#fieldreports

Against all common sense and at least three internal warnings from my better judgment, Under Control is now officially out in the world.

It’s a freebie. A side story. A warm-up act before the main chaos. I finished the full novel (the one I’ve been, ummm, muttering about to myself for months) and I’m deep in revisions, so I thought I’d start introducing the side characters who refuse to stay politely in the background.

Kurose Haruka was supposed to share a quiet beer with Daiki and call it a night. Instead, they made eye contact for too long and things got… very educational. Let’s just say this one is definitely not for kids, and possibly not for people who blush easily. There’s plot, there’s rhythm, there’s a lot of humidity and poor life choices.

Filed under the Arakawa Confidential: Field Reports series, because apparently I’ve decided this needs lore.

Read it, judge me, hydrate afterward. It’s free.

The final week of my internship started off well.  On Monday morning I edited the program analysis as well as sent out thank you emails to the Boulder Nites volunteers.  I was unable to attend the 2013 BNC event because I was out of town but apparently it went really well; there was a pretty bad storm right before the start of the event but it blew over just in time for the race.  That afternoon I programmed with Tim and we took kids from Glen Willow, Manhattan, and Madison to the goat farm.  During this visit they were all able to take the goats on walks and they really enjoyed it. 

            Tuesday began with the final adaptive water ski of the summer.  It was a great day out at the reservoir and it ended with a beach party to celebrate 30 years of adaptive water ski.  I was really glad that I was able to be a part of adaptive water ski this summer and it is something I will hope to do again next summer.  After adaptive water ski I went back to the office to complete some minor tasks (adding volunteers to the database, etc) and then I worked my last shift at the North Boulder Recreation Center.  Working at the North Boulder Recreation Center was probably the low point of my week due to how boring and slow it was. 

            On Wednesday morning we had our usual staff meeting at which we discussed the plans for the remainder of the summer, transportation, staffing, etc.  On Wednesday afternoon Brad and I programmed with Kirsten and Corina and took kids from Woodlands, Kalmia, and Manhattan to the CU bowling alley.  The kids had  a great time and all behaved extremely well until one of the kids from Woodlands (Cisco – who has been an issue all summer) decided to call 911 on a payphone and hang up.   The 911 operator called back right away and Brad answered and took care of it.  Brad was originally just going to take Cisco home and talk to his parents but he decided to take Cisco to the police station instead so an officer could talk with him.  Needless to say Cisco was pretty scared but I think he needed it before he starts middle school in the fall…

            Thursday morning was definitely the highlight of my week.  Brad and I took kids from Manhattan up to Brainard Lake in Ward County.  We took the kids on a small nature walk and even saw some moose; Brainard was beautiful and the kids really enjoyed the walk and the moose.  On Thursday afternoon I had my last inclusion gymnastics session with Cassandra.  The session went pretty well and I started video taping Cassandra at the end of it.  As soon as I started taping her and she was able to see herself on my phone screen she actually started doing her activities better.  This makes me think that Cassandra might do well in an activity like dance where she is in a studio that is lined with mirrors. 

            Friday morning began with a meeting with Colleen to complete my final evaluation as well as discuss the program analysis.  Our meeting went very well and made me realize that I am definitely going to miss meeting with Colleen every week.  On Friday afternoon I led activities for Broadway, Kalmia, Manhattan, Madison, and Iris/Diagonal at the East Boulder Recreation Center.  The activities that I led were canoeing, swimming, a slip and slide, and crafts.  The kids really like the different variety and options to choose from but they all ultimately ended up in the pool (as usual).

Monday morning began with some BNC tasks as well as sending some general emails to the staff that I work with. On Monday afternoon I lead a program with Tim and the kids from Glen Willow. I planned for our group to go to the Lego exhibit at the Longmont museum and then go to the last swim lesson of the summer. We lucked out with the program plan seeing as it was a rainy and cold day in the Boulder area. The kids really enjoyed the Lego exhibit even though it was pretty packed with kids and other families.

On Tuesday morning I worked adaptive water ski at the Boulder Reservoir. Water ski went pretty slowly this week; there wasn’t a full shift of participants and the weather was pretty chilly. After working adaptive water ski I had to head over to the City of Longmont’s human resources to get hired as a program coordinator with city’s parks and recreation department for the 2013-2014 school year. I’m pretty excited about this job even though it is only part time. I will be working with middle school students and planning their after school activities. After spending the majority of my afternoon in Longmont I worked at North Boulder Recreation Center for the rest of the day. 

Wednesday morning began with our final meeting with Jamie. In this meeting the YSI staff went over the mission and values statements that we have created and then began crafting a vision statement. This meeting went surprisingly well and we still managed to have time to have a small staff meeting after. Though some of our meetings with Jamie dragged on this summer, I really enjoyed working with her and getting to be a part of the staff during these meetings. I feel as though the YSI staff really needed to reevaluate their mission, vision, and values especially with the 2013 Master Plan going through. Wednesday afternoon included a combined kids safety lesson for kids from Glen Willow and Kalmia. This was probably the highlight of my week because the kids really enjoyed the lesson, paid close attention, and the instructor had a great sense of humor; after the lesson we all went to Spruce Pool.

Thursday morning’s fishing program was cancelled due to the fact that Brad was unable to work and there was a death in one of the families at the housing site. To occupy this time I edited the entire program analysis as well as updated BNC info. That afternoon I met with Colleen to make any final adjustments on BNC info as well as discuss the current program analysis draft. Thursday afternoon was probably my least favorite part of my week due to inclusion gymnastics. I really think that Cassandra is getting sick of gymnastics and therefore her behavior is getting worse and worse. Cassandra had to sit out multiple times during this gymnastics lesson because she continued to act out despite being pulled aside by both myself and her instructor. Next week is my last week with Cassandra and I hope that we will be able to make it a good one. I am planning on talking with her individually about her behavior before the start of the program.

