Week 7 - Julie Martin

My last week serving in the community was with Young Life as I followed up with everyone who had gone to Windy Gap Summer Camp. I created strong relationships between the girls especially during this time. All of the other female Young Life leaders could not make it to these gatherings times for the rest of the summer due to the distance from where they lived. It was great contact work for me to stay in these girls lives. It is shocking to see how quick these girls close back up. That is why it is so important to regularly stay in contact with them. We would meet on a regular basis for the rest of the summer and just hang out. We would talk, play games, and enjoy each others company. I also gave several of them rides. Sometimes I even had dinner with them. Being a Young Life leader really makes my feel special. I get to stay connected with today's youth. I know how much the people in my life who made a difference mean to me and knowing that I can be that person to someone else is empowering.

Week 6 - Julie Martin

Week six was very different from the work I had been doing in the Dominican. I went to Windy Gap in North Caroline with Young Life. Young Life leaders mentor high school students and walk with them in life. This was my first time attending camp at Windy Gap and my first time being a leader a high school camp for a week. There were four of us female leaders from Deland and we brought 13 high school girls with us. We also had three male leaders and a number of boys as well. The main thing is that girls mentor girls and guys mentor guys. I had no idea what was in store for this week. Basically, the goal is to have a blast and brake down the walls between the leaders and students. It is amazing to watch this happen at camp. All of us girls stayed together in one cabin. Before the camp at Windy Gap even started we all went white water rafting, which was actually my first time. That was definitely a bonding time. We all had to work together with the people in our boat. All of the games at camp were centered around those themes of working together in a fun way. We participated in numerous actives including a late night obstacle course to "protect your leader", volleyball tournaments, Nascar racing, water Olympics, horseback ridding, hiked Smokey Mountain, ropes course, clubs (games and songs), free time, big swing, blobbing, zip line, rock climbing, crafts and one on one time with one of their leaders. Everyone had the time of their life. The coolest part for me was to be a part of this awesome time in the high school students lives. It was a time for me to be there for them, listen to them and help guide them in their life. I did not know that many of them or too well, but I did by the end of the week. The barriers were broken down towards the middle of the week, especially by the end. It was incredible to hear all their personal stories. A lot of them very very deep and heavy. I was just so surprised to hear a lot of what they have experienced and how vulnerable they were being to share that information. The students came back changed, a completely different person from going to camp. I felt honored to be a part of it.

Week 5 - Julie Martin

My time in the Dominican was coming to a closure as this was my last week. It was hard thinking about it because I did not want to leave, but at the same time I was looking forward to going home to see my family. I could not wait to talk with my friends and family and share the great experience I had. Karen left at the beginning of this week to return to the states to have her arm looked at, which left Traci, Abbey, Mike, Bill, and me. All of us are independent and basically do our own thing. It was a little more challenging for me because I was not as familiar with the Dominican as they were. I usually had Keila along my side but she was on her honeymoon, but all worked out. There was plenty for me to do and I still had some things in mind that I wanted to experience. Keila's Children's Programs was my favorite and I wanted to go back there to see the kids. There was one girl I met the last time I was in the Dominican and I wanted to say hi to her. I brought almost 100 beanie babies and gave them out to the children. It was cool to watch the kids faces light up. They got so excited, running around with their new toy and could not be any happier. This made me feel good. The best part of my week though was towards the end. I went with Bill to evangelize for the first time. We went to a village and basically just sat to talk with the people who lived there. I honestly did not think I was going to enjoy it, but I was wrong. That was one of my favorite moments overall. Those kids were the best. I played several games with them and just ran around. I felt like crying when I left. All the children were hanging on me. I loved it so much I made room in my schedule to go back the following day. One of the girls was just entering into college and I wanted to give her a necklace I had brought. I played more games with the children and waiting for her to get home from school. Once again I did not want to leave. I also got to see the farm. That's where all of Bill's time is spent. It is an incredible place. Overall, I was blessed to have had the opportunity to spend the amount of time I did there and all the things I got to take part in. It definitely made on impact on my life and I learned a lot about myself. It was a time of personal growth. This trip taught me the value of life and helping those in need. It is not always going to be easy and the people are some times going to do things that are disrespectful to you, but do it anyways. The results will shock you in a positive way. This experience gave me hope for one of my dreams of opening an orphanage. The opportunities are all there and I have made the connections. I met with a person who is in the process of building one. He was an inspiration and offered me the opportunity to work with him once the building is up and running within the next two years. Then the ministry I worked with offered to assist me in making my dreams become a reality. They have the place and building started to run an orphanage, they just need someone to take it over. Once I have the experience, that person can be me. It will take time and hard work, but if that is where my passion and purpose truly lies, it will happen. I could not be where I am today without the help on the Bonner Program, which I am truly grateful for.

