The Intern Diaries Week 2~

This has been one of those weeks I feel has gone by both extremely fast and incredibly slow. If you are unfamiliar with this feeling, time tends to go by in this fashion when my mind is impacted by a lot of new things in a different environment.

Exhibit A-this guy was stalking me at the park the other day-one odd duck :/

Here's what I like to call my odd-duck-out-of-water theory-
While we imagine time going on in a somewhat linear way, our brain is taking in thousands of stimuli that compile the moments in our day. When we fall into a routine, we don't always notice these "distractions" that cause us to feel a variety of emotions from joy to sorrow. Now put in a new environment, my brain is being bombard by an array of new things-fabulous things- but unfamiliar nonetheless and has therefore switched to ADD kid on a roller coaster mode....trust me if there were no drops and hills and it was all flat we wouldn't experience such intense fear...but then again it wouldn't experience any joy either and that's never any fun :D

So after my philosophical rant about how I believe our brains function-let me get down to the good stuff-this whole "working" thing.

In Sarah's ideal happy bubble what I'm doing is not really work. I get to write and collect information about a dance Academy, in a new awesomely built dance theatre, which features a company that will be going...to the Olympics!

Unfortunately, that bubble never really stood a chance, and because of the roller coaster mind effect I explained above, the real work has been adjusting to the ride. Some parts are rather mundane like learning to use time efficiently and sit in a desk for long periods of time (I think I'm getting better, but I'm seriously thinking about switching out my chair for a one of those stationary bikes :) Other parts, exploring Dallas and meeting new people, are both exciting and kind of scary at first.

After going to a dance class and running into a friend from TCU and randomly meeting up with a long lost camp friend at yoga I'm discovering that sometimes when you seem to be headed down hill fast, life throws you a loop.

So on those days when I almost get demolished by an angry Texas on the freeway, or I feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing--- I seriously thought of buying this----

I'm starting to feel the ease of the coaster and learn how to windsurf-another wonderful analogy of mine. You can never go anywhere if you freak out and drop your sail when the winds get rough. Relax and feel the wind, let it guide you instead of trying to fight it. (I learned this after spending the majority of my lesson in the water).

The Intern Diaries Day 1~

When I was young I thought of my adult self as a pretty confident driver. Moving through the pathways and turns of life with the ease of experience and knowing exactly where I was going. Sitting in a conference room wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes and dress I listened to my boss explain to me what was expected of me for this summer and I realized I was wrong. Growing up was not a smooth cruise...

It's a free fall

I think my clammy skin and the pit in my stomach are enough to attest to this. What's key to remember is to release your parachute, catch some good wind, and find a partner to ride it out with.

Now this may sound a bit dramatic, and I don't want to leave the impression that I haven't had a lot of good breaks in the process of reaching ground.

First off this internship that has got me in a twist was seriously a God send. I not only get to work in a dance studio-but with an academy that is linked to a internationally known and prestigious dance company with a history of social and racial integration.

It's not exactly a journalism internship (which is my major), but is loaded heavy with projects in marketing and promotions. Now to the average Joe, strategic communications and journalism may seem very similar, maybe even interchangeable. I mean they even take a few of the same classes.....

but let me inform you that the college of communications can be a house divided. Because PR, marketing, and other communication degrees focus on the positive aspects of the story, many journalism majors feel like the job is for sell outs. Although, after looking over some of the articles and reviews that have been written about Dallas Black Dance Theatre, they can't seem to find flaw with the establishment either.

What has lured me over to the marketing side of things (just for a visit maybe not permanently) is working with something worth sharing. More than I love to dance myself, I also love to watch, teach, and share my enthusiasm about the wonderful art.

No it may not seem as compelling of a cause as freeing starving children from their daily oppression (not to take that lightly), but dance has truly captured my heart and I believe it has the power to transform lives and bring people together.

So even though this marketing thing seems like a mysterious fog right now, I pray my passion for dancing will help me to not loose faith in myself and the plans God has for my future.

Yes, I'm falling, but thankfully I very reliable parachute and guide for my adult self who still wants to cling to my childhood airplane.