As Hanna and I discussed where we would like to go in Columbus, we both thought food sounded like a good option. Hanna has been to a few places around Columbus since her older sister also goes to Ohio State, so we wanted to try something new. We both enjoy the Short North area, and wanted to grab either dessert, lunch, or dinner. Hanna liked the idea of ice cream, so we debated whether we should go to Jeni’s or Simply Rolled since both are more local and in Short North. Since the thrill of having rolled ice cream at least once in your life has not died down, we decided that would be a fun opportunity since Hanna has never eaten rolled ice cream. Later, we realized that there actually is a new Simply Rolled in Cincinnati where we are both from, but this did not stop us. We ended up having to reschedule because both of us procrastinated papers that were due the day after our originally scheduled time. At least we are similar though even if procrastination is bad.

So, a few weeks later, we went to Simply Rolled on a Friday afternoon once we were both out of class. I met Hanna at Smith Steeb. We headed over to the COTA stop on High Street and took the 2 bus straight down to Simply Rolled. Luckily, we were able to go an hour or two after the Veteran’s Day parade ended in Short North, so we had no problems getting there on the COTA. As we rode down the bus, we were able to discuss our classes and major. Since I switched my major to be early childhood education in the middle of last year, we have classes overlapping so it was nice to compare teachers and which classes we are taking versus which ones we have left. Since I went to Simply Rolled last year, they have changed some of the menu, so it was nice to see the new options. The people before us in line got these huge cotton candy burritos. They contained cotton candy rolled ice cream with sprinkles, fruity pebbles, and marshmallows. Then it was all rolled in a cotton candy burrito. They were crazy to see because they were so big that Hanna and I were amazed someone could eat all of that. Hanna ended up getting the cookie dough rolled ice cream and I got the buckeye. Watching the workers make the rolled ice cream is still memorizing to me even having seen it before.

As we ate our ice cream, I enjoyed discussing all of our similarities. We talked about more of our big assignments coming up for the rest of the semester. Furthermore, we compared the courses we are taking next semester. We are both in the same math class, so it will be good to know more people in that class in case one of us ever needs help. After discussing classes, we began discussing education and jobs. Hanna is trying to decide what she wants to do over this summer as I know a lot of others are at this point in the year. I enjoyed learning about her past work experiences in babysitting and working at a pool. I even got to hear a story about a mission trip that she has gone on for a few years. She had a near death experience though, so she does not think she will be participating in that one again. For education and early childhood education specifically, it is important that we have lots of experiences working with groups of students not just a few children, so we were thinking about how to incorporate this into our future summer plans since both of us have been nannies in the past.

I also enjoyed learning about other life updates not relating to education or our major. Hanna is going on a trip with the Ohio State Ski Club out west and has been looking forward to it for a while, so it is exciting for that to be coming up soon! I find it really cool that she snowboards because I used to ski and always thought snowboarding would be much harder. We also talked about other random things like going out with friends and good places to eat. I gave her some ideas on how to finish up the volunteer hours for this semester but am excited she was able to complete all of her required ACES event early on in the semester, so she does not have to stress about that as we move into finals. Overall, our explore Columbus was a success and I look forward to learning more about Hanna throughout the rest of the year! I would definitely recommend Simply Rolled to a friend because it is easily accessible, everyone loves ice cream, and have a great environment that allows people to just sit and talk.