12 Jul Beautiful Memories in a Mountain Town

This last week I went to Leavenworth, Washington to attend the Career and Leadership Workshop! I had the privilege of meeting several of my fellow interns and coordinators, as well as influential guest speakers! We had three days filled with lots of activities! This trip truly enlightened my mind as well as my soul.

Highlights From Each day

The next two days…

Following our arrival, the next two days were packed with many activities. We began both days with one of my favorite activities, birding! We identified Violet-green swallows, Black-capped Chickadees, Spotted towhees, White-crowned sparrows, Cedar waxwings, and many more! Stephanie, our coordinator, even showed us some practical methods and tips on birding, some I didn’t even know! And I took a class on ornithology!
Regardless, birding is an earnest passion for many, and I’m glad I’ve learned new skills to pass on to folks around me!

We Ventured into a Bavarian town too!

It was such a charming place! I’ve always been fond of mountain towns, and I’m happy we had the chance to explore the place. The cutest thing was how everyone had a hankering for ice cream, and luckily we made it right on time before we closed.

Turns out this town is known for its beautiful Christmas displays during the month of December!

New vacation spot? I hope so!

Learning How to Fly Fish!

I didn’t think the day would come, but I finally learned how to fish! At least learn the basics of it anyway. The cohort and I went over to the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, and these lovely older gentlemen taught us simple protocols to fly fish. Those guys looked like they were masters. They reminded me of the Order of The White Lotus from Avatar, The Last Airbender. If you know what I’m talking about, then you know the level of respect I was placing those guys on.
We learned how to set up a pole, practiced how to cast (which was a lot harder than expected), and finally went out into a stream to go and fish! Many methodologies involve this type of sport, and I’m glad I was able to learn a couple of things about it! I’m definitely gonna be fishing soon!

We even got to keep our fishing poles!

Even More Highlights

The Cherry On Top

Valentina Ortiz from the Portland Storyteller Guild came to teach us some grounding work before we all had to leave. I was very moved by it, so much so that I even cried. There was a lot of significance in those grounding exercises. I also want to add how refreshing it was to meet another person who is like-minded spiritually and intellectually. I’ve been yearning for so long that when it came down to it, the tears started flowing. I also loved how she told her stories; I felt like I was 7 years old again.
Overall, going to this cohort meeting was just what I needed to feel refreshed and renewed. Everyone was so kind and intelligent and made me feel so comfortable. We all had similar stories to share, and we’re all navigating toward similar paths. It helped remove any discouragement I have about being in my field. I also learned that progress truly isn’t linear either. I’m excited to take on the rest of this internship and look forward to seeing where our futures take us. I can’t wait to see everyone again soon. Until then!