Welcome to Colorful Colorado!

This labor day I found myself wanting to go on a little bit of an adventure...time to explore! I'm getting closer and close to graduation, and one location that I heard would be fun to relocate to was the Denver and Boulder area. Of course I will take people's word for it, but I had to see for myself! So, I decided not to play in the annual Saydel Alumni Softball tournament and instead head West.

The drive across Nebraska is rather...uneventful. I did see a really old wooden church that was completely gutted out and just sitting next to Interstate 80. It would have been a cool photo opp, however we were anxious and ready to drive through both ways. There were a lot of fields full of crops in Nebraska, and it was really interesting because the crops stopped once we reached Colorado.

Now, I was kind of expecting tons of hills and just a very different landscape once we got into Colorado. I was surprised to find that it wasn't that different from the scenery we had seen on our way there. I did notice that the grass started getting a little more golden brown, and it wasn't until we were getting pretty close to Denver that I saw the vague outlines of mountains in the distance. That was a pretty cool moment. I don't know if I will ever get used to seeing mountains since I grew up in flat ol' Iowa.
Once we got to downtown Denver, I knew it would be a cool place. It was a really good vibe. I liked the sculptures and the interesting architecture. Denver is not that big of a city, and I felt totally comfortable there.

We arrived about an hour before the Colorado Rockies game that we had tickets to. After getting checked into our hotel at The Curtis, we set out on foot to Coors Field. It was this walk that we experienced a brand new way of crossing at an intersection. You can actually cross diagonally!! There is a walk/don't walk sign for it and everything. It was GREAT! Once we got to Coors, it was pretty clear that this was going to be an amazing facility. Once inside, I was not disappointed! There were three levels filled with fans, a water fountain in the outfield that was turned on right before the game, and the mascot was an adorable dinosaur. The Rockies were playing the Diamondbacks. We were able to blend right in with the fans, and it was a pretty good game. We had fresh squeezed lemonade and kettle corn. (Food is pretty limited for those of us that do not eat meat) In the end, the Rockies won! :)
After the game we grabbed dinner finally, and then decided to call it a night.

The next morning, we set out on foot to explore Denver a little bit. Our ultimate goal was to go to Taste of Colorado. It was a pretty cool experience. It reminded me of a state fair slash farmer's market. My favorite things there were a chocolate honey stand (we bought a small jar of Sexspresso-caffeinated chocolate honey), forever bag stand-we bought heavy duty bags for grocery shopping, a t-shirt stand that I purchased an awesome shirt that says "Create Yourself," and the free spin art we got to do. It was at this festival that we really got to feel the closeness of the sun! After all, we were a mile closer! We had spent a few hours at Taste of Colorado, so we decided to get on our way and head to Boulder. We were really excited to get closer to the mountains!

Boulder was everything I had hoped for! It was apparent right away that the University of Colorado had a strong presence. The campus and building are beautiful. It was interesting to see that the buildings used the same bricks! Even the local middle school used the same bricks. Another aspect of the culture of Boulder were all of the bicyclists and bike lanes. It takes an adjustment to be conscious of all of the cyclists. Another cool aspect of Boulder is the Pearl Street Mall. It is about four blocks of shops with a small courtyard that you can walk through. Various performers spend time there such as musicians, magicians, dancers, and even a man with a crystal ball. It was at Powell's Sweet Shoppe at this outdoor mall that I had my second favorite kind of gelato...honey lavender! It was so wonderful that we had it both days that we were in Boulder.

While in Boulder we had two amazing dinners. The first was at The Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant. It is so amazing that there is a restaurant that is completely vegetarian. Very welcoming to me! I had vegan enchiladas, and they were delicious! Mark ate a Jamaican Jerk Tempa, and we had bruschetta and blackened tofu salad. What a GREAT meal! The second dinner was even better! We ate A LOT of sushi at Sushi Zanmai. It is always fun sitting at the Sushi bar, and it was the first place in which the spicy tuna was actually SPICY! Both of these restaurants definitely get my recommendation!

