For our second explore Columbus assignment, I took Daniel and Disha to Northstar cafe in short north. I decided to take them here because this is where my mentor last year took us and I thought I would share the great experience I had with them. We went for lunch and we took the Cota bus down from the Union to get there. This was Daniel and Disha’s first time going and I promised them they would enjoy it. As we walked into the restaurant the options were very plentiful and it took us some to decide. Disha got the Buddha Bowl with pan seared tofu, Daniel got the Northstar burger, and I got the Chicken Avocado Sandwich. We also all ended up getting the cane sugar cola which is on the right most in the picture. It has a very different kick to it and all of us enjoyed it a lot.
As we waited for our food we discussed how our semester was going and so far Disha and Daniel were doing well or at least hanging in there. Disha was stressed about her Physics 2 and Biology 1114 class and she felt as if the concepts are not sinking with her. We decided on meeting up later the next week to help her out and to study together. Disha also talked about how she was able to get shadowing opportunities over the summer with genetic counselors. Daniel had posted some more funny articles in his Sundial Magazine so we were reading through those. Daniel mentioned how he was really enjoying his criminology class. Once the food came, we all admired it with our pictures and went on to eating it. None of us could finish it so we had our leftovers. As we ate we just talked about all the good food we have had in the past semester. All around us were great restaurants to try but we also talked about on campus food. Daniel had started to get bored, so he switched his dining plan for spring semester so he could eat more off campus. He is now an often blaze customer. I then went into the topic of freshman year and if it was what you expected or different. Daniel mentioned that there is a lot of freedom and starting off first semester it was hard to keep everything in place. He started to learn how to control his coursework while also living completely independently. He mentioned that he is glad that he took opportunities earlier on to get involved cause he met a lot of his best friends through them. Disha said that the school year was also transformational for her as it has been enjoyable but also difficult academically and individually. I assured them that they are not alone in this feeling and I was also in the same position.
As we finished our food we decided to walk around short north and look at some unique shops. We went to a shop called global gifts where we played with singing bowls for 20 minutes. Daniel was able to play all of them very well. It was also interesting to see all the items created from all parts of the world. The coolest thing about the shop was that all products were fair trade. This means it supports fair wages, gender equality, and safe working conditions. The singing bowls we were using were from Nepal and required the use of a stick that you rotate around the rim of the bowl to create a meditating, soothing sound. We were in the shop for at least 45 minutes exploring all the items, captivated by its origin and quality.
We then took the bus back to campus and talked about future plans. This was the last time I would see my mentees this semester so I told them that as second years too if they ever want to reach out they can. We recapped the mentorship experience and I heard positive feedback from both my mentees which assures me that not only I was able to help but also they can become mentors next year. We discussed how we enjoyed the afternoon and also how time has flew by. It felt as if I was on my first mentorship retreat last Wednesday and to think that we completed one more year of college still has not settled in. Overall this was a very enjoyable experience and all 3 of us will most likely come back to Short North to explore and of course eat more.