Wednesday, March 30, 2011
3/4 of the way done!
Day 210: I am now three quarters of my way through this experience and I can see the finish line in my reach. Our third project was the best so far. Working at the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge and with the Natchez Trace Parkway was amazing. Our sponsors were really enthusiastic and thankful for all the work we were doing for them, and it was great to feel so welcomed. Overall we burned over 7500 acres of land, which is what the refuge had set as their yearly goal. I learned so much about fire behavior, weather conditions, and the impact fire has on habitat. It was great!
While working in Starkville at the refuge we were able to learn a lot about southern culture too. We went to the rodeo, attended a southern baby bash (redneck version of a baby shower,) and had a catfish fry. I tried catfish for the first time along with wild hog, crawfish and tamales. ALL DELICIOUS may I add. Below are some pictures of what we did over the last few weeks.
Last weekend I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to interview at ASU for graduate school. I was able to visit with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Monica as well as Aunt Michele, Uncle Bob and Cousin Alex. It was really nice to see family that I don't get to see that often as well as travel to a place I've never been before! Phoenix/Tempe is beautiful! I went mountain biking and hiking with Jimmy, which was AWESOME! The terrain is so different from anything else I've ever seen, and it was fun to explore a bit. As for my interview at ASU, it went really really well. I could not have answered the questions better or felt more confident after it was over. Everyone in the department is really nice and welcoming, and the facilities are state-of-the-art. The research labs and researchers are extremely interesting and the campus is large but seems to be a very close knit community. I'm really excited at the opportunity to attend ASU because I think it would be a great experience and it would be a nice change of pace for awhile. I will hear back from them on Friday, so wish me luck and cross your fingers!
Next round we will be traveling to Greenville, South Carolina and Theodore, Alabama to work with Camp Spearhead and the Bay Area Food Bank. We are really excited to travel to 2 states we have never been too, especially South Carolina. The camp is geared towards children and adults with special needs. We will be building a handicap accessible trail, working at the Special Olympics, and helping out with some overnight weekends! This is right up my alley, so I’m excited to get to know some great people and apply my undergraduate education to the AmeriCorps. We leave on Tuesday and drive 10 hours to the camp. Hope that internet access is closer than it was on our last project! Update soon!
While working in Starkville at the refuge we were able to learn a lot about southern culture too. We went to the rodeo, attended a southern baby bash (redneck version of a baby shower,) and had a catfish fry. I tried catfish for the first time along with wild hog, crawfish and tamales. ALL DELICIOUS may I add. Below are some pictures of what we did over the last few weeks.
Last weekend I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to interview at ASU for graduate school. I was able to visit with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Monica as well as Aunt Michele, Uncle Bob and Cousin Alex. It was really nice to see family that I don't get to see that often as well as travel to a place I've never been before! Phoenix/Tempe is beautiful! I went mountain biking and hiking with Jimmy, which was AWESOME! The terrain is so different from anything else I've ever seen, and it was fun to explore a bit. As for my interview at ASU, it went really really well. I could not have answered the questions better or felt more confident after it was over. Everyone in the department is really nice and welcoming, and the facilities are state-of-the-art. The research labs and researchers are extremely interesting and the campus is large but seems to be a very close knit community. I'm really excited at the opportunity to attend ASU because I think it would be a great experience and it would be a nice change of pace for awhile. I will hear back from them on Friday, so wish me luck and cross your fingers!
Next round we will be traveling to Greenville, South Carolina and Theodore, Alabama to work with Camp Spearhead and the Bay Area Food Bank. We are really excited to travel to 2 states we have never been too, especially South Carolina. The camp is geared towards children and adults with special needs. We will be building a handicap accessible trail, working at the Special Olympics, and helping out with some overnight weekends! This is right up my alley, so I’m excited to get to know some great people and apply my undergraduate education to the AmeriCorps. We leave on Tuesday and drive 10 hours to the camp. Hope that internet access is closer than it was on our last project! Update soon!
Friday, March 11, 2011
UPDATES
It has been a REALLY long time since I have updated. Getting to the internet and having enough time to do everything I need to do is tough.
We are working at the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge still, working on several different projects and conducting prescribed burns. We've been having a TON of fun. Working hard and getting things done. We have had a bit of ups and downs with our team, including one member leaving and going to another team. That was tough, but it seems to be for the best.
Last weekend myself and two girls from our team traveled to New Orleans for Mardi Gras! We had a wonderful, safe time. We were able to see the many different sides of Mardi Gras including the Bayou Cajuns, Uptown Parades, Mid-City Zulu Parade, and the French Quarter. It was great! We stayed with some friends from RTNO and were able to see a bunch of different people that we know down there. There are some pictures to show some of the floats.
We just found out we will be going to Taylors, South Carolina next round and Theodore, Alabama. In SC we will be working for a camp for special needs children and in AL we will be working for a Food Bank. I'm really excited to travel to another state and work for an organization that is associated to what I hold most dear to my heart. The camp will be fun and we will be doing a lot of different types of work to help get ready for the summer sessions.
In other news, I've started hearing back from Graduate schools. I will be traveling to Tempe, AZ for an interview at ASU! I was also waitlisted at the University of Washington, which isn't the best news but is not totally bad either. I'm sure I will be hearing back from the rest soon enough, so keep your fingers crossed for me!
So, below are some pictures of what we have been up to lately!
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