Week 4 - Julie Martin

Week four started with a celebration for Mike's birthday as we had a delicious home made cake and ordered pizza from a popular restaurant. Another intern (named Abbey) also arrived on this day. She is from Ohio, which is actually where the owners of the ministry are from. This week was completely different from the previous. We had a lot of work to accomplish around the mission house. One day was spent organizing 61 bins in a room. It was just Abbey and me. A few days were spent going through a ton of receipts from the previous year for tax purposes. Keila (Dominican translator) got married at the end of this week at the mission house so we had are hands full. She also moved in to her house and will all helped with that process. I felt like a wedding planner, making sure everything was ready and in place for her wedding. I went with Keila to pick everything up for her special day and assisted in setting it all up. Traci and Karen were actually in the wedding so I made sure everything was going well. There were a few issues, but they were all dealt with. One exciting thing I go to do was a bridesmaid's makeup. Dominican weddings are very similar to ours in the US. One difference was the Dominicans throw rice. I found it fascinating to learn that in their culture they keep both last names and end with the women's. Her wedding was beautiful even though they started two hours late as it is just a part of their culture. I had a wonderful time and was truly happy to be a part of it.

Week 3 - Julie Martin

My second week in the Dominican Republic became busier. Some days even exceed 10 hours. This was the most organized week as the team of two ladies had a schedule and I joined them. Karen (owner) injured her arm so I gave her an extra hand. That made me become more of a leader to the two ladies with what was going on during the day. At the beginning of the week, our time mainly consisted of organizing for the week. They brought a lot of donations that needed to sorted. They also had several crafts in mind for the children to make and even something to teach the widows. One of my highlights this week was going to the Children's Program. There were four different Children's Programs that I got to interact with and two of them actually had two different classes within their program. Each one was unique. I loved getting to mingle with so many children. I did not to all of them this week, but a good amount. The two ladies taught and I helped with the crafts. Grace and Peace Missionary Fellowship has a Widows Program of 60 women. We held several sessions this week in different towns where the widows would come to one place (usually a church or some one's house) and we would provide all the material to teach the widows how to make hot pads and rugs for their homes. Another factor that made this week so fabulous was that Traci (one of my best friends) arrived. She is so loved and well respected in the Dominican, it is a blessing to see because I know how much of her life she has dedicated to those people. It was amazing to see her passion and light up in a new way, especially towards the end of the week when we went to a hospital. One of the ladies was a doctor and want to visit a Dominican hospital. There were two young children who had been burnt really bad the day we went. Everyone was wondering if the little boy would survive. The two children had been playing outside and knocked over the boiling pot of beans. It poured all over them. The biggest concern was the fact that they were Haitians and the reputation Dominicans have with treat Haitian patients. They tend to not want to help them and literally will let them die. I had a hard time hearing this, but I needed to learn the reality of their culture. The two ladies then left at the end of this week.

