Back in NC

After two months in Michigan I'm back home in NC! It's really good to be back home to more familiar places and faces :) Being in Michigan was great and I had an amazing experience working for the health department. I learned a lot about myself and how to deal with certain situations and unexpected moments. The summer went by super fast and my last two weeks were crazy busy. I delivered letters to pools that still weren't meeting the requirements of a public swimming pool, ie. no license/fees. By the end of the internship I was ready for a vacation. My parents came up to help me bring my things back and we did a little sight seeing. We went to Michigan's upper peninsula and it was beautiful. Though it wasn't much cooler. Apparently the summer I'm in Michigan it decides to be one of the hottest summers. We visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising and Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island was really interesting because of Fort Mackinac and the fact that there were no cars just bicycles and horses. Michigan is a great place to visit. Since I've been home I've been unpacking and getting rid of old things that I don't need anymore. Also, I've been working on finishing up my internship assignments. I have some jobs to apply for and I may get a part time job until I find something more permanent. I hope everyone is doing well and I do miss that I won't be living up at Western this year, but I hope to visit! Will post pictures soon!

Two More Weeks!

The weekend before last my dear friend Brittany was in the area and I was able to see her!!! It was her Birthday and she had the day off from work. We went shopping and saw a movie. Later in the afternoon we walked around Northville, a small town outside of Detroit. The movie Scream 4 is being filmed in several towns outside of Detroit and this was one of them. Eventhough there was no filming going on at the time, we got to see the bookstore they have been using. Later that night we went to a country dance hall, haha. We didn't dance, but we had fun watching other people. Everything they did was pretty much choreographed. I really want to learn how to line dance.

Only two more weeks left of work! I told them I could stay longer, but since they have been training new permanent employees I don't think I will be staying. I'm glad to be going home soon. Actually, I'm glad I can get a break soon. I'm very worn out. Driving around the county everyday is draining, but I enjoy what I've been doing. I really have experienced what it is like to work in a health department. Most employees are out in the field all day; it's hard and rewarding. I've learned alot about pools for sure and swimming in a pool will never be the same for me. I don't know where I'm going from here, but I do know I can take what I've learned and apply it to anywhere I go next.

So in December I will graduate, even though I'll be done in August. Therefore, many visits to Western this fall for sure! :) Hope to see everyone soon!!!

Week 7, Niagra Falls and the HEAT!

**It's week seven in Michigan and only 3 more weeks to go. The Health Department has offered me to stay a little longer because there is lots of work to be done. I haven't decided yet what I'll be doing. I'll have to see if I'll be able to stay longer where I'm living. I think it would be nice to stay a little longer to get some extra money since I don't have a job yet for when I go back home. I'll also be looking into part-time jobs and volunteering until I find a permanent job.

**This past weekend my sister came! We went to Niagra Falls, Canada and it was beautiful! The last time I was at Niagra Falls was when I was 3 or 4 yrs old. I also saw it from the American side, but the Canadian side has a better view and places to shop and eat. So if you ever head to Niagra Falls make sure you have a passport to go to the Canadian side. There is a boat ride called Maid of the Mist we took right up to the falls. They provided ponchos for when the mist at the falls nearly soaked us.

**We stayed there Sat. and Sun. before heading back to Michigan for the 4th of July Fireworks. On Monday we went to the Detroit Zoo. It was really fun seeing all the different animals and learning that some of them were rescued animals. Some of the different animals were kangaroos, a polar bear (yes, out in the heat, but he was used to it from being in a circus in south america), zebra, giraffes, and Rhinos.

**This past week we have had a heat wave and I'm glad we got some rain this afternoon to cool it off. Being out in the heat doing pool inspections is not fun and draining especially since I have to wear pants. I'm glad it will be back in the 80s starting tomorrow!

**On Saturday I get to see Brittany, which will be fun. I'm planning some things to do since it will be her Birthday! Even though I'll get to see her one day, it's awesome and ironic she's going to be nearby working the same time I'm here!

**My job is going well. I've done many pool inspections and lots of shadowing by now. The pool inspections have gotten easier, but I still learn something new or learn to do something different everyday.

