the Heimlich maneuver for people who are choking. Furthermore, food stands/stalls were everywhere; most of these offered hot dogs, fries, donuts, bagels, and other fare that is usually unhealthy. I did see one bubble tea stand, which was interesting. All, or at least most of these stands, require cash.

In conclusion, New York was a unique experience for me. I gained perspectives about immigration from different ethnic groups through time. I learned about important resources like United Nations and Operation Exodus, which work to improve the world on different levels. I had to think quickly when using the transit system and to plan ahead for my outings (from my Internet research, I found out that the Bronx Zoo had free admission on Wednesday, which happened to be MUNDO’s free day). New York is not a place I expect to live in but it is a city I enjoyed visiting. I plan to return during a spring or summer to see what it is like during the warmer seasons. There is still plenty of food that I did not get to try. I also want to keep learning about New York’s history and the millions of people that make up the Big Apple.

For a more thorough compilation of photos, please see my PowerPoint! It has over 100 slides that can help provide a better picture of the trip.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12QI8XTiyqsoDJTLsAG46pGJGe_EeFf1CEIgdfmJCEFo/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you to the NY Action Team for planning this informational and interesting experience. Not pictured are Emma, Tyler, and Ryan.

This is my last post for 2017. Going into 2018, I hope to learn more about our multicultural world with MUNDO.

Our wonderful NY Action Team had an end-of-the-week lunch with Julius!

MUNDO – Autumn 2017

I learned about MUNDO before coming on campus my freshman year. While perusing the student organizations directory, I stumbled upon this organization committed to Service, Learning, and Leadership. I attended a few meetings and my interest for diversity and cross-cultural learning only grew from being a member of MUNDO. In the spring of freshman year, I applied and was selected as an executive board member.

As a first-time executive board member, this caused me to be apprehensive when the 2017-2018 school year rolled around. Being on e-board is not as easy as it sounds. Prior to the academic year, during the summer, extensive planning occurred, such as creating posters for the year’s events. Our program coordinator Julius sent us a list of tasks to be completed, with deadlines attached to them. It was up to the e-board to divvy up the responsibilities. We also finalized what our Mondays with MUNDO meetings would entail, from making the budget to managing the resources like requesting rooms to creating programs that people would be drawn to and lead them to join our organization. This is what my first year as an executive board member for MUNDO looked like. (Our e-board is called ODNUM for some reason, which is just our name backwards.)

Twitter: @MUNDOOSU1
Facebook: MUNDO at The Ohio State University
We are always accepting members, no dues ever

The Ohio State University – Involvement Fair – August 20th, 2017 

Four executive board members for MUNDO!

I was stationed at the MUNDO table from 6 to 7 pm. I spoke to several people, even OSU employees who wanted to learn more about the organization. Employees are allowed to attend meetings, but cannot accompany us on any MUNDO trips. Some students rushed to the booth and eagerly signed their names and emails on our list to receive our updates. I was glad that there were hundreds of people who seemed interested in the organization, but I realize that after a few meetings, attendance does decline as students decide if they want to stay in MUNDO or not. It is about finding the right fit and experimenting with student orgs. Our table and poster were decorated beautifully. We had fortune cookies to distribute and we had three different messages. One that I recall was “Community service and global travel are in your future”, and all messages contained a link to MUNDO’s website! Furthermore, we had tiny button pins with different country flags on them! We passed out papers about our London & Rome trip as well as our calendar of events for the fall. At the end of the day, the e-board members emailed students reminding them of the event the next day.

One of our Spring Break 2018 ACTION Team Leaders, Nick!

Welcome Week Event – August 21st, 2017

The Welcome Week flyer I created for the event

This event was at Curl Viewpoint from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and our first meeting of the year! We had music and an ice cream sundae bar catered by the university. We also had plenty of drinks like ice water, orange juice, apple juice, and lemonade. We had a few people come half an hour early, which I appreciated. On the tables were MUNDO calendars detailing our meetings/events, and fortune cookies. In total we had about 30 to 40 attendants. The executive board members introduced themselves to the crowd. We scattered among the tables so we each took a table to sit at and mingle with the students. After an overview of the organization, we played Cultural Pursuit. Each table was a team (of up to 8 people) and filled out a BINGO sheet together. The sheet had questions to answer and the team(s) with the most correct answers would earn prizes. Two teams tied for the most number of accurate answers. We had 25 questions and those teams had 24 points, which was impressive! They received MUNDO drawstring bags.

