Hello Everyone!
As my title says, I am happy, happy, happy! I have finally got my schedule down at Lake Region, and I have my group of kids who come to me with any homework help. It's so awesome being told hi by your students in the hall ways. And, all my kids have raised their Fs to Cs!!!!!!!!! That is what makes me the happiest. We were having a really big problem with a boy in third period. He does not get along with Cathy at all, and she has sent him to the office several times. I moved a student in from his regular study hall to my classroom so I can keep track of his grades better. Come to find out, the two boys are best friends. I was helping Nick one day and Eli asked if he could please join our group since they have the same schedule. Ever since, both boys have been doing so great. And to top it off, I snuck up on them talking about me in the hallway. They were telling one of their friends that I'm the best teacher they've ever had and that they finally understand math thanks to me. It's truly the little things that warm your heart :) :) :) :)
Cathy has also said several parents have emailed her asking who this Ms. Barnett is that their kids love so much. My heart just melts! I love them. She told me to call my parents and tell them Lake Region is never letting me go. I'm so fortunate to have such an awesome job. I love how things fell right into place and brought me to Vermont.
Speaking of Vermont, I officially have snow tires! And I got to drive on ice for the first time with them. I slid a little bit, but I didn't realize that snow tires would make such a difference. We still haven't got any major accumulation, but we have got one snowfall that covered the grass. I can't remember the last time I saw snow covering the grass.
Something off topic but still amazing to me is the fact that these kids are too young to remember 9/11. I am currently helping a few of my students read and interpret an article about Afghanistan and the Taliban and everything else that goes along with that topic. All of them were two or three when 9/11 happened, so they don't have that emotional reaction when it is brought up like people who remember exactly where they were when they found out the US had been attacked.
The newest word no one understands that I say is oil. I was talking to my room mates the other night about cooking a cake with bananas and Dr. Pepper (Hey Caroline!) in place of eggs and oil, which veered off to all the different types of oils there are. Sam spaced out somewhere in the beginning of the conversation and came in right as I was saying oil. He gave me the weirdest look. I noticed it, but neither of us commented on it. Me and Bridget continued our conversation, and about three minutes later Sam says, "OHHHHH! OIL! THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING!"
That's all for now! I'm headed to Connecticut on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with my room mates' families. I'm excited for a real Thanksgiving meal.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Vermont Living
Well, two weeks have passed since I moved to Vermont, and I am settling in quite well. It has snowed two or three times since I've been here, and the ski resorts are open for the season. I am definitely under estimating the winter. I keep telling myself it won't be so bad, but I know I'm just fooling myself. However, everyone is so nice, and they are more than willing to help me with the transition.
My first week at Lake Region went very well. I work with two teachers in the Academic Achievement Center at the high school, and I am really enjoying my job so far. There is just something about teaching that I love, and helping students understand concepts they are struggling with makes my day. The education system in Vermont is a lot different than in Tennessee, so I have a lot more lee way teaching a particular concept the way I think will be most effective. Right now, my job title is "Math Interventionist." Anyone who knows me knows that I prefer writing and reading over math, but I'm actually really enjoying teaching math. It's nothing extremely complicated- pre-Algebra thru Algebra 2 and Geometry/Trig- but it's a subject I've definitely lost touch with. I make sure to get a list of concepts that I need to know at the beginning of the week so I can reacquaint myself before it's time to help a student.
The AAC is a room that kids are assigned to, but students are also free to come and go as they please if they need help with something or need a quiet place to read/study. Lake Region students are required to attend two study halls a day. The AAC is a structured study hall for freshmen and sophomore, so I rarely see juniors and seniors. Everything is online at Lake Region, and teachers do not give zeros, so students have to do the assignments whether they want to or not. The teachers in the AAC have access to grades for every student, so we make sure assignments are getting turned in. At the end of every grading period, students are actually assigned to AAC if they need a more structured study hall, but they can be reassigned to a less structured study hall if they show success after that particular quarter. Lake Region students are given a lot of free time if they have good grades, so the AAC is kind of in the middle of that. I am still getting used to how things work because Cumberland Gap operated so much differently. I always see kids in the hallways, and at first it freaked me out because I just assumed they were getting into trouble. However, Lake Region is so good about letting the kids have free time if they deserve it, and it seems to be working very well.
Since I've been at the school a week, the kids are still getting used to me. I have a few students I work with on a daily basis, but the majority will be students I only work with because they aren't quite understanding a certain math concept or they need help with a couple problems versus an entire lesson. However, I do have students who I have to work with an entire class period because they learn better one on one versus in the classroom where they can't get as much attention and be walked through a step by step math procedure for every single problem. I know I'm playing a valuable role, and that makes me happy.
Life in Vermont is a lot like TN, but it's also a lot different. I am not any more bored here than I was at home. I read and watch Netflix with all my free time, which is exactly what I did back home. It is definitely a lot more rural, though. The town I live in is considered less rural, so there is a pharmacy and a grocery store, but it's still nothing like Middlesboro or even Harrogate. Most people think Harrogate is a tiny little town with nothing in it, but come to Derby, VT, and you will think differently. However, I like small town living. It's a lot different than living in DC, and I wasn't sure I would like it because I loved the hustle and bustle of DC so much, but I like what I'm doing here, I like my room mates, I like the people I've met, so the adjustment has been a lot easier than what I thought.
I am slowly but surely teaching people here about Appalachian living. We played Appalachian hang man in homeroom the other day, and the students really got a kick out of that. I used bless your heart, mess of beans, and fixin dinner as my words, and no one could tell me what they meant after they guessed the letters. They got pretty close, but no one ever hit the nail on the head. However, I won the round with kyarn and quare. I told them the meanings of both words and challenged them to use them in their conversations today. As two boys were walking out the door, one said, "Man, you are so kyarn." They didn't understand why I was laughing; they still probably don't realize they mixed the meanings up.
No one knows what pop is, no one has ever drank Peach Nehi, people who live back in the hollers didn't even realize it. No one knows that Daniel Boone blazed a trail through the Cumberland Gap. C'mon, that's basic history. I thought for sure they would know that, haha. No one eats corn bread, no one knows what pone bread is, no one has ever had a fritter. They do have crappi fish though, so I'm definitely having me some of that this summer.
To summarize everything you just spent forever reading: I've adjusted to Vermont, and I love my job.
The End!
My first week at Lake Region went very well. I work with two teachers in the Academic Achievement Center at the high school, and I am really enjoying my job so far. There is just something about teaching that I love, and helping students understand concepts they are struggling with makes my day. The education system in Vermont is a lot different than in Tennessee, so I have a lot more lee way teaching a particular concept the way I think will be most effective. Right now, my job title is "Math Interventionist." Anyone who knows me knows that I prefer writing and reading over math, but I'm actually really enjoying teaching math. It's nothing extremely complicated- pre-Algebra thru Algebra 2 and Geometry/Trig- but it's a subject I've definitely lost touch with. I make sure to get a list of concepts that I need to know at the beginning of the week so I can reacquaint myself before it's time to help a student.
The AAC is a room that kids are assigned to, but students are also free to come and go as they please if they need help with something or need a quiet place to read/study. Lake Region students are required to attend two study halls a day. The AAC is a structured study hall for freshmen and sophomore, so I rarely see juniors and seniors. Everything is online at Lake Region, and teachers do not give zeros, so students have to do the assignments whether they want to or not. The teachers in the AAC have access to grades for every student, so we make sure assignments are getting turned in. At the end of every grading period, students are actually assigned to AAC if they need a more structured study hall, but they can be reassigned to a less structured study hall if they show success after that particular quarter. Lake Region students are given a lot of free time if they have good grades, so the AAC is kind of in the middle of that. I am still getting used to how things work because Cumberland Gap operated so much differently. I always see kids in the hallways, and at first it freaked me out because I just assumed they were getting into trouble. However, Lake Region is so good about letting the kids have free time if they deserve it, and it seems to be working very well.