The second day of our Boulder adventure entailed an activity that I felt really proud of participating in. Mark and I hiked on a trail up a mountain. Our total trip there and back was about six miles. It was one of the most challenging experiences, but we kept going and going even when it was difficult! We made it just above the tree lines and got some really amazing photos of surrounding mountains. It was quite the accomplishment and I would love to do this again!

Before heading home, we stopped at the Whole Foods in Boulder. It was my dream grocery store. So many fresh choices for fruit, salads, breakfast burritos, etc. I wanted to hang out in this grocery store for a little bit longer, but we needed to make the 11 hour trip back home.

All in all, I felt really good about Denver and Boulder. Very beautiful places, and there was quite a bit of their cultural values that are in line with my own values. I am looking forward to my next visit very soon!

The final year of my Master's career is beginning!

Tomorrow is my very first day at my new assistantship with The Program for Women in Science and Engineering! I will be overseeing nine first-year learning communities! There are 18 peer mentors and over 200 women involved with our first-year program! I am very very excited for all of the fun activities and programs that we will be working on this year.
I am also looking forward to having my own desk! I have never had this opportunity to decorate and personalize my own space at work! You all know how much I love "firsts," so tomorrow I will be ecstatic. When I have the space all settled and decorated, I may just take some photos and post them. Something to look forward to!
It is really hard to believe that classes start in two weeks. This summer was very eventful and busy, but I think this year is going to fly even faster! I am going to have to start really looking into different locations and institutions to start my job search. Recently I have decided on an ideal location! Drum roil please....... Boulder, Colorado! Photos and what I have read about how green the town is make it so perfect. Mark and I are going to take a trip out to the Boulder and Denver area over Labor Day weekend so that I can actually say that I have been there. :) Here is a link to the official Boulder website! http://ci.boulder.co.us/ Boulder is home to the main campus of the University of Colorado (http://www.colorado.edu/), and also a really interesting institution called Naropa University (http://www.naropa.edu/). There will be job opportunities, but I think there will be a lot of people wanting to work in this amazing location. I am still totally going to go for it though. :)
Well, I will keep you all posted on how my new job is going. Until then, I am going to relax and enjoy my last day of summer!

Much Love!

Rising Star has rose! Art Educators have arrived...

Well, the students are all checked out and Dyson is quiet for the first time in five weeks! It was a good feeling to have the program come to an end, and to know that the 74 students had so many experiences that put them ahead of a lot of first-year college students. During check out I asked many of the students if they enjoyed their time in the program, and all of them did. One student said it was the "best summer of her life." It was heart breaking to see another student crying as she turned in her key and SCAD ID. It was apparent that she made some really good friends during her time here, and it would be a year before she would return to SCAD. It really puts a smile on my face to think that these students are just beginning their college careers. This is one of the realizations that I have learned about myself this summer. I enjoy beginnings. I got so pumped and excited every week when a new group of students came for Summer Seminars. They are all brand new and not sure of what to expect for their time here. They are beginning a journey of figuring out what it means to be a participant in the program. I think back and I can recall how excited I get at the beginning of every school year. This excitement should really recharge me every year when a new group of students arrive for the first time.
I feel that it is important to think about the bigger picture of my internship and all that I have gained from this experience. I have discovered a number of things about myself and how this internship has made an impact. Talking with Courtney about our experiences has helped me realize that I would not have had so many experiences or so much responsibility with any other internship. Here are some of the lessons I have learned, and the things I have learned about myself:

• There is real value in having ample training, and enough time to learn about the student culture prior to beginning the training of staff and the start of a program.
• Sometimes there are just too many levels involved with communication, and keeping that flow of information needs to be simple and concise.
  
