An Unnatural week
As the events that unfolded this weeks in many parts of the world made us take stock and realize how lucky we are it also struck home to me in reality the opportunity we have is understated and under-appreciated. The people of Haiti while having had more than their fair shares of problems have been decimated and the country is really struggling to cope with the relief effort as a nation. With possibly 3 million homeless and the government indicating that maybe as many as 140,000 people have perished in the disaster. It really shows how short life can be and how fortunate we are to be in a place which offers so much hope. There are many initiatives (red cross, UNICEF, OSU, Fisher, etc) to support the people of Haiti just pick the one that you identify with more!!! Get involved and help our friends in Haiti. Remember the more the merrier, together we can make a slight difference and give hope.
It was a record breaking unnatural event here in Ohio for the last 3 weeks also, central Ohio had 16 straight days with snow fall which seemingly was a record. Winter has taken hold and despite the cold campus has continued to run smoothly and is impressively equipped for heavy snow falls. One of the other nice features of this time of year is that the Olentangy River, which splits campus in two, freezes over and is a pretty sight during the day, though it’s not safe to skate on, it is spectacular in bright sunlight.
Project management and internships have been the other concern for many of the students and there is a range of opportunities that we have been able to apply for with Fisher. Projects in Ireland, Hong Kong are some that are available through Fisher Professional Services while opportunities from all over the world present themselves on a regular basis for the students here. The standard internships are ten weeks and can offer the possibility of a very successful future with the companies post graduation.
The university has relaxed after the big win in the college football game versus Oregon and is currently in the middle of the basketball, ice hockey and volleyball seasons. The teams compete all over the United States in a range of other sports also and provide scholarship opportunities for many student athletes who might never get the chance to go to college at such prestigious universities. It adds to the atmosphere on campus and as a fan it offers just one more example as to how OSU’s spirit and camaraderie is on a global basis.
It has been a good start in many ways to 2010 and while this week has seen more bad news than good, the response from a human perspective however has been uplifting and makes me feel that the world is ready to work its way back to a successful economy and restore confidence and hope to many people.