Since I've been at the school a week, the kids are still getting used to me. I have a few students I work with on a daily basis, but the majority will be students I only work with because they aren't quite understanding a certain math concept or they need help with a couple problems versus an entire lesson. However, I do have students who I have to work with an entire class period because they learn better one on one versus in the classroom where they can't get as much attention and be walked through a step by step math procedure for every single problem. I know I'm playing a valuable role, and that makes me happy.
Life in Vermont is a lot like TN, but it's also a lot different. I am not any more bored here than I was at home. I read and watch Netflix with all my free time, which is exactly what I did back home. It is definitely a lot more rural, though. The town I live in is considered less rural, so there is a pharmacy and a grocery store, but it's still nothing like Middlesboro or even Harrogate. Most people think Harrogate is a tiny little town with nothing in it, but come to Derby, VT, and you will think differently. However, I like small town living. It's a lot different than living in DC, and I wasn't sure I would like it because I loved the hustle and bustle of DC so much, but I like what I'm doing here, I like my room mates, I like the people I've met, so the adjustment has been a lot easier than what I thought.
I am slowly but surely teaching people here about Appalachian living. We played Appalachian hang man in homeroom the other day, and the students really got a kick out of that. I used bless your heart, mess of beans, and fixin dinner as my words, and no one could tell me what they meant after they guessed the letters. They got pretty close, but no one ever hit the nail on the head. However, I won the round with kyarn and quare. I told them the meanings of both words and challenged them to use them in their conversations today. As two boys were walking out the door, one said, "Man, you are so kyarn." They didn't understand why I was laughing; they still probably don't realize they mixed the meanings up.
No one knows what pop is, no one has ever drank Peach Nehi, people who live back in the hollers didn't even realize it. No one knows that Daniel Boone blazed a trail through the Cumberland Gap. C'mon, that's basic history. I thought for sure they would know that, haha. No one eats corn bread, no one knows what pone bread is, no one has ever had a fritter. They do have crappi fish though, so I'm definitely having me some of that this summer.
To summarize everything you just spent forever reading: I've adjusted to Vermont, and I love my job.
The End!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Guess what? I'M BACK!
Hopefully, I can keep up with the blog better than I did in DC. I'm looking to update once a week (if there's anything to say). Most days will just be me going to work and coming home to hang out with my new room mates (who are awesome). So stay tuned.
After three different hotels, a new bank account, grocery shopping, nineteen trips up and down the stairs, Mom is officially flying home to TN and I am here in Vermont. I am currently sitting in my bedroom under my electric blanket drinking Peach Nehi. I was trying to ration them out since they can't be found anywhere north of Middlesboro apparently, but they're going fast. Little kitty Molly is asleep on my electric blanket. She already loves me.
I live with a newly engaged couple, Sam and Bridget. This will be Bridget's first winter in Vermont as well, so maybe she will be freaked out like me. She's from Connecticut, though, so she's probably pretty used to cold winters. They are both very nice, and they're helping me out so much by letting me live in their extra bedroom pretty cheaply. They also have two cats, Molly and Gehrig, who are so stinking cute. It's making it a little bit easier to get over the fact that I left my baby Ailey at home :(. Gehrig is pretty shy; he never comes out of S and B's bedroom, but Molly is a wild child. Like any cat, she loves boxes, and she has been playing with a box in my room for hours.
I live in Derby, VT. There is another town, Newport, about five minutes down the road. I'll be working in Orleans, which is about 15 minutes down the interstate. It is so crazy; everyone uses the interstate to travel here. Back roads are dirt, so no one uses them.
Mom & I drove forever, I think. I managed to put in a whole hour of drive time. I think that's an accomplishment considering Mom pretty much drove the entire time to Colorado when we went.
I suck at grocery shopping, in case anyone was wondering. Being a grown up sucks in general. 1) I have to pay bills, 2) I have to cook, 3) I have to get up early and go to work, 4) I have to drive forever to meet supervisors and coordinators. However, working at Lake Region is going to be awesome. I can't wait to meet all the students I'll see on a daily basis. I know they're all going to love me because, duh, I'm from the SOUTH. My accent is a slap in the face. Who doesn't love a southern accent?!
I'm off to eat soup, y'all!
Til next time,
Sarah
Hopefully, I can keep up with the blog better than I did in DC. I'm looking to update once a week (if there's anything to say). Most days will just be me going to work and coming home to hang out with my new room mates (who are awesome). So stay tuned.
After three different hotels, a new bank account, grocery shopping, nineteen trips up and down the stairs, Mom is officially flying home to TN and I am here in Vermont. I am currently sitting in my bedroom under my electric blanket drinking Peach Nehi. I was trying to ration them out since they can't be found anywhere north of Middlesboro apparently, but they're going fast. Little kitty Molly is asleep on my electric blanket. She already loves me.
I live with a newly engaged couple, Sam and Bridget. This will be Bridget's first winter in Vermont as well, so maybe she will be freaked out like me. She's from Connecticut, though, so she's probably pretty used to cold winters. They are both very nice, and they're helping me out so much by letting me live in their extra bedroom pretty cheaply. They also have two cats, Molly and Gehrig, who are so stinking cute. It's making it a little bit easier to get over the fact that I left my baby Ailey at home :(. Gehrig is pretty shy; he never comes out of S and B's bedroom, but Molly is a wild child. Like any cat, she loves boxes, and she has been playing with a box in my room for hours.
I live in Derby, VT. There is another town, Newport, about five minutes down the road. I'll be working in Orleans, which is about 15 minutes down the interstate. It is so crazy; everyone uses the interstate to travel here. Back roads are dirt, so no one uses them.
Mom & I drove forever, I think. I managed to put in a whole hour of drive time. I think that's an accomplishment considering Mom pretty much drove the entire time to Colorado when we went.
I suck at grocery shopping, in case anyone was wondering. Being a grown up sucks in general. 1) I have to pay bills, 2) I have to cook, 3) I have to get up early and go to work, 4) I have to drive forever to meet supervisors and coordinators. However, working at Lake Region is going to be awesome. I can't wait to meet all the students I'll see on a daily basis. I know they're all going to love me because, duh, I'm from the SOUTH. My accent is a slap in the face. Who doesn't love a southern accent?!
I'm off to eat soup, y'all!
Til next time,
Sarah
Thursday, March 21, 2013
I'm BACK!
I have no excuse for not blogging, other than I've been in bed by 8 PM every night these past few days, and this blog always seems to fall by the wayside. So we have a lot of catching up to do!
Since my last post, I've done all kinds of cool things, and this week is only going to get better because my parents are coming to DC and brining Tracey and Caro! So I'm pretty dang excited about that. And I'm going home with them, which means, first and foremost, a home cooked meal!!!! It also means church, seeing my puppies, making a trip to Mamaw's (which also includes seeing Sawyer), and many more exciting things. So let me start from the beginning and detail everything.
I am still in school, which means I'm still researching and writing papers. I have a class on Jews in the Middle Ages, and I'm writing a paper on the reasons for medieval anti-Semitism (I KNOW this excites you!!), so I had to find a library full of books for me to use. That library happened to be about 12 metro stops away, which was no fun, but I got all my research done, and I'm ready to write. My entire campus could fit in the first floor of this library. It was HUGE! And scary. And a fire alarm went off the entire time I was there, but everyone just ignored it. Hello, what if it wasn't a drill?! So anyways, I was there for hours typing out entire paragraphs from books; paragraphs I may or may not even need. That's the not-so fun part about researching, especially when you only have a day to do it. I had to basically find everything I would possibly need. By the end of it, I was just writing words to sum up passages. I'm really quite good at winging it, though, so I will manage.
