Happy Holidays!!!!!

Sadly, this is my last post. Yesterday was my last day at work. Its amazing how time went by so fast, but I am glad with the time I spent at Evergreen. I cherish every moment I worked there. I learned a lot and I hope will continue learning more when I work there again next semester!

Happy Holidays!

Hey everyone! I'm sure you've all been quite busy with finals this week as I surely have. Last week I only worked once and I won't be working until Jan term to finish up the rest of my hours. I worked last Friday and it was a really good day. We had quite a bit of sales, people were buying lots of scarves and presents for Christmas season. I love the atmosphere for this time of year because everything just seems so cozy! Our store won second place in the window display contest which was kind of fun. We currently have a lot of scarves ( that have been going by really fast) and warm winter jackets and hats. I've definitely had a fun time working at this store so far and look forward to finishing up my hours over Jan term. I hope everyone has a wonderful break! :)

Vista Hills

Things are finally winding down out at the vineyard.  The fruit has been picked and has been sent out to the winemakers who are working on making it into wine!  With the fields empty the tasting room is growing quieter and quieter as well with the change of weather.  We had holiday events the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, which is always a big time for vineyards in the Dundee hills.  I worked the event all day Saturday pouring and selling wine.  Vista Hills did very well bringing in their highest numbers since they started holding the event!  I had a great experience meeting and talking with people from all over.
This last weekend all the interns went out to help construct holiday gift boxes to send out.  We are moving into the quiet season at the vineyard.  Winter is more of a time to catch up on the books and package all the club members shipments.  Talk of upcoming work is mostly going to be in the storage room packaging and learning about shipments and the books.  Even though it is not as exciting work I am still excited for the experience.

This week while interning I met a nice elderly man, I know I've never met him before but it was as if we had. It seemed as if we connected. While taking in his lunch tray, he asked me how my day was going? He told me his day was better then yesterday and he felt today something good was going to happen. We chatted for awhile. To me, it is those types of interaction that make what I am trying to become after college worth all the hard work.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It is now about the end of the year and school is winding up. Balancing work and school is now challenging with all the projects and presentations that are due. At work everyone is just as excited for the holidays. The office has been decorated and christmas party plans are already underway. Unfortunately, the party is scheduled during the finals week and I cannot attend. Work has been going on well. On Monday my supervisor has been going through the monthly reconciliations that I do and it was nice to get some feedback. There are some things that I overlooked like the arrangement of detail in one of my reconciliations but because I now know how my supervisor wants to present my work I am able to do a better job for her next time! I am hoping to working two to three times a week so that I can focus on my studies more during the finals week.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. I most certainly did and it was much needed! I worked twice before break, Thursday and Friday. Thursday was a slow day; I feel like al lot of people stayed indoors because of this weather! Friday was Mac Friday in which Cupcake participated. With every 25 dollar purchase the customer was given a Michael Stars bag. It was neat to see how the various stores participated in this event! We have a lot of new stock that has come in; lots of cute clothes for the winter time. Winter clothes are some of my favorites because they are always so comfy. :) Anyways, I plan on working twice again this week. We are nearing the end of our semester! Hope everyone has a great next few weeks.

Goodbye Washington!

Today is officially my last day at the department. I am going to miss working here because its become a routine for me and I really enjoy doing the work. It is going to feel weird going back to Portland because I got so used to living in D.C. I love the environment here and the possibilities for a career in politics are endless. However, I have missed my family and friends a lot and I will be happy to see them again! It's time to slowly pack up and head out. My experience at the department has been amazing and I look forward to working here again. Hopefully, after school this career is what awaits me. Now I need to focus on finishing up my last semester at Linfield, and taking my foreign service officer test.

Goodbye Washington!

Hospital

This week, I have gone twice, and worked in the medical surgical unit, and the emergency department. I am starting to like the emergency department more becuase i get to be around more patients and in a way take care of them. Although, i cant help them with anything physically, but i make sure they are comfortable and get them hot blankets or anything they want. However, i was kind of grossed out when i had to take a large container, that was full of pee and dump it down a special sink/toilet. That was definatly not my highlight of the day.

