A new chapter

I have been thinking a lot lately about how I am going to change the direction of this blog. Originally it was meant for comedic relief, a candid look into my life and my many adventures using the Kansas City Public Transportation. Since starting this blog, however, my experiences dwindled down to one every month instead of each and every time my toes touched the rubber encased steps.




The reason my thoughts had taken me down this particular road is because my path, once again, is shifting. I could easily document the steps I have to take to prepare myself for my journey outside the states or I could keep up with the comedic side of my life and try to maintain the simple, yet delightful, glimpse into situations that could “only happen to me”.



I suppose as I continue to write I shall ultimately make my decision. If you know me at all you can probably guess which way I shall lean towards. However, since the country I shall be living in for the next year is full of rich history and interesting traditions I am almost positive a lot of my contributions will be educational and hopefully offer a new perspective on this ancient culture.



I swear that will be the most exciting part. Ancient History has always been a little passion of mine. This is because I always love a good story and much of what we know from history was passed down by word of mouth. I think any class would have been a lot more interesting if it had all been presented to us as “story time”.

So I got in...

What I have probably mentioned in the past is that I have been applying for a 'job' in South Korea teaching English.
I got it.


I can't believe it. I got it. I am so amazed that I feel like I should get everything done right now so I can ensure my slot in the next semester's program.

I had the interview on Monday and less than 12 hours later I had a response saying I had passed the interview stage and they would like to invite me to go to South Korea.

WOW!

So I guess the whole theme of this blog will change from my adventures in KC to my adventures in SK....

Weird

Two kinds of spiders....and only one Houdini

In Missouri there are two kinds of spiders you really have to worry about. The Black Widow and the Brown Recluse.
I'm honestly not too worried about the former but the latter because...I think one is in my house. =(

Now, getting a bite is dangerous but not necessarily DEADLY. It's just that when it happens the skin starts to rot away around the bite until you get it fixed. I won't post any pictures because just that one is giving me the wiggles.

 As for the Houdini part...I swear to you I have killed it three times. THREE times.

First time I saw him I sucked him up in the vacuum. Shoulda killed him. Works with other spiders. I mean, I sucked him up and kept RIGHT on vacuuming. Shoulda been at least burried with the dust and dirt from the rugs, right?

Second time I saw him he was in the bathroom. I soaked him with air freshener but when I went to go collect the body...it was GONE.

Then I saw him creep and crawl a day later on the arm of my couch. I smashed him with a shoe...but no body.

HOUDINI has possessed the body of a spider and my momma is coming down this weekend.

I have mourned his death three times now and NO MORE. I shall find him and his death will be swift and merciful--I hope.

I really really hope he dies this time =(

Ok, so I still feel a little bad. =(

Camps! 2

So camp finally started this week and what a WONDERFUL event it is =)

I have three campers in this camp that i had last year in the younger group. How exciting is that? Kory and I got some amazing reviews and the best part? We didn't have to ASK them what they thought of the day. They TOLD us (without asking, I say again) that they had fun!!!

PHEW

What did we do?

We fed Lorikeets:

                       

They are the loud birds not too far from the entrance of the zoo!

Then we went back to the classroom and had a discussion about the 4 cornerstones of the zoo. These cornerstones are affiliated with the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) To be AZA certified you have to meet a set level of standards. Super HIGH standards. It is hard to become AZA certified and difficult to maintain it for some zoos. It was made to ensure the health and safe management of the zoo animals so there is no unregulated breeding or unsafe habitats for them. It is really for the overal safety of the animals. So if you ever go to a Zoo as if they are AZA certified....if they are not...then just be wary of what you see.

So I mentioned the 4 cornerstones, right? Well here they are:

1. Conservation

2. Research

3. Education

4. Entertainment

I work with Education but people in our department are a part of the Research part of the zoo. To be AZA certified you are given a special "animal" to do research on and work towards conservation of that animal. So obviously they are endangered and research is needed in order to protect and conserve these animals. What is the Kansas City Zoo's animal? The Wyoming Toad! EXCITING!?!?

They are dying do to a fungus that has literally wiped out a majority of the species. We have special "ark's" where they are raised. Security is so tight around these little guys that you have to be a specialist to enter the 'ark' to care for them. Once they have grown to adulthood they are then transported, by people from the KC zoo, and released (after they've been microchipped) back into the wild.

Their hope? To boost the population and see if any fungus-resistant toads make it!!

Anyways, we also went to Africa and had a keeper chat. SO much fun.

Tomorrow we're going to Austraila and Asia, doing an OIL spill lab, and working on Terra Cotta warriors (it will tie in with the Asia segment of our tour).

Camps!!

Just got the schedule for the upcoming Zoo Camps. Jr. Zoologist is going to be a blast!!
Except...