Week 2 - Julie Martin

I flew to the Dominican Republic to spend 29 days as an intern for Grace and Peace Missionary Fellowship in Casandra, Barahona. I was so excited to begin this journey of seeing and assisting all areas in their ministry. Everyday was a new experience. I absolutely loved having the opportunity to live in their culture, getting to see how they lived on a day to day basis. I spent most of my first week observing. I went on numerous errands into town. One of my favorite times this week was visiting the widows. We went to about 30 widow's houses. We dropped off beans and rice and took their blood pressure as most of the widows were on medication or had high blood pressure. It was really cool to have conversations with them in their own homes. All the ladies were characters. They were so sweet, appreciative, and hospitable. Everyone would offer us a seat upon our arrival. These people do not have much, but they are willing to give all they have to others. It was an extremely humbling experience. One widow claimed to be over 100 years old. We are not sure if that is true though. During this first week I met a lot of new people, which was awesome. I really liked how the ministry was set up. Americans run it, but Dominicans are involved in the operation as well. Most of my time this first week was with one of the Dominican translators named Keila. I spent the majority of my time planning and preparing for her wedding day. Also, I assisted Bill and Karen (owners) along with their son Mike in any way I could. A small team of two ladies were on their way so I did a lot of that prep-work too. It was a very refreshing and rewarding week to see some familiar faces from when I was visiting on a short-term missions trip of one week earlier this year. Overall it was a successful week.

Week 1 - Julie Martin

I began my first week of Summer of Service working with Young Life. We had a few clubs (gatherings) left before Deland High School students were out of school so I stayed around to help. Since summer was approaching, we decided to change things up a bit and have fun. We came up with having a flash mob. Everyone was to meet at Tom's restaurant at an exact time. One of the leaders purchased a birthday cake and we randomly sang happy birthday to a stranger eating in the restaurant. A downtown conga line immediately followed. We had a good turn out of participants. After the conga line with a boom box, we headed back to Tom's for pizza. It was a great time to bond with high school students. Our last club of the year was messy. All of us leaders spent the entire day preparing for it. We blew a ton of water balloons, made a bunch of flour balls, and set up all the games. That day consisted of having a food fight (threw rice, beans, and tomato sauce), throwing water balloons and flour balls, and playing twister with tomato sauce, relish, mustard, and mayonnaise. It was a blast. Another way I dedicated my time to high school students at the beginning of my summer was taking a few girls to Islands of Adventure. One spent the night at my house the night before and then we went the next day. It was actually my first time going. I was really looking forward to it as I love roller coasters. It was a wonderful day listening to the girls about their life stories and guiding them along the way. Spending my time this way made my summer more meaningful and special.

July 14th - Scarlett

So the rest of my Summer of Service I will be working at the local elementary school in their summer school program. Right now I am mainly working with an EMH class and the kids are so great! I personally don’t think I could be a teacher but I do understand how rewarding it can be to get up every morning and go to work with kids that honestly love to see you and love to learn. J

June 25th - Scarlett

I love how God works so wonderfully! I just got offered an internship with the United Way! I am so excited J I am not sure if this is the particular company I will want to work for in my professional life, but I know I am doing what I am best at! I am working in fundraising and event planning and I can’t wait to get started in September!

I have to say though that I feel like I have not been able to accomplish anything at the CSL though. The trip I was working on didn’t really work, the overseas service trip just kind a fell apart, and the alumni newsletter didn’t seem to get that much interest. But oh well. I will just re-channel my efforts into the Freshman Exploration Program.

June 17th - Scarlett

So I have 100% decided that my time working in City Government is over. It took me 2 years to realize that the origination does not put its people first (even though that is the soul point of a city government) and I don’t think that I want to be a part of the origination any more. My heart lies with service and bettering the community and doing something good for others…not claiming to be putting people first and then only honoring that when it is easy. Ok rant is over.

June 5th - Scarlett

So no one has expressed interested in writing for the newsletter….and I am not sure if I can physically or mentally take on another project this big. I am still wrestling with this. And the school has cancled Homecoming until Fall 2013!!!!!!!! So much for that idea L Oh! And the freshman trip I was working on is not going to work now…needless to say I’m a little bummed.

