Last Day

As I am frantically soaking in the hours of my last day here at the park, I've thought a lot about what exactly I've gotten out of the internship, making mental lists longer than Santa's.

It's weird to think that after the going-away dinner for Estee, Erin and I, I will probably never see any of these people again. Estee is getting married and then heading off to New Mexico to do some tortoises research.. Erin is getting a new position at another national park up in Oregon. And I.. I am finally realizing that I only have 4 more months to work in Tucson and enjoy the wicked, scorching summer before heading off to Vermont..

So to finally put some thoughts to paper(or screen, I suppose), I've compiled a list of some of the things I've gained through this experience..

1.) A wealth of information regarding the plants, animals, and general ecology of the Sonoran Desert.

2.) Experience writing professional articles, and a better knowledge of how to write different types of articles.

3.) An appreciation for black coffee first thing in the morning...around lunch time.. and later in the afternoon.

4.) A better understanding of the structure of the park service, the various positions held, and its legalities and inner workings

5.) An increased awareness of the necessity of the Park in regards to conserving the environment..and the effects of humans on the environment.

6.) Practice interpreting our resources for visitors, and establishing emotional and cognitive connections between visitors and the Park.

7.) Lessons on interpretive writing, interpretive talks, and the history of the Park Service.

8.) A venue for one of my articles!

9.) Experience (finally!) driving =)

10.) A plethora of new close friends and interesting acquaintances.

11.) A newfound interest in working with kids.. and an acquired comprehension about the best ways to maintain children's attentions.

12.) An abundance of new mentors and roll models who have been-there-done-that with some of the complications of life.. and college.. who are willing to stay in touch with me to help give me advice about classes to take and how to manage the adjustment from high school to college.