Community Commitment 2017 – August 26th, 2017
MUNDO had a large group volunteer with OSU’s annual Community Commitment event! This is how OSU pays it forward to the surrounding areas. MUNDO was transported to a community garden.

MUNDO had a strength in numbers when we volunteered cleaning up a garden!

Let’s Get Things Started! – August 28th, 2017
For this meeting, held in the Great Hall Meeting Room #1 in the Union, we brought in two representatives from Student Leadership Advocates to facilitate a session: Elysse and Ashley! They used Tinker Toys for our activity, and the students were divided into four groups. One facilitator, Ashley, created a structure outside of the room, and she instructed the room to recreate this piece exactly. The game was called Sabotage, and apparently some people in each group were supposed to sabotage the team. If we suspected someone of being that person, we would have to call them out and then the rest of the group would agree to out that individual. Only one person per group could get up and go look outside at a time, and there was no talking permitted at all! It was a difficult task, and I have poor spatial awareness. The fastest team finished in about 8 minutes, while it took my team the longest time of 12 minutes, close to 13. This activity allowed us to learn about how we need to trust in one another. In the end, it was revealed that nobody was given the role of Sabotage!

Tinker Toys, a vintage game, allows you to build whatever using rods and different shaped pieces.

A Meal and Some MUNDO – The Columbus Greek Festival – September 4th, 2017
At noon, about 23 MUNDO members met at the Brutus statue in the Ohio Union to take the COTA together to the annual Greek Festival! MUNDO covered the $5 admission fee for each of us. Once we were there, we were free to explore the grounds on our own. We first went inside the Cathedral to listen to a talk and spoken tour of the room. I spent time with people I already knew, so in the future, I should hang out with people I do not know. I tried Greek coffee (I still prefer my Starbucks), as well as Greek foods such as spanakopita, tiropita, and a platter of desserts.
I watched dance performances from younger children and from teenagers. I also listened to women singing.
This experience allowed me to learn more about Greek culture, from the dancing to the food and religion.

We utilized public transportation to go to this community event.

Greek Festival Flyer

ODNUM Meeting #1 – September 5th, 2017

The executive board members and Julius and Ryan met to discuss updates and trip planning. We talked about trip budgets and agendas.

General Body Meeting – United We Stand – September 11th, 2017
A representative from CRIS (Columbus Refugee & Immigration Services) spoke to us about what CRIS does!
We collected a few boxes worth of household item donations for refugees in Central Ohio. We had over 30 people come to this event and learned about how refugees are being settled in the area and what services are available to them to aid them in adjusting to America. Please see www.crisohio.org/ for more! Thank you to Tyler Reeve, Community Engagement Coordinator, for presenting for us!

We had boxes of donations for CRIS.

Education Abroad Expo – September 14th, 2017
MUNDO was at the College of Education and Human Ecology table to share with students about our Multicultural Histories and Legacies of London and Rome experience 2018. This counts as a STEP project and as part of the Leadership Minor at OSU! There were also 100 other education abroad options at the expo.

What Do You Stand For? / Guess the Straight RA – September 19th, 2017
A controversial event with Baker Hall West, this meeting allowed us to celebrate OSU Ally Week by exploring and discussing ways to challenge the stereotypes or biases that affect the LGBTQ communities on campus, and beyond.
The Hall Director for Baker West coordinated the event along with MUNDO.

A flyer that a Baker West student created

STAR HOUSE Service Night – September 25, 2017

This service night benefitted the organization Star House, a crucial resource for youth experiencing homelessness in Columbus. It was my first time going to this place. We took Lyfts and Ubers to get there, which wasn’t too far from campus. We spent about two hours organizing donated clothing in the warehouse section of Star House. We refolded clothes and made sure that the clothes were in the appropriate boxes, labeled and separated by size and gender. A nice volunteer explained to us more about Star House and even showed us around the facility. There was a new kitchen, a living room area with a TV, and a computer room.

MUNDO regularly returns to Star House to complete service.

Please visit www.starhousecolumbus.org to read more about what they do and see how you can help! They accept donations and you can also volunteer, work, or intern with them.

