New Challenges

When I found out that I had been selected to be the summer intern for the McCracken County Extension office, I had no clue what to expect. I did not know much about it besides the fact that the workers really love it. I was hoping that I would love it also and that I would learn some new things and have new experiences. Also being a recent college graduate I thought this would be an opportunity to get into a different type of work field and see if this is something that I may be interested in. When we met our supervisors at the orientation I was nervous. Nervous because I did not know what to expect and because I heard other supervisors talking about the intensity of the job. They were like. "We work well over 40 hours a week, make sure you are there everyday, and do not get sick." They were also saying that your schedule could change throughout the day and you may end up doing something completely different than previously planned so you should keep a change of clothes in the car. Then they said I may be on the farm sometimes working with the animals. At that point I was thinking to myself that this would not be a good fit for me. I am not a huge animal lover or a nature person so I was confused on how this was going to work out.
On the first day of my internship I was excited and nervous. I was excited because I knew it would be great because of the people but I was nervous because of the unknown. It turned out to be great though! One of the most challenging things for me so far was 4H camp. We went to Dawson Springs with a lot of children and I was in charge of a group of them and I had to stay in the cabin with them, go to meals in the cafeteria with them, take the children to get their medicine, and take them to their courses throughout the day. Camp was difficult for me because of the number of children it was (it was very overwhelming) and having to make certain that they some got their medication on time added extra pressure. Also being outside for those days was challenging because as I previously stated I am not a nature person and I do not enjoy being outside constantly. But I persevered and made it through and it was not as bad after I look back and think about it. I'm sure it will not be the worse thing I have to endure.
I really enjoyed teen conference! It was more of my element. I would definitely go back and do it all over again. While I was there last week, I said to myself several times that I wish I was in high school again so that  I could go back and do something like this. It would have been so fun with all of my friends.
I like the fact that I can decide which agent I want to do things with each day because it keeps things fresh. Sometimes they all do things together so I can work with everyone at once. But mostly I work with a different one each day and get to see what it is that they do and how I can help them. I have enjoyed my summer as an extension intern so far and  I know more great things are in store