Service Event: Taste of OSU 2019

On February 15, 2019, I volunteered at Taste of OSU with the Lebanese Student Organization (LSO).  In the days before the event, we prepared our dishes in the Ohio Union kitchen alongside the North and South Sudanese Organization, the Somali Student Association, and the Korean Student Association.  I was worried about preparing food for such a large crowd, but luckily the LSO Taste of OSU Chair is a dietetics major who has experience working in large scale culinary environments.  She took on the task of converting the ratios of ingredients in our recipes to be enough for 700 samples.  We made a Lebanese dessert called knefeh which is made of a creamy layer of Arabic cheese sandwiched between two buttery cakes made from shredded phyllo dough and covered generously with orange blossom syrup.  The second dish we cooked was mini chicken kabobs called shish tawook.

It was great to work together as a team during the lengthy preparation process.  We cut plump chicken breasts and green peppers into bite-sized pieces that would fit on skewers.  We grated an entire bag of whole ginger by hand and squeezed what seemed to be an endless number of lemons to make the perfect marinade for the chicken.  While the knafeh dough was baking, we cooked tall pots of milk and semolina to add to the cheese filling.  Middle Eastern food is labor-intensive to begin with, but making enough for 700 people was the ultimate challenge.  As expected, running on “Lebanese Standard Time” meant that we were always the last ones to show up and the last to leave.  We did make mistakes along the way—including our club president spilling half a pan of luscious, warm cheese mixture on the ground—but we had a lot of fun learning together and will remember those moments for a long time.

We decorated our table with wooden cedars of Lebanon (national symbol) and blasted traditional Lebanese dance music from a speaker.  Our colorful display included pictures of Lebanon, a Lebanese coffee grinder, and wooden molds used to make cookies called maamoul.  The kabobs and knefeh sat atop a red and gold table runner surrounded by wooden replicas of the cedars of Lebanon.  While people were waiting in line for food, I talked with them about Lebanon.  Although most people did not know much about the country, they were excited to expand their knowledge.

From the Indonesian sweet ondeh ondeh to the delicious Saudi lamb and rice, we thoroughly enjoyed the foods made by other groups.  We even noticed similarities between dishes from completely different cultures.  I was surprised to find that the Romanian sarmale tasted just like my grandmother’s Lebanese stuffed cabbage!

Taste of OSU was definitely the most enjoyable event I have attended at OSU so far.  I have never seen such a large number of people from so many different countries in one place.  To tell the truth, coming from a relatively diverse high school, I expected there to be more racial variation at Ohio State.  However, at Taste of OSU, I was the minority and I loved every minute of it!  Being with people from other cultures is where I feel the most comfortable.   Everyone in Lebanese Student Organization agreed that it was so much fun to meet students from other ethnic clubs at Taste of OSU and that we are inspired to strengthen our relationships with them.

IA Academic Event: The White Helmets with Sam Stelnicki

Imagine being at a conference in Los Angeles and seeing news of mass shootings at the Ohio Union and Thompson Library.  My first thought would be if I knew any of the victims.  The White Helmets face similar situations every day in their own communities, but react in a completely different way, valuing the lives of strangers equal to those of their loved ones and above their own.  These men are God’s workers, willing to sacrifice themselves for anyone, including their enemies.  They live by the definition of love.

After a long day of search and rescue training in Turkey, a small team of White Helmets watches a horrific scene unfold on the hotel room television: a car bomb has destroyed part of the Aleppo neighborhood where White Helmet Abu Omar’s brother and son work.   Abu Omar immediately calls to see if there is any word on his family’s condition and pleads with the man on the other end of the line to contact his brother.  After agonizing minutes of waiting and expecting the worst, Abu Omar is overcome with relief after hearing his son’s voice in the background.  He reacts to this news in a way that is impossible for me to comprehend, saying to a fellow White Helmet, “Brother, what’s the difference between my son and another person’s? Aren’t they all innocent? What’s their sin, whoever it is?”

In war-torn countries around the world, death is a current reality.  My friend from Syria told me a story of when the home a couple doors down from his was bombed in the middle of the night.  He sat bolt upright in a split second, his fear so intense that it had caused him to urinate on himself.  Just as quickly, he fell back asleep thinking “if I die, I want to die well-rested.”  He laughs about this terrifying experience as if it were a joke from Saturday Night Live.  As troubled as this outlook is, I believe that Americans fall too far to the other extreme, fearing the smallest threat to our comfort and hiding death behind the well-kept walls of funeral homes.  The White Helmets know that they could die at any moment, but never run away from danger; they head toward it.  I wish I could have this utterly selfless mindset.

The world faces many irrational problems with devastating effects such as the Syrian Civil War.  One of my Syrian friends remarked sadly that militants on all sides have lost sight of what they are fighting for but continue to wage war at the cost of an immense loss of life.  As International Affairs scholars, we spend a large amount of time debating and diagnosing problems.  There comes a time when, like the White Helmets, we must stop diagnosing and start being part of the solution.  Also, watching The White Helmets made me think about how I often direct my anger toward the evildoer instead of evil itself.  One member stated “When I want to save someone’s life I don’t care if he’s an enemy or a friend. What concerns me is the soul that might die.”  Individuals who show this kind of genuine love to friends and enemies alike promote peace more than any treaty, protest, or agreement.

