The End.

My internship and summer have drawn to a close... This was an absolutely amazing experience. It was good to get out of Maryland. I experienced the running of a business other than MD DNR, I networked with many amazing people, and I built up amazing experiences I taught various ages and various class lengths. I handled many animals and learned about even more. I went behind the scenes at many places and learned many facts. I taught many curriculums and various attitudes in children. I observed classes in my spare time, and diversified my knowledge and expereinces at every opportunity. I worked at the gift shop and expanded my customer service and retail skills. I learned to live on my own: do laundry, buy and cook food, budget, etc. I even learned to loosen up and just live a little. There are lots of good, safe and cheap ways to have fun! I made so many friends. Bird Show, Cat Show, Education, Softball, and many more friends that will last a lifetime... I miss it so much. If only I could afford to do another summer in Cincinnati..... I feel like this experience was the best thing i could have ever done with my summer and would not trade it for all the gold in the world.

Until Next Internship (summer '10?).
~Elena

The End is Very Near

The end is so close I can almost taste it.... and it is sad. I taught 4 and 5 year olds this past week. They were so tearful... Ive never seen little kids cry so much. 3 year old, 45 minute, specialty classes are fun, but odd... so short.... im not sure if I like them or not. 4-5 year old Predators Tricks of the Trade is more fun, but the birds we had to see were always hiding, which made for a lame hike.... Arinn left me this morning. My room looks lonely and empty... its sad to go in.... We presented out final projects yesturday. It went well. Then i went with Eunice and Kim and Kyle to the Reds VS Nationals game... Nationals won!! it was a blast. Well, thats all for now.

Until Next Time
~Elena

Behind the Scenes and Summer Camp gone WILD

So this week was uneventful camp-wise, with the exception of the crazy storms thursday night that caused power outages. I drove the girls to the bar in a torrential downpour.. i couldnt see more than 2 feet in front of the car... but i dropped em off and camp home to no power... Amber, Becca, Arinn and I watched Maid of Honor and Fired Up around small portable DVD players and my laptop... we were up til about midnight, then the power came on and I showered, but it went off again shortly after that, and was off until about 8:40am.. they at first thought camp would be cancelled but then they said that the zoo would be closed and camp would be on, which would have been awful because then the bird show and cheetah show wouldnt happen and the indoor exhibits would be closed, and those were the only things i had planned for that day, but fortunately the power came on right before camp started... So on saturday we went to The Wilds, which is a safari adventure like Jurrasic Park only real animals instead of Dinosaurs..... we had so much fun, but im pretty sure that it was only fun because of the people i spent it with (Education Summer Camp Staff) and not because of the activities we did.... Sunday i went behind the scenes at Manatees... then cheetah show.. cool behind the scenes both places but cheetah was crowded.. im gonnna see if i can go back sometime when it is less crowded so i can maybe play with Tommy lots and run around the yard... good stuff.... anyways this week is my first week with 4-5 year olds since like week 2.... and my first time by myself with 4-5 full day... we are in Wolf Woods which is actually rather convenient because of its central location except for the long hike back to the Ed. building at the end of the day.... thats a doozy..... but Amber is fun to teach with, so it will be ok.... more later, after this week is over..

Until Next Time,
~Elena

All Girls Class, Behind the Scenes, and The End is Near )-:-)

So this week was another week of teaching Animal Myth Busters... week 7 of that curriculum I believe. I am the myth master. I dont even have to glance at my curriculum anymore. I just know it! I had all girls in my class. It wasnt scheduled to be that way, but the other person teaching my curriculum had 11 kids in her class and I only had three, so I was told we had to even the classes out, but evening out without seperating friends left us with only one girl in the other class, so i took 8 girls and Chelsea had 6 boys. I love working with girls because they are so much more willing to do things like sing songs and act goofy, which is what makes camp so much fun. Then yesturday, Kim took us behind the scenes at the bird show. It was so much fun to see everything from a workers perspective instead of from the audience. I love the birds. Then we went and saw Alle at the Children's Zoo and I played with the farm animals. The sheep were not as friendly as mine are at home, but the goats definately were, and the cows were cool too! It was good to have a little piece of home life in the middle of the zoo. Friday night I went out to Fountain Square with Alicia and Eunice and some of the other zoo people to listen to some Indie music. We had ice cream and rode on Segways and just hung out. It was a great time. Then we squeezed 6 people into Alicia's Mustang to make it home. Grant, Colleen, and I in the back seat, Alle across our laps, and then Eunice and Alicia in the front... Cozy doesnt even begin to describe it!! Its starting to sink in that the end is very near. I'm ready to come home to Maryland, but I am not ready to leave the friends I have made this summer. I know I will cry. I wish I didnt get attached to the places I work so easily, especially since this time my work was a place I cant just come back to on a regular basis. Torn. One month til my sophomore year of college starts!! such a short period of time left... no more time...