• I can be very adaptable, and function fairly well in an environment in which I do not know what to expect.
• Something to keep in mind during a hiring process is to keep in mind the responsibilities of a position, and determine the skills and experiences the ideal candidate must have.
• Not everyone is meant for a particular position. It may be helpful to ask myself what that candidate would look like.
• It is important to take time for myself away from all things involving work. I need time to recharge.
• Staff dynamics and how a staff will function together is key for a supervisor.
• There are multiple ways of doing things, and new suggestions are always welcome.
• I get so much happiness from trying something new! (i.e. Tye-Dye, sidewalk chalk art, accessory making, etc.)
• I am still a work in progress, and I will continue to be for quite some time (if not forever).
• Reflecting and processing experiences are very valuable for me to make meaning of my life.
• Programs should not be judged solely on the number in attendance, but by the diverse groups each one helps get connected to an institution.
• It is very easy for me to work all of the time...I need to remind myself to take a break!
• I can take criticism and do what I can with it. It may not all be accurate, but to someone else it makes sense.
  
• It is important to consider that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that is not known or considered when judgment occurs.
  
• Having a constructive conversation about issues and concerns make for a much more pleasant working environment.
• It is important to be able to work as a team, and recognize the contributions of others.
• Supervising a staff is a lot of work. It requires a lot of time, interaction, feedback, reflection, and a need for fun!
• I have found my love of laughter and being silly once again!
• There is a definite need to for team building adventures outside of the working environment.

I am sure that I will think of more ways I have been impacted by this experience after I have returned home. Right in this moment I know that I am now more prepared and more confident of my first job after graduate school. For that, I say thank you SCAD.

Now to bring you up to speed with my next mini adventure with SCAD. This week I am helping with the Art Educators Forum. Art teachers K-College from around the world come for one week and attend five different workshops in various interest areas, learn more about SCAD, and participate in activities such as bingo, Tybee beach, gallery tours, etc. It is definitely a lot more low key than Rising Star, but a new experience none the less. All of the educators checked in today. I talked to a woman from Houston who teaches at a Jewish school, and she is the sole art teacher for k-12. Wow that is a lot of developmental levels! Kudos to her! I also met three sisters that are considering this their annual "sisters trip." Pretty cool that they all teach art! I am looking forward to hearing more stories throughout the week. We are working more closely with Admissions with this program. Rising Star was a joint program as well, but there really was not a presence throughout the five weeks other than many of my staff members came from the admissions office. Admissions has a strong presence this week, and it gives Res Life a break! Here's to a great final week in Savannah!

Guess what I've picked up...

Ya'll...over the time I've been here in Savannah it has grown on me. I tried to resist it at first, and even snickered to myself sometimes when I heard it. Then it just made sense. Ya'll need to...Ya'll should....Where are ya'll going? Quite entertaining to think that it has become part of my vocabulary. Especially since there is an ongoing debate and fuss about Iowans sounding or trying to sound like they are from the South. It will be interesting to see whether my "ya'll" card is used all that often upon my return to Iowa.
As far as the happenings here with the summer programs, last night I tagged along with Summer Seminars for an evening at Tybee beach. I must say that it was absolutely beautiful! I walked along the beach to an area that had small pools of water and sand bars because the tide was so far out. It was gorgeous. I got to see several different shapes and sizes of crabs. There was an interesting and uninhabited island in the distance. The sun set was breath taking! To top it all off, I got to see four dolphins swimming not far off the shore. Here are a few photos of the amazing scenary.

Today I had a very good conversation with administrators in the housing office. It was great for me to gain experience explaining my frustrations and advocating for my needs as an intern in Residence Life. I felt very encouraged by the discussion, and I think there was valuable insight gained all around. I am now more confident that my final TWO weeks (yes only two weeks left) will be really great!

This evening on am on duty. I am feeling more comfortable about being on duty and all that it entails. I take things one step at a time and try to ensure everyone is safe and sound. Tonight there was a student who fell and hit her lip on the corner of the cement pool here in Dyson. Thankfully she did not need to go to the emergency room, but it was a very quick incident. In a short amount of time we got her in the office, calmed down a little bit, explained her options, had her call her parents, I talked with her mother about the situation, and we made a plan for future follow-ups and a potential doctor's visit tomorrow. I also got to write my first incident report. Good old reporting in the third person. I am hoping that the rest of my duty nights, which there are eight total, are uneventful. If not, I am confident that I will handle it with the best of my abilities.

