From Wednesday to Friday we went camping at KOA in Chula Vista. This camping experience was very different from most camping trips I have been on before. This campsite has a lot of resources that you wouldn't really expect while camping, it has a community kitchen with stoves and grills, a pool, a game room, and we took up the opportunity to sleep in a cabin not a tent. We also stayed two nights which gave us more time to explore the campground more and do more in general, it also didn't feel rushed when we had to pack our stuff. This trip went really well and I feel like we planned out everything pretty well, we had enough to eat everyday we even had extras at the end of the trip. The only thing that was difficult was that we remembered a can of beans but of course we forgot a can opener! I wanted beans so I was gonna try everything to get it open, first I tried taking a knife and stabbing the top but it didn't do anything and it was gonna break the knife. The next day we realized that the campground has a store so we check if they have a can opener but with our luck they didn't but they did have one of those can punches so we bought it. That night I was eager to get the beans open it might of had something to do with me being hungry...ok well I just started attacking that can making holes constantly till finally I made a big enough hole to pour the beans out. This was actually really rewarding because I put a lot of energy into getting those beans open and I did. It also made me realize that even though we don't think that we are, well at least I am still taking the little things in life for granted. something as simple as a can where normally I can walk in my kitchen and get a can opener and then the can is opened but I forget that for some people it isn't that easy and I need to start realizing these things more. I want to appreciate everything in my life like it won't be there the next day because for all I know it might. Besides my amazing bean revelation, this trip gave me the time to reflect on the fact that high school is pretty much over and the closer it gets to the end the more scary and unsure I am about how I feel. I mean I know I am not going across the world but for me it might feel that way because for my entire life my world has been here in San Diego. However as much as I am scared out of my mind for this big step and huge change I think I am ready to take it on! This change doesn't mean my world will disappear its just a little further away.
This day was consisted of planning our camping trip for the rest of the week. We made a list of what food and meals we want to have and also made a list of what we need to buy. Most of the food we needed we already had. We wanted to get a head start on packing so we wouldn't have to stress about it the day of. We also called the campground to ask questions about resources we could use to know what we needed to be prepared for and bring.
Today was my first day after my five week long internship. Today was a pretty simple day I just worked on planning my TPOL with a fellow classmate and planned some logistics for the rest of the week. At my school instead of a big final we have TPOLs (Transitional Presentations of Learning) where we talk about the year. In this case since this is my senior TPOL I will be talking about my last four years in high school. I will be talking about my accomplishments, fears after high school, and what I am excited about after high school. This is a unique way for the teachers to really see how much you have grown throughout the years.
Throughout the week I will be planning and going on a local camping trip with a fellow classmate, Sarah Staley. This past week was my last week at my internships. I really enjoyed living in Sacramento for the past five weeks, and not only because I could see my mom. It started to put my life in to perspective, I started realizing (much like a stated in previous blog posts) that the place that has been my home for the past 18 years I will soon be leaving and starting a new chapter in my life. Specifically this week was a pretty stressful week because at my SAS internships my mentor's bosses from headquarters were in the office, and I needed to make good impression. It turned out to be fine because they were extremely nice and welcoming and very fascinated by endersession. Along with meeting my mentor's bosses I also had an event I was helping with at my other internship with Calymca, the inauguration of the 70th Youth Governor and Tribute to Secretary of State, Alex Padilla. What I did at this event was help with registration and checkout and also some general work around to make sure the event was running smoothly. The past five weeks were amazing and I learned a lot and I cant wait till I move up there!
On a note that is unrelated to my internships, I enrolled in three classes at Sacramento City College and I am super excited but also nervous and making realize that my comfort zone in the bubble of high school is about to pop! However I know I can find a new bubble that I occasionally leave! This week started with a holiday, which made it a wonderfully short week; or so I thought. The week ended up feeling longer than a normal week. There was a lot of "tedious" admin work to do, I realized that those daily, almost menial tasks, are what make up the bulk the work and if you don't do them, the foundation of the work that needs to be done causes everything to crumble. I am learning what I like and what i don't like about the admin world. The organizational part is a dream come true for me, it fits so well with who I am. I am also being pushed very much outside of my comfort zone because communication is with others is so important. I have had to learn to talk to people face to face andover the phone. My communication skills are definitely being tested and it is good for me to feel a bit uncomfortable so that I learn. I am a bit nervous about the upcoming week, as I will be having to meet with some of the Executive Managers from the headquarters office in Cary. I know I will gain a lot from these interactions. I can't believe that my last week of internship is already approaching it went by so fast. This just means that graduation is closer than I thought!
