Mindy and I chose to virtually explore North Market with our mentee, Jillian Bettan. Mindy and I chose to explore North Market because we felt it offered a lot of different options in one central place in short north. We also wanted to find a local business in the Columbus area that is fun and unique. We had planned on going to visit North Market in person, however due to COVID and Jillian going home for the holidays, we decided it would be in all of our best interests to do a virtual explore Columbus.
Mindy and I shared several pictures of what the North Market looks like. We also shared the layout and diagram of where all of the different independent businesses are located within the complex. We also shared some facts about the North Market. For example, there are over 30 independent small owned businesses. They also offer fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood, flowers, specialty food items, and internationally prepared food.
When discussing and talking about all of the different shops and businesses, we talked about which ones we would like to visit and check out. We all love donuts and pasta, so we all wanted to visit Destination Donuts and Pastaria and Pastaria Seconds. Mindy has had Pastaria and Pataria Seconda before and raved about how amazing it was and that we should try it if we get the chance. Mindy also follows Destination Donuts on Instagram so we all looked it up and talked about all the different donuts we wanted to try.
Resources we used to show our mentee the experience included pictures from the website, and also own personal experience. The website for North Market is organized very well and also people to access the websites of the individual businesses. Once you click the link for the businesses in the North Market, you click on the individual vendors and there they have information about the vendors and a link to their website.
When talking about challenges Jillian has faced when trying to explore a new city/campus during the pandemic, I was able to relate to what she was saying. Jillian shared that due to the pandemic, it is hard to get out and explore Columbus and go to new places. I also have found it difficult to get out and visit all the things I would like to visit in Columbus. One way Jillian was kind of able to explore Short North is when her roommates and herself were contact traced, so they had to quarantine. Instead of going to the quarantine dorms on campus that are awful, Jillian and her roommates chose to rent an Air B n B. The Air B n B they chose to rent was located in Short North. However, it was not the pleasant experience they had hoped to have. The apartment was a one bedroom and had no doors except the door to the bathroom. Even though it was not the experience they had hoped for, Jillian shared how it brought them all closer together and how overall, she was happy they chose to stay there instead of the quarantine dorms on campus.
Challenges Jillian and I have experienced due to only being able to meet virtually is the lack of human interaction and also difficulty finding times where we can hang out in our schedules. Even though we are able to talk via facetime, zoom, text, etc. it is hard to get that human interaction that is missing due to being virtual. There is something about being in person and being able to sit next to someone or walk with someone that is comforting and rewarding. It has also been challenging to find time where all three of us can meet to hangout and talk. Mindy, Jillian and I all have a lot of schoolwork on top of work, and clubs/organizations we are a part of. If we would have been able to meet in person, we could have gone to a coffee house and worked on homework as we were talking. However, when we meet on zoom, we are strictly focused on talking and having a conversation. This results in the conversations being driven, and sometimes awkward. Even though we chose to do a virtual explore Columbus I feel like overall our relationship is still developing in a direction that is similar to if we would be meeting in person. All three of us are able to relate in regard to our classes because we are all Speech and Hearing Science majors, our Tik Tok addictions, and how we are ready for this semester to be over. Overall, I enjoyed the Virtual Explore Columbus event and I loved getting to know Jillian more. I cannot wait to see how what the future holds.