I also toured the Capitol building since my last post. The museum tries to provide a lot of enrichment activities for interns to make up for the fact that the internships are unpaid. They usually do two a semester, but we are in busy season, so they could only fit in one for this group. However, touring the Capitol building worked for me! Before the tour actually starts, they take you in this huge auditorium for a video that is super patriotic. If you go in hating America, you will come out ready to die for her. Seriously, the video was so amazing. As someone who, you know, kind of holds a grudge against everything America stands for, I was swelling with pride when I left that auditorium. But that's another story.
We got a special tour guide because Jordan, who is in charge of enrichment activities, seriously knows everyone. He can pull strings like no one's business. We saw all kinds of different chambers where meetings were going on. We also got to sit in the balcony of the Senate. John McCain was there talking on aid to Syria. Interestingly, not one other Senator was there to listen. It kind of peeved me off. And people, like assistants or interns or whatever, were walking up and down the aisles handing out papers and stuff. It was kind of disrespectful, but I guess I don't understand the world of politics. The cards to sit in the balconies of the Senate and House are good until the next election, so I am planning to take Dad, Mom, Tracey, and Caro there when they come in a few days.
Work has been nothing but crazy. We are officially in busy season, and most days I leave work feeling like a hundred kids have just punched me all over my body. I can't really describe it. Being an adult is so exhausting. I will say, however, that a TN accent gets visitors to shut up real quick and listen. I've had to bring out my attitude a couple times, though. For example, the other day, this tour guide came up with his group all ready to go. He knew I was new because he comes to the museum all the time. I told him to get his kids in a single file line and he said he knows, he's been here a million times, they're already lined up, blah blah blah. BUT they were clearly not lined up. So I went down the line and told them again. And then again. And finally I just started yelling "I AM NOT GOING TO SAY IT AGAIN. IF THIS LINE IS NOT SINGLE FILE WHEN I COME BACK HERE THE NEXT TIME, WE WILL STAND OUTSIDE IN THIS COLD WEATHER UNTIL YOU GUYS WANT TO COOPERATE WITH ME." And then I proceeded to tell him we weren't going inside until he lined his kids up. And then things were dandy. You would be surprised how hard it is to get any age group in a single file line. Even if they are 30 year old grad students. They just don't understand the concept. BUT I love my job. These bad moments are very rare. Mostly, people are so friendly and so helpful. But a bad egg can ruin the entire day.
Usually, us interns do tourist things on Tuesday since we all have off. This Tuesday, some of us visited the Postal Museum. It was a really, really cool museum. I'm not even really that interested in the history of the post office, and I still enjoyed it. I collected free postcards throughout the exhibits, and I'm going to send them to Adam. However, I apparently missed the highlights of the exhibits. I tend to whiz through museums unless they're super interesting, and I whizzed through this one. They have a stuffed dog, the mascot of the postal system, just hanging out in one of the exhibits, and I missed him! It's the real life dog that was used to years to amp up support for the post office. How crazy! Now he's just chilling in the Postal Museum in DC.
My other two days off are usually spent reading. I think I've read 6 books these past few weeks, and I'm on number 7 at the moment. I know six books doesn't sound like a lot, but I haven't read a book for fun in my entire four years of college, so now to have read six in a few weeks- I'm psyched. I'm trying so hard not to buy books at the museum gift shop, but it's so dang hard. It's like I've died and gone to Heaven every time I walk in that place.
The biggest thing I'm learning while in DC is being a grown up is HARD! I don't understand how my mom works 12 hours, and then when she gets off, she goes grocery shopping, picks us up food or cooks for us when she gets home, sometimes goes to church, runs errands. Like, seriously, how does she do it?! It is all I can do to make the commute back home. Once I'm here, forget about cooking. I usually either collapse and go right to sleep without eating dinner, or I eat something super fast. I've become quite fond of jelly sandwiches.
I guess that's all for now. I'm so, so, so excited to be home in a few days, even if it's only for a week. Then I'll be back in DC until May 1, and then it's time to graduate!! FROM COLLEGE. Where did the time go?!
Since my last post, I've done all kinds of cool things, and this week is only going to get better because my parents are coming to DC and brining Tracey and Caro! So I'm pretty dang excited about that. And I'm going home with them, which means, first and foremost, a home cooked meal!!!! It also means church, seeing my puppies, making a trip to Mamaw's (which also includes seeing Sawyer), and many more exciting things. So let me start from the beginning and detail everything.
I am still in school, which means I'm still researching and writing papers. I have a class on Jews in the Middle Ages, and I'm writing a paper on the reasons for medieval anti-Semitism (I KNOW this excites you!!), so I had to find a library full of books for me to use. That library happened to be about 12 metro stops away, which was no fun, but I got all my research done, and I'm ready to write. My entire campus could fit in the first floor of this library. It was HUGE! And scary. And a fire alarm went off the entire time I was there, but everyone just ignored it. Hello, what if it wasn't a drill?! So anyways, I was there for hours typing out entire paragraphs from books; paragraphs I may or may not even need. That's the not-so fun part about researching, especially when you only have a day to do it. I had to basically find everything I would possibly need. By the end of it, I was just writing words to sum up passages. I'm really quite good at winging it, though, so I will manage.
I also toured the Capitol building since my last post. The museum tries to provide a lot of enrichment activities for interns to make up for the fact that the internships are unpaid. They usually do two a semester, but we are in busy season, so they could only fit in one for this group. However, touring the Capitol building worked for me! Before the tour actually starts, they take you in this huge auditorium for a video that is super patriotic. If you go in hating America, you will come out ready to die for her. Seriously, the video was so amazing. As someone who, you know, kind of holds a grudge against everything America stands for, I was swelling with pride when I left that auditorium. But that's another story.
We got a special tour guide because Jordan, who is in charge of enrichment activities, seriously knows everyone. He can pull strings like no one's business. We saw all kinds of different chambers where meetings were going on. We also got to sit in the balcony of the Senate. John McCain was there talking on aid to Syria. Interestingly, not one other Senator was there to listen. It kind of peeved me off. And people, like assistants or interns or whatever, were walking up and down the aisles handing out papers and stuff. It was kind of disrespectful, but I guess I don't understand the world of politics. The cards to sit in the balconies of the Senate and House are good until the next election, so I am planning to take Dad, Mom, Tracey, and Caro there when they come in a few days.
Work has been nothing but crazy. We are officially in busy season, and most days I leave work feeling like a hundred kids have just punched me all over my body. I can't really describe it. Being an adult is so exhausting. I will say, however, that a TN accent gets visitors to shut up real quick and listen. I've had to bring out my attitude a couple times, though. For example, the other day, this tour guide came up with his group all ready to go. He knew I was new because he comes to the museum all the time. I told him to get his kids in a single file line and he said he knows, he's been here a million times, they're already lined up, blah blah blah. BUT they were clearly not lined up. So I went down the line and told them again. And then again. And finally I just started yelling "I AM NOT GOING TO SAY IT AGAIN. IF THIS LINE IS NOT SINGLE FILE WHEN I COME BACK HERE THE NEXT TIME, WE WILL STAND OUTSIDE IN THIS COLD WEATHER UNTIL YOU GUYS WANT TO COOPERATE WITH ME." And then I proceeded to tell him we weren't going inside until he lined his kids up. And then things were dandy. You would be surprised how hard it is to get any age group in a single file line. Even if they are 30 year old grad students. They just don't understand the concept. BUT I love my job. These bad moments are very rare. Mostly, people are so friendly and so helpful. But a bad egg can ruin the entire day.
Usually, us interns do tourist things on Tuesday since we all have off. This Tuesday, some of us visited the Postal Museum. It was a really, really cool museum. I'm not even really that interested in the history of the post office, and I still enjoyed it. I collected free postcards throughout the exhibits, and I'm going to send them to Adam. However, I apparently missed the highlights of the exhibits. I tend to whiz through museums unless they're super interesting, and I whizzed through this one. They have a stuffed dog, the mascot of the postal system, just hanging out in one of the exhibits, and I missed him! It's the real life dog that was used to years to amp up support for the post office. How crazy! Now he's just chilling in the Postal Museum in DC.
