Month: November 2018

Explore Columbus: North Market with Sydni

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On November 17th, 2018, my mentee Sydni and I explored Columbus, Ohio together!  We took a small trip to the North Market located in the Short North, which is the downtown  area of Columbus.  Sydni and I took the Central Ohio Transportation Authority (COTA) bus number 2 to speedily arrive at our destination.  After getting off at West Swan Street, I showed Sydni the way to North Market.  I chose to bring Sydni to the North Market because she had never been there before, and I was excited to show her all of the diverse options it had to offer!  This experience was a really fun opportunity to get to know more about Sydn – while also getting a delicious bite to eat!

Because Sydni had never been to the North Market before, I suggested for us to walk around the entire market once so she could see all of the options and take in the atmosphere.  I warned her that it is a very overwhelming place with what seems like endless alternatives of food, and she immediately agreed once she saw all of the vendor stands. We smelled extremely enticing foods from all over the world in that one building, including: Pierogies from Hubert’s Polish Kitchen, LLC, Italian pizza from Sarefino’s, and waffles from Taste of Belgium.  After observing all of the varieties of meals to choose from, Sydni and I eagerly sought after pasta from the Pastaria station.  We also shared a really yummy Raspberry Lemonade, made from all fresh ingredients, from Bubble’s Tea and Juice Company in the North Market.

While eating our Tomato Alfredo on bow-tie noodles and sipping our fruity lemonade, Sydni and I discussed how much can change in only a few short months at college!  I was interested to hear how her semester was going, and I found out that her passion for helping others has grown more and more during her first year at Ohio State!  I believe her involvement at ACES has definitely helped her grow in leadership and service as a freshman.  Her selflessness is clear simply in the way she talks of others.  I am abundantly grateful that I know Sydni as a person, and I am even more thankful to have her as a friend and a mentee!

During this fun trip to the Short North, I realized how constantly-changing Columbus’ appearance is.  Traffic was a huge factor in our travel time, and I found that traffic was a bit hectic because of construction zones.  Although traffic is somewhat frustrating, it did not prevent us from having a great experience.  In fact, we got to see some of the updated sidewalks that further showed the importance of an up-to-date city.  Whether on or off campus, construction is seemingly everywhere, so it was not that big of a hinderance on our exploration!

If other people would hope to endeavor in this same experience of a trip to the Short North for North Market, I would suggest taking the number 1 or number 2 COTA bus to cut the trip’s travel time in half.  As I mentioned when I explained my Explore Columbus with Kyle, riding the busses is an important life skill that a mentor can teach a mentee to do!  Many freshmen come into college unsure of how public transportation worked, and it may be the first time they ever travel alone.  If other mentors want to explain how the COTA busses work to their mentees, I think there is no better way to learn this than obtaining hands-on experience!  I would additionally recommend exploring North Market on the weekends during June-October because they offer an incredible Farmer’s Market on top of their already outstanding food options, which could be helpful information for students after they move off campus and want fresh foods for their apartment/home! I would also recommend going between the hours of 11am-3pm if either person is interested in trying Hot Chicken Takeover on the second floor of the North Market!

After eating our pasta and drinking our lemonade, Sydni and I debated whether or not we should pursue a sweet treat from Jeni’s, Destination Donuts, or Omega Artisan Baking.  Sadly, on two full stomachs, we realized neither of us had saved enough room for the delicious desserts that North Market had to offer.  I highly recommend saving some space for some sweet treats! Although Sydni and I are both flexible eaters, as in non-vegetarians/non-vegans, this would also be a wonderful place to take someone that does have special needs in their diet because of the wide range of foods available!

All in all, this trip to North Market was a memorable experience with my mentee Sydni, and I look forward to wherever we explore next in the Columbus area!

Explore Columbus: Condado Taco’s with Kyle

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On the early evening of Monday, November 5th, 2018, I explored Columbus with my mentee, Kyle! We ventured down into the Short North by taking the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) bus number 2. I decided to take Kyle down to the Short North for our Explore Columbus trip because he had never traveled past Gateway on High Street. I figured it would be a great chance for Kyle to familiarize himself with locations close to campus within reach of a bus. We got off the bus at King Avenue and walked to Condado Tacos, which Kyle had never eaten at before Monday.

Because Kyle had never encountered the full Condado Tacos experience, I let the waiter explain the unique ordering process: basically, you bubble in which toppings you would like just like filling in a multiple choice answer on a quiz in class! Our waiter was very kind, which improved our overall eating experience. We both ordered our special tacos, and I had to introduce Condado’s Dirty Queso dip to Kyle. The Dirty Queso dip with the homemade nacho tortilla chips is my absolute favorite thing to eat at Condado Taco’s, and I was excited that Kyle also enjoyed it after getting a taste!  Kyle seemed very grateful for a chance to eat off campus since he is a student on the unlimited meal plan that eats daily at Scott and Kennedy Commons on campus.

During our dinner together, I discovered a lot of interesting details about Kyle’s personality, like his passion for hot sauce and his ease at making others laugh. I think it is really important to meet new people, and getting to know Kyle definitely strengthened our mentor/mentee relationship.  He’s an out-of-state student from Virginia, and he is very unfamiliar with the Columbus area, so I am glad I was able to show him around a little bit. This time last year, I was also extremely unaccustomed to the outskirts of Ohio State’s campus, so it was cool to be on the opposite end of the mentor/mentee position.  I am thankful for being able to share some of the knowledge I have accumulated in only one year with a college freshman that may have been as curious as I was.

Through this fun adventure to the Short North, I learned that Columbus isn’t as big or as scary as I once pictured.  I recently realized that I have mastered the COTA bus (number 2!) schedules and stops in less than a year.  I noticed it was exciting getting off campus for just a few hours to hang out and eat great food without worrying about classes and exams, which Kyle addressed highly in agreement!  I learned that Kyle is a really funny guy, and he also shows a lot of potential as an ACE scholar.

If other people would hope to endeavor in this same experience of a trip to the Short North for Condado Taco’s, I would recommend taking the number 1 or number 2 COTA bus to cut the trip’s travel time in half.  Although it is not a far walk from South campus, I think riding the bus is a simple skill that a mentor can instill in their mentee for when they may need to travel farther.  Riding the bus alone for the first time could be intimidating and/or confusing for many freshmen, but riding with someone else, like a mentor, can make this daunting situation lively and easy!  Furthermore, I would recommend exploring more into the Short North!  The dinner experience at Condado Taco’s was delicious, and I highly recommend everyone to try the Dirty Queso dip with the homemade tortilla chips there (especially because it is my all-time favorite food in the Columbus area)!  This is a flexible restaurant that I would recommend to friends because they have many taco options, including vegetarian alternatives!

After a delightful dinner together, Kyle and I decided to walk back from Condado Taco’s to Smith-Steeb Hall together.  Along the way, I was able to point out additional locations that Kyle was not aware of so that he may visit them in the near future.  Some examples of landmarks I showed him along the way are Kroger, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the newly built Taco Bell!  It will be hard to top a tasty dinner at Condado Taco’s for our Explore Columbus trip in the spring semester; however, our stomachs are definitely up to the challenge!  I look forward to exploring Columbus more with Kyle as our year together in ACES continues!