Online via Zoom, 4/24/20

On this day was the last and Final Friday Dinner with IA Social Chair Audrey Montgomery and it was a very nice time!

From the comfort of my own home I enjoyed dinner without actually going out but nonetheless it was a very insightful and meaningful session. Because of all the recent happenings with Corona, many people are stuck at home and don’t have much to do. It’s crazy to think that if it weren’t for the recent outbreak, I’d still be on campus, laughing and having fun with friends.

This pandemic has affected us in many different ways, personally or not, spending time with people even if it was across the screen again was very nice. I am praying and hoping for a fast recovery so that everyone can meet face to face again!!

I’m sure that for the 2nd year students it was even more rough as they could no longer share their presentation to their peers in a classroom setting, but that aside, I think many of us were also happy to return home to our loved ones.

Online via Zoom, 4/22/20

Though it was early in the morning, I attended a zoom session on different International Perspectives on COVID-19. It was a very interesting and new session for me, so I enjoyed it a lot.

The zoom session really helped me to open my eyes and beware of the current situation at hand. The Corona virus going around is not a joke and we must do everything in order to stop it. As of now we are practicing social distancing as one of the preventative measures; however, it won’t be long until the virus finds new ways to get to us. It saddens me that I had to leave university early and I’m sure many other students and faculty feel the same way.

This issue does not directly relate to IA but if we ask how Corona affects other countries around the world and how the U.S being the place with the most cases to date, how would that affect our relationship with others? Does having the most cases affect our daily living in a population that is very full and booming with people?

Honors and Scholars Wellness Workshop

RPAC Meeting Rooms, 1/26/20 (Campus)

At first, I was pretty reluctant in signing up and attending this event. It was a two-hour long event and I had thought to myself that there were other different things I could be doing during this busy time of the month. But in the end, this was what fit into my schedule the best, so I went ahead and signed up.

This event impacted me in a lot of different ways. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it very much as a person with social anxiety, but instead I actually really enjoyed the experience and would 10/10 do it again out of choice if I had the time. Everyone there was super friendly and nice, and I feel like I was in a safe place to just relax and be me.

This event doesn’t fully relate to IA, but I do feel as an IA Scholar, it’s very important to keep up with yourself and your mental health. In that sense, it does relate because all students, not just IA folks, should be happy and know that they are valued.

If there is another event like this, I would love to unwind, relax, and just enjoy being there with everyone.

Lunar/Chinese New Year Lanterns

Smith Glass Classroom, 1/23/20 (Social)

This was a very fun and chill social event that the IA folks had prepared for us! I am not Chinese, but it was cool to see people of different cultures, making and celebrating something that is not commonly found in the US.

I think that this event was good for the IA Scholars because as IA Scholars, I think that it’s important to be able to appreciate a different culture from your own and learn/celebrate more about it. From this event I was able to bond more closely to my IA peers and frankly, we just had a good time making lanterns! Mine is currently hanging up in my room!

I think that if I had to mention something, it would be that these kinds of events should be more readily available around campus for students who are eager and excited to learn about different cultures. This was an IA exclusive event, and I can see how a non-IA student would feel left out. Bringing awareness and exposing other students to cultures from all around the world, would make OSU more like a home as well as perhaps lessening the shock of transitioning to OSU for international students.

Global Water Institute Presentation

Page Hall 010, 10/24/19 (Academic)

This presentation was very new and interesting to me. I had not been one to really invest myself into environmental affairs, however, after hearing this presentation, I feel as though something sparked my interest.

This event relates to the topic International Affairs because countries all over the world are affected by the current water situation in under-developing or even developing countries.

What I gained from this event was not only academic, focusing on what the team did to better the water system abroad, but personally I feel like I’ve gained a stronger sense of awareness and even a passion for wanting cleaner, safer, and more accessible water for those truly in need.

This particular presentation did not really relate to any of my other coursework, (as I am a language major) however, I think the concept of going abroad and helping others in need can be applicable to many things even outside of schooling.

A lingering question that I had was how long the trip was, as well as if there was some kind of training involved before going. I feel like you would need SOME kind of training because you would be dealing with people that are culturally very different from you. So that’s what I was wondering throughout the presentation.

Cookies and Sign Language

Smith Glass Classroom, 10/22/19 (Social)

The event I attended on this day was the ASL presentation. It was a social event but I learned so much as it was very interactive and academic because the woman leading the event was deaf herself, so we got to know her personal story.

This event left a huge positive impact on me. After finishing the event, I found myself rather upset more people hadn’t attended such a wonderful and lovely presentation. In the beginning we started off learning different signs using ASL and then with a partner, we got to try them out.

This topic relates to International Affairs because sign language is something used all over the world, not just here in America. (Other than the American Sign-Language) I think it’s really cool that all different countries have their own sign-language and that they can communicate in a different way other than talking.