My other two days off are usually spent reading. I think I've read 6 books these past few weeks, and I'm on number 7 at the moment. I know six books doesn't sound like a lot, but I haven't read a book for fun in my entire four years of college, so now to have read six in a few weeks- I'm psyched. I'm trying so hard not to buy books at the museum gift shop, but it's so dang hard. It's like I've died and gone to Heaven every time I walk in that place.
The biggest thing I'm learning while in DC is being a grown up is HARD! I don't understand how my mom works 12 hours, and then when she gets off, she goes grocery shopping, picks us up food or cooks for us when she gets home, sometimes goes to church, runs errands. Like, seriously, how does she do it?! It is all I can do to make the commute back home. Once I'm here, forget about cooking. I usually either collapse and go right to sleep without eating dinner, or I eat something super fast. I've become quite fond of jelly sandwiches.
I guess that's all for now. I'm so, so, so excited to be home in a few days, even if it's only for a week. Then I'll be back in DC until May 1, and then it's time to graduate!! FROM COLLEGE. Where did the time go?!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Forgive Me...
Forgive me for lack of updates Mamaw - my faithful reader. Things have been either super hectic or so dead. Either way, I've not had time to update or had nothing to say. But alas, all things come to an end.
Today marked the third day in my four day stretch of working. And MAN were we busy. I was introduced to handing out tickets today, so I got to stand at the front of the line and ask people how many tickets they wanted. My hands were kind of cold so it's hard to rip them, but I managed. We ran out of tickets today at about 3:30, so a fairly good day.
My favorite position to work, by far, is Groups or 15 Alpha. The Groups person is in charge of the orientation for registered groups. These are usually 40+ people. It's not very difficult at the moment, but I'm told it gets much more complicated as busy season kicks in. The Groups person gets to take the group down to the elevator lobby on the lower level and give them an orientation. I like it because my teacher voice gets to come out. Also, I get to say whatever I feel is important, so I can point out things in the museum that I feel are interesting, unique, or important to see. For young kids, it's a good chance to jump on their "I can save the world" mentality. I always tell them to stop at a separate exhibition on the 2nd floor about modern day genocide, where they can write a pledge for how they will help end such injustice. It's a good note to hit because enough is certainly not being done for people around the world who are experiencing some of the same horrors as victims in the Holocaust. It's important for kids to know that they can change the world (at least I think it is).
The other position I really like to work is 15 Alpha. The museum has an entrance on 14th St and 15th St. All registered groups come through the entrance on 15th St, so 15th Alpha is in charge of checking the group in (which consists of confirmation email/reservation, contact number, number of adults, and number of kids). I also like this position because I can use my teacher voice. Single file line means single file, dang it, and I just stand there til they comply. And you always run into kids wanting to pile into the revolving door instead of separating one person per space. I like dealing with kids, so I like 15 Alpha. 14 Alpha is a lot of the same thing talking wise, but it's just regular visitors, and they always think they know what is going on. No fun.
Today, I walked home in the sunshine! I was so excited. Usually, I get off work, and by the time I get to my stop in Silver Spring, it is dark. This makes me dread the walk home, cooking, getting ready for bed, etc. So usually I end up stopping at the McDonalds right beside the station or walking down to one of the restaurants Downtown. But today there was sun (not to mention it was warm all day) so I made it home happy as a coon. And I arrived to find out that my landlord had made dinner, so I don't even have to cook. Bam!
Also, I was walking home today and saw the same homeless guy on the sidewalk that is always, always, always asking for a quarter. So as I passed him, I stopped and asked him what he wanted money for, food? And he said he had just ate at the local church. So I said then why do you want money, and he said he needed socks, deodorant, and other hygiene things. So I took him to CVS where he bought deodorant, mouthwash, and foot powder. Good deed of the day I suppose.
That's all for now! Love.
Today marked the third day in my four day stretch of working. And MAN were we busy. I was introduced to handing out tickets today, so I got to stand at the front of the line and ask people how many tickets they wanted. My hands were kind of cold so it's hard to rip them, but I managed. We ran out of tickets today at about 3:30, so a fairly good day.
My favorite position to work, by far, is Groups or 15 Alpha. The Groups person is in charge of the orientation for registered groups. These are usually 40+ people. It's not very difficult at the moment, but I'm told it gets much more complicated as busy season kicks in. The Groups person gets to take the group down to the elevator lobby on the lower level and give them an orientation. I like it because my teacher voice gets to come out. Also, I get to say whatever I feel is important, so I can point out things in the museum that I feel are interesting, unique, or important to see. For young kids, it's a good chance to jump on their "I can save the world" mentality. I always tell them to stop at a separate exhibition on the 2nd floor about modern day genocide, where they can write a pledge for how they will help end such injustice. It's a good note to hit because enough is certainly not being done for people around the world who are experiencing some of the same horrors as victims in the Holocaust. It's important for kids to know that they can change the world (at least I think it is).
The other position I really like to work is 15 Alpha. The museum has an entrance on 14th St and 15th St. All registered groups come through the entrance on 15th St, so 15th Alpha is in charge of checking the group in (which consists of confirmation email/reservation, contact number, number of adults, and number of kids). I also like this position because I can use my teacher voice. Single file line means single file, dang it, and I just stand there til they comply. And you always run into kids wanting to pile into the revolving door instead of separating one person per space. I like dealing with kids, so I like 15 Alpha. 14 Alpha is a lot of the same thing talking wise, but it's just regular visitors, and they always think they know what is going on. No fun.
Today, I walked home in the sunshine! I was so excited. Usually, I get off work, and by the time I get to my stop in Silver Spring, it is dark. This makes me dread the walk home, cooking, getting ready for bed, etc. So usually I end up stopping at the McDonalds right beside the station or walking down to one of the restaurants Downtown. But today there was sun (not to mention it was warm all day) so I made it home happy as a coon. And I arrived to find out that my landlord had made dinner, so I don't even have to cook. Bam!
Also, I was walking home today and saw the same homeless guy on the sidewalk that is always, always, always asking for a quarter. So as I passed him, I stopped and asked him what he wanted money for, food? And he said he had just ate at the local church. So I said then why do you want money, and he said he needed socks, deodorant, and other hygiene things. So I took him to CVS where he bought deodorant, mouthwash, and foot powder. Good deed of the day I suppose.
That's all for now! Love.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Catch-Up!
Okay, I have three days to explain, but I don't have much time because I have a paper due tomorrow. So this will be short and sweet.
Saturday, I seriously planned to do homework all day. Instead, I went to a Finnish play with my landlord and one of her friends. My landlord is a crazy pants- in the best way possible. She is always making sure I have enough clothes on, am I cold?, am I eating enough?, am I bored?, am I comfortable? yada yada yada. Like my mom, but annoying at times (No Mom, you're not annoying).
So anyway, we went to a Finnish play in the Kennedy Center that is part of a series called Nordic Cool. The play was in Finnish, so I obviously had no clue what was going on. But it was just neat to experience it. Next week there is a Swedish play, but I think I will have to work when it's on. That's about all I did Saturday.
Sunday, I went to the Natural History Museum with Sam and Krist, two other interns. We stayed there for a few hours, where I saw the evolution of the sloth. Sloths used to seriously be HUGE. Like it's rib bone was bigger than me. I would crap my pants if that's how big they were today. I also saw a bunch of scary sea creatures that live on the bottom of the ocean. There really is a fish that has one of those lightbulb things on its head that it sucks in its mouth. We also went to a place called Tonic, where I ate the best tater tots of my life accompanied by mac n cheese with bbq pulled pork and onions. Food of the gods y'all. Then I had to come home and finish some homework super fast.