Strange Foods – October 2, 2017
I enjoyed this workshop! It is MUNDO’s spin-off of the show Bizarre Foods. So did the other members! We had a good attendance this day, about 20 people. Julius had a Powerpoint and a table filled with unfamiliar snacks. We began with biscuits – not like the fluffy, buttered ones from Kentucky Fried Chicken – but British biscuits that resembled cookies. They were slightly sweet and like thin discs. American biscuits and British biscuits contrast greatly. Julius asked “Is a biscuit a biscuit?” and “Is a cookie a cookie?” to get the group thinking about how these definitions vary depending on the culture. In waves, we passed out items including Yucca chips, plantain chips, seaweed (one was prawn flavored and the other was wasabi flavored), pork rind chips, green tea Kit Kat, and ginger Kit Kats. We discussed how we felt about each foods’ texture and taste. We ended with kimchi, with both vegan and meat versions passed around. Ways to comment on a food are “This is interesting… I like the color of it… What do you like about this food?… How often is this eaten?…”
The lesson learned here was to try foods, even a tiny bite of them! I ended up semi-liking or tolerating the Kit Kats, but I would not actively go out and buy them. I really liked the yucca and plantain chips the best.

Foods that may be strange to us can actually be normal in other countries.

Involved Living Organization Panel – October 4, 2017
I volunteered to serve on a panel for the First Year Collegian learning community at Siebert Hall. The Hall Director Kyle invited the six Involved Learning Organizations (ILOs) to come talk to freshmen about our respective organizations. Some of the other ILOs are Off the Lake (a student-run theater production organization) and National Residence Hall Honorary. As the only MUNDO executive at the informal panel, I made sure to be armed with promotional flyers, both for MUNDO in general and for our London & Rome trip. This session only lasted an hour, with some structured question from Kyle and then time for us to interact with individuals. I discussed how I found out about MUNDO, what we do in the organization and what my specific role is, and how MUNDO has helped me become a better leader. I made a few connections from the panel but I do not think that any of them attended future meetings.

I prepared an index card with notes for what I wanted to say during the panel. I wrote about how students can learn about and be part of social change at local, national, and global level while exploring this school year’s theme concepts of freedom and citizenship. Our organization meets on Mondays 6:30 to 8:00 pm and we do educational road trips, study abroad, workshops, multicultural nights, service nights, and even host Strange Foods sessions in different residence halls. We go to Detroit, Circleville Pumpkin Show, Greek Festival, see Broadway shows, Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, New Orleans, and many more cities/events.

Urban vs. Rural – October 9, 2017

When comparing and contrasting the city versus the country, we opened our minds to new perspectives.

This event was discussion-based and allowed members to contrast the city and the country. We wrote down what came to our minds when we thought of urban and rural, and walked around the room to different blank posters and placed sticky notes on the sheets. I learned about how urban and rural environments have much more in common than we realize. When people think of rural, words that come to mind are corn, quiet, community, space, farm, underdeveloped, white, poor, and Amish. Actually, 2 to 3% of people in rural areas are farmers. Corn is among the top three crops grown in Ohio. The speaker who came to talk to us spoke to us about Amish gangs, which another ODNUM member chimed in on, saying that she saw a documentary about these gangs who try to create a sense of community and belonging while staying out of poverty. Furthermore, guns are so accessible today in both rural and urban areas. In rural places, you can obtain guns from flea markets, gun shows, and even Craigslist! Everyone in rural country has a gun, for hunting or other purposes.

On the other hand, urban life is viewed as full of traffic, a busy, fast-paced city life, diverse, and with more opportunities. Our speaker reported that 24% of homeless people are in the city; the majority are in rural places, finding refuge in abandoned buildings, barns, and sheds, and cars. More members thought that urban areas have a problem with heroin overdoses, but it happens in rural areas too. Crowdedness and segregation is not just an urban issue. We also discussed gentrification. For example, Columbus Upper Arlington neighborhood still is segregated because no people of color are allowed to own homes, a member brought up. Other Columbus neighborhoods are segregated usually by race/class, and there are countless similarities in other cities across the nation.

I was happy to hear member input. I learned where some members were from. One was from a rural place with many overdose incidents and one was from Milwaukee. Both urban and rural neighborhoods have drug use, poverty, guns, food deserts, and in general, a lack of resources in some way or another. I believe that actually spending more time in areas that we are unfamiliar with will help us increase our knowledge of those places and dispel preconceived notions regarding that area.

The 111th Circleville Pumpkin Show – October 21, 2017

This festival has everything pumpkin-related that you could imagine!