May 31st - Scarlett

So my next project with the CSL is to look into the possibility of having an Overseas Service Trip. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten a lot of positive feedback from my fellow Bonners about going for a week or two but I am hoping that if I can make it affordable enough (and find a really cool place to go) people will change their minds J but we will see! Also, at IMPACT I was talking to a Stetson Bonner Alum about what was new with our program and he was really wanting to be kept up to date with all the wonderful, amazing things our program and students are doing, so I thought that putting together a newsletter (not every month but maybe 2 times a semester) to mail out to all of the Bonner Alums might be nice. And then I got to thinking that every other organization has an event during Homecoming, why doesn’t Bonner??? Our Alumni are a huge resource that we, as a group, are not utilizing!

My Action Plan:

1. Contact the Alumni office and get a list of all Bonner Alumni

2. Email current Bonners to ask for volunteer contributors for our newsletter

3. Plan homecoming event!

4. Send out newsletters

May 23rd - Scarlett

So I am beginning to think that City Government is not as perfect of a career for me as I have thought….

On a happier note, the First Year trip is all planned and I think it is going to be a pretty awesome trip if I do say so myself J They are going to be working with the Everglades! Sometimes I feel like Bonner forgets that serving the environment is just as important as serving people. So the students will get to work with and learn about Florida’s ecosystems, why we need to protect them, what plants do for us, what plants are not native to Florida and thus should be removed, etc. It is looking like the Freshman (and Sophomores) will be going over Fall Break and staying at the Everglades Natural Resort which is a camp ground that lets its guests really experience Florida in its natural glory J

May 19th - Scarlett

So this summer I don’t have the most interesting Summer of Service. I am continuing to work with the City of DeLand as there Marketing Intern. At the moment I am working with a group a volunteer group called Discover Deland to try and market DeLand as a fun, exciting place to visit….At the moment I am not sure how we are going to be able to do this but we will see J

I am also working at the CSL on a couple of Bonner related tasks as well. My first project is going to be planning/organizing a First Year Service trip for last year’s freshman as well as the new incoming freshman class. I am looking at a couple of different location around Miami so if anyone has any suggestions or connections please let me know!!!!!!

The Rest of my Summer in DC!

So here's what happened: about the second week, our house lost internet connection, which meant the only access I had to the outside world came from my phone, the brief glances at Facebook during work hours (sshhh! don't tell my boss!), and the newspaper I browsed every day during my commute. We didn't get it back until, oh, about week five or six. By that point, the concept of blogging was a faint and fading memory...

Anyway. Here we are. A month after the end of my Summer of Service, and I'm still exploring and digesting what I just experienced.

Like I said in my earlier blog, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was expecting politics, policy work, research, changing the world! What I got, however, was much more valuable: connections, direction, purpose.

It was a summer of discovery, not in the way I intended it to be. I didn't discover where I wanted to go to graduate school. I didn't discover what organization with which I want to work. I didn't solidify my area of interest (in fact, I added another one!). I did discover that I was putting way too much emphasis on my resume and not enough emphasis on my relationships. I did discover that I am passionate about many things, and that this is not a bad thing like I had thought. I did discover how to reincorporate my faith back into my life. I did discover that I have all the ingredients necessary to be successful in my future career. I did discover that I NEED to incorporate journalism into whatever that career may be. I did discover that I want (and need) to spend time abroad working before I can enter graduate school with any sense of direction. I did discover that politics could be in my future. I did discover that I love frozen yogurt. That's quite a bit of discovery, if I do say so myself.

Anyway. How I'm going to sum up my summer from here on out is as follows:

This summer, I spent two months living just outside of DC. I lived in a house with 20 other college students who worked on the Hill (lingo for Capitol Hill / House / Senate), and together we learned how to build a community from people with very diversified opinions and backgrounds, how to lead with conviction and integrity ... and how to navigate our nation's beautiful capital :) I spent one day each week volunteering with children from the impoverished areas of DC. These children were a bright spot of my week. We spent time playing games outside together (one little boy and I were the final two for a very intense game of "hold-hands-and-try-to-ram-the-other-person-into-the-overturned-garbage-can-in-the-center" ... he was intense, let me tell you!), talking together, eating lunch together, reading together, and making beaded bracelets and necklaces together. As children tend to do, they filled me with hope and a feeling of joy amidst poverty and rampant crime.

