Advice for future Best Friends Interns

Well, I've been home from Utah exactly one week now. It has a been a long and difficult week of transition. I immersed myself so fully in my experience in Utah that in just five and a half weeks, Kanab felt like home, my friends felt like we'd known each other for way longer than 5 weeks, the family I stayed with felt like true family, and my internship felt like my job. The remoteness of Kanab had become a way of life, as had going to national parks on a regular basis. Suddenly, the city of Minneapolis seems like a giant metropolis! This is, of course, the exact opposite of how I felt when I first moved to Minneapolis from New York City!

After a week of reflecting on my experience at Best Friends, I have some advice that I would give to any prospective intern.

1. Live with a person/family who works at Best Friends. I was hesitant to do this at first because I thought I wanted my own space, and it was hard to conceive of living with a complete stranger for 5 weeks. But it is very helpful to have someone who knows the area, knows the sanctuary, and can answer your questions. I happened to completely luck out on who I stayed with. They treated me like family from the moment I arrived, and I left knowing I have a life-long relationship with an entire family that I didn't have before. Simply getting to know these wonderful people made the trip entirely worth it.

2. Pack lots of clothing layers. My internship was in the fall, so I assume it's a little different for everybody depending on what time of year you are in Kanab. However, I will say that there was often a 40 degree difference in temperature from the time I started work to the time I finished work. I would start out wearing a tank top, long sleeved shirt, fleece, and a jacket in the mornings and I'd still be cold! But as the beautiful high desert sun breaks through and starts to warm the day, I'd shed my layers until I was sweating in just jeans and a tank top. The work you do can be very physical, or you might be just sitting with an animal working on socialization, so you never know how cold or hot you might get through your work. Just bring lots of layers and check the weather each day!

3. Disconnect. Best Friends is a complete bubble. It's heaven for animal lovers, and it's so far removed from the rest of the world (despite the fact that the rest of the world flocks to it to volunteer and visit). Most of us live in a world where we're constantly on our computers, smart phones, tablets, etc. I would suggest embracing the bubble, throwing yourself entirely into the experience, and disconnecting somewhat from the digital age. Your cell phone probably won't get reception most places anyway, and you may or may not have internet access where you live. I found that because blogging became part of my experience, simply logging onto the computer once a day to write my blog and check for urgent e-mails was all I needed to do. I didn't watch one single second of television and I didn't miss it a bit. I did keep in touch with my loved ones on the phone, but not as much as I expected to, given that I usually talk to them everyday. I was so busy with the internship and living in the bubble, that I managed to talk to people maybe a couple times a week if I was lucky. I was okay with that because I had such amazing support where I was living and my loved ones were very understanding.

4. Connect. As you disconnect from the digital world, I cannot recommend enough that you connect with the people and environment around you. I was lucky enough to have the best possible group of interns working with me during my session. Make friends with your fellow interns! You all have at least one thing in common: a love of animals, and you will find that you have more and more in common as you get to know them and more and more that you can learn from them. I have so much respect for all my fellow interns. A great way to connect is to get together for lunches at the cafeteria during the week and head out for adventures during the weekends. Each week, I went to some amazing new place to hike with my intern friends and those are memories I will cherish forever. I feel equally connected to the family I stayed with during my internship, so I know that I now have relationships and friendships that will last a lifetime because of their unique circumstances.

5. Along the same lines as my last point, be sure to connect with nature. Hiking has not been a huge part of my life, but it is a huge part of life in Kanab. You will be within an hour or two of several incredible national parks and hidden gems. Get out there! Even if you do short hikes, or just stop by and sit in nature for a while, your mind, body, and soul with thank you for that connection to the earth that many of us just don't get often enough.

6. Keep an open mind. The first two weeks of the internship, you'll be rotating through all the different animal areas. I can't stress enough how important it is to keep an open mind as you experience what it is like to care for different species. I went in to the internship assuming I'd focus my time in DogTown, but luckily I kept an open mind. I ended up being so enthralled with so many of the species, that I spread my focus for the final three weeks across several areas. One of the areas in which I spent the most time was at Rescue Village working with rabbits. I never in a million years would have thought that's where I would end up. But I learned so much about that species, I loved the staff, and I found a way that I could really make an impact in my short time at the sanctuary by working in rabbits.

7. The internship is what you make of it. The first two weeks are very structured and you don't have a lot of input into your schedule. However, you will soon have complete freedom to design your own schedule. Think about what you really want to get out of this internship and make it happen. The entire sanctuary seems aligned in wanting to make volunteers and interns have the best experiences they possibly can. Leesa, the intern coordinator is especially helpful and will do everything in her power to help you get the most out of your internship. All you have to do is ask. One of the areas I'm very interested in is studying animal behavior. I found out there was a vet working at Best Friends who does exactly that. I took the initiative to schedule myself to work in his building when he'd be around and talked to several people about wanting to work with him. We set up a meeting and I spent my last three weeks basically doing my dream job of helping with animal behavior research. If I hadn't asked, it wouldn't have happened. Pursue your interests and everyone at Best Friends will do their best to make it happen for you!

