Anyways, this past weekend I went to East Burke, Vermont to take a Wilderness First Aid course. The course was held in one of the back rooms of the Kingdom Country Store, which is right next to the entrance to the mountain biking mecca, Kingdom Trails. I actually took the WFA course through an organization called SOLO (Stonehearth Outdoor Learning Opporutnities) which was founded in 1976 by Frank Hubbell and his wife Lee Frizzell. The main campus is located in Conway, New Hampshire, but the organization holds classes all over the world (my instructor had actually been to Tanzania and Serbia to teach classes.) I definitely learned a lot, like making a splint and how to treat dislocations. Here's a picture of my skills (I didn't have a proper mat so I had to use a styrafoam pad and use spare rope in our garage. Oh, and don't worry, Andrew was not hurt before or during this process.)
Since I didn't have much to say about my WFA experience, I'd like to write about my job as a lab intern at Omya. Omya, which is an international company, based in Switzerland with locations all around the world, grinds up marble to produce calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is used in a lot of stuff: toothpaste, Kix cereal, and paint, just to name a few. Each plant has its own focus, so the in Florence,VT distributes mostly to plastic and chemical companies. I've been working at Omya since the beginning of August and my last day is November 1st. When I started, I was shocked over how large the factory was. For those that aren't familiar with the Otter Valley area, Omya is located in the "hamlet" of Florence, so the factory is pretty much located in a forest. Personally, I think it would be a great place to escape a zombie or alien invasion (just saying.)
So here at Omya there are two plants, the East and the West. Each plant has a lab, and I work mostly in the East lab, which focuses more on quality control. I take a lot of tests on the calcium carbonate, such as color, particle size, moisture, solubility, and viscosity. At first I was very overwhelmed because I didn't know how to use any of the machinery, and I probably over thought a few things too, but eight weeks later, everything is a piece of cake (except for insols.)
Overall, I have learned a lot about "real world" and also that being a science major may not be right for me (or working in a large factory.) I've learned that having communication skills are key and how a large corporation functions. Most importantly, I'm learning how important it is to get a college education in something that is useful and that I am passionate about. However, the negative part of my job is that because I'm an intern, people don't know what to do with me.
The first few weeks were the hardest. When it comes to long term things, like school, transitions are really hard. I'm usually quiet, keeping to myself, and feel insecure about asking questions. At first, I was really lonely and angry that I was working at Omya (it didn't help that I just came back from an awesome trip to Ireland.) Seeing everyone else go back to school made me feel like a loser because I was staying home and working in the local factory. But I got myself straightened out by thinking, "Louisa, you have a plan, and all of the money you're making will is for when you go to Spain." Also, like I said before, I was a bit bored because no one knew what to do with me. So, I had to figure out what to do with my time. Although I only know about ten peoples (out of 200) names, I am glad to have become friends with my two main co-workers Adam and David.
All the people that I work with are nice and willing to correct me when I make mistakes. Sometimes, though, I feel like my co-workers are doing "The Office," renactments, by telling stories about their co-workers and arguing with one another WAY TOO MUCH!!! (If you want to here any of these incidents I think you'll have to contact me privately, because this blog is public.)
But overall, for someone that has never had a real job, I think my internship here at Omya has been really helpful with gaining new insights on myself and the world.