Hey everyone! So last week I worked on Tuesday and Friday. The store has been decorated for Christmas time and if you happen to be walking down third street you should check out the display window because it looks super cute! We got in a lot of new merchandise and there are a lot of things on sale at the moment. You can tell it is holiday season because more people have been coming in. I am excited to see how things go more towards the holiday season and I just love the atmosphere of being in the store around this season! Hope everyone has an amazing week :)

week of november 7-12

This week I worked three days at Red berry. It was interesting because the owner talked to me about the financial part of the business. Small businesses like hers and many on third street cant afford to pay employees. My manager just recently got interns (me) and said it has helped a lot with finance part of the business. She explained that she use to have to pay another girl for working here all the time and it was putting her in debt. This week was crazy at school and I was able to do my homework. I had a huge paper due on Thursday and I had to work on Thursday but I was able to work and do my paper.

Week 9!!!

This is my last day for Week 9 since Veterans Day is this Friday and we have the day off. This week I spent a lot of time doing administrative work since the person who usually does it is out of the office. I am glad I was able to do this because it taught me how to communicate effectively with people. I also attended a couple of events at the John Hopkins University that discussed the economic stance in Bosnia and predictions of our economy in 2020. This is one advantage in living in D.C. You can attend many events and seminars that discuss a broad number of issues. I enjoy doing this because it’s better than doing research online. Other than that the week has been pretty ordinary with the same type of work. Next week is my last week at the department before I head back home. Time has passed by quickly and I finally feel that I am really getting in the swing of everything.

Week 7

The past two weeks has been awesome! Its amazing how time flies by so fast.

My supervisor was gone for about a week and I needed not to go to work as often as I normally do. The times that I went to work, I had to be disciplined enough to do all my work with pretty much no one to help me. I went through the whole week without any problems. Surprisingly, one of the staff accountants came to me asking some questions he had and I glad that I was able to help. As a student, I did not expect to see myself knowing something that someone who already is in the industry does not know. Its amazing how much I have learned since I started my internship.

My responsibilities have been gradually increasing, but now my work is mostly repetitive. I hardly have enough time to learn new stuff and at the same time be able to finish my daily tasks.

ER

I began interning at the Emergency Department and I really enjoy being there. I get to interact with some of the patients coming through, but also with the doctors and nurses. I want to become a doctor and interning in this type or environment seems to be making me want to pursue my dream even more. I also work on the second floor of the hospital, medical/surgical unit. I feel as if I interact more with the patients there because they are lonely waiting in the beds. Moreover, I am having a good time at interning at the Willamette Valley Medical Center.

Grape Sorting

This past week the vineyards in the area have been busy with harvest.  Vista Hills has finally started picking and hopefully will be done soon.  On Friday we spend a few hours at Panther Creek Cellars sorting grapes, this was a fun hands on experience.  Tons of grapes were delivered to the cellars and all of them had to be processed through the conveyer belt and our hands.  We looked for any signs of mold on the grapes, under ripeness, tainted grapes and items other than grapes (leaves, rocks, bugs...).  We had to work fast and not be afraid to get wet, cold and dirty.  Compared to the tasting room work this was an incredibly different experience.  Though by the end I could barely feel my hands from cold it was a lot of fun and a great first hand experience of another stage of wine.

red berry boutique

I have been working at Red berry boutique for over a month and i still enjoy interning there. I'm starting to understand and experience the business part of owning and managing your own business. Not only do I learn customer service aspect of it, but also from the owners perspective. The paperwork that I fill out each night when I close is making more sense to me. I am excited to learn more about how to operate your own business.