Non-IA Event Reflection: Spanish Interpreting at OSU Eye Clinic

          On October 27, 2018, I volunteered as a Spanish interpreter at the OSU Optometry Clinic.  The clinic holds an annual “Hispanic Day” during which patients are given free eye exams and glasses  Before Hispanic Day, I had never interpreted before and wasn’t sure what to expect. Our first patient was Enrique*, a middle-aged Chilean man who had been in Columbus for six months.  During the exam, the eye doctor asked Enrique to read the smallest visible line of letters on a chart or follow a light with his eyes without moving his head.

           Between tests, Enrique talked to me about his life in Chile.  He attended college in Santiago and held a successful career as a health administrator.  While he spoke in depth about intellectual topics in Spanish, he struggled to communicate in English, resorting to one word sentences and physical gestures.  As Enrique showed me pictures of where he had spent his childhood, I thought about everything he had given up to be with his daughters. In exchange for living close to his family, Enrique had left the comfort of residing in the same place for 50 years.  Being part of the majority, knowing the language, and working in a professional setting were luxuries that he no longer enjoyed.

          On one hand, Enrique and the doctor depended on me to bridge the language barrier and prevent miscommunication.  For example, the doctor suggested that Enrique get bifocals, but Enrique wanted separate pairs of reading and distance glasses.  He explained that the bifocals could cause him to become disoriented while driving heavy equipment for his job. Without an interpreter, neither of them would have been able to understand the other in this situation.  On the other hand, I needed Enrique to help me learn how to communicate effectively in Spanish. He joked with me that he came to the clinic to improve his eyesight and I came to improve my Spanish. Enrique expressed the frustration of not knowing English and the embarrassment of being talked to like a small child.  I have had similar experiences while learning to speak Spanish in my own country, and I cannot imagine moving somewhere else and beginning to learn a new language at age 50.

          One aspect of interpreting that I appreciated was the fact that the patients and I were learning together.  It is easy to subconsciously believe that immigrants need us to help them, not the other way around. I have definitely fallen into this lie before.  However, members of the strongest relationships depend on each other for support and guidance. I experienced this on a small scale within the confines of those eye exam rooms.  Being not only a novice interpreter, but a novice Spanish speaker meant that I sometimes made mistakes. Each time I struggled, the patients would gently correct me and help me to get back on track.  After the exam, they expressed their appreciation for my assistance and encouraged me to keep interpreting.

          As International Affairs scholars, we must be mindful of the way we interact with immigrants so that we do not unintentionally make them feel like we are talking down to them.  If Americans were asked if a woman with a master’s degree in economics who moved to Japan was unintelligent because she could not speak fluent Japanese, most would disagree with that statement.  However, this example applies to a large number of people who immigrate to the U.S. We should never disregard the sacrifices they have made to build a new life here. Immigrants and refugees exhibit strength and fortitude in ways that most of us have never known, and they deserve our utmost respect regardless of where they come from.

*Name changed to protect privacy

IA Scholars Service Event Reflection

During the early months of 2011, 15 boys scrawled anti-government graffiti around the city of Dara’a, Syria.  This act resulted in their incarceration and torture, sparking outrage from the city’s inhabitants. The protests on March 6, 2011 in Dara’a mark the beginning of a bloody civil war that has claimed the lives of more than half a million people and forced over 5 million to escape their once beautiful homeland.  My best friend moved to the United States from Dara’a in 2013. When she first arrived, she flinched at the sound of 4th of July fireworks and cried during a fire drill, thinking that our school was going to be bombed. Throughout the course of our friendship, she has entrusted me with parts of her story. Her heartbreaking experiences have shaped my view of the situation in Syria and helped me to form opinions about what is happening there.  

 

Relationships are the heart of International Affairs.  One boy at my high school frequently voiced his opinions about illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America while he himself did not have any Latino friends.  While some of his points were valid, I tended to dismiss most of it as uninformed rhetoric. In order to be able to converse wisely about a topic relating to International Affairs, all sides must be considered.

 

On September 25, 2018, I attended an event called Tree of Hope run by Columbus Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS).  About 20 people packed into a meeting room in Smith-Steeb Hall to write letters of encouragement to refugee and immigrant kids.  It amazed me to that think that my letter could be someone’s first connection with an American college student. I love that CRIS emphasizes the importance of friendship between immigrants and domestic-born Americans.  

 

Each card written during the Tree of Hope event will go to someone whose life has been changed by their experiences in their home country.  As International Affairs scholars, we need to remember that the decisions made in UN meetings and bills signed by well-dressed, educated men and women will ultimately affect the lives of individuals.  Making sure that those individuals feel welcome and loved when they come to our country is up to us. Many immigrants and refugees in the United States do not have American friends; they work long hours to make ends meet, surviving instead of thriving in a already overwhelming culture.  

 

Tree of Hope presented a great opportunity for American college students to impact the lives of refugees and immigrants in a but positive way.  Although making welcome cards may seem like a small act, in a way we serve as ambassadors of the U.S.  Every immigrant has preconceived notions about the American culture, and our cards could be their first impression of what we stand for in the United States.  We have been discussing the issue of peace lately in International Affairs Scholars Seminar.  I believe that peace can be achieved through developing personal relationships, taking a genuine interest in other people, and by making an effort to understand others’ worldviews.

 

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique.  Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]