8. Prepare for tough transitions. Arriving in Kanab, I was excited and nervous. I also got a massive case of altitude sickness. If you live at sea level or you are prone to altitude sickness, I suggest getting to Kanab several days before your internship starts so that you have time to let your body adjust. And drink lots of water! I felt miserable my first few days in Kanab due to the altitude and homesickness. I considered going back to Minnesota before my internship even began. Now, I know about myself that I personally have trouble with transitions, probably more so than most people. But, it is a tough adjustment no matter where you're coming from just because life there is so different than most places. After giving myself time to transition, I had one of the best experiences of my life. And then, before I knew it, it was over. Time for another transition back home. I had grown so close to the animals, people, and even the lifestyle in Kanab, that transitioning back home has been incredibly difficult. My advice is to plan some things that you love to do and people you want to see for when you get back. Seeing my friends and going to my orchestra rehearsals has grounded me back in my life at home, helping me realize that I can also be happy outside the bubble of Best Friends.

There's so much more I feel I could tell a potential intern, but part of the fun is figuring it all out by yourself as you go. Plus, this is getting to be a really long blog post! So, go out there, immerse yourself, and have an amazing experience! This goes for people who are going out just for a few days or weeks to volunteer as well. Same advice applies!

Thank you, Best Friends, for a life-changing experience. I'll be back one way or another!

Week 5, Days 4 & 5: Is it really over?!

I cannot believe the internship is over. Everyone said it would go by so fast and they were absolutely right. The final couple days were pretty tough. I spent a lot of my time outside of work working on my projects. In the end, I ended up doing research for Dr. Frank, bonding rabbits, making a pamphlet about bonding rabbits, and making a silly little video of bonding rabbits. It was definitely a rush to get it all finished in time!

On Thursday morning, I actually was quite sick, so I had to call in to work and let them know I couldn't make it. I was so disappointed because I was scheduled to work in an area that I love. I was feeling a bit better by afternoon, but mostly I felt that I just had to go in to work because it was Pepsi's last training class and I didn't want him to miss it. He was a really good boy, despite the rain and construction noise in Tara's Run. He even did his new trick (spin) with a lure. I was so proud of him. He's come so far in 5 weeks and our bond is unlike any I've had with another dog.

On Friday, I worked from home doing research for Dr. Frank. I'm really excited that I was allowed to do this through my internship because it is basically my dream job. Dr. Frank is amazing to work with and his studies are really interesting. I'm sure I'll continue to do a little more work here and there for the project just because I keep receiving e-mails about it!

The interns had a pizza lunch and I think for a lot of us it was starting to slowly hit us that this was the end. We only had one more shift left!

For my last shift, I took Pepsi on an outing. He was a bit stressed and distracted, probably due to a major change in weather. Mostly, he just wanted to sit on my lap. That was fine with me. I hugged him a lot, told him repeatedly how much I loved him, and then had the hardest time in the world bringing him back to his run. His caretaker said she'll keep me posted on his status and I really hope that my goodbye to him was not an actual goodbye, but a see you later. I miss you, Pepsi!

We ended the afternoon by gathering in the conference room and each intern presented their projects and some of their reflections and thoughts on the internship. The general consensus was that it was absolutely amazing, life changing, and tough to leave. I think we probably had the best possible group of people in our internship session and it was really hard to say goodbye to all the friends who I'd shared this amazing experience with.

I'll write some further reflections later, but I want to give it a little space as I transition back to my life in Minnesota. Plus, I'm too sad to write about it right now because I miss everything and everyone so much!

Week 5, Days 1-3: Oh my heck!

This post is entitled "Oh my heck!" because that's my favorite saying around here in Southern Utah. And, oh my heck, have I ever been busy lately! So you're getting three days in one blog post...

Monday

On Monday, I had my last shift in Horse Haven. I am sad that I won't be working there anymore, but I had a fantastic last day there. I got to say good morning to Squeaky the office pig:

And then I headed out to help muck the pastures. This pretty much sums up life in Horse Haven:

The best part of the day was when I got left in charge of the volunteers and got to drive Ruby (the 4-wheeler-type thing) from pasture to pasture! It was a bit of a rough ride for my poor passengers at first, but I got the hang of it:

We also got to go on an amazing tour of the canyons, where I saw my first petroglyphs. It was just a wonderful morning.

