We got thrown in. Work doesn’t start until Oct 1. but on Sept. 27, we were all initiated to our new role… Yes, it is true, I was a salmon on a knee scooter and got quite a lot of attention… Matt rowed a long boat as a salmon.
It was the Chehalis Watershed Festival, one of the culminating events that allowed us to meet many of the partner organizations we’ll be working with in one fell swoop. Despite the fish costume, I really got excited about everything we are going to be involved with.
Tons of awesome activities, booths, and even a freaking fish pond with 200 live trout for kids to catch and take home. Yes, I also butchered my fish friends…the first time I’ve ever gutted a fish! Demonstrations and models really conveyed the environmental concepts in visual and hands-on ways. Oh, and they had alpacas! The whole time I was thinking, gosh, I wish I had something like this when I was young!
And this is the kinda stuff I'm gonna be doing! Sweet dude, sweet!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Moving with One Foot…
Thinking about just how I was going to get to Aberdeen, find an apartment, and then actually move in--with one functioning foot—was daunting, to say the least. Grandpa Keith drove me up, but the apartment I’d arranged for wasn’t ready until they day after he left. So, dear gracious hosts let us crash at their place and I established a good friend in the first few days here. Yay.
I always forget how much time, effort and money it takes to gather all the odds and ends for a new place! Especially my first very own studio…its MINE...wahahaha. Thank God for Salvation Army and the kind willingness of my fellow Americorps volunteers and new maintenance man Steve…getting all my shit up to my apartment (My car was packed) and then we had a few trips from Salvo and even more from the Ranch….bless them all, and curse this damned foot!
I always forget how much time, effort and money it takes to gather all the odds and ends for a new place! Especially my first very own studio…its MINE...wahahaha. Thank God for Salvation Army and the kind willingness of my fellow Americorps volunteers and new maintenance man Steve…getting all my shit up to my apartment (My car was packed) and then we had a few trips from Salvo and even more from the Ranch….bless them all, and curse this damned foot!
Monday, October 6, 2008
To do or not to do? That is the question.
During my month in bed under heavy medication, I had to decide whether or not to pursue the Americorps position and figure out how to be a full time student in order to be insured under my parents (surgery is not cheap!) After much consulting and consideration, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try.
By contacting Lorena about whether I could feasibly participate or not, I interviewed over the phone and discussed it with her and the previous Americorps volunteers. Feeling discouraged, I sent an email letting them know I felt that logistically “I would not be able to perform the job at a level I would be proud of, let alone satisfied with,” and was withdrawing from the application process. The reply I received gave me exactly the encouragement and praise I needed in order to know they wanted me and were willing to work with me.
Then came the nightmare of arranging internship credits through USU….but alas it is worked out. 9 credits internship, 2 service learning, and 1 directed reading—all with Robert Schmidt…the godsend! And I’m gonna be a service-learning scholar to boot!
By contacting Lorena about whether I could feasibly participate or not, I interviewed over the phone and discussed it with her and the previous Americorps volunteers. Feeling discouraged, I sent an email letting them know I felt that logistically “I would not be able to perform the job at a level I would be proud of, let alone satisfied with,” and was withdrawing from the application process. The reply I received gave me exactly the encouragement and praise I needed in order to know they wanted me and were willing to work with me.
Then came the nightmare of arranging internship credits through USU….but alas it is worked out. 9 credits internship, 2 service learning, and 1 directed reading—all with Robert Schmidt…the godsend! And I’m gonna be a service-learning scholar to boot!
Tragedy Strikes
Already having set up an interview the following week, a visit from my family would keep my mind occupied so the stress wouldn’t build too much. Spent the fateful day introducing my family to my wonderful summer wonderland, I couldn’t have been more happy to share the precious ranch that had provided much needed solace from the drama of Kalaloch; and what better than a ride on Ribbon, the new horse I’d been spending countless hours with? So what if she’d been giving a bit of resistance (as all new horses do with new people)?
The moment I hit the ground, I heard a loud crack. Most of the family had a ride and Ribbon got progressively more stubborn with each rider, so I decided to get on her to “show her who’s boss.” I got shown! As I later found out, when Ribbon rolled on me, my foot was essentially crushed and required serious surgery…with a surprisingly lengthy recovery time. Did that mean Americorps in Aberdeen was out?
The moment I hit the ground, I heard a loud crack. Most of the family had a ride and Ribbon got progressively more stubborn with each rider, so I decided to get on her to “show her who’s boss.” I got shown! As I later found out, when Ribbon rolled on me, my foot was essentially crushed and required serious surgery…with a surprisingly lengthy recovery time. Did that mean Americorps in Aberdeen was out?
I think it not a coincidence…
As usual, summer needed to be away from Utah, in a beautiful place where I could make some money to chip away at my nagging credit card debt and provide a fund for whatever next step I choose to take in pursuit of finishing my super super senior year at USU. Never been and had been told how much I’d like and fit into the Pacific Northwest , so after a coolworks.com search and application process I got hired at all three resorts I applied for. Decided on the Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park (that way I’d have access to three amazingly different ecosystems all in the same area! Coast, rainforest and mountains would be a perfect summer playground).
Middle of the summer rolls around and I gotta start thinking of what I wanna do afterwards…so on a sleepless night that I happen to intercept the chef’s internet connection with a stolen password…I get looking on Seattle’s Craigslist and stumble upon an environmental education outreach position with Grays Harbor College, just 70 miles south of where I’m living! Could it have been fate?
Middle of the summer rolls around and I gotta start thinking of what I wanna do afterwards…so on a sleepless night that I happen to intercept the chef’s internet connection with a stolen password…I get looking on Seattle’s Craigslist and stumble upon an environmental education outreach position with Grays Harbor College, just 70 miles south of where I’m living! Could it have been fate?
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