When we didn’t get an email about supplies in our mailbox I was really confused. I did not know how to do art online and was intrigued. I thought possibly we would do art together and just be on Zoom. It turns out that this art is on Zoom, yes, but using excel!! It was awesome to just relax and enjoy other people. Especially on such a beautiful day where you can appreciate the architecture and magic of Cornell’s campus. I love art and talking with other Rose Scholars about art and the election. Through my window all day I could hear people whooping and cheering. It really was a joyful day made brighter by the addition of art.
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This past semester
This was a great way to end Rose Scholars with a recap of the semester. I was able to share with my peers my anxieties for finals and next semester. It felt so odd logging onto Rose Scholars from my home which is thousands of miles away from my room in Rose House. Working from home is a challenge, but it felt good to hear that everyone else seemed to be struggling too. One thing I wish I did was to relax more over Thanksgiving. Everyone else seemed to really take a breather over Thanksgiving break but I didn’t so now I think finishing the semester is extra hard because of burnout. All in all, I am glad I came back this semester and was apart of Rose Scholars. I am hopeful for another healthy, safe, and fun one.
Fall Spirit
This event was very stimulating. At what appears to be a simple task, ended up taking a lot of hard work and focus (at least for me haha). I enjoyed picking the perfect color ratio for my fall leaf sunflower. I ended up doing the basic yellows and oranges for my leaf. I think that doing arts and crafts can help you slow down and enjoy the day. I also could appreciate that it is fall, which is one of my favorite seasons. I know that the Ithaca weather will turn harsh and cold soon so it was fun embracing the last of fall spirit before the cold winter. I especially enjoyed staying after most people left and being able to chat with staff and other rose scholars while we worked on our arts and crafts. I sometimes don’t like to speak over large zooms, so this was really awesome. I displayed my hard work in my room and was glad to brighten my space.
Halloween fun!
It’s Halloween! I picked up my paintable pumpkin in my locker and attended the event. I really love painting so this event was super great. The pumpkin is so cute. Even better, was that we were given trivia while we painted to keep things exciting. I knew none of the answers, but it was fun hearing people’s guesses and learning more facts that I had never heard before, or even thought about! Because of Covid, it has been hard to get into the exciting Halloween spirit. I usually give out candy in my dorm or try to hang out with a lot of friends, but this year just was not feasible. I am glad I could make my room a little more festive, and participate in this Halloween tradition with my peers.
A conversation with Lombardi
I attended the Table Talk with Ryan Lombardi. It was a smaller zoom session than I had anticipated, and everyone was free to share any concerns they had or questions that they had. A lot of questions my peers asked were interesting. I learned that the capacity of the campus was around 70% and is expected to increase a lot next semester. I feel that COVID has caused a lot of people to stay inside. I thought that a lot fewer people were on campus than are. I also shared in Lombardi’s excitement about how responsible most of the Cornell community has been with testing and completing things like the Daily check. I was able to share a concern about my financial aid situation. Thanks to Lombardi I was able to get a much-needed response. Another international student shared concerns about coming back to campus that were also likely addressed afterward. It was a very cool experience being able to speak and hear from Mr.Lombardi. I think getting emails from him in the past and other Cornell officials seem so far away and impersonal at times. It was refreshing to put a voice and face to a name.