On Fridays, when I wasn't working, I set up meetings with different non-profit organizations to build connections with those organizations and to figure out if I actually want to do the kind of work I think I want to do. To anyone who is ever in a big city - PLEASE DO THIS! It was so helpful to me personally, and I know those connections will pay off for me professionally as well.

Saturdays and Sundays were spent bonding with the people living in the house (what a great group of people - I miss them already!), exploring DC, visiting monuments and gardens and museums, watching Josh Groban perform on the Fourth of July (yes, it was a Monday. Whatever.), listening to the Dalai Lama (by far a highlight of the summer!), listening to Jazz in the Park, visiting Baltimore, going to an Orioles game, spending time on the Bay ... everything. It was so great.

The other days of the week, I worked with a senator's wife. She is one of the most well-connected, well-liked, well-dressed women I have ever met. She walks into a room and fills it with purpose and strength ... and, strangely enough, love. She builds relationships with women leaders from around the world, pulling them away from the stresses of politics and poverty (most women are from less developed countries) for retreats and conferences, times to relax and enjoy the company of other women who are actively pursuing a better, more just world. These retreats, one of which I had the pleasure of experiencing, are not just powerful women lounging around together. They challenge each other to live lives of integrity, to build relationships with their citizens, something frequently lacking in non-industrialized countries, to be good mothers and sisters and wives and friends, to love everyone they meet, to push through hardship. Then, whenever a crisis or need arises within one of those countries, those women can call on each other for help: reassurances, mobilization of resources and funds, prayers ... you name it. One of my favorite stories is that of one country's need (I forgot which country :D) for mammogram machines and doctors to use them, as a disproportionate amount of women were dying from untreated breast cancer. The president's wife contacted the other women, my boss included, and together they mobilized machines, doctors, and funds to bring the testing out to even the most rural areas.

And it's that kind of thing that matters. As we say in Bonner all the time, you are to build a relationship with your community, to acknowledge your place within the community, to understand that what you have is only worth something when you give it away. It is those relationships and connections and results that matter - not the fame of your organization, not the length or prestige of your resume, not the sheer numbers. It's about people. It's about service. It's about love.

Isn't that what we've been taught all along?

Final Reflections

This summer, I participated in what I would consider the best summer of service ever. I made friends that will last forever as well as connections that will be very beneficial for me upon graduation. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and working with the people that I did. While it was quite the long and exhausting summer, I would not change it for anything. Working with children and teaching them sports is my dream job. I truly enjoyed my internship and the time that I spend there. I learned not only how to control my patience or lack there of, but also worked on my personal skills as well as built relationships with people everlasting. I must say that this was the perfect way to spend my last summer before graduating. <3

End of Volleyball Season

Around the second week of August, my 9-11 year old girls volleyball season came to end. I must say it was a bittersweet ending. While I genuinely enjoyed my time with the girls, since my summer was coming to an end, my patience was at an all-time low. I was very impressed though with how much the girls bonded with each other after finally coming together and working as a team. We ending up finishing the season with a winning record! We actually finished the our last 3 games on the last day by winning them all :) Words cannot explain how excited I was for them. It warmed my heart seeing the joy on their faces- it was as if they had just conquered the world. When I was saying my last words to the girls and their family's, I almost cried- I did not realize the bonds that I had built with them all. By far, coaching my volleyball girls was the MOST rewarding experience this summer, hands down. To this day, I see the girls and their families around Publix and it always puts a smile on my face :)

And then there was one....

The Thursday of volleyball camp was my last day working with Catherine. While she was an employee of the DeLand YMCA, she worked specifically within the sports department so we were together all summer. From working on projects, to running youth sports camps, to lifeguarding at the pool, we did it all; so naturally I was sad when she left. I still had 2 weeks left in my internship, so I was definitely lonely having to do everything by myself. What made things worse was that my boss was actually on vacation her first week gone so I literally had to do EVERYTHING by myself. It was quite lonely and at times frustrating. I never thought I would have formed such a tight bond with someone this summer. Catherine went on to play volleyball at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fl. We still talk weekly and I plan to come watch her game when she plays Stetson this year :)