That brings us to Monday. Today was my first day being at the museum alone. I'm the only intern who works on Monday. I was nervous- so, so, so, sooo nervous. But things went very well. Everyone is so super helpful. There was a group from Lexington there today. It's so cool when things like that happen. I directed nine million people to the bathroom, but hey, I don't care. I love it. I also got to close Daniel's Story, which just reopened, so I got to see the exhibit pretty brand spanking new since it just got refurbished. It was a great day! Plus I got my burgundy blazer today, so I'm pretty dang happy about that.
That's all I have for today. I must go and do more homework.
Saturday, I seriously planned to do homework all day. Instead, I went to a Finnish play with my landlord and one of her friends. My landlord is a crazy pants- in the best way possible. She is always making sure I have enough clothes on, am I cold?, am I eating enough?, am I bored?, am I comfortable? yada yada yada. Like my mom, but annoying at times (No Mom, you're not annoying).
So anyway, we went to a Finnish play in the Kennedy Center that is part of a series called Nordic Cool. The play was in Finnish, so I obviously had no clue what was going on. But it was just neat to experience it. Next week there is a Swedish play, but I think I will have to work when it's on. That's about all I did Saturday.
Sunday, I went to the Natural History Museum with Sam and Krist, two other interns. We stayed there for a few hours, where I saw the evolution of the sloth. Sloths used to seriously be HUGE. Like it's rib bone was bigger than me. I would crap my pants if that's how big they were today. I also saw a bunch of scary sea creatures that live on the bottom of the ocean. There really is a fish that has one of those lightbulb things on its head that it sucks in its mouth. We also went to a place called Tonic, where I ate the best tater tots of my life accompanied by mac n cheese with bbq pulled pork and onions. Food of the gods y'all. Then I had to come home and finish some homework super fast.
That brings us to Monday. Today was my first day being at the museum alone. I'm the only intern who works on Monday. I was nervous- so, so, so, sooo nervous. But things went very well. Everyone is so super helpful. There was a group from Lexington there today. It's so cool when things like that happen. I directed nine million people to the bathroom, but hey, I don't care. I love it. I also got to close Daniel's Story, which just reopened, so I got to see the exhibit pretty brand spanking new since it just got refurbished. It was a great day! Plus I got my burgundy blazer today, so I'm pretty dang happy about that.
That's all I have for today. I must go and do more homework.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Last Day of "Training"
Officially, today was the last day of intern training. We are now officially on the schedule, manning position, closing things down, etc. It is quite exciting. My body is also officially used to the constant moving, walking on concrete, up and down stairs, etc. My feet aren't hurting, and I'm not utterly exhausted. I'm tired, don't get me wrong, but I'm definitely managing.
From 8:45-11:30 we were trained on handing out passes and everything that goes along with that. After lunch we met with Manny Mandel, a Holocaust survivor, for just a short presentation on his experience, and then we were up on the floor closing. The day was hectic but amazing, but I'm sure you all expect that by now.
Busy season started today, so now visitors have to have a ticket to get into the PE. They can still come in the museum and visit the smaller exhibits, but the PE is not open to visitors without a ticket. Although today was the kick off, we didn't run out of tickets, so things went smoothly. When it starts actually getting busier, we will get rid of tickets by 11:00 AM for the entire day, so we will have to deal with visitors who are mad about not being able to get into the PE.
The pass system is complicated when it is explained. The museum is super busy from March-May, and this year is the 20th anniversary, so it is even busier. The PE is obviously are biggest exhibit and the one everyone wants to see. Unfortunately, it is not wide enough or lit up enough to accommodate everyone. There are about 900 tickets online that people can reserved (those are already all reserved through May). We hand out 1850 passes outside. People start lining up as early as like 7:30, and sometimes the line is miles long. They once handed out all 1850 passes within seventeen minutes. WOW! Once tickets are gone, they're gone. A person can get up to 20 tickets. Tickets have a one hour window of time when they can be used. If you have a 10-11 ticket, you have to be in the PE by 11 or your ticket is void. This is to keep people from getting tickets then leaving and everyone returning all at once. We have tickets for federal employees, veterans, survivors, liberators, cops, military, fire fighters, etc. that are not timed. Those visitors can go in the exhibit anytime they want. However, they still have to wait in the security line no matter how long it is. Museum staff can also get these VIP tickets, so if anyone is wanting to visit the museum while I'm up here I can get you in! Important note: the time slot you are given does not mean you have to be in and out within that hour. It just means you have to be in the PE within that time. Once youre in, you can stay until we close. Up to you. It is still good to come in the museum even if you can't get into the PE because we have all kinds of things going on everywhere else. But enough about logistics.
I froze my ass off standing in the cold telling people to form a line, get ready for security, take cameras/phones/electronic devices out of their pockets, please form a single file line, repeat, repeat, repeat. It was torture simply because it was FREEZING today. And the wind was blowing which made it even worse. Horrible, horrible, horrible. Good news: we got an early lunch today. YAY!
Lunch is pretty much the best hour of the day. All of us interns have lunch together so we talk about utter nonsense for an hour, eat candy, talk about how confused we are, eat more candy, plan out trips, make fun of my 12 year old self, eat candy. It's mostly me eating candy, but if it's there it's fair game so I just help myself. We are all visiting the Smithsonian Sunday since we are off the next two days! I get to sleep in tomorrow. I am so beyond excited. No alarm will be set for this girl. I also made a super cool intern page for the six of us. Also, the 6th intern joined the group today. I would die if I was him because everything is being thrown at him at once. He also lives in Silver Spring, so now I have someone to ride the metro with and talk to on the ride home.
The most important thing that happened today was meeting Manny. Manny was born in 1936, so he was fairly young when the Holocaust was taking place. Also, Manny is Hungarian, and the Nazis did not invade Hungary until 1944. Manny was one of the few Jews who was able to get out of Hungary and avoid deportation to Auschwitz. He and his mother lived in Palestine then eventually moved to the US in 1949 along with his father. His father was a slave laborer during the Holocaust, and he located them after the war. Manny was so unbelievably funny. I could have talked to him for hours, but unfortunately we did not have the time. We had extra time later in the afternoon, so we all headed up to the info desk and hung out with him for about an hour. He talked to entire time, and I could have kept talking to him the rest of the night. Museum staff have said that most of the survivors are that way; they will talk your head off. I am of course perfectly fine with that because I am in awe of them all!
I think that is all I have for today. I actually am not completely exhausted today, so I am going to watch Netflix for a few hours before I head to bed. I do plan to sleep most of the day tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be super boring on my end, so don't look for an update. I will try to write again on Sunday about my sight seeing adventures.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
10-91 & Disruptive Kids
Before I get into things, I have to confess that I'm so unbelievably tired that I just ate Chic-Fil-A instead of coming home and fixing food. But at this point, I don't really care.
Day three of interning was, of course & as expected, AMAZING! I seriously have the best internship. I already kind of feel a part of the Museum Services family. I would totally love to run a museum or be apart of museum services forever. But then again, only at USHMM, nowhere else. I've already met so many amazing people and the list keeps growing.
FYI, there is a Museum Services staff from GATLINBURG. His name is Matt Fisher (maybe someone out there knows him). I explained to him exactly where I live. Not Knoxville, not the TN-KY line. I said: I live down the Valley going towards Knoxville, and he said ohhh yeah, like you're going towards Laf. So freaking cool. And he was super nice as well, but I'm getting used to that.
Training today involved groups. USHMM has a reservation link on their website so that bigger groups can make sure they can get in to see the PE (Permanent Exhibition). Group reservations are already booked up for the rest of the year, so you can kind of understand how popular the museum is. Groups can make reservations a year in advance, and the slots fill up pretty quickly.
