Summer in Salt Lake City: Weeks Two-Four

The past three weeks have been pretty crazy here in Salt Lake City! I have moved twice, applied for a countless number of jobs for who knows how many clients, driven all over Salt Lake City, and have even done some sight-seeing!

For the 4th of July, I watched about 10 different fireworks shows (both legal and illegal) from my vantage point south of the city. It was really interesting, considering how many forest fires were burning, but apparently no one really cared too much.

I also drove out to see the Great Salt Lake... It ended up being rather disgusting, at least at the point where I was. The lake level was pretty low, so the beach was a lot bigger than usual. There were a lot of dead animals on the beach, mostly birds, and it smells horrible. The thing I found the most difficult to believe was the number of people who were actually swimming in the lake! Eww... But hey, to each his own, right?

Last weekend, I went on a 6 mile hike in the mountains with my housemates, their friend, and their dog. Of course, 3 miles into our hike, while taking a break at Dog Lake (where the dog ran around like a crazy person), it started to pour rain. Luckily we all brought rain coats, but hiking down a mountain in pouring rain with a crazy dog running all around you is very difficult. But it was very enjoyable, and somehow I survived all that exercise at high altitude! (Yay Me!)

At work, I have several duties, including calling employers to verify employment & check on the progress of our clients, meeting with my group of clients at least 2 times each week to help them apply for jobs, assist teaching computer and job classes, filing (of course), data entry, and anything else that my supervisor asks me to do. I keep pretty busy, all things considered. It is somewhat shocking how difficult it is to get in touch with people who work in Human Resources and company management! I play a lot of phone tag... which can be fun for a little while, but gets old pretty quickly.

This morning, I had to get up super early to show one of my clients how to take the bus to work, since it was her first day. Funnily enough, I have never taken the bus before... But we figured it out pretty easily! Hooray for decent public transportation...! I'm just glad that I have a car :)

On Tuesday of next week, it is Pioneer Day here in Utah, so I get the day off! Apparently it is celebrated very similar to the 4th of July, with parades, fireworks, and everything. Hopefully that will be enjoyable. If nothing else, I get a day off!

:)

Summer in Salt Lake: Week One

This week was a fun one at the IRC . On Monday, I got thrown right into the mix of things, attending meetings and talking to refugees right off the bat.

I helped refugees apply for jobs, attended the weekly staff meeting, assisted teaching Computer Class and Job Club, helping refugees get started on their lives in the US.

So far working at the IRC seems to be a difficult, but very rewarding job. On Thursday morning, I took one of the refugees to a job interview. He did a very good job during the interview, but also talked about an emotional time in his life-- when his parents were killed when he was just a kid. Here's to hoping he gets that job!

This week also happens to be the US Olympic Team Swimming Trials... and since Michael Phelps made swimming popular, NBC has been showing it LIVE every single night! Woah. I feel so out of touch with the swimming world-- with all of my swimming idols during my swimming career either retired (Aaron Piersol), or not as fast & on top of their game as they used to be (Natalie Coughlin). It's been interesting watching those young kids take over (Missy Franklin)!

Today I did a little bit of exploring Salt Lake City. The farmer's market at Pioneer Park was interesting, and I just drove around after that to see what there is to see. Next weekend (or at some point) I definitely plan to go to Lisa Falls in Snowbird, and Park City-- maybe to the farmer's market there, but also for some hiking.

:)

PS- The IRC is always accepting donations of new or gently-used items, including bikes, couches, clothes, toiletries, etc. to assist refugees with their resettlement. You can find the nearest location at rescue.org.

New Adventure (to Utah)

In less than 30 hours, I will be embarking on a new adventure... off to Salt Lake City, UT to work for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as an Intern in the Economic Empowerment & Employment department. So basically I will be assisting newly resettled refugees find work in Salt Lake City! But first, I have to get there. I am driving the 12 (ish) hour drive by myself over 2 days this weekend to start work on Monday morning at 9am. I am really nervous to start this new internship, mostly because I still have no idea what to expect. I know that I will be helping people find jobs-- but really, how does one go about doing that? Eek. I'm also nervous because I think I'm forgetting to pack important things (though Utah is civilized, so I will be able to buy those things). And lastly, I'll miss San Diego & the people (and kitties) who are there... But overall, I am super excited to have this internship. I'm excited to work with refugees & to help them in any way that I can (to find a job). Maybe it will even help me with my future job search-- knowing what I want, knowing what to look for, and even improving my own interview skills. I'm also really excited about all of the fun that I will have in Salt Lake-- there is so much hiking & outdoorsy fun! Plus I will be able to reconnect with a few friends from High School! Salt Lake City, here I come. For 10 weeks. :) From the last time I was in Salt Lake City: View from the U.

Things Pinky Kitty Did Today

1) Ate my cottage cheese



2) Slept in my desk chair


 
3) Slept on my blanket



4) Drank my water out of my water glass



5) Slept on my pillow

 

That's all.