Last Call

Before I found myself flying the coop I took up one last spur the moment task. Tuesday morning a man had came inside saying that there had been a tour set up for weeks yet the person in charge had retired. He came into the visitor center looking for someone who would know anything about the trip or lead them into some kind of direction. With almost everyone out the building there wasn't much I could say except I will go. I was excited to get out on the drive for the last time and since my first bus tour was not one of the most fulfilling of my hunger to get out on the drive and speak so passionate about some of the things I have learned I found it as an opportunity. Some of these kids had visited Forsythe before and  remembered things that my eyes have never seen for instance the "Friends Shack". They were excited to look at all the birds and try to figure out which ones were the ones seen on their sheet. I also taught them the song of Fresh water, Salt water that the last bus group came up with to remember. I enjoyed their enthusiasm and the questions that came from aids and the young children. I enjoyed talking to them with ease answering questions is my thing, asking them is not. I felt like I didnt want to get off the bus as they pulled up to the visitor center. Not because the bus had A/C but because they were all so nice and gave me my official bus tour accomplished badge on my heart. <3

This is me sailing off just like the birds as they fledge.

RECAP

This last one is short and simple don't want to get teary eyed in my last blog experiencing my endearment for summer internship. Listening to stories about other peoples summer of still working in retail or at internships that didn't pay or even allowed to travel seemed so sad compared to mine. Even though I could see my backyard from here the Student Conservation Association gave me the best time of my life this summer. Being apart of CDIP  (Career Discovery Internship Program) I truly discovered that the career I thought was for me is now questionable. The opportunities, the people I have met, the knowledge I have gained all comes from that list of internships to chose from and I just so happened chose to be a part of this one. Happy I was selected and now I can go back and share my experiences first hand. No I didn't play with lions, tigers, and bears this summer I handled birds with care, I talked to new people each day, I gained a new found interest in my environment and how it is treated, a secret passion for visiting wildlife refuges and an all around new outlook on who I was. I am not intimated as I thought I was by kids and whatever I go off into life there is always room for added knowledge and the right to say I did it. I was able to work outside of my element and not go for the usual. I find the usual to now be boring and an excuse to keep away from steering from the norm. I can some up all of my emotions in one some of them are not easy to explain but one thing I do know is that
I CAME I SAW I CONQUERED. Edwin B. Forsythe Refuge has left a mark on me and now it is time to share that new brand with others I come in counter with.

The End is Near

My my how time fly's i guess it is true time waits for no man...or woman in my instance. This summer has been one of the quickest but most eventful summer I have had in many years. Proudly wearing my blue SCA polo I am often stopped but Sunday's stop was different. A man came into the friends bookstore on a mission to learn about what birds he could see and left. 10 mins later he walked into the bookstore and said "Hey I see you have SCA on your shirt. Does it stand for student conservation association." I said yes proudly and prepared to be asked the usual what is SCA about what do you do etc frequently asked questions but he told me in 1964 he was also an SCA intern for a week. One whole week. Just one I was puzzled. He even said they didn't have fancy shirts back then now there is 5 to carry me through the week. That made me say WOW how SCA has grown. How we are now doing 12 week internships. He said he stillllll receives letters and often donates. I was in the presence of an alum SCA member. I beamed with joy knowing that the same experience he had I am enduring time 2. That was great for closing out the summer. As I am nearing the last stretch and preparing to go back into the city life that I grew up on I am going to miss so much about my refuge. From the birds to the interesting people I have met in the visitor center and working on the beach. From my wonderful managers who allowed me to get my hands dirty in everything possible and all the volunteers and staff that made me feel welcomed. Its sad to see time go but as this fellow SCA walks out the door hopefully another will walk in just like the gentleman I encountered on Sunday. As far as the other CDIP interns I wish them well on their future endeavors and hope to see them making headlines on making a difference in anything they do like the speakers at NCTC. I gained some of the most peaceful moments at my refuge when it is just you surrounded by nature. I'm ending this with a question that I got from Lamar What did you learn about yourself in your experience and I feel I have to share that I truly learned that just because I am a city girl I should never let that attitude alter my views of nature and life. I also learned that there are many opportunities out there that are hidden that I never took the time to explore and search for because of poor expectations or finding it beneath me realizing that I was not as open minded as I claimed to be. I have been taught in this experience to observe and slow down that a fast pace living does not do the environment justice and that I need to take head in what is going on myself. Thank you SCA for helping me reevaluate my lifestyle. So sad to see it end.