**Anyways, I'll let you know how this weekend goes soon! Let me know if you hear about any Environmental jobs I could apply for :)

Life on the road..literally

It's been a month since I've started my internship here in Michigan. Its been great. I'm getting use to driving around in an unfamiliar place and I don't have to always pull out the GPS now. Sometimes I'm glad not to use it because it can be distracting. I'm also getting use to being asked 'where are you from' everyday. I didn't think my southern accent was that strong but I guess it's really noticeable here. I've tried talking in a northern accent and I think it just makes me sound more southern. The weather here is really nice also, when its not raining every other day. It pretty much stays in the 80s, with some chilly mornings. It rained on me a little bit out in the field today, but I haven't had any issues with the weather restricting me from doing any pool inspections or beach sampling.

Last week and so far this week I've done a lot of shadowing in different programs at the health department. It's been really awesome to get a overall view of how other inspections are done and it will give me a better idea of what I would like to do in the future. I have an interest for the well program, so I would like to do more shadowing in that area. Today I saw a Geothermal well. The geothermal system basically heats and cools the water for the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning of a home or business! I thought it was really awesome and it's suppose to be more cost-efficient.

I finally found some post cards, so if I don't have your address send it to me and I will send you one! I can't believe June is almost over!

So far so great in Michigan!

This week went by really well. Most of the time I was out on my own in the field collecting beach water samples and doing pool inspections. I'm pretty comfortable doing these things on my own. So far I have had good responses from pool operators when I've told them I have to close their pool. They have all been so nice and understanding. I spend a lot of time in the sun, and I like it, but my farmers tan is already starting.

I'm so excited it's the weekend! Yesterday I bought some cookware and this morning I was able to actually cook in the kitchenette on my hall!!! I've also been trying some different restaurants in the area that we don't have in the south. I went to this restaurant with another intern called Olga's Kitchen. I think it's greek, but not sure. The food was awesome. Also, there's this store here kind of like a Wal-mart, but better. It's call Meijer, I've started going there for essentials. When I get home in the evenings, I love to relax or go to the coffee house down the road to use the internet. It reminds me of the coffee house I used to work at in Charlotte. On Tuesday, Evan was born (nephew #2). I can't wait to see him and more pictures.

In July my sister is coming to visit me. We are planing to go to Toronto, Canada for a day since it is only 5 hours away. I really want to go to the Detroit Zoo and a baseball game while she is here. I haven't sent out any post cards yet because I haven't seen any. This area is not really a tourist area so that's probably why, but I'll keep looking.

Overall, I'm doing well and meeting lots of people! Hope everyone is doing well!

Evan

This week Evan was born!! 8lbs 9 ounces and 25 inches long!!

Week two of Michigan

So far Michigan is treating me well. Last week I started work. I went through orientation and Swimming pool training. It was a week full of learning and was a bit overwhelming with the amount of information they threw at me. Training consisted of shadowing and in the classroom. By the end of the week I was doing pool inspections while supervised. Many of them I had to close due to low disinfectant in the pool, but the owners took it well. I'm ready to started inspecting on my own. I have a feeling I will get all kinds of reactions from pool owners when I start closing pools on my own.

This week I started doing Beach training which took place in a classroom. Basically I will be going out to 10 beaches over 2 days and collecting 3 water samples at each beach... and take the samples to the lab by noon... no pressure right. After training I mapped out the locations of my assigned beaches and began driving out to them to survey. Finding these places was a lot harder than I thought. Several times I had to stop and pull out a street atlas to find the locations (some didn't have addresses). It took me all day and I was exhausted. I'm going to be kept busy for sure, but overall I really like it. Tomorrow I will be doing more pool inspections with another employee before I start on my own next week.

I'm doing well. The county I work in is so big and soo many people live here...which means traffic everywhere. Also, I've learned that summertime in Michigan is when they like to do their road construction. I think they should start making left turns (you can't turn left at a lot of places here-- therefore having make a "Michigan left" aka go make a u-turn). Yesterday for dinner I stopped to get take-out on my way home. Well since I couldn't turn left and drive 0.2 miles to home.. and there was road construction plus traffic down the road so I had to drive around the block and cut through neighborhoods driving several miles just to get home. It's kinda funny.

I hope everyone is doing well!! I miss North Carolina for sure. I'll let you know how next week goes!!!