Hello everyone! I’ve actually been back home for a few days, but I would like to provide an overview of my final week in the Philippines.
Last week, I finalized my internship report with other interns at FNRI. I created a powerpoint with some of my favorite photos, and an overview of my internship. I was impressed by everything I completed this summer, and I have learned quite a bit. I hope I can make meaningful contributions in my academics and my last two years of college as a result of my internship.
Last week I briefly mentioned a surprise which occurred last week. Jessica and I arrived at FNRI before 8 am, though our productive morning was interrupted. An earthquake in northern Luzon occurred at about 8:17am affecting some other countries, but this was one of the worst earthquakes in several decades. I only noticed my chair shifting, I wasn’t sure if I was dizzy or just disoriented. It was not just me, Jessica was also confused but our coworkers let us know that there was actually an earthquake. Everyone was safe, which is incredibly relieving to know.
Besides from the earthquake last week, I presented an internship report on Friday since Thursday was a rest day. My colleagues made me feel like family, and comfortable to complete new tasks. I didn’t go on many adventures alone in the Philippines, but I enjoyed getting coffee with Dars last Thursday (or Wednesday evening?). Completing this internship has been stressful and it was difficult to live somewhere new, but going home was hard. I definitely want to go back to the Philippines, and gain new experiences. Living in a gated housing complex made me feel sheltered from some aspects of living in the Philippines, and there’s only so much I can experience in eight weeks.
Traveling abroad is incredible, and it’s affecting me in more positive ways than I currently realize. As a side note, I want to find some photos for this blog, which will hopefully be uploaded in the next few days or in my next post.