Volleyball Camp Recap

So I got a little (more like a lot) behind on my blog. But I still remember volleyball camp to every detail. When I posted last time, we only had 3 children signed up for camp on the DeLand end. Luckily, by the time Catherine & I came back Monday morning, we ended up having 28 kids signed up. Total, between Deltona and DeLand, we had 51 boys and girls participating in volleyball camp. I worked long days, 8am-6pm and sometimes later if we had volleyball league that night. However, I must say it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I worked with different ages kids every day, but for me to have the opportunity to teach them one of my passions just melted my heart. Seeing them enjoy the sport as much as I do, put a smile on my face every day. I must say that when this week of camp ended, I missed it. I missed the counselors that I got to work with from Deltona as well as the relationships that I had built with all the kids!

Week 7 - Jennifer L.

I've decided to leave the reserve early. My seven weeks are up but I was still planning on doing service there even after my hours were up for Bonner. The owner of the reserve came up to me and told me that she heard what was going on. Luckily, she has cameras all over the reserve. She told me that she has seen and has proof how hard I work and that she knows everyone else is lying. She apologized for their behavior and told me that she likes me and wants me at the reserve. She told me that I am welcome back any time I want and not to let anyone scare me away. That made me feel a lot better. I am sad to leave the animals. I've really grown to love them. The owner let me take pictures and say my goodbyes. I would like to work there again but I feel very unwelcome from everyone else there. I really want to come back in the winter when I don't have to work in the heat. I also want to see the wolves beautiful full winter coats. Overall this was a wonderful experience. I got to work with animals that most people have to stay fifteen feet away from at a zoo and I learned so many interesting facts about the animals. I really enjoyed my summer of service.

Week 6 - Jennifer L.

This week was the worst week possible. Somehow the other volunteers found out that I was getting paid to work their and they made life hell for me. Even though they know it's not the reserve that's paying me, they still resent the fact that I'm making money off of working there. They didn't take the fact that I gave up a summer job to do service for them and help with all the hard work that they have to do with such a short staff. The temporary volunteers lied to the senior volunteers and told them that I wasn't working and pulling my weight. They've liked me this entire time and they know how hard I work, and now all of the sudden, I don't do anything. In most cases, I work twice as many hours as any other volunteer there. I was approached by two of the senior volunteers and told what was being said. I started crying really hard because I work so hard and for everyone to say that I wasn't doing anything was just so hurtful. I know who a few of the people that were lying about me were, and they don't know that I know yet. They're acting really fake and pretending everything is fine. I cried the whole day and then had to help give a tour. I just wanted to leave

Week 5 - Jennifer L.

This week I was allowed to go into a cage with one of my favorite wolves at the reserve! Sierra was the first show wolf for Bush Gardens. She's around fifteen years old. This is even better than the tiger walks because she wasn't on a leash. It was just me and Sierra. There was a senior volunteer in the cage as well just to be safe. I was so excited because she is such a sweet wolf and it's hard to love on the animals as much as you want to through a cage. She was as excited as I was. She actually jumped up on me. There was one paw on each of my shoulders. It wasn't aggressive (she was licking my face) but it was a little scary. She's so big and powerful that she accidentally pushed me against the cage. After the senior volunteer got her down, she laid down on the ground and exposed her belly for me to rub. Work was a little difficult this week because everything is outside and it has been pouring rain. You have to do all the work even if it's lightning because the animals still have to eat. There's not much shelter except for a shed so after work is done, we all kind of hide in there. I hope it stops raining next week.

Week 4 - Jennifer L.

