(no subject)
There is so much to write about, and I don't know where to even begin!
I finally packed my life together and moved to Jekyll Island, Georgia. I guess that is a good start. It's absolutely beauutiful here. My backyard is literally the beach, but as pretty as the beach is the marshes are just breath-taking. And there's soooooo much wildlife! ...and with its own fun story to it. I always feel like we are jipped in Jersey. There's really not many places to just take in wildlife in a natural, amazing setting...which is probably why I am stuck hours away from home. But I learn ten thousand new things everyday, and I can tell that by the end of training when I walk through a forest or on a beach or in the ocean or anywheres, I'll have suuuch a better understanding of what's going on around me. There's only so much that you can learn from classes.
It's weird though...I'm like the baby here! Everyone is mostly around 24-27, which is a littttle intimidating because it's not their first job in wildlife so they know soooo much! There's so many times where I think, "shit I'm never going to be able to retain this to then feed it back to school groups when they come". There's just so much that I don't know. But we're given these HUGE books filled with information for each class so I guess I'll be studying hard. It's kind of like I have a teaching degree because you have to prepare for four classes the night before. I can tell I'll never have spare time, but I'm doing what I love as a job so I can't complain.
I'm getting used to alwaaays being dirty too - whether suntan lotion or sand or marsh mud or whatever. It's kind of like camping every single day, and a shower has never felt so good.
I've never loved training for a job so much either. So far we've dissected sharks and fish, went seining, went on a dolphin boat tour, explored two uninhabited islands, learned beach ecology (aka walking on the beach!), had huge and wonderful southern meals, and walked in marshes. It's totally not training at all. I'd want to do it all anyways. :) And yesterday we got to pick out our "adopted" animals for the time we're here, and I am now the proud "owner" of two cornsnakes and two diamondback terrapins. I've always wanted turtles anyways! :)
The only sucky part so far has been that there has been absolutely noooo down time. When we're not training, we're all hanging out so you just get no time alone and to catch up with other friends. I feel like I've been a terrible friend to people, and it's only been a week. I'm going to have to really learn how to budget my time or I'll be friendless. Annnnd to make it worse, there's no cell phone service out here. Everything is so primitive, which I think I appreciate for a week...but I don't know about nine months. :x
Okay, we're gonna go scope out a surrounding island (that has cell phone service!). Peacee!
I finally packed my life together and moved to Jekyll Island, Georgia. I guess that is a good start. It's absolutely beauutiful here. My backyard is literally the beach, but as pretty as the beach is the marshes are just breath-taking. And there's soooooo much wildlife! ...and with its own fun story to it. I always feel like we are jipped in Jersey. There's really not many places to just take in wildlife in a natural, amazing setting...which is probably why I am stuck hours away from home. But I learn ten thousand new things everyday, and I can tell that by the end of training when I walk through a forest or on a beach or in the ocean or anywheres, I'll have suuuch a better understanding of what's going on around me. There's only so much that you can learn from classes.
It's weird though...I'm like the baby here! Everyone is mostly around 24-27, which is a littttle intimidating because it's not their first job in wildlife so they know soooo much! There's so many times where I think, "shit I'm never going to be able to retain this to then feed it back to school groups when they come". There's just so much that I don't know. But we're given these HUGE books filled with information for each class so I guess I'll be studying hard. It's kind of like I have a teaching degree because you have to prepare for four classes the night before. I can tell I'll never have spare time, but I'm doing what I love as a job so I can't complain.
I'm getting used to alwaaays being dirty too - whether suntan lotion or sand or marsh mud or whatever. It's kind of like camping every single day, and a shower has never felt so good.
I've never loved training for a job so much either. So far we've dissected sharks and fish, went seining, went on a dolphin boat tour, explored two uninhabited islands, learned beach ecology (aka walking on the beach!), had huge and wonderful southern meals, and walked in marshes. It's totally not training at all. I'd want to do it all anyways. :) And yesterday we got to pick out our "adopted" animals for the time we're here, and I am now the proud "owner" of two cornsnakes and two diamondback terrapins. I've always wanted turtles anyways! :)
The only sucky part so far has been that there has been absolutely noooo down time. When we're not training, we're all hanging out so you just get no time alone and to catch up with other friends. I feel like I've been a terrible friend to people, and it's only been a week. I'm going to have to really learn how to budget my time or I'll be friendless. Annnnd to make it worse, there's no cell phone service out here. Everything is so primitive, which I think I appreciate for a week...but I don't know about nine months. :x
Okay, we're gonna go scope out a surrounding island (that has cell phone service!). Peacee!