After calling every day for two weeks prior to the NYC meeting, my fellow AAUS intern Maddie Hatfield and I traveled from Croatia and French Polynesia to meet up at the annual OWUSS meeting in NYC. Immediately after converging with the group, some of the first questions we got were, “Did you already know each other?” which garnered a laugh from both Maddie and me as we chided, “No, this is our first time meeting. We’re just like this!” While our chats over WhatsApp had gone well and we had been texting just about nonstop, it bode well for our summer together that we just clicked.
The theme for the three days had been decided on: maximizing whimsy (short for whimsical). This meant not only taking advantage of every opportunity during the weekend, but also squeezing in as much exploration and sightseeing as possible despite the packed schedule of events. So, between running through Central Park to the famed Explorers Club and navigating the subway between the airport and Broadway Ave., we managed to sneak in a midnight visit to Times Square, a jaunt through an artisans market, a jam sesh with a drummer in Central Park, and wandering around the various avenues.
But let’s get into the meat of the reason we were all in the city: OWUSS’s celebration of scholars and interns! We had the opportunity to hear from previous interns and scholars about their summer internships, yearlong scholarships, and what they’ve been able to move on to now. The two largest takeaways that we learned from the meetings, social hours, and presentations were that Maddie and I had now joined a group of people who were eager to support us in our careers, and that OWUSS has enabled people to lead incredible lives through the opportunities that they provided.
We left the weekend hopeful for the year ahead of us, looking forward to the things we would accomplish and the people and relationships we would cultivate (and feeling a bit nervous to ‘match’ the greatness of those who came before us). But before we had too long to think about it and feel the impending nervousness about presenting our own experiences next year, it was time for all of us to split!
After a three-day jaunt around New York City, I set off to Washington, gazing in awe out of the airplane window as the mountains passed by (cue the Twilight theme song). After changing 3 times zones, catching 5 flights, packing for 2 new climates, and sleeping an average of 3 hours a night — all in the span of one week, it was a huge relief to land in one location for a while.
The internship wouldn’t officially start for a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, I was able to help out around the dive locker, organizing equipment, visually inspecting tanks, learning how to work the compressor, and joining a couple of trips on RV Zoea while meeting the people who call Shannon Point Marine Center home.
I didn’t know much about Anacortes before coming here, let alone the weather and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. But it was a pleasant surprise to be met with 18 hours of sunlight, stunning views of the San Juan Islands, nestled in 100 acres of woods with a quiet beach just 5 minutes away.
While the beginning was a mix of filling in where help was needed, exploring my new location, and catching up on sleep in ‘cold’ weather, I was counting down the days until Maddie joined for our summer of diving to start (and to get me out of these semi dry wetsuits)!
See how the internship kicks off in my next blog post!
