It’s hard to believe that we only have 2 more weeks left in the program. I feel like time’s been going by so quickly.

I didn’t go on any trips this past weekend, so this post might be a little more mundane and scattered than they usually are (sorry!)

I spent the past week revealing my nose piercing to the world. I was most nervous about my mom’s reaction because she’s generally anti piercings or tattoos. I purchased a fake septum a couple months ago to see how it would look if it was real. I very quickly realized the pranking opportunities and came home one day with a “new septum piercing.” My mom wasn’t mad or anything, but she most certainly did not like it. I remember her saying “oh” and scrunching up her face like she had smelled something bad. In any case, she likes this real one a lot more, which was very reaffirming. My dad was a fan as well, but he advised that I cool it with the piercings for a while.

Something that wasn’t reaffirming was when I came home with my piercing and not a single one of my roommates noticed. I didn’t say anything because I was curious about who would notice first but I didn’t expect it to take a few days. I actually forgot that they didn’t know until I went grocery shopping with one of them and he started staring (intensely) at my face. Anywho, I was pretty nervous that I’d regret my decision after the piercing, but I like it a lot! (So far…). A lot of people have said that they didn’t notice because it just seemed like I always had it, which also makes me relieved. If it stuck out or changed my face too much I would’ve freaked out. The chapters we’re collaborating on have to do with creating an employee recognition program and the pitfalls to watch out for when doing so. 

My internship is going well. Last week was particularly interesting because one of the other interns and I started collaborating on 2 chapters of our Ebook projects. This was the first new thing to happen at the internship for a while, so I was pretty excited to say the least. 

Everybody (The Americans on the trip) was pretty excited to celebrate the Fourth of July. I hung out with the other Pitt people for a while before meeting up with this guy from my internship. One of the things I’ve appreciated the most on the trip is the friends I’ve been able to make. Everyone I’ve met has been really welcoming, and I have a better idea of the type of person I am in getting to interact with so many people. By that, I mean that I have a better idea of how I like to make friends, and that’s a nice thing to be aware of. 

Our coworkers got us three balloons for the Fourth of July, which was also pretty exciting. I feel like I’m starting to get more comfortable making casual conversation with my coworkers and whatnot, so I’m even more upset that I’ll be leaving next week. On that note, I talked to a few people from the states that described feeling homesick, either because they missed their family and friends, or because they missed the general American way of life. I think I empathize with that, especially the part about missing family and friends, but I’m also going to be very sad when I leave. I think its hard to put into words exactly the way I feel about leaving because there are a few things about America that I definitely do miss. Candy, for example, is a lot better in America (In my personal unbiased opinion). They don’t have a lot of tangy options, which did throw me off for at least a week. Another thing about the states that I miss is the 24 rite aid I live about 3 blocks away from (because here’s something cathartic about being able to get a snack at any time of the day). So I am excited to go back, but I’ve enjoyed my time here. I think the easiest way I can put it is that I could definitely stay longer. 

My leadership style has definitely changed a little bit. I’d say that my internship has reaffirmed the importance of efficient communication between all the members of a team. I’ve also never considered membership engagement as much as I have before writing my E-book on Employee engagement. My hope is that I can glean enough out of the materials that I’m researching and writing about to motivate the members of my club that I serve on the board for.