Hey guys! So I am interning at Cupcake Couture a designer boutique on third street. So far my experience has been positive and I absolutely love it. This is my first real job that I have obtained so it is exciting for me to work and learn new things and just grow as a person. I am planning on majoring in business so working at this boutique and learning how they manage it as well as working with clothes; I don't think it gets any better than that! The people I work with are great as well and I have made new friends there as well. I worked on Linfield Student night, which was a big success and I gained a lot of experience and knowledge. As the holiday season is coming up the store has some great gifts, and Linfield students receive 10% off ;). It has been interesting read the rest of your guy's blog and I look forward to hearing more from you! Have a wonderful rest of the week. :)

Week 8

Time is flying by! This is officially my 8th week as an intern. This week has been slow and I haven’t had much to do. I did however go to a couple of museums and I am attending a tour at the American University on Friday. I am excited since I have not toured a Graduate program yet. Other than that work is smooth and I have had the time to work on some stuff for school. I recently started an outline for my presentation which is due when I get back to Linfield. Since I only have two more weeks left I need to make the most out of my time and truly enjoy D.C. I am currently surfing for jobs in the D.C. and New York area.

Post 3

I worked three days this week. The tuesday and thursday that I worked was chaotic because I was super busy with school. I like that I only have to work three hour shifts usually. However, Saturday I had to work 7 hours. It was a long and very slow day and I didnt have anything to do I vacuumed and dusted the whole store. I had about ten people come in and only one sale. I didn't like that I wasn't able to do my homework because usually I just do my homework when it is slow. The homework that I had to do had to be done on the computer and I forgot my laptop and I am not even sure if we have Wi-Fi access. I didnt like doing a 7 hour shift especially with nothing to do for next time, I am going to see if me and the other intern can split the 7 hour shifts.

Holidays

So far I have not experienced much with holidays but there has been talk around Vista Hills in preparation. The two days after Thanksgiving are a big deal in wine country because there are usually a lot of tasters going out for their holiday break, so many vineyards will do events.  Vista Hills has their tasting room open but instead of 10 dollars it is 20 but you receive lots of amazing food and music.  These days are not like the past club member event because it is open to all who come which gives us a great chance to sign up new club members.  I am excited to work both days and try to sign some people up for the club.
I also saw some holiday gift boxes out at the club member party a few weeks back but that is all I have seen or heard about December holiday preparation.  I am sure there will be more later.

Apart from holidays we are getting ready for harvest! Hopefully that will start this next week and we will be busy sorting and working with the wine makers.

Week 1

Today was a good day for the patients I got to talk to and help with. I took trays in to many indivuals that just got out of surgery. One of them especially is the nicest man I have ever met. He asked me to read his book to him today, so after my shift, I came back and read a few chapters. But, besides that, I took people their lunches, ran errands for nurses, helped some doctors, and stocked the supply cabinet with the neccesary equiptment.

How Department of State handles the holidays:

Everything at the State Department slows down during the holidays. A lot of people are away and celebrate the holidays with their friends and families. I hear that from about December 15 till Jan. 15 things are slow. However, November and the first two weeks of December the work-load is heavy since everyone is trying to get everything done before the holidays. Since many people take leave throughout December work is slow for everyone since you often work with others to finish assignments. I am glad that the department is slower during the holidays because this is a time that we are all suppose to spend with the people that we love. This also comes to show that a big organization how works very hard is able to take the time and slow down during the holidays. Plus as humans I believe we are all more efficient when we take a break from school or work for a period of time.


Barbara Golic

Let's do something different this week!

Let's take a break from our usual blogging this week!  Since we're heading into fall and have holidays coming up, let's all take a minute and comment on how our organizations handle holidays.  I know some will completely ignore them, others will totally celebrate them.  Where does your organization fit?

If you have something really cool to report about your internship, please do, but otherwise, take a break and let's talk about something more fun.

blog 2

This is my seventh or eighth week of interning. Since I last posted a blog I have worked two times. I worked last Thursday and today (Tuesday.) Today was an easy day I didn't have very many customers come in today. Last Thursday I had a lot of customers and sales. I had to do two layaway's on the computer program which I wasn't familiar with at all. I messed up a ladys purchase by accidentally charging too much. It ended up being fine in the end because I was able to refund her credit card. Today and last Thursday everyone decided to come in at the last minute when it was closing time which was a little frustrating. But overall I think I am getting how to run the sales program to complete transactions and learn how to fill out the end of the day paperwork.

