1st real week

Hey hey!
Time to act like a big-kid and start the first week of my post-grad internship!

But first - On Saturday I went rafting on the Snake River with a few friends. One of them is a rafting guide, so we did the whole day on $20 each, for renting the boat. It was tons of fun. I almost fell out, it was about 40 degrees and cloudy, and I got a wave in my face, I wore long johns and was still freezing, but it was well worth it. We plan on doing it again. Also, we didn't have the correct amount of cars, and didn't feel like driving a whole other car for one extra person, so the back seat was a little squished. Good for warming up on the way back.

But back to real life. My internship is, well, nit exactly what I expected. I did start out with a totally kick-ass trip to Yellowstone with some Instructors and a group of high schoolers from Ohio, but alas, right now it almost looks like that may be the highlight of the summer (in terms of work). For the past few days I have been working as a glorified day-care employee. Oh, minus the actually getting paid part. And plus goats, chickens, a garden, and the fact that I live upstairs in the school (not much privacy). I work with 12 year-olds who actually DO get paid. Is this what I went to Connecticut College for? I think not. I wipe tears, dispense Popsicles, and say "you need to go apologize to him/her" all day long.

Low-point of the week: Yesterday, my first day back from Yellowstone, I worked from 8 to 5:30. Towards the end of the day, I decided I would just read books to the kids, since usually they love it, and I like it, too. I was reading this one called All the Places to Love, about loving Home, and New England. Towards the end, when the little boy's sister is born, and he is thinking about all the great places he is going to show her, like the blueberry hill and the barn and the stream, Davis looks up at me and says "Why are you all spotty?" I said, "what do you mean?" He said, "Your face is all red and white." Then I said, "Oh, that's because I'm trying not to cry. This book reminds me of my home and my family, and I miss them a lot right now."
And then what book did they want me to read next? Owl Moon. It was rough.
Also, at the end of the day, Quinn decided it would be a brilliant idea to try to catch bees with his hands. Because he was interested in them, I tried to tell him all I could about how cool bees are. Inevitably, he got stung, and cried. It made me think of the song "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee." Somehow he thought that honeybees didn't sting. Good thing he isn't allergic.

High Point of the week: (Besides Yellowstone - we saw a grizzly bear!) Sadly enough, it was today when we were baking pretzels with the older kids, and I got to explain to them that baking and cooking is different at higher elevations, because of the lower pressure. One kid asked if we were at sea level. Another said that we USED to be at sea level here. They were actually interested in what I was telling them, and it was great.

Anyway, its not so awesome over here, right now, but it is also just the first week. Things will improve, especially after I talk to my mentor about how this isn't really what I signed up for. Hope things are better for you all. :D