Last Global Engagement Night we got crafty!! Instead of the usual presentation and games, we did three different crafts. We made bookmarks, paper lanterns, painted mason jars and made a boat load of paper hats and paper airplanes. The night was filled with laughs, new friends and cupcakes. Join us next week for our POTLUCK!! We encourage you to bring a dish or buy something pre-made to share with everyone. Hope to see you all there!
OfficeofInternationalAffairs
USA vs Guatemala
After our sports discussion night at Global Engagement on March 29nd, we all went to Woody’s to watch the USA mens soccer team take on Guatemala. People were encouraged to wear the jerseys of the team which they were supporting and we all had some great pizza! Thankfully, the USA came out on top, with a final score of 4-0!
Spring Holidays
For Global Engagement Night on March 22nd, we discussed springtime holidays and festivals from around the world. We discussed customs and traditions relating to Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and Holi, some holidays from major world religions, as well as Songkran and Nowruz, from Thailand and Iran respectively. Many holidays celebrated during this time of year signify the start of spring, a farewell to winter, and a fresh new beginning. Here’s hoping for plenty of sunny and bright days in Ohio this spring!
Happy Easter & Happy Passover! See you next Tuesday.
Global Engagement: Northern Europe!
Here at Global Engagement we explore a region of the world every couple of weeks. This week it was Northern Europe! We discussed everything from geography and culture to polar bears and Finnish metal music.
What is Northern Europe? The general consensus was Scandinavia with some debate over whether the UK and Ireland and the Baltic states could be included. The discussion of polar bears, however, not as polarizing.
We rounded out the discussion with some lovely travel videos and a brief overview of some of Finland’s finest folk metal music videos.
The Global Engagement Sports&Rec committee will be continuing the arctic vibe this month with some fun winter activities despite the recent temperature climb, so stay tuned!
Ronald McDonald Blanket Making Event
This Wednesday Global Engagement gathered together to make blankets for the children at Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House operates as a home away from home for seriously ill children. The House allows families to remain near their children while they are receiving treatment for their illnesses. Each child receives a welcome pack upon admission to Ronald McDonald House, which comes with a fleece blanket.
During the blanket-making session, students enjoyed hot chocolate and the movie Elf to help them get into the holiday spirit. Many of the students had no experience in making these felt tie blankets, but they were excited and quick to learn! We were able to make five blankets to donate to Ronald McDonald House, which will be greatly appreciated by the children in the coming winter months.
Stay tuned for more Global Engagement community service opportunities in the coming months!
Global Engagement Night: Global Politics
Global Engagement Night on November 17th covered Global Politics!
Ambassadors Keegan Scott and Hunter Kinsey took students around the world in their presentation of various forms of government. They discussed the governments of Argentina, Greenland, Swaziland, Vatican City, Oman and India, which all have very different political systems. Students were encouraged to remember fun facts about the presentation, which came in handy for a BINGO game during the second half of the Global Engagement Night. BINGO had questions about the countries presented and other fun facts about various governments around the world. Students were encouraged to guess the answers to the BINGO questions. The presenters were pleasantly surprised at how many (and how quickly) answers were guessed correctly! Ohio State students must know their politics!
Next week’s GEN topic is Thanksgiving and Winter Holidays. Do not miss out!
Trick or Canning!
This past Thursday, October 29, we went trick-or-treating in Harley for canned and non-perishable food. The food collected at the event will be donated to Mid Ohio Food Bank. Volunteer participants dressed up in amazing costumes, like the pop star Robin from “How I Met Your Mother,” Thing 1 from “The Cat in the Hat,” etc. Thursday was also the official day that all kids went out trick-or-treating. People were a little bit surprised, but were really nice to our “over-aged” trick-or-treating group. We got so many canned goods, as well as candy.
Thanks to all the nice and generous people. The house decorations were really impressive. Sometimes we scared ourselves walking pass them in the dark. It’s great to see how enthusiastic people are for Halloween.
Also, the American students taught international students about the traditions of Halloween, for example, if the porch light is on, it means that family is participating in the trick or treat event; if not, you better not knock on the doors!
Below you can see our Trick or Canning group with costumes on. What a fun and meaningful night!
Happy Halloween everyone!
(All canned food collected)
Global Engagement Night: Eastern Europe!
On Tuesday October 6th, Eastern Europe came to Ohio State for Global Engagement Night!
Encouraging the audience to look at their own perceptions and stereotypes on Eastern European countries, the Global Ambassadors showed how one-sided our view of certain regions can be. With notes of humor from Hollywood movies complemented by personal experiences, the audience saw how the various cultures, faiths and ethnicities coupled with a complicated history made Eastern Europe difficult to portray in media. The audience was delighted to see some photos taken by the presenters while in Eastern European countries, which greatly contrasted to their pre-conceived notions. The night ended with a truly lively–and authentic–Eastern European experience of dancing the famous circle dance! The joining of hands between the diverse audience members and coming together to dance truly represented the best of Global Engagement Night!
We have Global Engagement Night every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at Oxley Hall 122!
The Middle East and North Africa
On Tuesday, September 22, Global Engagement hosted the first of its regional nights: The Middle East and North Africa.
While munching on fresh veggies and homemade banana bread, students participated in a spirited game of Jeopardy. Four teams answered a variety of questions, ranging from political dynasties and monarchies to local cuisine and delicacies. It was a close game, but the Final Jeopardy pushed Team Two to a decisive victory. Spoils of this victory included color-changing Office of International Affairs cups.
Global Engagement is hosted every week at 6 p.m. in Oxley Hall, room 122. Next week’s topic is Fashion From Around the World!
Don’t forget to join our Global Engagement Facebook page to stay up to date on all of our ongoing activities: https://www.facebook.com/groups/472690802791884/
The winning team!!