This week I was given permission to touch all the animals!! I am so excited. I finally get to love on these amazing animals. Their fur feels amazing. Slowka, one of our asian leopards, has fur that feels like silk. Serabi is the female lion. She won't stop licking my hand and rubbing against the cage so that I can reach all her favorite spots to be pet. I've really started to build relationships with the animals as well as the volunteers. Most of the volunteers are really nice and hard working. I'm really enjoying my time here. Now that the animals are comfortable with me and I can interact with them, it makes all the work I do for them easier. Lately I've been doing some manual labor. I've had to mulch quite a bit all around the reserve, and I've had to put some wheel barrels together. I've also had to fill in some ditches that they dug to put in piping. All of this in the hot sun is really taxing. I've been crashing really hard when I go to bed and I always take two showers because I smell like poop, raw meat, and sweat when I get home. My parents and my boyfriend came on a tour this week. It was really fun having them involved in what I've been so passionate doing this summer. I'm happy they're getting to see all the animals I've been ranting about all the time.

Week 3 - Jennifer L.

This week, we got to take the two youngest tigers, Seze and Toruk, on walks around the reserve. I don't hold the leash but I get to walk next to them. It's really an amazing experience. This was the first time that I got to be near one of the tigers without a cage in the way. It's an amazing feeling being so close to such a magnificent animal with nothing separating us. These are the times that all the poop cleaning really pays off. Although it's not fun to talk about, removing poop is a large part of my job. I have to sweep the path clean on tour days so that the guests don't step in African Geese poop. Then I have to lock out all the animals in the small part of their cage in order to find their bathroom spot and shovel it into a bucket. Some of the animals don't have lock outs, which means that I can't enter their cage to clean the poop. They have made makeshift scoopers for us to use. They used the pole of a duster attached to a large kitchen spoon. I have to put the spoon through the holes of the cage, get the poop in the spoon, and then pull the spoon back out the cage. Sometimes the poop falls off the spoon and I have to do it all over again. Once I've collected all the poop, I take it to the poop pit. The poop pit is in the back of the reserve where none of the guests go. We put lime over the poop and then bury it in the dirt. Thanks to the lime, it actually doesn't smell that bad. Shoveling feces is well worth the experience of being with these animals.

Week 2 - Jennifer L.

Now that the senior volunteers have gotten to know me a little bit, they've started to give me more responsibility. I am not only making the diets now, but I am giving the animals the food. I am also helping on tours. The reserve allows tours every Wednesday and Saturday. They last about two hours long and describe why the reserve exists, each animal's personal story, and general information about the type of animals that are housed. It is a feeding tour, which means the guests get to watch the carnivorous animals feed. This is my favorite part of the tour because some of the tigers and leopards are food aggressive. They get very upset when you are near them while they are eating and they growl and jump at the cage. They put on quite a show. My job during the tours is crowd control. I make sure the guests are standing at least five feet back from any cage at all times and are not teasing the animals or interrupting the tour guide. Every tour day, the tigers get bubble baths and all the animals get their cage scooped for poop. The animals are so fun to play with in their tub. Chakra, a very energetic and playful white tiger, will purposely splash everyone with her bubbles. When we fill her water, sometimes she will take her front paws and dump all the water out of the bucket, just to make us mad. I love her attitude though. Some of the animals are sniffing me out more now. I think they're getting used to me being around all the time.

Week 1 - Jennifer L.

My very first day at the reserve, I was already allowed to pet one of the Siberian lynxes and go in the cage with the White Nosed Coati. The work is very hard, I can tell already. It's extremely hot and I'm always in direct sunlight. There is only a porta potty to use as a rest room. Most of my work is very physical and requires a lot of energy. I am also making the diets for the animals, which means sorting through a lot of produce as well as working with hundreds of pounds of raw meat with my bare hands. This is not a job for a princess. All the hard work is well worth it though. Although I am not allowed to pet any of the larger animals yet, I am allowed to get right up to their cages and interact with them. The animals are amazing. They have a lot of tigers, leopards (black as well), wolves, two lions, foxes, a coati, two cappybaras, Indonesian squirrels, chickens, goats, a deer, three lynxes, four cougars, and a cockatiel. The animals are amazing and they are so sweet! Most of them especially the tigers and one of the lions, will come right up to me and lay their bodies against the fence for me to pet them. I can't wait until I can touch them. I feel bad not petting them when they want me to. I understand the importance of getting the animal accustomed to before I touch them because they can be dangerous to people they don't know. I love the reserve already! I can't wait until next week.