Until Next Time
~Elena

Best Class Ever

So, my class this past week are the kind of kids that make me want to teach. They were amazing. No problem children, no lack of enthusiasm. They sang every one of my camp songs. Cheered louder than anyone at the bird and cat shows, and were so polite and smart. I wish every week was like this one. No complaints at all!! I cant believe i only have 4 weeks left.... sad times....

Well, it is bedtime; im pretty sure no one reads this anymore anyways, so...
Until Next Time,
~Elena

Called Off Sunday....

So, once again, i was called off of work at the gift shop. I've been called off two of my four weekends as their employee so far.... and the two days I have worked have totalled 8 hours of work. But, since I was off with nothing to do, I wandered around the zoo with Brea and Nicole and Caleb. We went behind the scenes in Caleb's houses, Nocturnal and Insect, and then Brea's house, Elephants. I got to pet an Aardvark. His name was Diggy and he acted like a big dog. It was fun. We also saw Pottos and some sort of Anteater. In insect world I watched them feed silk spiders and saw tons of baby insects. I held some sort of millipede whos legs did the wave as the moved... it tickled. Then in the elephant house we chilled with the girls, Mai Tai, Shatzi, and Jati. We fed Mai lots of monkey biscuits. I got to put them right in her trunk. It was very strong. Then we petted her tongue... that was a weird feeling. After that we wandered through some other houses, went and bugged some people who didnt get the day off :D, and came home and watched Madagascar and hung with Cooper, Alicia's weiner dog.
Overall a good day.

Until Next Time,
~Elena

Glad that week is over.....

So, I am terribly sorry for those of you who follow my blog that I have not updated lately. This week was terribly long. I was teaching 8-11 year old full day camp, a curriculum called Monkeying Around. Im not sure what exactly made this week so bad. Maybe it was that I didnt really have a day off last weekend to recooperate from the week before. Maybe it was that it was a full day camp instead of two half day camps. Maybe it was the group of kids I had. Maybe it was the frustrating layout of the curriculum. Whatever the case may be, I am so glad it is over. On one of the days I made a camper hold my hand for punishment, and that didnt end well. He enjoyed it far too much. Not in a creepy way, he just decided to take the opportunity to try to embarass/inflict pain on me. UGH! Then on Friday, i misplaced one of my campers. That was a terrifying freak out moment. Friday night i went to Zoo day at Reds Stadium which was super fun. I really liked getting to work with my boss Melinda. I worked the zoo temporary tatoo booth before the game, then went and watched the zoo animal parade around the warning track. I got to see Sam, our Bald Eagle, make a flight during pre-game; thats pretty much the most spectacular sight EVER. The Star-Spangled Banner Playing, Eddie standing on the mound with his glove in the air and whistle in his mouth, then from the top of the stadium comes the same Eagle I see atleast once a week. He swoops down over the stands, down over the outfield, and onto the awaiting glove. So majestic, so beautiful... it gave me chills. After he landed though, he kept banking and it was such a painful thing to watch... so majestic and then so scared.... I got to hold Terra the Demerils Ground Boa for a fan meet and greet during the first inning, that was so much fun. I didnt stay for the game; they didnt have enough tickets to go around, so I gave mine up and volunteered to come back to the zoo to help Melinda put animals away. Overall that was one of the most amazing experiences so far. I hung out with my friends and our animals, just chillin at the stadium. Alicia and Eunice had out Sir Francis Bacon, our Red River Hog, and Pow Wow, one of our Anatolian Shepards. Amanda and Nicole and Amber and Candice and Jocelyn and Cheryl were all there too. It was just a great time to hang with people in a non-classroom work setting. Last night we went out to dinner at Max and Erma's for Arinns Birthday. It was good food. Then we drove to Blue Ash to catch the fireworks. They were decent, but we were pretty far away (we sat in a parking lot). It made me homesick though, because this was the first time ever that I have skipped the fireworks at the Charles County Fairgrounds. The experience just isnt the same without Uncle Mike and his firetruck, Grandmommy's popcorn trail mix, the family all around, and the Southern Maryland Concert Band playing in the background. The internship is officially a third of the way over now, so i will be home in about 7 weeks. Seems like such a short time, yet forever away at the same time. I know i will miss this place incredibly, but can't wait to be home. This coming week I am teaching Animal Myth Busters for the 3rd week..... I know the curriculum like the back of my hand now, which makes prep time easy.

