Endings and Beginnings

So, it's been a while since I posted.  I suppose my life in Missouri isn't as exciting as France ;-P.  Over the past two years I have been finishing up my Bachelor's degree, having fun around Springfield, and preparing for even more adventures.

About three weeks ago I moved out of our house in Springfield, and moved in with my mother in Cassville.  My brother was in town to help, and I got to beat him at bowling and air hockey.  I was sort of feeling like I was going to be homeless, but then I learned about where I would be living this summer.  See, I am participating in an internship through the Washington Center, and that day I found out my housing assignment.  It sort of made me feel like I do have a place to go.

Last Thursday was my last day at work for the Drug Court.  I've been there nearly as long as I've been in college - I started in October of my freshman year.  It's hard to believe I worked there nearly four years, and now I am moving to try out different jobs and have other experiences.  I'll miss everyone there, but I also know that it is time to go on to other things.

As of last Thursday, I still had not found an internship placement through the Washington Center.  I was starting to feel discouraged, but all of a sudden I got a phone call from the United States Department of Commerce - Minority Business Development Agency.  I spoke with them for about 15 minutes, and they told me that they would let me know soon whether or not they would offer me the position.  I was only off the phone with them for four minutes when they called back and offered it to me.  So, on my last day of work I find out where I will be interning this summer.  I'll be working on Knowledge Management, which I will hopefully learn more about once I start the position.  A very simplified version of it, at it's basest level, is to document processes used in the workplace so that they are not lost as people retire and younger people take those positions.

So, now that I have a place to live and work this summer, I'll be updating more often about my experiences in Washington, DC.  (I'll also be updating more often after that, cause I'm going back to France, too!)

And finally, last Saturday, I graduated.  I had a few errands to run before the ceremony, and I have to say that receiving my diploma was gratifying.  However, I also don't feel like I am finished yet.  Maybe in the back of my mind I know that I'll be going back to school eventually.  For now, I am just ready to take a bit of a breather, and see a bit more of the world.

The end of a long summer

Let’s see. I’m leaving tomorrow. I am ready to come home. Sure, it’s been nice here, but I am ready to do a lot of things again (drive my car!), and I miss everyone back home. Here’s a summary of the things that have happened since I last updated:

There haven’t been as many excursions for us since the majority of the group left. Last Thursday we went to go see Pirates of the Caribbean here. I was going to go see it anyway, so if they pay for me instead all the more reason to go. I would love to have some popcorn with a movie though. The theaters here just have vending machines (well, there’s one theater I haven’t been to, and I doubt it is any different). It was a good film, got a bit long in places, and the more I think about it the more I realize absolutely nothing was resolved. So I guess Disney has my money to go see the next one too.

Last Saturday I went to St. Tropez. Frankly, I was disappointed. I’ve been to lot nicer small towns, and I didn’t really see the appeal of it. I guess since I was not there to shop there just wasn’t much to do. They took us to the market, but I didn’t really want to buy anything. It is nice to say I’ve been there. And the beach I went to was all right, but I think I prefer the beach that is right across the street to the one there.

Monday night we went out onto a boat to watch fireworks. It was amazing. There is a fireworks festival going on, so every week there is one pyrotechnical expert that makes a fireworks display. Monday it was a guy from Spain, and the fireworks were better than any I have ever seen in my lifetime.

Wednesday I went scuba diving. Yes, scuba diving. Apparently I swam right by an octopus and didn’t see it though. Shucks. But I saw a lot of other fascinating sea creatures. So this is how it worked: they had an instructor for all of us newbies, and we went down with them. The woman I was with literally held my hand the entire way and every couple of minutes checked to make sure everything was all right. When I first went down, there was just a lot of sea grass on the ground. We swam just a little bit, and there was a huge cliff that someone else said was about 100 feet of a drop. On this cliff there was a lot of sea life, fish, coral, star fish, etc. It was pretty awesome. If only I could have taken a camera with me, but I know that would not have worked. I also see now that scuba diving is a lot different from just regular swimming. You don’t have to be a strong swimmer or even like swimming to like scuba diving. It’s just a completely different experience. Also, I went snorkeling/swimming after diving, and I was surprised how much buoyancy the wet suit gives a person. I couldn’t swim down at all with it on. But then I changed out and just went in my bathing suit and I felt like I had more control of where I was swimming.

Yesterday I went into town for one last time. It was fine. I finally walked down to the Palais de Festival and saw where people have their handprints. It was nice. Oh, and of course, the last week here, I find Dr. Pepper. What the luck. Oh well. We also had our final farewell dinner last night. It was much better food than I have ever gotten at the school.

Today I am packing. I was a little worried at first, but I think I can get all of my stuff in my suitcases. I’m also having to improvise a bit due to the stuff with London. Apparently no electronics and no liquids are allowed in carry on bags right now. We’ll see if all of my stuff survives the journey.