i'm definitely settling in to life at green chimneys. all of the interns have a set weekly schedule now.. no more training. working with the kids has been awesome; so far i have learned a couple different things (by a couple, i mean two, not three, which would be a few)
1. wedgies are uncomfortable. illustrated by this conversation:
kid 1: gives kid 2 a giant bear hug.
kid 2: aaaghhhh!
kid 1: sorry!! did that hurt?
kid 2: no, that didn't hurt. it was just uncomfortable. you know.. like a wedgie? wedgies don't hurt, they're just uncomfortable.
2. boys are very competitive. i guess i knew this... but the kids definitely compare their learn and earn experiences with eachother. "did you do the afternoon feed with mikey? he said you did. was he scared of seeing the cut up mice? oh, he didn't like it? well i bet i won't be scared."
apparently, they go back to the classrooms and/or dorms and discuss their sessions with one another. god forbid one student fed the duck pond, while the other just happened to see the andean condor eat... the very next day. what a crappy farm intern they must have.
in other news, if you would like to see my name in print, check out the fall 2009 edition of volunteer voices.
http://www.greenchimneys.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=167&Itemid=92
yep, definitely famous.
but really, in all seriousness, getting to know the kids is pretty sweet. at first, i was a bit hesitant.. i wasn't sure how my sarcasm, habitual cussing, and inappropriate jokes would translate into working with the kids, but so far it's going great. just omit all three of those, and the situation has turned out to be sort of awesome. basically, as interns, we were brought in to not only learn about our farm area and how to care for the animals, but ultimately, to be able to work with kids and bring them up to our farm area to share our knowledge. each intern has students they work with one-on-one, as basically, the child's farm job. they are paid for their time spent working, and as a result, they help with various maintenance and feeding tasks in the area. other farm areas, such as the horse barn, or upper barn (where most of the farm animals are located) this can be a bit easier, as the animals are domestic and children can be more hands on. in wildlife, i have learned to be more creative, as i can't really have the kids petting a bald eagle, or riding the andean condor. all in all, i am learning a lot, and really starting to find my place here. oh, and fun fact, i totally got to hold a barn owl last week. want my job? suuuckas!
hope all is well! more wildlife facts to come.
smell ya later...
boon
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