Tomorrow is our final beach trip with the students, and Saturday I will be going to see Harry Potter 6! I have heard great things about the movie, and am excited to see it! This is our last weekend with the students, so I am hopeful it will be enjoyable!

On Sunday, Jana leaves for good! Back to Cali and her life on the West Coast. My time here has sure went by fast, but I am very thankful to have got to work with Courtney and Jana. I now have a friend in Cali that I plan on visiting! :) Best wishes to Jana!

Letting my Art shine!

It is hard to believe that I will be home in three weeks! We have less than two weeks left with the students, and only one weekend full of activities left. This past weekend was busy and full of fun! I went with the students on a dolphin watching tour and to Tybee beach. We got to see quite a few dolphins! They were so fast in the water, and it was really difficult to take photos. Here is one good one I got!


I thought it would be a much better idea to take a short video of them! Check it out! They are the coolest!


There was also a really cool lighthouse that I saw on the dolphin tour. Here is a photo of it. When the tide is high, part of it is under water.


Yesterday was a day in which I was able to get artsy! I participated in the Rising Star Sidewalk art program. Here are some photos of my work! I had a lot of fun, and I think mine wasn't too shabby! It was all done with sidewalk chalk!!

I also tie-dyed two shirts as well! I'll post some photos when they are finished drying. They are pretty cool designs. I love Art school!

Tonight we had a project display where student staff members shared some of their illustrations, films, fashion designs, models, etc. to the students. It was really great to see their work, and they are so impressive. I think the younger students really appreciated the opportunity to see what they could be doing in the future at SCAD.

I am headed to the beach again on Friday, and then I am going to the new Harry Potter movie with the students on Saturday. I know this week is just going to fly!!

In other news, one of the interns (Jana) will be leaving on Sunday already! It is so weird. I cannot believe how quickly all of this has been going by. I'm going to try to make the most out of the rest of my time here!

Much Love!

Bzzzzzzzy like 'Art the Bee'

The past couple of days have been pretty busy for me. This is my second night in a row on duty, and I just got done talking with a high school student that had two spider bites. The question was should she stay or go to the ER. After calling her mother, it was decided that she should take a couple of benadryl and relax for a little while. I am very thankful that it was not a more serious situation.
My duty experience last night involved three of the students participating in the summer programs being caught smoking. This is a violation of the policies of the program, and I co-conducted conduct meetings with all three students today. Definitely a learning experience. One of the things that we tried to keep in mind was how we were going to encourage the students to reflect on their behavior as well as making this a learning opportunity. It was important to gain their perspective of the events, and bring them in the discussion of the consequences. Overall, I think the meetings went very well. This is another experience that is helping my professional development.
Earlier this week I also accompanied a student to a health clinic to receive medical attention. That was a learn-in-the moment experience as well as I had the opportunity to learn of all of the necessary paperwork for minors to be treated medically. I find that many aspects of my position is a learn as you go, and be ready to be flexible. What a busy week!
Tomorrow I am hoping to relax, sleep in a little bit, and try not to go into the office (...for that long). I am really looking forward to the Dolphin watching tour that I will be participating in tomorrow evening. It will be great to get out on the water and just relax. It will be a much needed break. There has also been some talk with some of my staff members about going out to Tybee beach at night to look at the stars. I think that would be absolutely amazing as well. This Saturday I will be accompanying the students to Tybee beach for a few hours. I plan on exploring the pier, and taking some photos. It should be a pretty good time.
I have started to have opportunities to talk with the new Residence Directors about the job search a little bit. This evenings topic was when to ask about salary and benefits, as well as what I should be asking for. Advise that I received was to start inquiring when they offer me a position. At that point I can ask and negotiate the salary, ask about the benefits, ask what they can do for me with regards to relocation reimbursement, and professional development funds. All great advise and important things for me to consider. Before I leave SCAD I want to make sure that I have my resume updated and include all of my responsibilities with my internship.
I cannot stress enough how much this position is helping me professionally. I am recognizing more and more that I am passionate about this field, however I have to keep myself in check so that I do not let it consume me. I need to take time for myself and time away. I have also realized how much I enjoy and benefit from talking out various thoughts, ideas, and scenarios.
As far as my new activities for the week: I played Rockband for the first time! I sang 'Celebrity Skin' and playing that one song made my day! It was awesome, and something I'll definitely do again. Maybe next time I'll play drums! I also had Ricotta and Fig gelato. It was absolutely brilliant! Tomorrow I am going to do a little Tie dye, so that should be very cool!

