finally.

Finally.

lunch with someone my age.
someone who cares about people.
who is willing to be transparent.
thank you Lord!

What a day in the life of an intern looks like...

Here is what today looked like:

Answered emails - 5 min


worked on filling out a grant - 1 hour

Boss changed plan for a grant and had to resend emails - 5 min

Restart working on grant - 1 hour

Boss finally responded to multiple emails and then started on a new lead for a few grants - 10 min

sat and pondered - 2-3 min intervals

Met with shop director to look over advertisement - 10 min

Call Macy's - 2 min

Apply online for macy's application - 30 min

Make tomorrows to-do list - 5 min

Research new grant - 5 min

start on new grant - 10 min

get pulled into unplanned meeting - 15 min

Listen to Bob Marley while finishing up and cleaning up desk - 4 min

That was my 4 hour day.



Was today frustrating? YES
Was today tiring? YES
Was today worth not being paid? NO
Was a phone call made to my mom to complain? YES
Did I come home and immediately eat ice cream? YES
Did I then decide to take a nap instead of doing something productive? YES.
 
Addios.
 

< Cinque Terra in Italia 2009

Failures with hidden success

So I decided to go out to downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. However, Friday proved to be a FAILURE. Couldn't find ANYWHERE to park, and NO coffee or taverns I was looking for! So therefore, while on the phone with Natalie Huth, explaining my failure and my drive back to my house. So luckily I had stumbleupon.com and a German exchange student, Isabel, to hang out with late last night. So Friday's hidden success, coming home, changing into pajamas and eating ice cream.

Saturday, FAILURE in trying to locate the Eastown Bizarre Bazaar, it didn't exist. So lucky decided to explore via car the rest of downtown and DID find my first success of the day: The Bitter End. A very cute, on the more ghetto side of the downtown coffee shop. Filled with University students, good coffee, and street parking you can actually find! Then I decided why not try and find the lake. So I drove out to Holland and walked out to the beach and enjoy the COOL 62 degrees! It was heavenly. This was a success!

Then I was apparently more tired than I thought, came home and fell asleep for 2 hours. Then pizza and tv with Katye. And currently writing this post.

This week at work went really well. I actually started writing grants. So far I have written 2 Letters of Inquiry for a media grant, and created a mission statement and created the name and purpose of an entire new program at WAR that needs funding! That was probably my favorite part of the week. No news on a part time job, even though I have applied for a new job about every other day. Guess that's God's answer for right now.

Still somewhat lonely here. I still don't know anyone my own age outside of other interns who are from around here and have their friends and other jobs. But its only week 2, so know worries. Tomorrow I am actually helping out at the Schut's church. I will be signing 2 chapters from Psalms that goes along with the sermon based in Acts. So that will be interesting. But that's about all there is going on up here in Michigan. I am going to be working on grad school applications this week, and hopefully spending time with Linda Propst again and Sarah Poehler this week! I will be excited to see familiar faces.

< Jamaica 2011, 3rd time to CCCD, missing those mountains!

You must think I am stronger than I am...

So there is this song out on Christian air-waves, I don't know the title. But the Lyrics go something like: Lord, You must think I am stronger than I am for having me go through what I am going through. And I am giving up. You have to be strong enough for both of us!

This is how I have felt this week. God seems to have this plan for me that I don't think that I am strong enough for, but apparently he thinks I am ready for it. It started like this:
1. Going to Union, not knowing anyone, being lonely for quite a while
2. Working at Skyview, lonely for quite a while
3. Moving to Florence, Italy, not knowing anyone, surrounded by non Christians, lonely for quite a while
4. Moving back to Union, everyone changed, so did I. Lonely for quite a while.
5. Moving to Michigan, currently lonely.

God seems to have this pattern that I am slowly catching on to. And I think there is a reason. When I am in these transition times, lonely time, I cling to God more than any other time. I am in the Word. I am soaking up sermons left and right. I am looking for God and finding him. It is when I become comfortable, when God leads me to friends, leads me to relationship besides him, thats when I stray. Its kind of like, Hello Kate! If you stay with me through the lonely AND not lonely times, I might still send you the lonely times, but the lonely times wouldn't feel so lonely. You know what I mean. This might not be what God is thinking, but sure seems like it to me.