Week 4

This last weekend was a busy one for Vista Hills and the interns.  Friday we met at Panther Creek Cellars to see where a lot of the Vista Hills wine is made.  Our hopes were that the first fruit of the season would be in but because it has been such a wet year the grapes are not ready for harvest.  Instead we tested the brix and PH levels of the samples from Vista Hills.  This was interesting because this time we got to test grapes from every block on the vineyard and compare the differences and see growth from the last measurements.  A few blocks are starting to get where we want them but a common theme was lower numbers than needed to begin harvest.  We are hoping for some dry weather to help bring the harvest.  After testing we had a quick tour of Panther Creek and headed out.

Sunday was a big day for Vista Hills they hosted their largest event yet, a wine club promotional party.  Here we had all the wines available of the 2009 vintage for the club member and their guests to taste and purchase at discount. Each intern was assigned a pouring station with a specific wine that we did some research on, allowing us to share our knowledge and connect with the club members and guests.  I was pouring two wines the Fourman and the Skyraider (my particular favorite).  My experience at the party was amazing and I not only got to teach people about some phenomenal wines but also learned a lot and met interesting people.  The  main goal of this party was to sell cases of wine to and sign up the guests of the wine club members to be members themselves.  By the end of the day the sales manager was very happy with the outcome and work done by the interns.

 

Half-way through

I have officially started my sixth week and I must say that everything has finally become a routine. My work-load is about the same as last week (not much has changed). Today, we had an event at the DOS with MLK, III. I am glad I was able to participate and attend the event because it was really nice. Other than that I am just working on day-to-day tasks and assisting anyone who needs an extra hand.

Last week has been great for me. It was nice to at least have some feedback from my supervisor in terms of how I am doing. She was just asking me general questions like for instance if was learning anything, if there were areas I needed more assistance e.t.c

When I started my internship, for the most part I had to work with minimal supervision, teaching myself some of the stuff because my supervisor is usually busy. I strongly feel that it was for the better because I managed to do my own research on how to do some things and when I was stuck, I asked my supervisor or my coworkers. With the support that I get from people I work with, I now have a sense of belonging to the company.

First Blog

Hi, Im Courtney and I have been interning for about four weeks. I am interning at Red Berry Boutique on 3rd street in Mcminnville. I like it so far. I have only been working 3-6 hours a week but will probably be getting more hours. At my internship I clean and organize the store as well as make sales transactions. It can be a little chaotic because I am still not familiar with filling out the end of day paperwork but I will get it eventually.

In the swing of things...

This is my fifth week during my internship. I can not believe that time has managed to fly by. I am half way into my internship because I have 5 weeks left. My work-load has increased since I am familiar with how things work and function at the department. With people in and out of the office my work load ranges. I am glad to say that I enjoy working here, and that I could see myself doing this after college. During my time here I am also looking into graduate, and law schools. So far everything looks good but my option at the moment is graduate school.

10/10/11

Phew! The past two weeks has been busy. It is now a relief that all the end of month journal entries are done. As part of my internship, I prepare journal entries at the end of every month. This is is one of the busiest times I have because I have to meet certain deadlines so that financial statements can be prepared in time. I really enjoy doing journal entries because thats basically what I do in all my accounting courses, but only that I do them in a much cooler way using accounting software! Now that I am done, I have to reconcile all accounts and bank statements. This is not as bad because there is not really a time limit to do that.

Vista Hills Internship

Hey everyone,

My name is Jen Boston I am a senior at Linfield College with a major in elementary education and minor in music.  This fall I am interning at Vista Hill Vineyard in Dayton Oregon and will be working there for the year.  I will experience many aspects of the wine industry including the scientific side, marketing and business and hospitalities.  