FIELD TRIP

wow my 3 days at John Heinz was not long enough to fulfill my happiness. I was like a little kid in a candy store as Helen pulled into the lot of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. What a beautiful place in such a strange area. To see a deer to your right and then the highway to your left blew my mind. A residential neighborhood across the street from the entrance and high school football players so close they could run the trails. I was so impressed with John Heinz 1,000 acres of land especially their visitor center. You could get lost in their education building that has floors made from tires and cork. High tech displays and a beautiful auditorium that we watched a movie about the refuge in. The place was so up to date on the latest and not saying it is better than my camp Forsythe but it is in my fav 5 of Refuges to be. (PS. I haven't been to that many refuges so I guess they are all my favorite). Each refuge I have been to has its own unique aspect that draws me into the US Fish and Wildlife an inch each time. But back to John Heinz whew can you say Mariana put us to work. She did not anything that you have to get the child labor law handbooks out to check and make sure she was not breaking any rules but enough to keep us busy throughout our work day. I enjoyed it so much she made it 10x better and always made sure we were okay. She made the trip fun yet also had us maintaining trails and took us on a tour of the refuge. Even though Philadelphia is in my backyard stumbling a piece of land so beautiful can make any fast pace slow down. Wish I could have stayed longer in their pollinating garden that the young kids worked so hard in. Hopefully I can go back and visit very soon this time with family and friends.

Easy Breathing

Just when I worked up all 3 nerves needed to present the group the 'First Impressions' activity it did not happen. I can say I was a little disappointed that it did not happen but happy at myself for being ready to put myself in that position. I was also happy because 3 of the kids gravitated towards me today and that warmed my heart. I can say at times I have a soft spot for kids but it can fade QUICKLY. But overall I am happy and a little sad to know that there will be no more Tuesday group. I learn so much while they are here and it gives me a reason to get out and play in the dirt again. :) Those kids are very lively and have a lot of life in them and I hope they take as much as they can from coming to the refuge as much as I will. My week at Camp Forsythe had been splendid. No complaints except those bugs they get more and more viscious as the time flies I think they are jealous of me. Jealous of what you may ask and I have no reply it is just an excuse to get me through the day. My 3 day work day at John Heinz is Thursday and I am getting more and more excited. I think I am excited because I haven't been to another refuge besides Patuxent and Edwin B Forsythe. The other day I was on the phone with a young man from Rhode Island Complex and I swear the 15 minute conversation seemed to feel like hours as we compared and contrasted refuges and talked about our experiences working interpretation tents and the best ways to keep others from walking onto refuge property. He told me about him being a part of the Student Career Experience Program also known as SCEP. He said it was one of his greatest experiences even though he did not want to always be a part of the visitor services. I found that to be similar to my feelings of my internship. I admired his passion for his job and his excitement to even be a part of this great team of people. No matter what I do I want to have his same drive and dedication that he expressed to me over the telephone. That was my weekly lesson that I will take with me and apply it.

Food for the soul

This Friday my supervisor gave me some food for the soul as he assigned me to one of the biggest projects I will ever take on. Okay maybe I am exaggerating but it feels like something huge, but he explained to me that we go through countless years of learning how to read and write but one thing they don't teach us as a part of communication is understanding and listening to people. He told me to take that with me whether it is in teaching or my fantasy career of being a lawyer. I will always store that away with me as ONE of the biggest life lessons learned that no one does teach you how to listen and understand. That is something we learn by nature and nurture to listen to what others have to say and be open enough to say we understand. I find that something I want to hand down to many people on how important that is. Sometimes we do not listen or even attempt to understand the next person we are quick to ignore. But back to my project I have to come up with an half hour to and hour environmental education plan for the young group that comes on Tuesdays. My supervisor says that I may not have to lead but he is thinking about it. I call it my biggest task because I few like kids are the biggest critics and it is very hard to keep their attention. I have little cousins and from first hand experience NOTHING lasts more then 3 minutes before it is Charderah I want to play something else this is BORING. I guess I am thinking to into the task but I hate disappointing. I wont let this task beat me it just allows me to get into another career opportunity. Who knows I may like it and change my mind and accept that I may want to teach one day. :) Wish me luck.!