Well, i guess I better go.
Until Next Time,

~Elena

Keep Chuggin like the train..... wooowoooooooo

So, last week wasnt bad... the kids in my 4 and 5 year old class were ok, and the most of the aftercare kids left within the first half hour or so...
This week i am teaching Animal Myth Busters class again in the a.m. and then am assisting with special needs children in the 8-11 year old class in the afternoon... its a pretty chill week... I'm starting to finally get into a system and enjoy things... it will be ok.... I will finish and look back and know it was all worth it. Can't wait for Maryland to start visiting me in Cincinnati!! good stuff!! More Later

Until Next Time,
~Elena

Split Shifts=STUPID

So, today was my first day of teaching all by myself... FINALLY!!!!! It was good... my kids were somewhat bratty but hey, the class was mine.. ALL MINE! Then I came home for a three hour break and went back for aftercare which is exhausting.... but it can be done! The gift shop is the stupidest job ever... i finally had my first day of that on Saturday.. they only kept me for 4 hours..... and all I basically did was straighten and restraighten racks of merchandise that didnt need to be straightened... They dont seem to want to give me sunday work.... its like they dont need me... im not sure the stress and hassle of dealing with them is worth it but we shall see...well... im goin to make dinner... more later....
Until Next Time
~Elena

Cincinnati... Hmm... a little late to weigh pros and cons, isnt it......

So, this will be a short post, as not much has changed..... Today I taught.... well, co-taught..... i think it went ok, but dont really know... I really miss home.... I miss my park, the cool breeze off the water, the people, the beauty of looking out and seeing nothing but nature for miles..... They just dont have that in Cincinnati... There isnt a single direction i can look sitting here on the front porch right now that i dont see cars and houses and pavement and fences.....I miss my family... It was so good to talk to Brynna and Anya on the phone yesturday... Brynna "graduates" kindergarten on Wednesday... i will miss it... By the next time i see Anya she will have her braces off.... Andrew will have his drivers license.... I miss the farm... I miss my lambies and the baby goats and all of that... i miss 4-H... I can't believe this is my last year in 4-H.. ever... and for some reason I decided that it would be better for some reason to pick up my life and move to this city.... Day camp is next week..... i wont be there for my last tribe... my last campfire... my last summer of 4-H..... Needless to say, I am terribly homesick.... This city simply isnt home.... A great experience, and an amazing resume builder, but not Maryland.... not Charles County... Not home......

