Ryan Goddard_PechaKucha-2iee8z5
Final Project Overview
Please enjoy my final project by clicking the link above. During my time at Ohio State I have been fortunate to have had several globally engaging experiences. Please enjoy this final project where I discuss the topic of “Family Culture” in terms of the United States, Nicaragua and Brazil.
Final Project Reflection
Family culture is a very important part of culture in general. When I began this Global Option journey, I was unsure exactly how I wanted this experience to prepare me for my future. Last summer I had the opportunity to work for Monsanto as a sales intern. During the summer we were paired up with a mentor whom we interacted with at corporate headquarters in St. Louis. The topic of my international experiences came up and he got excited about my passion for global agriculture. Monsanto has facilities in 69 countries and he told me about some future international opportunities that could be available if I chose to pursue a career with Monsanto.
Though I didn’t realize it at the time, when I began my Global Option journey, I began to prepare myself to work for company that is a global leader in agriculture. This May I will start as a District Sales Manager Trainee with Monsanto. I look forward to making a difference in this role and also look forward to international opportunities to come. When an international opportunity presents itself, I am confident that my developed sense of understanding for diverse cultures will set me apart from other applicants. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have learned about these amazing cultures through Global Option.
Global Option Final Reflection/Accomplishments
During freshman orientation, I was captivated by the idea of studying abroad. I heard about the freshman program to Nicaragua and eagerly signed up. When January rolled around, we flew to Managua, Nicaragua. As we arrived, I was excited to embark on this new adventure; however, I was nervous about staying with a host family. Ironically enough, this ended up being the most impactful part of my trip. I stayed with a coffee farming family up in the mountains that lived in a house with no door, no plumbing and a dirt floor. Though the family’s home was minimal, the hearts of the people who called it home where overwhelming. There was a substantial language barrier, yet I was amazed by the relationships built and the fondness I grew for these people who lived a very different life than I did. It was through this academic experience, in my quest to live out my purpose, I found my passion for interacting with people around the world.
January 1st through February 11th of 2017, I traveled to Brazil on study abroad with Alpha Zeta Partners. For three weeks we took classes at Esalq, the 5th best agricultural university in the entire world. We learned about Brazilian Culture, government, and agriculture. Our first weekend in Brazil, we went caving through one dry cave and one cave that had water almost up to my chest. Later on, we visited an orchid farm and the largest flower trading center in Brazil. During our time in Piracicaba, we did home stays for four days with families in the area. My home stay was my favorite part of the trip, and that is saying a lot! For one weekend I lived with Michelle, Andre, and Bruno. I spent time getting to know them all, but I really spent a lot of time with my brother Bruno who just turned 19.
It was so eye opening to live with someone my age, learn about the culture, as well as become really good friends with him. Two of the evenings I spent with Bruno and some of his friends. We went out and enjoyed each other’s company. Most of his friends could speak a little bit of English and it was such an awesome experience to grow to have a deep respect for them and listen to their stories. Language barriers are often unavoidable, but luckily laughter and kindness is universal. Overall, the weekend I spend with my family was the best part of my trip.
After our three weeks in Piracicaba, we took a 14 day trip through the south. We saw one of the modern wonders of the world, the Itapúa Dam. Also in the south, we paid a visit to one of the natural wonders of the world, Iguacu Falls. This waterfall was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, being the largest waterfall in the world. On our trip we visited soybean, corn, and apples farms as well as one of largest ports. At an apple processing plant we did a wine tasting that was very informative and enjoyable. Not only did we visit crop operations, but we also visited a couple dairy farms and even a rural show that could be compared to the Farm Science Review. This trip was a life changing experience and a huge addition to my Global Options experience.
At the start of my Global Option experience, I had the broad goal of better understanding the world to become an international citizen. As you can see through all of my reflections and final project, I have been fortunate to accomplish this goal in excess. The three major takeaways I have come to realize through global options are the following: people are people regardless the color of their skin or the language they speak, differences from the united states aren’t better or worse – just different, I am far from finished when it comes to experiencing the world. I really appreciate the mindset that I have gained and I plan to utilize what I have learned in a career with Monsanto. Brazil is an agricultural powerhouse and I would love to do work in the country at some point in my life.
I can remember back in my high school public speaking class I gave a speech and discussed the reason I decided to go to Ohio State. I vividly remember the first point that I made was that I was very interested in experiencing the world and I was excited about the number of study abroad opportunities that would be available at Ohio State. I am so extremely thankful for my experiences I have had, the people I have met and The Ohio State University.
