Friday, September 19, 2014

My last farewell; thanks to everyone that has been along the ride with me. Mahalo!

ສະ​ບາຍ​ດີ​ຫມົດ​ທຸກ​ຄົນ
sa bai di mod thuk khon


I would first like to thank everyone that has contributed and helped me through this journey. It has been quite the time over at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and with the many memories created, it'll continue to make its influence on my life. The people met, paths walked, conversations made, food eaten, knowledge gained, and relationships built, are all things I'm glad happened to me.

To start things off, I want to acknowledge the experiences I've had with my time at HMSC and ODFW. I gained alot of life skills while out in the field working with the Human Dimensions team of the Oregon Marine Reserves Program. Spending 4-5 days out in the field and the rest of the week doing data entry and analysis, it proved a challenge to balance back and forth from my social and intuitive sides. It was difficult when I was faced with the reality that not everyone agrees with the implementation of Marine Reserves. But it wasn't all bad, I was able to learn how to deal with and calm these individuals that held much anger. I also would say my listening has gotten better- people are just passionate about their opinions, hence their engagement with their emotions, I've learned to listen. They are voicing their thoughts for a reason, and that is to be recognized and heard. I did my best to accommodate.

Though it was always a walk in the dark with the uncertainty of what people will say to you when approaching them with a clipboard and wearing state-issued uniforms, it was an eye-opener to how the public views people of "authority" and what that all entails. I had come across many people who expected me to know everything about anything and when I would say I don't have the answer, I'd be accused of participating in such devious plans of pretending not to know. Not only did I gain information on how the general public interacts with their environment, I can say I learned a lot about myself in the process. Driving from location to location, a lot of time was spent in the car alone, and in areas with no signal, time was spent with my mind and thoughts in silence. It wasn't easy to do this, and once my surroundings quieted, it seemed my inner-thoughts were amplified but sometimes, everything would quiet. But on a positive note, my sing-along skills to some songs did improve!

Moving onto a more education-oriented talk, I also did learn a lot in the academic setting. Housed in an area filled with other interns, REUs (research experience for undergrads), and OSU students studying in the marine science field, it was sunshine with two scoops of raisins. With so many people and shared interests, everyone seemed to get along, and not only that, but be also on the same wavelength (especially regarding jokes). With games like "marine bio-ball", approaching deadlines for presentations, reports, and essays, and the being living situation (in HMSC- hub for science) it was pretty inescapable from learning (until we fell asleep), so not too bad. Everyone either wanted to get other opinions on their research, their talking-style, or even just a buddy to study with, it was just a fun time!

But of course, not everything was science-related, and not everywhere was on campus. Streets were explored and many characters acquainted with. Such a dynamic group of individuals was I to befriend. I now know the magic of networking and building lasting relationships. So much of Newport was a mystery when I got there, but one thing I was certain of - the exceptional view on the Yaquina Bay Bridge. And now, two months later, that is still the one thing I'm certain of. So much of life is in the constant state of flux, and so you need those few things to help navigate you, to be your polaris.

One last Cheers!

ຂໍ​ຂອບ​ໃຈ​ທ່ານ
kho khob chai than







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