My Internship with Women at Risk is fine. I am learning a lot about research, myself, grants, etc.But I do it all alone. I don't have people to talk with. I don't have anyone to eat lunch with. I don't spend time with anyone after work, before work, during work. Its quite isolated. So again, I am clinging to Christ. That is the only way I made it through this week, and I am sure weeks to come.

I do love the family I am with. They are great! They give me space, they chat some with me. No pressure to be uber clean, or quite, or whatever. So thats nice, but at the same time. I also feel alone in a house full of people. So here is to hoping the next week isn't quite as lonely.

< Dublin, Ireland in October 2009

Michigan Bound

So on Tuesday I am bound for Grand Rapids, MI. I will be working with a NGO called Women at Risk International, aka WAR Int''l. I am really excited to get out there and start this summer internship! I really want to take full advantage of where I will be living. I am going to be in great hiking, biking, camping, boating area! I have a friend who should be coming up this summer and I think we are going to do a grand camping trip one weekend! Also I have the joy of looking forward to Denver, CO and Cody, WY in early August. I am excited! I think I will also take a weekend to go hang out in Chi-town! I want to go see the Hull House, the first home for women and children in the USA. It was like the initial start of social work in the States! I cannot wait! I am a huge fan of Chicago. I have been many times, last being a road trip my freshman year of college in Jan 2009. So that is the next group of traveling I plan on doing. A possible trip to LA is being planned for October! So many places to go, see, explore!

< at Niagara Falls, NY, after our road trip to Toronto, Canada!

Transitions and convictions

Today I finished my junior year of my undergraduate work. I only have 12 months until I will be called to walk across a stage and accept my diploma. That is amazing to me. I honestly can't believe time has flown so fast! In the past 3 years at Union, I have:
1. Been a president of a student organization
2. Lived and studied abroad in Florence, Itlay
3. Lived in Tennessee, Ohio, and soon to be Michigan
4. Had a job, quite a job, still have job
5. Had internships with Druggies, Alcoholics, and soon to be prostitutes and slaves
6. I am applying to graduate school.

The list can truely keep going! And I still have a year here!

Not only that, but today I went and saw the movie "Something Borrowed", and then as I came back from a movie that I originally didn't think was that bad, read my old friends blog about movies and what we choose to put into ourselves. I watched a movie that was about cheating, sleeping around, searching and finding what YOU want, not caring much about others in those situations. It was really convicting. I just paid 5.50 to watch sin. And then I wonder why I feel so down in the dumps afterwards. No duh Kate! Its because you just spent and hour and a half watching sin. Just a revelation I was brought to today. Gonna be considering the movies I go to much more carefully now.

Me in Greystone, Ireland in the fall of 2009

2 weeks to go, until WAR

I offically have 2 weeks, 14 days, until I will be finished with my third year of college. I am overwhelmed with work, but eager for summer to come! I am going to yet another place for my summer. I will add living in Grand Rapids, MI to my list. My list so far looks like this:

- AFB, MA
- Dayton, OH
-Jackson, TN
- Millersburg, OH
- Florence, Italy
- and now Grand Rapids, MI!

I enjoy adding to this list. I qualify it by if I have lived in that place for over 2 months. 1 month to me is still considered short term, you don't know the place well enough, but after 2-3 months, you start to know your city and really live in it. I know some people who qualify where they have lived by living there at least 6 months. Maybe I will change to that standard later, but I really think it takes at least a summer, 2 months, to call a place one of your "homes".

Where was I last? Lousiville, KY. Where will I be next? St. Louis, MO.

When I was in London, in March.

So question to think about: Where should I go to grad school, asssuming I get into all of them?

1. Univ. of Denver

2. Washington Univ. in St. Louis

3. Univ. of Washington, Seattle

4. Univ. of Penn.

Change of heart

Hello all who care to read :)

I haven't written in over a year! That amazes me that its been that long since I lived in Italy. I miss it on a daily basis still.

Anyways I have been reading other blogs on a continual basis, and thought, why don't I just keep writting. I enjoy it. I enjoy sharing where I am going and have gone. Like for example, in the past year I havea been to Toronto, Canada, Jamiaca, and in 2 weeks I am going to London, England! I just keep moving. So I have decided, lets keep it going.

So look for new posts coming about my trips and life in general as I am going to start my last summer before I graduate college, my senior year, and all that God has in store for my life!

Ciao!