Until Next Time,

~Elena

Full Day Four and Five Year Olds=Exhausting

Ok, so today is the end of my first week of semi-teaching (observation and assistance week). For those of you who may have read this post before I edited it, I apologize for the laziness in my writing last night. I am fixing it now. Camp overall wasnt bad this week. There were 3 classes of 4 and 5 year olds: 2 half day morning classes with 10 kids a piece and one full day class with 6 kids, one of who is only 3!! Little legs and long hikes dont go together... As with all classes, we had a variety of campers from adorable and well behaved to bratty and spoiled, to crybabies, and even a temper-tantrum throwing punch-you-till-you-bruise kid. Full day camp was the most exhausting, and the worst kids.... Half day wasn't bad. The kids were generally well behaved and in the afternoons we cut out lots and lots of crafts, practiced animal demos, trained on the screech owl, Van Gogh, watched movies, and walked around the zoo collecting facts(just for this week. It wont normally be such glorious afternoon assignments). The plus side of full day camp is that we got to see and do more things. After a slight rain delay (rain plus little kids = disaster btw) we got to watch the Bird Show... HILLARIOUS!!! We then rode the Merry-Go-Round. We went on the train too! We saw the Cat Show today which was pretty cool because the RA of the intern house and one of the other girls in the house were 2/3 people running it, which was cool.. plus they got the cheetah running SUPER FAST! Today we had a special guest visit our full day camp. Caroline the Prehensile Porcupine came to visit after nap time. She is my absolute favorite animal in all of animal holding... Im pretty sure i was more excited about her than any of my campers... oh well... LOL........ It was just the boost i needed to finish the day, cuz i was dragging.... After work some of the other interns in the house and I went back to the zoo for members night (a night where members get in after hours and get lots of free and discounted things and extra special animal shows... We went to the elephant enclosure to watch Shatzi and Mai Tai (probably spelled wrong) eat whole watermelon (Brea, one of the interns, is interning with the elephants and got to help feed them). It was amazing to see them pop open those watermelon.. until Val the keeper told us thats what heads sound like when they pop open, and that elephants were used for head-popping executions in old-time India. Brea got us in behind the scenes in the elephant house and Val let us come out into the enclosure with the elephants... the enclosure as in, in-front-of-all-the-guests enclosure!! and we got out pictures taken and got to touch the elephant... Pretty much the most AMAZING THING EVER!!! It felt kind of funny... I dont know how to describe it... but it was cool... So tomorrow (Saturday) I start my Gift Shop job.... woohoo.... idk what to think, but i figure i shall give it a fair chance... so far i'm not sure that they (or at least from what I've seen) are organized or nice... but i guess i shall figure that out! Next week I begin real teaching, or was supposed to.... unfortunately, they either didnt have enough classes, or didnt trust me with my own class yet, so i am co-teaching yet again... Not that I dislike John at all, its just that i have my own teaching style and ideas and am not a big fan of people watching and analyzing my every move..... i want to be out on my own..... yet they seem to have decided that the baby of the group needs to be babysat... I am more qualified to teach on my own than some of these girls. I have experience in camp and in animals!! I know what I am doing... why wont they simply let me do it..... well again, must wait and see what happens next....

Until Next Time
~Elena

Here come the campers...

So, today was the first day of real summer camp..... the interns dont start teaching til next week, so we were simply observing today, but it was interesting...... It was a long and somewhat frustrating day, and I am not so sure how much i will end up liking this job....I felt useless sitting and observing... I need to lead, to do things... i dont "follow" well... So camp (we only had a.m. half day camp today) was really just really frustrating.... then we ate lunch (no peanut butter allowed) and cut out crafts for a couple hours, which was fine because it was a good get to know each other and talk time.. then we practiced animal demos... ICK... the hedgehog was uncooperative so i looked dumb..... it kept biting my glove.... i dont handle failure well, so that ruined the rest of my day..... hopefully tomorrow will be better, but im starting to doubt it... i miss home... Tomorrow i have a.m. camp observation again and then craft cut-outs and first aid certification.... fun fun fun.... we shall see....

I hope everyone who is reading this is enjoying being filled in on my Cincinnati life. If there is a topic i havent covered in my blogs so far, tell me and i certainly will..