I still haven't had a Georgia peach!

Oh me, oh my!

I thought about coloring, but then I realized that I had not blogged in over a week! whoa! Where has the time gone?! A lot has really happened recently, and it has left me as busy as ever. Although I am very thankful for my experience here, I realize the importance of taking time away from my work.

This past weekend Mark visited me in Savannah! We had a great time taking a trolley tour and learning a little bit about some of the history surrounding the historic district. We also made a special appearance at Tybee beach. It was really packed because of the holiday weekend, so it was not ideal beach conditions for me. It was also difficult for me because I have been to beaches where the water is so beautiful and clear. We could not see anything in this water, except the occasional fish jumping. It was an experience I was told that I needed to have while in Savannah, and I can see that all tourists make the trip. I will be going back with the students this weekend, so I am definitely hopeful that it will be much more mellow!

Another great experience Mark and I had was going to Charleston, SC for the 4th of July! What a beautiful place. It is so full of history around every corner in its architecture, statues, fountains, and graveyards. This was an enjoyable experience and I definitely recommend that people visit this historical city! Here are a few of my favorite photos from Charleston!




We also really enjoyed the fireworks! We were able to sit along the river and look out and see about 12 to 15 firework shows going on at the same time. The huge fireworks show at Patriots Point was one of the best shows I have ever seen! It was absolutely perfect.

In work related news, I am officially flying solo. I am now the sole Intern for the Rising Star program. It has presented some very interesting challenges, and I am not even mentioning the increase in the workload and responsibilities. There is more to consider such as the staff morale, and communicating my responsibilities and roles compared to the expectations of the staff. There were two of us originally and I have experienced some comparison. Fortunately my conversations have went very well from my perspective. I have tried to keep mutual respect and listening in mind while having these conversations. This has definitely been a challenging and rewarding experience. Each day I am feeling more and more comfortable in my role and can imagine myself in my first position as a Residence Director. My time at SCAD is quickly passing by, and I will only be here for 26 more days!

I must share my most recent activities! One of my staff members put on an accessories workshop and I made my first hair accessory! Take a look!
It was such a fun experience, and I felt so proud of myself afterwords. The magic is all in a hot glue gun! I think I may graduate to a headband in the future! This may be a hobby I look into starting! My other "fun" experience is that last night I tried to learn how to play Magic the Gathering. I really do not understand how to play, and the cards make no sense to me. A bunch of the staff play, and I thought I would give it a go. I may give it another try... I definitely enjoyed the accessory making more. lol.

On a more personal note, today was kind of a challenging day. I woke up thinking about my dad and my family today. It is still hard being away, and I think I may be involving myself too much in working. I have not let myself really process this, and it still seems like it did not really happen. I know when I get back I will spend more time at my mother's and maybe that will help it sink in. I just keep hoping that he is in a place where he is walking and enjoying himself. :)

I am anticipating the arrival of my niece, and am thinking she will be here next week! I heart my family so much. Today I printed off a few photos and taped them up on my wall. The photos make me smile.

Well, I hope all is well and peaceful for all. Sending smiles from Savannah!