The event doesn’t relate to any of my coursework in a direct kind of way but because I am a language major, it was cool to acknowledge that yes, sign-language is indeed its own language and that people can communicate in this way as well.

I didn’t particularly have any questions at the end, but I don’t think many people know about how ASL is a language– but it is, and I wish more people were aware of that.

“American Factory” Documentary Screening

Smith-Steeb Hall, 10/20/19 (Academic)

First of all, I want to mention how good this documentary was. At first I thought it was going to be really boring, but it turned out to be something so much more. This documentary really sparked home for me because this not only took place in Ohio but it showed how Chinese workers came from their families to work overseas. My parents are immigrants so I can relate a lot to how these workers were feeling when they were frustrated.

This documentary in particular reminds me of the ongoing trade-war between the United States and China. Whether this was a smart move for Mr. Trump? We won’t know until the drastic effects of either side start to show.

In a different class I learned that China can be a really big asset or liability. I think this documentary really showcased that. President Fuyao knew the risks while bringing many Chinese workers to the US but that was just how passionate he was about providing people with jobs and income.

Again I don’t have a specific question about the documentary or about anyone in the documentary but one thing I am wondering is what are working conditions like for people in different parts of the world?

The Democratic Debate

Denney Hall 268, 10/15/19 (Campus/Social)

(Extra Event for Missed Community Meeting)

This past Tuesday I attended a fun event with my English Class to watch the debate together. It was a lot of fun eating pizza, hanging out with each other and of course, watching the debate.

The event was very informational and actually entertaining. I am not one for news or politics, but watching these people talk about relevant things in the news media or current events that are happening in today’s society helped me to better understand them.

I am already family-friendly left, so I agreed with a lot of what these candidates were saying. What I found interesting was just how much stuff I could understand from their conversation, because we had talked about similar issues in International Affairs.

Watching this debate, I could relate many things back to my International Studies class. We talk a lot about economic and geopolitical issues there, so I was able to make many connections to the things we learned in class.

I didn’t have any particular questions; however, it would be cool to see Trump’s response to the Democratic Debate. If Trump made a “reaction video” I think that would be very insightful.

“The Current State of Democracy in India” by Rohit De

Dulles Hall, 10/4/19 (Campus)

This presentation enlightened me about the recent history of India’s government and democracy. I previously was not very aware of the issues present in India, and attending this presentation cleared up some questions that I had.

In International Affairs Scholars, we often talk about protruding issues outside the US, so India emerging as a world power relates to some of the other topics discussed in class.

Personally, I learned more information about the topic and I also feel more academically prepared to discuss the modern democratic situation in India.

This event relates to another class I am taking, International Studies 2050. In that class we have briefly discussed about how India may be the next big emerging power after China. The reasoning behind this is due to the tension between the United States and China’s Trade War, for example if China stopped producing our apple products at a low cost, then we will have to find a different place to manufacture our smartphones. A strategic move would be to relocate in India, where labor costs would once again be cheap for Americans and get the Indians started in sweatshops to get their economy moving.

Recently in media there has been discussion of how president Modi resembles/behaves similarly to Trump, so I’d like to ask about the speaker’s thoughts on similar populist leaders.

“Rwandan Genocide” a little into Jacob Caponi’s Research

Smith-Steeb Hall, Glass-Classroom, 9/12/19 (Academic)

On Thursday at 7:00pm, I went down to listen to a presentation from Jacob about his research he had done and found from Rwanda. He explained what a genocide was, the brief history concerning Rwanda during the time, the aftermath of the genocide and things he learned while abroad.

The event impacted me in a lot of ways. Much like the Hiroshima presentation, this topic was also to not be taken lightly. At some point during his presentation, we were shown a video. The video contained many gruesome and inhumane pictures of dead human carcasses and it really made me think how one person could do that to another. It was said that 1 million people died in 100 days (April 6- July 16). That’s around 1 in every 7 people dying from their population.

These kinds of incidents and events relate to International Affairs heavily because these are the types of issues that are outside of the U.S that we should be focusing on. Even though I had heard of the Rwandan Genocide before, listening to this presentation really opened my eyes to how much of the world I was blind to.

This makes me think of other horrible tragedies that had befallen other countries in the past. It really amazes me that such things can happen, and that it’s not a fantasy. Real people go to war and serve to fight for our country. Did you know the term ‘genocide’ came after the holocaust?

One thing that was most memorable to me was when Jacob had said that the people of Rwanda say, “we will forgive, but we will not forget.” This really struck me hard personally because one of the mottos I live by is “forgive, and forget.” but if you had told me to just ‘forget’ an incident where my family had died, I don’t know if I could ever truly forgive that person.