Groups use the back entrance of the museum, so we were technically "15 Street" today, but we're not totally comfortable running the show by ourselves, so they had us shadowing museum staff. Basically, 15 Street touches base with the chaperone, gets a head count of chaperones and kids, then gets one chaperone to stand at the end of security, hand out a question card, then direct the kids to either a female student or male student holding an ID card of someone's Holocaust story, then they head down the stairs where the second chaperone is lining the kids up on the steps 2-4 across (depending on group size). After everyone is thru, we go downstairs, take them to the groups elevator lobby, give them a brief orientation, then send them up to the PE.
Another position we will be working is "15 Alpha" or "14 Alpha" which means we don't make contact with the chaperones. We are only out there to help security. We tell people to start taking things out of their pockets, get their bags ready to go thru the scanner, take phones out and put them in the bowl or bag, etc. There are two entrances to the museum, 15th St and 14th St, so you're alpha position is according to that.
We also learned how to run films today. We give a intro, show the film, conclusion, done. First we toured the Wexner Center, which is an exhibit on how to take the lessons learned in the PE and apply them to what is going on today. It covers two past genocides, Rwanda and Bosnia, and Darfur, which is currently going on. As we were walking down from the Wexner Center for film training, things were hectic. We didn't realize it at the time but a 10-91 had been called. A 10-91 is an unattended bag. It wasn't a big deal; some kid had just left his bag laying on the floor without realizing it. But we still had to clear everyone out of the main lobby over to the side or down the stairs. It was kind of chaotic. Especially because groups wanted to find one another and that wasn't possible at the time.
As we went up to "rove" and close the floors, we could clearly smell fire on the 2nd floor. Some lovely children had used their museum guides to light some candles in the Hall of Remembrance. That started an entirely new ordeal because the guard and some MS staff had to confront the school leader and deal with that. It was kind of crazy to see a 10-91 and that all in the same day!
I think that pretty much hits the high notes for the day. Tomorrow morning is more training, but tomorrow afternoon we officially start working alone. We won't technically be alone because now that the interns have arrived, there are more staff, so we can team up in needed areas. BUT we are not longer in training! There will still be some days where an intern is running coach check alone or is Alpha 14/15 alone or another position. Things are bound to get interesting.
More tomorrow!
Day three of interning was, of course & as expected, AMAZING! I seriously have the best internship. I already kind of feel a part of the Museum Services family. I would totally love to run a museum or be apart of museum services forever. But then again, only at USHMM, nowhere else. I've already met so many amazing people and the list keeps growing.
FYI, there is a Museum Services staff from GATLINBURG. His name is Matt Fisher (maybe someone out there knows him). I explained to him exactly where I live. Not Knoxville, not the TN-KY line. I said: I live down the Valley going towards Knoxville, and he said ohhh yeah, like you're going towards Laf. So freaking cool. And he was super nice as well, but I'm getting used to that.
Training today involved groups. USHMM has a reservation link on their website so that bigger groups can make sure they can get in to see the PE (Permanent Exhibition). Group reservations are already booked up for the rest of the year, so you can kind of understand how popular the museum is. Groups can make reservations a year in advance, and the slots fill up pretty quickly.
Groups use the back entrance of the museum, so we were technically "15 Street" today, but we're not totally comfortable running the show by ourselves, so they had us shadowing museum staff. Basically, 15 Street touches base with the chaperone, gets a head count of chaperones and kids, then gets one chaperone to stand at the end of security, hand out a question card, then direct the kids to either a female student or male student holding an ID card of someone's Holocaust story, then they head down the stairs where the second chaperone is lining the kids up on the steps 2-4 across (depending on group size). After everyone is thru, we go downstairs, take them to the groups elevator lobby, give them a brief orientation, then send them up to the PE.
Another position we will be working is "15 Alpha" or "14 Alpha" which means we don't make contact with the chaperones. We are only out there to help security. We tell people to start taking things out of their pockets, get their bags ready to go thru the scanner, take phones out and put them in the bowl or bag, etc. There are two entrances to the museum, 15th St and 14th St, so you're alpha position is according to that.
We also learned how to run films today. We give a intro, show the film, conclusion, done. First we toured the Wexner Center, which is an exhibit on how to take the lessons learned in the PE and apply them to what is going on today. It covers two past genocides, Rwanda and Bosnia, and Darfur, which is currently going on. As we were walking down from the Wexner Center for film training, things were hectic. We didn't realize it at the time but a 10-91 had been called. A 10-91 is an unattended bag. It wasn't a big deal; some kid had just left his bag laying on the floor without realizing it. But we still had to clear everyone out of the main lobby over to the side or down the stairs. It was kind of chaotic. Especially because groups wanted to find one another and that wasn't possible at the time.
As we went up to "rove" and close the floors, we could clearly smell fire on the 2nd floor. Some lovely children had used their museum guides to light some candles in the Hall of Remembrance. That started an entirely new ordeal because the guard and some MS staff had to confront the school leader and deal with that. It was kind of crazy to see a 10-91 and that all in the same day!
I think that pretty much hits the high notes for the day. Tomorrow morning is more training, but tomorrow afternoon we officially start working alone. We won't technically be alone because now that the interns have arrived, there are more staff, so we can team up in needed areas. BUT we are not longer in training! There will still be some days where an intern is running coach check alone or is Alpha 14/15 alone or another position. Things are bound to get interesting.
More tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Internship: Day 2
This may be a poorly written and very short blog post because I am literally about to fall over asleep.
Today's training was just as fun and exciting as yesterday. I had no issues on the subway (YAY!!), and I got to work around 8:30, so I just hung out with the other interns until 8:45. At 8:45, we headed down to the CO's office and signed it, and he was in charge of our training for the morning. I think it is so cool that the head honchos of visitor services still help out on the floor.
The info desk is basically the heart of the museum. It is usually the first place people stop because the museum itself is so disorienting, and they want some kind of direction on what to do first. We field all kinds of questions, ranging from bathroom locations to Holocaust questions. We basically make sure everything is stocked up because the info desk has tonnnns of brochures. The museum doesn't open until 10, so from 8:45 til then we go get the supplies and restock. Once busy season hits (which is apparently Friday), we will go help hand out passes at the front door. I will have to cover the pass system later because it's complicated and I'm tired.
After info desk training, we covered safety, security, and evacuation. We learned the different codes to call (10-80 for a sick person, 10-91 for abandoned bag, etc.), and we finally got our RADIOS!!! I feel official now. We walked around the building to cover everything with the evac procedures. Also, Wily, the CO who did our info desk training, took us to the control room since we had extra time. It was super high tech. They can zoom ridiculously far in with those cameras. It's kind of scary but comforting at the same time.
We got lunch early, so all of us interns killed time in the museum bookstore. I feel like I kind of freaked them out with my book obsession- I think the people who are close to me understand it, but they didn't take me seriously when I said "I have a problem. Please don't let me buy anything." I only came out with three books, so I feel pretty dang good about myself. I'm still eyeing that encyclopedia of the ghettos and camps though. I got an award from LMU yesterday which included 200 bucks so I feel like it's okay to buy it. But I'm trying not to be super impulsive. I'll keep you updated.
Following lunch was hospitality training with Art, the smoothest employee at the museum. He is so precious. I just love him. He is very funny and likes to joke around a lot; a certain degree of humor is necessary when dealing with such a heavy subject. He shared stories of things we may run into, then we got to hang out until we were divided up between the floors to close the museum down.
"Rovers" walk around the floor (rove: get it?) and let people know when it gets closer to closing time that they only have so many minutes left to view the rest of the exhibit. We have to check the films and make sure they are clear, clear the bathrooms, and move people along. Then at 5:20 the permanent exhibition is officially closed so we can start politely asking people to make their way to the nearest exit. This is when people realize how slow they can actually walk, so we just walk right behind them to keep them moving. After the building is cleared, we're all free to go. The process is a bit more lengthy than what I described, but it's something that has to be shown in order for anyone to understand it, so there's no sense in me wasting all of our time.
