Penn State 2015: Week 1

It’s true that time flies when you are having fun! One week ago today I moved into Miller Hall, my home for the next 8 weeks at Penn State, but I have no idea where the time has gone. 

Ever since I got accepted into the NACUFS internship a few months ago, I’ve been looking forward to it and imagining all the fun experiences I’d be having. And so far my few days here at Penn State have exceeded my expectations and have NOT been a disappointment at all!

On May 19^th, I arrived from Michigan, and from the moment I arrived I’ve been having an amazing time! I walked into my room to find a desk full of snacks and a fridge stocked with drinks, all thanks to our amazing internship coordinator, Maria, and the assistant managers. My first morning here was a bit strange – I experienced a bit of confusion as to where I was, followed by a feeling of homesickness. But that quickly passed and was replaced with fun adventures and lots of laughs. I’m so fortunate to be sharing this experience with 3 amazing girls, Sarah, Leah, and Aimme, and we immediately bonded (mostly while watching Food Network – how fitting considering we are all studying dietetics or food science!) 

Our amazing group of interns

Enjoying the beautiful view from  the Arboretum

Scott even dropped off all kinds of board games for us to play in our dorms, which we have definitely been using a lot. 

 But unfortunately it’s not all fun and games! We were put to the test right away when they put us to work at Happy Volley. Not only that – we had to arrive at 4:50 AM! We were all questioning how we were going to make it, but we survived! And I personally had a blast. We saw firsthand how much effort goes into planning a meal to feed 4,000 hungry volleyball players and their families, and we were constantly on the move. Sarah, Jamie (one of the assistant managers), and I spent hours putting donuts on trays, cutting Rice Krispy Treats, filling salad dressing containers, preparing grapes and strawberries, etc. I think it’s safe to say I don’t want to see a donut for a LONG time after arranging so many of them today. Then we switched things up a bit and the next day we got to help make the food. We cooked hundreds of French Toast slices, diced peppers for hours, and helped prep the foods needed for lunch and dinner. It was tough work, but still very fun! The next day was our favorite day, though... the dishroom!! I don't know what it is, but there's just something so fun about unloading dishes as soon as they were washed. Even though this entire weekend we had to work from 5 am – 2 pm, it surprisingly wasn’t so bad. One thing that really amazed me was that when we showed up, all the staff was SO friendly and upbeat – even at 5 AM! But that’s what made it such a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere for me. If the other employees weren’t so kind/helpful/cheerful, I would’ve been miserable during those long shifts!

Luckily after 3 long days of work at Happy Volley, we were treated to a slower-paced day, complete with a tour of Pollock and the Nittany Lion Training Table (Where the football team eats).

This weekend was definitely a busy week, whether it was from working Happy Volley or running all over campus trying to complete our scavenger hunt (Selfie style!), but I enjoyed every minute of it. When I arrived on Tuesday morning, I was scared and nervous, but even after being here for only a week, I feel so comfortable, mainly because I’m surrounded by such great people. Penn State is such a beautiful campus and I can’t wait to explore more and get to know everyone better. And of course I can’t wait to try all the ice cream flavors at Berkey Creamery J I’m already addicted to the chocolate milk here… just like Maria warned us that we would be. But I can’t help it – it’s so good! 

It’s only been a week here, but I’m already having a blast. I can’t wait to see what next week and the rest of this internship has in store for us!