On this Saturday, we took a charter bus of 50 people to Circleville, Ohio! The students were excited to have free transportation to and from this tiny city of 13,000.  We attended their 111th Pumpkin Show. They are well known for having contests for biggest pumpkins (by pound), tastiest pumpkin pie, and best painted pumpkins (by age category). In addition to artwork from children, there are pumpkins carved in various shapes and designs, like a Medusa pumpkin. Tons of carnival-style booths offered a variety of fare: pumpkin tacos, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bubble tea, pumpkin pizza, and more. Boutiques selling clothing, home wares, and crafts also were present. There were carnival games and rides as well as a hog-calling contest which was interesting to see and hear. People stood on a stage in front of hundreds of spectators to call out and squeal “Here pig, here pig” in the hopes of winning. I enjoyed this festival!

The site www.pumpkinshow.com is where you can find more about their spectacular annual show!
Next year, they will have their show October 17-20, 2018.

Justice for All? – October 23nd, 2017

Discussing the book Just Mercy was a requirement for incoming freshmen. According to the Buckeye Book Community, here is a synopsis of the book:

“From one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time comes an unforgettable true story about the redeeming potential of mercy.

Just Mercy tells the story of Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system.

One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machinations and legal brinkmanship – and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.”

The book covers topics like criminology, decision-making, mass incarceration, and justice. The author Bryan Stevenson also came to campus to discuss the book and sign copies of it for readers.

“Controversy” – October 30th, 2017

We need to be comfortable with talking about uncomfortable situations.

This event was a requirement for the NY experience. Our program coordinator Julius started by playing the Michael Jackson Thriller video, which actually sparked controversy itself at the time of release because it raised concern that it had ties to the occult. We then read lyrics of Prince’s song “Controversy” and interpreted what the meanings behind the words could be. Julius’ PowerPoint walked us through some other polemical topics and how to address them when interacting with peers or older adults.

“Life as a Student Veteran” – November 6th, 2017

We thank our veterans for serving our country.

We brought in actual student veterans to talk about how they see service and leadership. According to www.veterans.osu.edu, there are “1,800 current veterans, dependents, and Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve members attending as under-graduate and graduate students.” I myself do not have much knowledge or personally know more than a couple student veterans. I am hesitant to bring up their past service since it will most likely be hurtful to recall memories of war. I did not attend this session but I wish that I did so that I could have heard the perspectives of fellow students.

MUNDO Takes on Mo-Town: Detroit (Classic Edition) – November 10th, 2017
MUNDO explored the Motor City from a multicultural insider’s view and in terms of African American History.  We were able to see from some Michigan natives’ perspectives at Wayne State University. Stanley, on the far left in the gray hat, was originally from Flint, Michigan, and said there had always been problems in the city even before the water crisis. One student was studying urban studies and currently works for the city; he knew all these facts and figures about the area, even down to the square miles!

A panel of Wayne State University students and staff spoke about what they love about Detroit and what they’ve witnessed in the city and on campus.

The WSU students are studying public affairs, criminal justice, and urban studies. All of these are important fields that contribute directly to the community! Hunter (the girl in green) wants to be a police officer!

I enjoyed every part of the day – I was pleasantly surprised that a handful of other Young Scholars from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion joined MUNDO for this special trip. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History is a wonderful resource that we spent three hours exploring, with the group being split up into two.

My tour guide was animated and she captured me in with how she described Africa and the experiences the people had to go through. This museum does a fantastic job of portraying these event from history; the walls are painted with vivid scenery and there’s sounds to make it more realistic. At a few points in the tour, my throat felt like it had a knot in it; I was hurt and felt pain as we heard about this sad history.

We ended by looking at art galleries. Additionally, I went to the basement to see student-made art and how African-Americans shaped our world with their inventions and other contributions in science and technology. Their accomplishments are often not praised enough, if at all. America has a long history with exploiting them, like in the case of Henrietta Lacks; her stem cells were used for research and it’s an injustice to her and her family. I actually read about her in a book called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and there’s countless other examples of exploitation like the Tuskegee Syphilis Studies.

The art galleries provoked my mind and made me analyze what the pieces were trying to evoke. A quote on the wall that I liked was “There is always fire in the most beautiful beginnings.” I also augmented my knowledge of riots and rebellions, and after the trip, I can now say that I can distinguish these two terms. Instead of saying Detroit riots, it may be more appropriate to call them the Detroit Rebellion of ’67, because a rebellion is acting against injustices and oppression, against imposed limitations that people refuse to accept. It is resistance.

This experience will aid me in planning the Spring Break civil rights trip to Memphis, New Orleans, and Birmingham. There is so much to history that I have not heard about; many details are hidden or just glossed over, and I desire to know more. Some quotes that I noted from the museum that I hope to carry with me throughout my life include: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way” and “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” Both of these were said by Martin Luther King, Jr.

