Home Sweet Home

Okay here is blog # Dos... very exciting, I know. I've obviously been messing with my background on here... I can't decided what I like so it might change here and there, just go with it. So I just successfully completed one week of training... yay! It went really well, I love every one who works for the Refuge. It's a great mix of people and they are so nice. Training this week consisted of learning about the Kodiak and the Refuge. They made it interesting by letting us explore town and we had guest speakers come and talk to us about the Kodiak bears, whales, sea lions, and the other crazy animals on this island. Next week they are going to take us to some local state parks & for a boat ride & we get to start working on camp stuff some more.

I am living in the Refuge's bunkhouse this summer. The house is for volunteers and is out of town 4 miles. It has 2 bedrooms and a bathroom on one side for guys and the same on the other side for ladies and the rest of the house is a shared space. It's crazy right now because there are 9 people living here and there's about to be 3 more coming in around Monday. So there is James, Ross, Steve, Isaac, Adea, & Jane who are all biologists (plus the 3 other people coming) and they are going to be going out in the field (that's somewhere in the Refuge's 1.9 million acres of refuge) to study animals. They are split into three different teams: one will be studying the Kodiak bear, another the mountain goat, and the last one is studying a really rare bird called the kittlitz murrelet. They're going to be here for a week & a half training/getting ready then they'll be gone the rest of the summer and only coming in every once in awhile. Then Mike, Liz, and myself are the camp crew and we'll pretty much have the house to ourselves till the end of August. Here are some pics of the hizzouse:

Here's our recycling center... yeah there's 5 separate bins.

Here's my room! And yes Mom I make my bed everyday.. actually I'm like the only one that does.

And the best part ever is my sweet government 16 passenger ride (please try not to be jealous):

I'm really looking forward to this summer. I'm get along with my co-worker/housemate Liz like a dream. Yesterday we kept saying the same thing or finishing each other's sentences... it was kind of creepy but wonderful at the same time. She's a funny gal. We've gone a few bike rides together and here's my proof:

Actually funny story, first time we rode together we went out for a few miles and we were about back to the bunkhouse when I totally wiped out on my bike. I did like a side slide thing scraping my left knee pretty good (put a hole in my tights & it was bleeding decently) and I had dirt all on my right side. I don't even know how I accomplished that, but I did. I blame the bike because it's a men's mountain bike and I basically have to run and jump on to it because it's so high lol. But I am totally fine from my biking injury, Liz got the first aid kit and took care of me... so I'm in good hands here.

Well I think that's all I have for now. I plan to do a bio on some of my housemates and more on Kodiak next time. I still can't believe I'm here right now! It is so beautiful here being next to the mountains & the ocean. I'll leave you the the view of Barometer Mountain, a view I see everyday. And I plan to climb it one day this summer. Laters!