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!