Overall, today was yet another amazing day at the USHMM. I am so lucky to have been given this internship. The people I work with are so friendly and helpful, and the group of interns are all so down to earth and easy to get along with. The super fun stuff begins tomorrow because we get to learn how to check big groups in and basically do crowd control outside while they filter through the museum.
Good night!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
AHHHH!!!
If my title doesn't say it all, let me explain in further detail: I have the best freaking internship in the country; possibly even the world. The staff at USHMM are sooo laid back and carefree. I was so nervous going into it because I thought everyone would be grilling me about the dos and donts of the job, but it wasn't like that at all. Let me start from the beginning.
First off, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, of course. I was so excited; it was like a kid on Christmas Eve. I had butterflies, and I'd get fidgety then doze off only to wake back up and start the cycle over again. However, I finally fell asleep because I woke up to my alarm going off.
It is probably a ten minute walk between here and the metro. Once I got on I sat down and started reading my book. However, the train went out of service on the next stop (probably 2 minutes down the line) so EVERYONE had to get off the train and wait for the next one to come through. It was nerve wracking. Of course, the next train was super packed once we all piled on. This time, I wasn't able to get a seat. I was crammed right by the door by a guy blaring his Cascada music (Everytime we touch I get this feeling.. blah blah blah.. I swear I can fly). But whatever, to each his own. The train driver was getting very upset because there was literally NO WHERE for people to go, but people still insisted on cramming themselves into the train at each consecutive stop. Finally she just started telling passengers on the platform to not even try to get on. Once we came to the Metro Center stop, which is where I get off, things had become less crowded. However, up to that point, I was squeezed between four men in their business suits. I honestly am not sure if they even knew I was there. I was still just reading away.
The day went pretty smoothly from here on out, except for my walk home, which I will cover later. When I got to the museum, I had to wait to be checked in. While I was waiting, I realized I forgot to bring my lunch. That sucked, but it all worked out because they had extra food left over from a conference they had earlier so I was able to eat. The representative, Luke, who is basically over us during the internship is so amazingly cool. It's not even like he's my boss. He is so friendly and so hilarious. I can say that for everyone we came in contact with. We were kind of on show the entire day because we are the only "real" interns in the building. Every person we passed in a burgundy blazer had to introduce him/herself and we had to do the same. We first received a general intro into what to expect, then we were given a guided tour through the permanent exhibition, which is a three story chronological history of the Holocaust.
After lunch, we learned how to operate the elevators. Basically, we greet people as they come into the permanent exhibition, tell them to get an ID card, and point them into the elevators. Then we have to give a short "general info" briefing. "Welcome to the USHMM. Thank you for visiting us today. The ID card you have shares the personal story of someone victimized by the Nazis. Please read one page per floor, starting with floor four and moving down to flour two. As you go up, turn your attention to the screen in the back of the elevator for a short video. And please remember, no photography or cell phone use is allowed in the exhibition." ISN'T THAT COOL?!?!?! Don't sit there and act like you wouldn't enjoy doing that.
Next, we covered coat check. There's nothing great to say here- sometimes we have to man the desk where people hang their coats. Take their coat, give them a number, they bring the number back and get the coat. Other things can also be checked here, and the same process basically applies to everything. The guy covering coat check was super nice, which was to be expected since everyone is nice there, and it looks as if coat check is the one place you can (politely) get snippy with guests. Not that I ever would, but it's nice to know you don't have to smile and take their harassment about not wanting to hang their coat up or wait in line. So ha! "Coat check is a service provided by the museum at no charge to you, so please form a line, and I will begin assisting the first visitor."
Coat check was over at 5, and the museum closes at 5:30, so the remainder of the time was spent going over everything we had covered today, questions, etc. We had to wait around and funnel everyone out at 5:30. As we were leaving, the bomb sniffing dog made an appearance, so of course I got caught up giving her lovings. All of us interns fawned over her for like 15 minutes at least. Her name is Pep. Tomorrow Haley will be the dog on duty.
All of us interns catch a metro at the Smithsonian stop, so we all walked together down there. Everyone separated at that point to catch their different trains. The ride home was busy since everyone was getting off work, but I read the entire time so I didn't really mind. However, once I got off at Silver Spring, things turned sour. It was pouring the rain. I didn't even know it was supposed to rain today, so I was definitely unprepared. I had flimsy little ballet flats on (I bought them at Steve & Barry's if that gives you any idea of how old they are), and they do not work well in the rain. Also, Silver Spring gathers water everywhere, so I basically walked in puddles my entire way home. At one point, the wind was so strong that it literally knocked me over... not embarrassing at all. My khaki pants looked more like chocolate brown pants when I arrived home, and my toboggan was completely soaked. A quick run through the dryer fixed that though.
All in all, my day was amazing. The sour spots were completely overshadowed by the fact that I have the best internship anyone has ever had.. ever. Seriously: EVER!!!!
First off, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, of course. I was so excited; it was like a kid on Christmas Eve. I had butterflies, and I'd get fidgety then doze off only to wake back up and start the cycle over again. However, I finally fell asleep because I woke up to my alarm going off.
It is probably a ten minute walk between here and the metro. Once I got on I sat down and started reading my book. However, the train went out of service on the next stop (probably 2 minutes down the line) so EVERYONE had to get off the train and wait for the next one to come through. It was nerve wracking. Of course, the next train was super packed once we all piled on. This time, I wasn't able to get a seat. I was crammed right by the door by a guy blaring his Cascada music (Everytime we touch I get this feeling.. blah blah blah.. I swear I can fly). But whatever, to each his own. The train driver was getting very upset because there was literally NO WHERE for people to go, but people still insisted on cramming themselves into the train at each consecutive stop. Finally she just started telling passengers on the platform to not even try to get on. Once we came to the Metro Center stop, which is where I get off, things had become less crowded. However, up to that point, I was squeezed between four men in their business suits. I honestly am not sure if they even knew I was there. I was still just reading away.
The day went pretty smoothly from here on out, except for my walk home, which I will cover later. When I got to the museum, I had to wait to be checked in. While I was waiting, I realized I forgot to bring my lunch. That sucked, but it all worked out because they had extra food left over from a conference they had earlier so I was able to eat. The representative, Luke, who is basically over us during the internship is so amazingly cool. It's not even like he's my boss. He is so friendly and so hilarious. I can say that for everyone we came in contact with. We were kind of on show the entire day because we are the only "real" interns in the building. Every person we passed in a burgundy blazer had to introduce him/herself and we had to do the same. We first received a general intro into what to expect, then we were given a guided tour through the permanent exhibition, which is a three story chronological history of the Holocaust.
After lunch, we learned how to operate the elevators. Basically, we greet people as they come into the permanent exhibition, tell them to get an ID card, and point them into the elevators. Then we have to give a short "general info" briefing. "Welcome to the USHMM. Thank you for visiting us today. The ID card you have shares the personal story of someone victimized by the Nazis. Please read one page per floor, starting with floor four and moving down to flour two. As you go up, turn your attention to the screen in the back of the elevator for a short video. And please remember, no photography or cell phone use is allowed in the exhibition." ISN'T THAT COOL?!?!?! Don't sit there and act like you wouldn't enjoy doing that.
Next, we covered coat check. There's nothing great to say here- sometimes we have to man the desk where people hang their coats. Take their coat, give them a number, they bring the number back and get the coat. Other things can also be checked here, and the same process basically applies to everything. The guy covering coat check was super nice, which was to be expected since everyone is nice there, and it looks as if coat check is the one place you can (politely) get snippy with guests. Not that I ever would, but it's nice to know you don't have to smile and take their harassment about not wanting to hang their coat up or wait in line. So ha! "Coat check is a service provided by the museum at no charge to you, so please form a line, and I will begin assisting the first visitor."
