Nearly There

Nearly where? Home of course. To the end of me internship in Rhode Island also. But where am I as a person here in the very last hours of my time here in a new place? Have I grown? Have I shrunk? Have I stayed the same?



I think the answer is no to those last two. I'd like to think that I've grown at least a little bit while being here.



I've definitely gained a lot of experince in the field I hope to go into in a year or two. I've had the chance to explore various different aspecte of conservation. I now knowwhich things I love most and which I like the least.



I love working with kids and with wildlife



I hate vegetation transects and getting rid of invasives.



And I just saw Courtney for the last time probably for the rest of my life! I'm here at Kettle Pond for the last Wildlife Wednesday. Courtney is leaving to go home for the rest of the week. She stoped by to say goodbye. We hugged and said that we would keep in touch. And that was it. She walked out of my life forever. No crying. It makes me laugh that at girls camp after seeing girls for a week I would cry at the end. The funniest part is that I would most likely see them again. Oh the emotional times of youth. I am sad. Don't get me wrong. Out of all the interns I will miss Courtney the most. I have never met anyone like that girl and I'm pretty sure that I never will. It's going to be weird being all alone tonight. No one else there. It's been like that one a couple weekends, but it's different this time. More empty because there isn't even a hint that the people are there.

So a few things about my last week. Perhaps I should have waited until I got home. But I feel like I will ahve no time for blogging for the nixt several days. TOmorrow is work, come home and clean, go to the Umbrella Factory and then I am meeting church friends in Providence. I feel like I should see that place before I leave. So I'll be there until I have to go pick up Dad from the airport in Warwick. Or is it Wickford? One of those 'W' names that make me think of 'Willow'. I hope that it's fun. I'm not sure what we will be doing. Though if they decide that they want to eat somewhere, I think I will have to split an appetizer. I'm so poor. I will try to direct their plans away from expensive food.

This week has been pretty hot and sweaty. The last thing I am helping with before I leave is getting things ready for the fall bird banding project. This entails determining where the ne lanes will be in the woods and thckets, then clearing the lanes of all vegetation so we can put the nets there. Lots of weed wacking and lopping branches. The bad part about all of this is that there is a lot and I mean A LOT of poison ivy and misquitos. The two worst things in the world. So I'm doused in bug spray the whole day which feels gross and I'm constantly paraniod that I am going to get a horrible case of poison ivy right before I leave. I bathe myself in technu every evening. But I fee like there is so much of it, it can get anywhere and I am constantly spreading it to places I forget about and it festers there,waiting to infect me.

All of this is tking place at Ninigret. Out of all the refuges, this one is my least favorite. If you ever go to rhde island feel no obligation to go to Ninigret.

Hopefully we will be finished with this tomorrow. The worst part of it is I wont be reaping the benefits of all this work. While Lisa, Rhonda and Courtney get to catch and band all the birds that come through, I'll be back in MO and in classes. Sigh.

I saw The Dark Knight again on Monday. Corey had a $7.50 off you ticket cupon that he couldn't use where he goes to school. So I used it. I paid $1.00 for my ticket. How awesome is that? It was even better the second time around. Not only because I noticed more but because this time the music wasn't too loud. It was fantactic. I am so glad that I got to see it again!

Tuesday I went to Happy Hour at Mews Tevern for the last time. SO sad. I will miss that delicious free pizza. The best pizza I have ever tasted.

Today was AMAZING...but only in terms of the weather. I had to use my big heavy quilt last night because it got so cold. Courtney yelled at me from her room insisting that it was too cold to get up and that we should take the morning off (only partly joking. It took her forever to get out of bed). I worked from 7:00-11:00. Went home and spent the afternon getting everything that I could paked. All I have left out are the clothes that I need, my bed things, my bathrom stuff and a few other random things like food I will be eathing and such.

I am getting ready to go. It's almost time. It's so weird saying goodbye. Tuesday I went with Tom Tetzners photography class for the last time. There is this little boy, Ben, who has come with his mom every week. Her is the cutest little boy. He and his mom made me a little card and got a very nice picture of the class and me developed. I also got some candy from them. It was a sweet little package. And as we prepared to part, the mom Jenn gave me a hug goodbye. I felt bad because I was sweaty. And it was a little weird because I had seen this woman 4 times, but every time we got to talking about life and such. I felt like I got to know her better than some of the people I've seen every day at work.

Along those lines there are those people that I see all the time and hardly know ad feel weird saying goodbye to becase I hardly even said hello. Specifically some people at work and people at church. I feel sad saying goodbye to the people I worked with the most. Rhonda, Erin, Courtney etc. I dont feel weird saying goodbye to Suzanne because I hardly saw her. Out of all my supervisors I will miss Janis the most. She has been so nice and supportive to me. And she's so sweet. I'm trying to get together with her before I leave. But that may not happen...and then I will never see her again unless i come back here sometime years in the future.

Anyway, the Wildlife Wednesday is ending and I have to close up. This will almost definitly be my last post from Rhode Island.

It's been quite a trip. I hope everyone is having a good week.

See you on the other side.