Until Next Time,
~Elena

The End of the Beginning

Well, as week one draws to a close, i guess its time to reflect on what i have done so far. I've been trained in animal handling on Birds: Hornbill, Chicken, Screech Owl, Dove; Reptiles: Boa Constrictor, Blue Toungued Skink, Alligator Skink, Alligator, Box Turtle; Mammals: Rabbit, Chinchilla, Hedgehog, Guinea Pig, Armadillo, Opossum; Other: Tarantula, Cochroach, Scorpion.....I am sure there are more I am simply forgetting, but it has been so overwhelming to remember how to handle each animal that I almost dont care any more.... We have had a crash course in interpretation, several discussions and tours of the zoo, an overview of the curriculum, and an overnighter where we played the games and sang the songs that we will be using with our campers this summer. Today we get customer service training and then CPR certification. Next week we shadow the experienced camp teachers and get first aid certified. Somewhere in between all of that I have to get a second drug test done for my work at the Gift Shop.... I'm pretty sure i start work there next weekend but the schedule is so confusing!! I really miss home. I keep telling myself that this is a great experience and well worth it, but so far i simply miss Maryland. I miss the park and my lambs and my friends. I miss my summer and what it could have been... I want to be home. I dont like being the youngest one in a house of 15 other girls. I dont like being one of, if not THE youngest in my program.... While it is an honor that they thought i could handle it, i also feel almost like that kid that skipped a grade in school; of course they will do fine academically, but socially they feel left out and looked down on.... UGH!! well, thats all for now. I'm sure it'll get worse before it gets better, but should be over with soon enough... We shall see.

Until Next Time,
~Elena

Day one.... How old am I?

So... i have developed mixed emotions about this job. On the one hand I feel like it is going to be loads of fun, on the other i think its going to frustrate me to the point of no return... Our first day of work we had a tour of the zoo (its so big, i am sure i will get lost at some point) then we had interpretive training (super cheesy) and then animal handling training. The problem with having bosses whose job is to teach little kids it that that mindset never totally leaves.. so when they talk to me, they talk as if i were a 5 year old... I sometimes dont even think they realize they are doing it, but they do all the same... We were hired for a reason. We all have at least somewhat of a clue as to what we are doing, so why not acknowledge that and have some faith. UGH! Today is more animal training. We dont start til 3:30 so this morning i have to go get the first of two drug tests done and then go meet my other boss at the gift shop and fill out paperwork there. I hope today goes ok.... because if they dont stop talking to me like a little kid, idk how i will ever make it through the summer... Maybe it will be better once I get out from under their watchful training eyes and actually teach...

Until Next Time
~Elena
P.S. I got a P for Practice on holding a box turtle.. How stupid is that... ive been holding box turtles since i was like 3..... she said "I just want to be sure that you remember to pick him up the way WE taught you. Like a hamburger." Like a hamburger? Really... Kindergarten all over again.

Welcome to Cincinnati!!!

So, I've been here about 24 hours now and am just now getting the wireless password, or i would have updated sooner. The trip here was incredibly long. I have never driven nearly that far, but i made it. The view throughout Ohio was beautiful. Rolling hills and big patches of farmland. Then i got to the city.... I am going to get soooo lost i am sure.. I could never live here for any extended period of time (without a really good reason). This is simply not my idea of a good time.. Too built.. Too crowded...I moved in and met the other two education interns who will be living in the Hearne (Intern) House with me this summer. There will be 16 girls all together living here once they all arrive in the next few days, but for now the house is rather empty. I share my bedroom with one other girl, and it is a huge room. I could probably sleep my whole family on the floor. It has carpet and shelves and windows... much better than a dorm room, but is kept rather chilly...Today we ventured to the zoo for the first time. It is huge! I havent taken any pictures yet. I have to find a store and buy batteries first.. Well, thats all for now, Wednesday the three out-of- town education interns will be taking on Cincinnati to find the drug testing place... should be interesting...

Until Next Time
~Elena

UPDATE

Ok, so the email went out today, so just in case you got it, and had no clue i was leaving MD for the summer, i will explain. I have been hired at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden as an Education Intern. I will be teaching up to 12 different curriculums to 3-4 different age groups all summer long. I will be living in intern housing near the zoo. I'm kind of nervous, as i have never been away from home for any extended period of time, but need to diversify my resume beyond my life the past 3+ years at Smallwood State Park, so here i go. I have never blogged before, but plan on figuring it out as I go. Enjoy your summer and feel free to email me at ebode@umd.edu.

Always,
~Elena

Ok, so it's up! I am really not too sure how to "blog" or even how much internet access I will have this summmer, but i will update this blog as much as possible in order to keep everyone up to date on my adventure in Cincinnati. I am leaving Maryland Memorial Day weekend, and will return August 22nd. Wish me luck!

Always,
~Elena