World Kindness Day – November 13th, 2017

This special day, we joined forces to prepare meals. Student athletes, alumni, and organizations came together to make over 200,000 meals in just two hours. Half of the meals were donated to local pantries while the other half was donated to people affected by Hurricane Maria. The entire week, the OSU community engaged in acts of kindness. For example, at the Union on Wednesday the 15th, free Jeni’s ice cream was passed out, as well as some gift cards! KIND Snacks also collaborated with OSU to provide free granola bars to students.

Global Celebrations – November 20th, 2017

Holiday celebrations involve more than just Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

MUNDO explored how different cultures around the globe celebrated fall/winter! Christmas is such a well-known holiday but there are countless others that should be acknowledged. Tyler and Emma, two ODNUM members from the New York ACTION Team, presented to us. (Emma is also treasurer and Tyler is the non-traditional discovery opportunities coordinator.) To begin the presentation, there is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which occurs in September for two days. Chinese/Lunar New Year is another huge holiday. This one spans about two weeks and often other countries partake in festivities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Lunar New Year will be February 16th, 2018 and it will be the Year of the Dog. We also learned about secular new year celebrations from different European countries. Then we ended by reflecting on common themes and practices we saw among the different celebrations. We had tasty snacks to sample like Chinese dumplings. We did not have time to create crafts for children.

Boricua (NY Pre-Travel Meeting) – November 27th, 2017

Our pre-travel meetings help our participants get an idea of what to expect on the trip.

During this meeting, we handed out packing lists and a booklet breaking down each day of the winter break trip. Another version of the packet, with updated information, will be provided moving forward as we get closer to the trip date. Ivanna and Jose had a PowerPoint for the day-to-day activities to give us a sense of what we would be doing. Some planned activities include visiting Ellis Island, seeing two Broadway shows, touring El Museo del Barrio, and Chinatown. They will also book a private salsa dance session for MUNDO! The meeting culminated with the New York Action Team creating a GroupMe group chat so that all New York participants have a way to communicate with the group.

Fall Pinning Ceremony – December 5th, 2017
One of my favorite events that MUNDO puts on is the Fall Pinning Ceremony, where we recognize our members who were most involved throughout the semester. Those who have earned enough points (24) will receive their own MUNDO pin and certificate of achievement. Danny, the MUNDO president, and I planned this ceremony. We met a week beforehand to negotiate the tasks; we chose the menu together, and he ordered the food. I designed the certificates and flyer, and made major contributions to the PowerPoint, which had photos from the semester and listed the names of our active members AND our outstanding member of the semester!

I presented for the first time in front of the general body. I began with thanking people for coming and provided an overview of the presentation: a slideshow of photos, then certificates and pins, then the MUNDO pledge, then food, mingling, and games! We had popcorn, chicken tenders and sauces, a vegetable platter, and a dessert bar for our members. We borrowed games like Connect Four from the Union’s Resource Room so that members could unwind before finals officially started. We had 11 active members for the semester, not including ODNUM. Our Outstanding member was Victoria, who had 36 points, which means that she attended 12 of MUNDO’s meetings/events!

MUNDO is grateful to have members who are the future leaders in social change!

December 15th-21st, 2017
The NYC Winter Break experience 2017 (Deluxe Edition) focuses on the Latinx experience in NYC and beyond. We will visit the museum El Museo del Barrio and experience comedy from John Leguizamo.  We will explore global citizenship with a visit to the 9/11 Memorial and the United Nations building.  As a part of the experience,  we will have the chance to analyze the importance of breaking down racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries in order to truly live together as a community.  In celebration of MUNDO’s 21st anniversary,  we will be re-creating our first group photo at Rockefeller Center. The New York City Experience is a substance-free (no tobacco, alcohol, etc.) for all participants regardless of age.

I will post a blog post dedicated to the NYC Experience after the 21st! Please return to my e-portfolio then to read the details!

I made a New York promotional flyer. We had difficulty recruiting members for this trip, which was a surprise to me.

MUNDO is excited to bring more educational and transformative experiences for Spring 2018!

Below are the ODNUM members who were spotlighted during this semester:

Nick always brings fresh ideas to our group and is active in a business fraternity outside of MUNDO!

 

MUNDO has our first ever Service Chair, Celine! She is also an Honors Community Advocate for Lincoln Tower. She is great at working with people and is a valuable part of our team.