Next week also marks a huge step forward for me as I take my assessments for Math and English for placement at Sacramento City College. The adult world is slowly creeping into my daily life and it surprisingly it feels more normal than I thought it would. This past week it starting with an exciting beginning! We got into work and heard a loud crashing sound that shook the whole building. We didn't think much of it so we got back to work. Not soon after the floor warden comes knocking on the door and tells us that the building is flooding and we need to evacuate immediately. The next thing we do is warn everyone in our office which at the time was only one. Then we had to go down the stairs and keep in mind we are on the 11th floor and I am currently on crutches so that was very difficult. We ended up just going home and working from there, checking emails and managing trip information. As for the weeks coming up, I have a couple more weeks doing my internship up in Sacramento which should be pretty relaxed. When I come back to San Diego I have a camping trip planned with Sarah Staley and a couple day trips as well. I am looking forward to going back to San diego, it has really hit me that that has been my home for the past 18 years and soon Ill be leaving. But thats ok because San Diego and the people I met there will always be my home that I can come back to for support and comfort. It is time for a new chapter in my like where Ill give Sacramento the chance to fill that role for me for awhile. Sacramento you will soon be my home sweet home!
This past week was full of admin work much like last week. I'm learning what it is like to work a 9-5 office job; where there are busy times and down times. It was important to be aware of the tasks at hand so that they were being accomplished, while not forgetting those daily, almost mundane tasks that are just as important. I'm starting to realize what it is like to be an adult, not stuck in the safe, bubble wrapped life of high school. I also had my first step into that adult world when I was working at the Y&G Spring Conference. this weekend I was doing the work that I had previously done as a delegate but I was the teacher, the mentor, the staff. the other volunteer program staff treated me as an equal, a concept I'm not sure I am all too comfortable with yet, but I'm getting there. I also learned what it is like to have to keep working and supporting others, even when you are in pain. I managed to injure my knee, hyper-extending it on Saturday evening, just half-way through the conference. I just had to grin and bear it and keep a smile on my face. I'm looking forward to a busy week in the office (where I can just sit in front of the computer), as all are back from travel; while trying to recuperate from 72 of the longest hours yet. Now I know why adults dread Mondays!
This past week started off with me flying to Sacramento so Monday I had a day off. When I arrived in Sacramento I found out that the place I was originally going to intern with didn't have enough for me to do. I decided to intern with my mom at her work which is doing admin work for a software company called SAS and then go into the other office when they needed me. At first I was thinking that working with my mom would be easy and I wouldn't have to do much yeah no she taught me how to do all sorts of things and it is actually pretty fun. I spent most of this week answering emails and doing expense reports. I do feel a little awkward because I don't want to feel like I'm my moms kid just hanging out and getting in the way of things. As the weeks go on I know I'll feel more comfortable. I am excited to learn more about administration and the behind the scenes work even though I am not going into that field of work I feel like I am learning skills that are gonna help me throughout the rest of my life. I don't even feel like I'm interning with my mom.
On a note completely unrelated to my internship, I also spend a lot of my time this week researching and registering for Sacramento city College. I found out what the steps are to register and then I took my online orientation and later in the weeks to come I will take my placement test and meet with a counselor at the school. This is getting me excited for life after high school but also making me realize that my high school life is pretty much over. I am ready to take on the world of college look out here comes Sydney! Last year I did an internship with Calymca, this is an organization that does the program I was in called Youth & Government. I love this program so much that I am planning on doing another internship with them. During this internship I will be learning more about the program from a behind the scenes perspective and helping them around the office with projects they are working on. This program still means so much to me and it has done so much to me that I want to be able to give back to this amazing program. I want to be able to help with this program so other students like me can feel the impact that I once felt in the program.
May 8- 19 - Potential internship with a chiropractor
May 22- June 9 - Road trip with Lisa Fortin and Anna Jensen to Northern California June 12-16 - Camping |
What is Endersession?
6 weeks of independent study for seniors to explore life beyond high school |