A new outlook on Tiger King
This was my first table talk experience. On this one, we discussed Tiger King. I watched Tiger King over quarantine with my family on Netflix. I enjoyed watching the show and was shocked by a lot of the events that unraveled in the show. Once joining the zoom, we started discussing the extensive mistreatment of cubs and tigers. Many of these tigers are sold and then a year later when they become “too big” they then get rid of them. This makes me sick thinking about the neglect that these tigers are experiencing. I understand that many consumers only want to interact with baby tigers, but it’s unethical to extort these animals for profit and personal gain. Tiger king was so sensationalized but we didn’t see too much emphasis on the animals. I have to admit that even I kind of forgot to focus on the animals. I was also caught up in the discussion of Carole Baskin and her deceased husband. Did she do it or not? In this table talk, I learned that this documentary was started with the intention of it being like “Blackfish” for big cats. Blackfish is a documentary on the problems with SeaWorld and why SeaWorld is bad. I definitely feel that Tiger King missed the mark if they intended to finish with the intentions that they started with. I think that the pandemic helped its success. I usually don’t watch documentaries, but when this was released it felt like most of the US was out home and had nothing else to do. Despite the success, people still aren’t concerned with the cats–it’s more about Carole Baskin and how crazy Joe is. The captive breeding of endangered animals is still a problem to me because they are not in their natural environment. Olivia, another Rose scholar, made a good point that it’s bad to just breed for the sake of having tigers. It is better and more ethical to HELP the species than just breeding them in captivity. At the end of the discussion, I was stumped when we were asked if we believed zoos are ethical. I answered no, but I learned that the AZA has things in place to protect animals in zoos. That was a relief to hear! Overall after this session, I understand more about the extensive network of animal abuse, and breeding and selling tigers–more than I understood from just watching the show.
Coming back to ASL
The sign language workshop was incredible. We logged on and started with the basics. I already knew a couple of basic signs and the alphabet, but this was a great refresher. We then moved into more advanced language signs, including our majors. I am hearing impaired and remember taking sign language classes as a kid. Although I deal with my impairment well, it felt really empowering taking a sign language class. I also had a lot of fun and want to learn sign language fluently. When doing sign language, the emphasis on emotion is really important. Using my hands and face to express myself during the workshop is so different from when I am just talking in my normal day to day life. It really makes you think more about what you want to say so someone else when you are using sign language. I really hope to get more involved with CUDAP because it seems like an awesome program and community.
Out in Nature
Surprisingly enough, I had never been to Fall Creek Gorge. It was such a nice day out, and I felt happy to be outside in the elements. Parts of the slope were very steep but I felt like I got a good workout in. It was such an odd experience walking to the bottom and looking up at the suspension bridge that I have walked over before. Even though I was still on Cornell’s campus, it was so quiet and still. I felt like I was far away from campus which is refreshing from the constant hustle and bustle on campus. I believe that nature is healing, as well as doing exercise, so spending half the day outside walking this trail was very fulfilling. Sitting and watching the water flow, and listening to the sounds of nature is something invaluable.
Music to my ears
I heard a lot of songs that I hadn’t heard in a long time or ones in genres that I never listen to. It was nice to hear something new. I also like hearing other people’s music tastes. I also took the time to relax and just focus on the music which is nice in the midst of prelim season.
I never take time to appreciate music anymore so I really enjoyed listening to music for an hour. I especially enjoyed this one classical piano song that someone in Rose Main chose. It was so soothing and made me feel happy. I also liked listening to songs in other languages. It reminds me of how diverse Cornell is, and also how music is different in tastes, genres, and languages! I never knew there was Korean R&B! I sat and enjoyed except when Airplanes came on, that used to be my SONGG, so I was definitely up and dancing.
A note to home
The card-making event was an incredible one. Semma Singh welcomed us while I got all set up. I wasn’t sure what I was going to make, but a girl mentioned that she was making a card for her mom’s birthday. I then got a pang of homesickness and decided to make cards to send home to my family. It felt really good getting something together to send home to show my family I miss and appreciate them. I realized how long it’s been since I have worked with my hands and done something fun like arts and crafts. And it was extra nice since there has been so much screen time I could just center myself on this art project. I had owl prints in my bag so I decided to make owl-themed cards with owl puns on them. I’ve been so caught up in schoolwork and everything so my communication back home hasn’t been the best. The jazz music played and I just let myself enjoy using colorful markers while I write an update to my family about my life. I’m excited for them to know that I am thinking of them with this homemade card. Overall a wholesome experience.