I spent my afternoon in Rescue Village, bonding rabbits and working on my project, finalizing my informational pamphlet on rabbit bonding. It was a productive afternoon.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning was spent working from home on my research for Dr. Frank. I'm still so thrilled that I have the opportunity to assist on the exact type of research I've always wanted to do. I'm getting a really good response from my work so far, so I'll be spending Friday morning working on that as well. I headed into Rescue Village after lunch and bonded rabbits again. The fab four, as I liked to call them, were doing great at bonding in their small indoor pen, but that changed a bit today, which I'll get to in a moment. If you ever wonder what I do at work, I spend hours sitting in rabbit pens:

Wednesday

Today was a really great day. My morning shift was an outing with Pepsi. He's seriously the sweetest, cutest dog on the planet! Everyone loves him, and once again, I couldn't make it through town without getting stopped a few times because of his celebrity status. We had a really great time and I started teaching him his trick for tomorrow's obedience class. I decided on "spin" because he follows the lure of a treat really well. He had a gift for me when I got there today, which was the sweetest thing ever: he gave me a t-shirt with his big ol' head printed on it! Pepsi and I had a great morning and did a variety of things. Here he is fishing in the pond by the Welcome Center and then trying to eat his entire bag of treats!

This afternoon, I spent my final shift at Rescue Village. I have really come to love the animals and staff there, so it was a difficult goodbye. The day was rather eventful as I took my four rabbits that I'm trying to bond outside for the first time into a bigger pen. It did not go well. At all. There were so many fights I couldn't keep track of it. I was disappointed that they all couldn't get along, but we were able to keep two of them out to see if they could bond together without the others. In order to assist in the bonding, I stressed them by placing them in a crate and driving them around on a motorized cart around the parking lot. They bond over their shared experience when that happens. Here they are in their cart:

Even though I didn't love the thought of stressing them, I have to say they were nearly letter perfect after that! I took them back to the indoor bonding area and they relaxed together. Luckily the rest of the afternoon was uneventful!

I can't believe I only have two days of work left before I leave here. I love it so much and I've met the most incredible people. I truly feel like I have family here now and I've been really enjoying my work and spending time with my Kanab family and friends after work. That makes keeping up a blog pretty tough, but I'll do my best for the final few days here. I'll have plenty of time to catch up on the plane ride home if I get behind again...

Week 3, Day 5: Puppies, kittens, and a baby stroller

If you read yesterday's post, you know I was feeling really sick most of the day. I got a really good night's sleep, but still didn't wake up feeling well. I nearly called in sick today, but decided to at least give it a shot and I'm really glad I did. It turned out to be a day that didn't require much exertion, but was rewarding and full of adorable baby animals!

My morning shift was in Puppy Pre-School. I got to do another puppy socialization class and this time I worked with a 10-week old puppy named Pebbles. He's a sharpai/pug. He's pretty much the cutest thing ever and is absolutely covered in wrinkles. Unfortunately, he's a product of a puppy mill momma, and the breeding was terrible. All the puppies from the litter, and the mom herself, have health problems or will get them down the road. Best Friends had to make sure the forever families knew that they weren't just getting an adorable puppy, but one who might need expensive surgeries down the line. Here's Pebbles:

After puppy class, I helped socialize some of the younger puppies with older dogs for the first time. These puppies are raised so well at the sanctuary! They're exposed to so many situations. One of the puppies, Tweety, decided to take refuge in my lap for a bit during his playtime with the big dogs:

During my shift, I also took a dog out to the puppy dog park, socialized a few dogs, did some doggie laundry, and held puppies while they got their rabies shots. 

After lunch, I worked in CatWorld Headquarters. I was excited for this shift because I knew I would meet Dr. Frank, who is an amazing animal behaviorist. I had been in e-mail contact with him to see if I could help him with any of his research, and he spent some time with me today talking about the research and what I could do to help. I'm really excited to have that as a project. Dr. Frank is so smart and highly regarded, and it was a privilege to get to see him at work with some of the cats. One thing we did together was take cats on walks in a baby stroller! It is a great way for cats to get out if they can't be outside much and don't do well on walks. Here I am walking a sweetheart named Zeb:

The rest of my afternoon was spent socializing with cats who need a little extra help. Sometimes they're very shy, other times they are scared of humans and tend to lash out by swatting at caregivers. One cat would hardly come out of his little soft enclosure in his run, but some baby food on my finger got him to come to me eventually, even if only for a minute. In one of the runs, there were three cats: two kittens and an older cat. The older cat can't be touched because he will swat with claws. He's just too scared right now. But the caregiver had me go in there anyway and play with the two friendly kittens with the older cat watching so that he could see that people are good and don't hurt cats. It was really fun to play with the kittens; I couldn't tell the two apart for the life of me, but here's one of them:

I finished up my shift doing some cat laundry, and then headed over to my intern meeting. You know you work at Best Friends when you head to a meeting with cat poop on your pants and it's no big deal.

I'm really glad the weekend is here so that, depending on how I feel, I can either explore and do some more hiking, or rest and relax. I'm hoping for a little of both!