We have to tear into squid. Dissect, they call it nowadays. Don't get me wrong, I've stuck my knife in plenty of things and wiggled around gooey stuff in my life but it had always served a purpose. In Animal biology we had to use certain parts of the frog to learn anatomy as well as study the strength of the heart by piercing the ventricle with a hook. Tricky business that...
In Animal Physiology we had to study the Rat and monitor the amount of oxygen and other things that are found in the liver. We also took other parts and did multiple experiments with its intestines. Only one Rat was killed for the name of science and it was done humanely. It simply fell asleep.

Even in these times I struggled. I had to tell myself that if any of my excuses weren't good enough it could boil down to one absolute truth: It was for a Grade. A grade that I needed in order to graduate from College. The College I was paying a lot to attend so I could graduate and have it's rather grand reputation under my belt (and on the resume).

Now we have to dissect squid. When I asked why we had to I got the initial response of "Because it's fun!!"

BECAUSE IT IS FUN!?!???!!

I really don't care if it is FUN or not. I care that this poor animal is not being put to good use (like food maybe??!! EVER THOUGHT OF THAT?!) but instead is going to be subjected to the poking and prodding of 13 year old kids.

"It's already dead, it can't feel anything."

Don't even GET ME STARTED ON THAT STATEMENT!!

Too late...

If that is the case then is life sacred at all? Who cares what we do to the body, eh? Just dump it. It's dead, it can't feel anything.

I know that i shouldn't elevate this tiny creature to the importance of humans, and I am not, but I am elevating it to the point where cruelty and desecration of any kind should be seen as appalling and rather juvenile. Yes, I understand that they are juveniles but I also feel that if we let them HAVE AT IT and tear into this tiny organism I am simply planting the seed, watering it, and Hell, why not add some fertilizer to the growth of future sociopaths?!

I know, I'm being a bit dramatic, but if it was a puppy I think we'd all have to agree with me that this is just a sick sick practice. This is summer camp for goodness sakes.

Have I kept silent? No. I've talked with the Head Guy and expressed my hesitation at doing the squid dissection and it's still on the schedule. Today I had to participate and listen to the blabbering of a neanderthal who of course retracted from his previous statements after I stared at him, jaw dropped, and stuttering out a echo of his own stupidity.

It isn't fun, good sir, to stick a probe into it's body and slice away its gonads.

It isn't fun, good sir, to squeeze it's beak out so you can drag the poor thing's stomach out for your delight. Why do we do this? Does this have anything to do with the dissection? Does this have anything to do with the work sheet?

Oh, we don't have to use the worksheet if we don't want to..


Well, if I have to participate in this then I shall indeed have them follow the worksheet, after a nice lecture about respect and how to conduct oneself in a lab.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Another day in Paradise

Yes, indeed that is what this place is called. If I keep telling myself that over and over again I will soon come to believe it!
It really is amazing how much one misses something once it is gone. I miss driving to the Lake to cool off. I miss having that option even if we didn't take it!
Ahh, but more about what I love about this place. The things that keep me going and push me out of my bed each and every morning.

My job, for instance, is a joy. Yeah, 5:30am comes quickly but once I get out of bed I am usually ready for an amazing day. Today we are going to prep for summer camps here at the Zoo. I have been looking forward to this day ever since I booked my millionth field trip/zoomobile. Or perhaps the 100th time I picked up the phone and had to sooth the quaking fears of a panicked teacher.
Now I have to deal with the egos and trepidation of the oldies as they clash against the newbies. I, for one, am finding a lot about my self when it comes to my level of patience when it comes to dealing with both of these. For the ego-stricken oldies I just play to their strengths and ask lots of questions. Usually that strokes their sense of self-worth and brings it to a full blossom in no time at all. This then saves the newbies from being starved of sunlight—er—information and gives them the room to ask their own questions and start off on their own. Of course I would be deluding myself if I told you that I did this all on purpose. Nope, it was only upon reflection that I realized that I just like it when everyone is happy and gets along.

This summer, however, will probably try my patience to the very limits of my control. This summer I am going to be looking forward to July 3 more and more. I’m starting to get that restless feeling in the pit of my stomach. While my body sit there in idle and my ears pick up the information I will need for the rest of the season my inside just quakes. I feel restless. Like two spirits dwell within me at once and there is only room for one. Who will win, I wonder? The logical, steady, and patient side of me? Or will it be the one that desires to strike out on my own, discover new things, and totally take chances that I may or may not regret?

Sadly, I’ve been leaning towards the latter rather the former.

The Past 24 Hours and the Next 48....

The Past 24 Hours...
The past 24 hours has been epic. Almost literally. I officially submitted my application to EPIK, a program designed to get me to South Korea and teach English. Big deal since I had been waiting for my last letter of recommendation from my boss.
This afternoon I got an email from an organization I had a loan through. I didn't know how I was going to get the first month payment out since it was over 500.00. I applied for some "financial burden" thing over a month ago and never received word. Then, out of the blue, this email states that it has been granted and I don't have to pay a single dime until december.

The Next 48 Hours...
One of my dearest friends that I've made here in Missouri is leaving for India and I won't see him until August. =( It's a big freaking deal. =(