Coat check was over at 5, and the museum closes at 5:30, so the remainder of the time was spent going over everything we had covered today, questions, etc. We had to wait around and funnel everyone out at 5:30. As we were leaving, the bomb sniffing dog made an appearance, so of course I got caught up giving her lovings. All of us interns fawned over her for like 15 minutes at least. Her name is Pep. Tomorrow Haley will be the dog on duty.
All of us interns catch a metro at the Smithsonian stop, so we all walked together down there. Everyone separated at that point to catch their different trains. The ride home was busy since everyone was getting off work, but I read the entire time so I didn't really mind. However, once I got off at Silver Spring, things turned sour. It was pouring the rain. I didn't even know it was supposed to rain today, so I was definitely unprepared. I had flimsy little ballet flats on (I bought them at Steve & Barry's if that gives you any idea of how old they are), and they do not work well in the rain. Also, Silver Spring gathers water everywhere, so I basically walked in puddles my entire way home. At one point, the wind was so strong that it literally knocked me over... not embarrassing at all. My khaki pants looked more like chocolate brown pants when I arrived home, and my toboggan was completely soaked. A quick run through the dryer fixed that though.
All in all, my day was amazing. The sour spots were completely overshadowed by the fact that I have the best internship anyone has ever had.. ever. Seriously: EVER!!!!
Monday, February 25, 2013
City Life: Day 2
Y'all, I had the most exciting day ever... I laid in bed until 3:30 then went to the library!
Last night, I decided it would be best to figure out where I'm going to get all the books for my term papers since I obviously can't order them through Interlibrary Loan as I'm used to doing. I found a list of universities/colleges around DC and was able to find all my books in one library! This is exciting news- y'all may not understand, but it is..trust me.
The books I need are located at American University, which is about 13 metro stops away, so not a bad commute at all. They are open until midnight, so one day I am just going to go exploring and get everything done. I had serious plans to do that today, but I had other things I needed to do.
By other things, I mean watch the three episodes of Grey's Anatomy that I've missed. After that was done I really felt like I should get up and do something with my life instead of laying around being lazy. I had some documents that needed to be filled out and signed before my internship tomorrow, and the library is about a five minute walk, so I headed on over there.
I was really quite surprised by the library. First, it was completely full of people. I'm not used to residents actually utilizing the public library. Second, while walking, I met the cutest, most adorable, friendliest puppies ever. I saw the woman walking one of them, but I didn't know the other one belonged to her as well. As soon as I saw it, I sat down right in the road to give it some loving, which prompted her to walk up and explain it was her dog, which gave the leashed dog the opportunity to lick me right up the face as well. Of course, I didn't mind because I miss my two babies so, so, so, so, so much (which I explained to her).
I have two papers due tomorrow, and I suppose I have put off writing them long enough. Tomorrow I will have much more to say!
Sarah
Last night, I decided it would be best to figure out where I'm going to get all the books for my term papers since I obviously can't order them through Interlibrary Loan as I'm used to doing. I found a list of universities/colleges around DC and was able to find all my books in one library! This is exciting news- y'all may not understand, but it is..trust me.
The books I need are located at American University, which is about 13 metro stops away, so not a bad commute at all. They are open until midnight, so one day I am just going to go exploring and get everything done. I had serious plans to do that today, but I had other things I needed to do.
By other things, I mean watch the three episodes of Grey's Anatomy that I've missed. After that was done I really felt like I should get up and do something with my life instead of laying around being lazy. I had some documents that needed to be filled out and signed before my internship tomorrow, and the library is about a five minute walk, so I headed on over there.
I was really quite surprised by the library. First, it was completely full of people. I'm not used to residents actually utilizing the public library. Second, while walking, I met the cutest, most adorable, friendliest puppies ever. I saw the woman walking one of them, but I didn't know the other one belonged to her as well. As soon as I saw it, I sat down right in the road to give it some loving, which prompted her to walk up and explain it was her dog, which gave the leashed dog the opportunity to lick me right up the face as well. Of course, I didn't mind because I miss my two babies so, so, so, so, so much (which I explained to her).
I have two papers due tomorrow, and I suppose I have put off writing them long enough. Tomorrow I will have much more to say!
Sarah
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Beginning of my DC Journey. . .
Greetings from DC!
So, I'm no blogger, but my friend Victoria suggested that I start a blog to avoid having to answer the same question one million times. I'm sure my mother will still require a daily phone update, but nevertheless, here I am, on blogspot, with a blog title denoting my love for travel.
For those who don't know, I'm in DC interning at the Holocaust Museum until May 2. I am actually living in Silver Spring, MD, which is about 35 minutes outside of DC by metro. Mom, Ally, and I figured out the metro system today, and I bought my rechargeable fare card! I felt like such a city goer, walking around in my toboggan swiping my card while everyone else had their paper tickets that have to be thrown away at the end of the day.
I am living in a house with three other roommates. So far, they seem nice. They are a little older than me, and I am a loner by nature, but I think it will work out just fine. However, one is a vegan so she probably freaked out when she opened the fridge to see my fish sticks, chicken fried rice, and corn dogs right beside her frozen green beans. They also probably think I am about 12 years old based on what they see on my shelf of the fridge and on my side of the cabinet- yoo hoos, Dora the Explorer fruit snacks (the best kind!), Ramen noodles, etc. etc.
Today, we went into DC and figured out my route to work because my mother could not foresee leaving me alone here to figure it out by myself. I do not know what she will do when I don't require her to move me in places anymore. But I'm grateful because the extra support is nice to have. I went in the USHMM gift shop today and scoped out their book collection-- I am thinking my going away/graduation present to myself will be the TWO VOLUME encyclopedia on the Nazi concentration camp system. It only comes in at a meager $295.00. Maybe I can swing it when they plug my discount in. Fingers crossed because I'm not leaving this place without it!
All in all, life in DC is perfect at this point. I start work Tuesday, and tomorrow will be spent finding every used book store and library between here and the end of the metro line.
I will keep everyone posted!
Sarah
So, I'm no blogger, but my friend Victoria suggested that I start a blog to avoid having to answer the same question one million times. I'm sure my mother will still require a daily phone update, but nevertheless, here I am, on blogspot, with a blog title denoting my love for travel.
For those who don't know, I'm in DC interning at the Holocaust Museum until May 2. I am actually living in Silver Spring, MD, which is about 35 minutes outside of DC by metro. Mom, Ally, and I figured out the metro system today, and I bought my rechargeable fare card! I felt like such a city goer, walking around in my toboggan swiping my card while everyone else had their paper tickets that have to be thrown away at the end of the day.
I am living in a house with three other roommates. So far, they seem nice. They are a little older than me, and I am a loner by nature, but I think it will work out just fine. However, one is a vegan so she probably freaked out when she opened the fridge to see my fish sticks, chicken fried rice, and corn dogs right beside her frozen green beans. They also probably think I am about 12 years old based on what they see on my shelf of the fridge and on my side of the cabinet- yoo hoos, Dora the Explorer fruit snacks (the best kind!), Ramen noodles, etc. etc.
Today, we went into DC and figured out my route to work because my mother could not foresee leaving me alone here to figure it out by myself. I do not know what she will do when I don't require her to move me in places anymore. But I'm grateful because the extra support is nice to have. I went in the USHMM gift shop today and scoped out their book collection-- I am thinking my going away/graduation present to myself will be the TWO VOLUME encyclopedia on the Nazi concentration camp system. It only comes in at a meager $295.00. Maybe I can swing it when they plug my discount in. Fingers crossed because I'm not leaving this place without it!
All in all, life in DC is perfect at this point. I start work Tuesday, and tomorrow will be spent finding every used book store and library between here and the end of the metro line.
I will keep everyone posted!
Sarah
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