Mindy and I chose to virtually explore C
osi with our mentee, Jillian Bettan. Mindy and I chose to explore Cosi because we felt it offered a lot of different exhibits over varying subjects all in one central place in Columbus. I would recommend it to a friend, such as Jillian because Cosi is a really unique and a fun place for people of all ages. There is so much to do and explore that is interactive and presents information about relevant and interesting topics. Also, in addition to this, both Mindy and I have gone to Cosi in the past and with Jillian being from out of state, she had never heard of or been to Cosi before. Due to Cosi’s having restrictions on the number of visitors and how many and also because of the pandemic, 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 Cosi looks like and also sent/gave Jillian the link to Cosi’s website. On the website you are able to learn more details about each individual exhibit and see pictures from within each exhibit. For example, we looked at pictures from the ocean exhibit, space, and progress. We made comments about the pictures and reflected on how long it has been since we have been to a museum due to the pandemic. Mindy and I also shared our memories of visiting Cosi when we were younger. For example, Mindy vividly remembers a bicycle/unicycle that you can ride on a tight wire over part of the museum. However, Mindy shared that she never did it because she was too scared, which is also how I felt when I also visited Cosi. Jillian shared that she would also be afraid to try to do it.
When discussing and talking about all the different exhibits, we talked about which ones we would like to visit someday and explore. The first one we would like to explore would be the Ocean exhibit. In this exhibit there are several interactive parts such as where you can get in a submarine in the water. We all thought that this would be a very cool experience. The second one we would like to explore would be the Progress exhibit. I remember this exhibit from when I went years ago and being able to sit in a horse and buggy and talk on old telephones and how much fun I had. I would love to go back now that I’m older and look at it more instead of just being so focused on what I could play with while I was there. I shared this with Jillian and Mindy and they both agreed that they would like to see it especially now that we are older and can appreciate all of the little aspects of history in this exhibit.
Resources we used to show our mentee the experience included pictures from the website, pictures of Cosi on the internet, and also our own personal experience. The Cosi website is organized very well and does not have too much text. Instead, it briefly explains the main components of the different exhibits and gives several links on how to purchase tickets or plan a visit.
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 Jillian was saying. Jillian wants to go out and explore Columbus and see new places, however due to the pandemic it is hard to go out and do this. I have also had this same issue. It is hard to get out and visit new things in Columbus due to living in a pandemic and wanting to be cautious and reduce exposure. Jillian also shared that it has been hard to get out and explore Columbus due to having so much school work and her activity in her sorority. I also have this issue with not really having time to do much between school and work. Jillian said she has tried going to places in Short North with her roommates to eat in an attempt to explore Columbus a bit though.
Challenges Jillian and I have experienced due to only being able to meet virtually is the lack of human interaction and finding a time when all three of us can meet. It is challenging to try to find a time that works best for everyone when all three of us have very different schedules. Even though we are able to facetime and text, it is hard to get human interaction that is missing due to everything being conducted virtually. I miss being able to sit next to someone at a restaurant or going shopping with people and talking with them. It is very comforting when you are able to sit directly next to someone and have the presence of someone else next to you. The most challenging thing though was finding a time where all of us could meet on facetime and hangout and talk. This second semester has flown by and Mindy, Jillian, and I all have a lot of schoolwork to do on top of work, and all of the clubs/organizations that we are a part of. If we would have been able to meet in person, we could have gone to a coffee shop or the library and worked on homework while we were having conversations. However, when we meet on facetime the time we take to do this is strictly dedicated to talking and having a conversation. This results in the conversations being very driven, sometimes awkward, and very choppy. Even though we chose to virtually explore Columbus for both semesters, I feel like overall our relationship has developed in a direction similar to how it would have developed if we had met in person. All three of us are able to talk about our classes that we are taking because we are all Speech and Hearing Science majors. We have ended up actually texting several times about what classes to take and what classes are good for the GE for the College of Arts and Sciences. We have also been able to relate about stuff outside of school such as how much we watch Tik Tok and how excited we are for it to be summer and to have a break from all of the stress that comes with school. I enjoyed the Virtual Explore Columbus events and I loved getting to know Jillian more. I cannot wait to see how our relationship continues to develop in the future.
Looking back on exploring Columbus, something I would recommend for someone who is trying to avoid exposure during a pandemic but also explore Columbus is to look at websites of places. Sometimes on the websites there are virtual tours of museum’s or tons of pictures of the place. Also, more and more businesses are making options available for people so that they can purchase food, products, etc. online and have it delivered straight to their door. I definitely recommend trying to check out the virtual aspects of businesses that are unique to Columbus.