Week 1 Sunday September 18 11:30-5:30 :

My first experience finishing a full day of work at Vista Hills was amazing.  Going in I was nervous to already be pouring and felt my wine knowledge was not sufficient enough to provide the experience for the tasters.  My nerves were quickly subdued, my coworkers helped me along and I quickly picked up on the flow of the tasting room.  After only a short time I felt more confident in my understanding of wines and excited for how much I learned in such a short amount of time.  It was a Sunday so it was a bit on the slow side but for a first day it was perfect.

I spent most of the day behind the bar pouring and talking with clients.  I met people from all over the States who were excited to talk and learn about wine.  Meeting so many travelers made me think of my experience studying abroad and I loved the atmosphere it created. 

By the end of the day all my nerves were gone and I was excited about the days experience and already looking forward to next week. 

Week 2 Saturday September 24 11-6:

Saturday brought in a lot more tasters than last Sunday.  We had a constant flow of tasters throughout the day and large group parties to fill the tasting room, at one point we had at least fifty people in. This was a higher stress environment but I still loved it.  I was able to use my experience with hospitalities from previous jobs to supply everyone with what they needed and keep them enjoying their wine.  

Along with my skills I have gained from previous jobs I have been able to use skills I have learned in my major; elementary education.  I was not expecting to really use concepts from elementary ed in an internship for a vineyard.  My ability to communicate and provide information about the wine was made easier with my knowledge and experience with teaching kids.  Yes, the tasters are adults but communicating new material to them is similar.  My time in the education department has given me the tools to do well at teaching even if it is outside of my major subject area. 

Week 3 Friday September 30 1-5:30

Friday was very slow compared to my other days of work, tops I served 30 people.  I did get to meet the other interns from George Fox and do a grape sampling.  We went out to the vines and walked through a few rows and collected berry samples from every few vines.  We then combined them and labeled which block they came from; we tested two different blocks.  After collecting enough fruit we headed back to the tasting room to run a test on the fruit to see their brick count.  This is a measurement that helps decide if it is getting closer to harvest.  Sadly, the fruit is behind and some blocks have not even come to color.  

The slow day was nice because I was given the chance to get out in the field for the first time.  I really enjoyed walking around the vineyard learning more about the vineyard management aspects of my internship.  I might look into this side of the wine industry for my project and presentation.  

2 weeks Later

My internship has been a lot of fun thus far. Balancing school and work has been a challenge lately, especially with the midterms just around the corner. I now have learned to multi-task a lot so that I can meet all the deadlines.

The good thing is my boss gives me time off when I have a lot of work or when I have something like an interview.

Apart from all that, I am having a great time!

This is my second week now in D.C. and I am amazed with the city. There is a lot to do and see. =)

Work is going good. I am adapting to the schedule and things are becoming easier. Time is actually flying by because I can not believe that tomorrow is week 3!!! By the time I learn to do everything for work its going to be time for me to go back home. I am happy I have taken this opportunity because I am getting a taste of what the working world has to offer.

Barbara

Intro

Hi All,

My name is Gerald Rusere and I am a senior. I am doing my part time accounting Internship at Evergreen International Aviation. I have been having a lot of fun thus far! I love the people I work with!!! They are always there for me when I have a question. Definitely, I am learning a lot of stuff that I wont be able to learn in a classroom setting.

Balancing work, classes and extracurricular activities has been hard. Thankfully, my time management plan has proved to be useful for the past two weeks!!

Look out for my awesome blogs every week!

Gerald

Introduction

Hello my name is Barbara Golic and I started my internship this week. I have made it through week 1! I am a senior at Linfield College, and I am currently an intern with the state department. This week I had a number of tasks to do from orientation, to meetings, and plenty of writing. Honestly, I thought that as a intern I was going to to secretary work such as filing paperwork and answering phones but this really feels like a job. I am learning ALOT! and I enjoy what I am doing. However, I must admit that it is difficult to wake up at 6 and be at work by 8. Hopefully, this routine becomes easier to adjust to.

Till then,

Barbara Golic =)

Welcome to the blog for Fall 2011 interns. Please write your first blog introducing yourself to the other students and telling about your internship. If commenting on someone else's blog, use comments, otherwise use the new post button.

Happy blogging!