Monday morning began with a BNC with Colleen.  We need less and less course marshal volunteers as the days go by and we will definitely have enough by this Saturday (the day of the event).  I spent the rest of Monday morning working on editing BNC info as well as working on the program analysis.  On Monday afternoon I programmed with Kirsten and we took the kids from the Kalmia housing site to Broomfield Bay (a water park); the kids really enjoyed Broomfield Bay and it was a hot and sunny day so our plan worked out accordingly. 

            On Tuesday I worked adaptive water ski and it was surprisingly slow.  There weren’t that many participants and I only had to help start one participant.  Though I was bored during adaptive water ski, only starting one participant is a really good sign and it means that participants aren’t crashing or coming out of their skis.  On Wednesday afternoon I worked on program analysis demographics for YSI compared to the city of Boulder and then I worked at the North Boulder Recreation Center.

            Wednesday morning began with a weekly staff meeting.  We discussed this week’s transportation schedule (who is driving which van, etc) as well as next week’s scheduled CPR class that I am looking forward to.  On Wednesday afternoon I lead a program with Brad and the kids from Woodlands.  We took the kids to the Mountain Flower goat farm and they had a lot of fun even though some of the girls did not want to participate in milking the goats.  We had originally planned to go to Spruce Pool after the goat farm but do to sporadic thunder we took the kids to a green space near the library to play some games.  This was probably the least favorite part of my week because the boys from Glen Willow have been behaving worse and worse each week.  Brad and I are able to deal with the boys’ behavior and resolve any issues it is just annoying taking time out of activities to talk to them privately about it.

            On Thursday morning Brad and I took kids from the Manhattan housing site to the East Boulder Recreation Center to fish and canoe.  This was definitely the highlight of my week.  The kids from Manhattan really enjoyed fishing and canoeing in the cool weather; one of the boys caught a pretty big catfish.  On Thursday afternoon I worked at inclusion gymnastics with Cassandra.  Cassandra had a lot of fun and behaved herself but I think that she is getting pretty bored with gymnastics, it is also hard because she is sometimes limited on activities due to a developmental disability. 

            Friday mornings usually begin with inclusion gymnastics with Jason but he was out of town.  Due to that schedule change I had an earlier meeting with Colleen to discuss the last two weeks of my internship, BNC, as well as the program analysis.   The meeting went really well and I feel as though I may finish the program analysis earlier than expected.  On Friday afternoon I programmed with Kirsten, Brad, and Tim and we took kids from multiple housing sites to Broomfield Bay.  The kids had a lot of fun even though it was somewhat overcast during the afternoon.

Monday morning began with a lot of work for BNC.  On Monday, Colleen informed me that the Boulder Reservoir wants to hire me to work their front gate for the rest of the season because they are short staffed.  Colleen and I met to finalize my midterm evaluation and schedule when to complete my final evaluation.  On Monday afternoon I programmed with Tim, this was the high point of my week.  We took kids from the Glen Willow housing site to the goat and dairy farm that is adjacent to the North Boulder Recreation Center and then to swimming lessons.  The kids really enjoyed this trip, as did I.  They were able to pet the goats, walk them, bottle-feed baby goats and milk a goat.  This coming week I plan on taking a different group of kids to the farm. 

            On Tuesday I worked adaptive water ski as usual.  We had another full day of participants and had a great time on the water.  On Tuesday afternoon I worked at North Boulder Recreation Center.  I really like working at NBRC because they have such a great and energetic staff. 

            Wednesday began with a very long meeting with Jamie to work on creating our values statements as well as a draft mission statement.  This is a very important task for YSI to be completing due to the 2013 Master Plan as well as the city’s reconstruction of their website.  This meeting went a little smoother than usual because the staff didn’t have much time to talk about the same issues that they usually talk about.  On Wednesday afternoon I worked on the program analysis and created a timeline for my tasks for the program analysis; I am hoping to get this project done within the next two weeks.  Later in the afternoon I programmed with Brad.  We took kids from the Woodlands housing sight to Green Leaf Park to play a game of kickball and then we walked over to Spruce Pool.  This was the low point of my week because we had some issues between a group of 3 boys from Woodlands.  Brad and I felt as though the boys were being very disrespectful to each other as well as us when we were all at Spruce Pool as a group.  In order to resolve this issue we separated the boys at the pool as well as talked to them after our walk home. 

            On Thursday morning I programmed with Brad again; rather than taking the kids fishing we took them on a little field trip to Nederland.  Once we arrived in Nederland we took the kids to the Carousel of Happiness (a carousel that was handmade by a Vietnam veteran) and on a walk around the Barker Reservoir.  The kids really enjoyed the morning and it was a nice break from fishing.  On Wednesday afternoon I went and met Sarah Rodriguez (Boulder Reservoir Program Coordinator) and worked on some hiring information.  I also had inclusion gymnastics that afternoon with Cassandra. 

            On Friday morning I met Colleen for our weekly meeting.  We went over BNC plans as well as program analysis information.  On Friday afternoon Kirsten, Brad, Tim, and I programmed together and took a large group of kids to Xtreme Challenge Area.  Xtreme Challenge Area is an open gym with ball pits, obstacle courses, etc and is lead by two program coordinators that set up different activities for the kids.  The kids were so happy to be there and had so much fun that the majority of them fell asleep on the ride back to Boulder. 

            Monday began with a lot of work for the BNC event.  I still need to fill 14 more spots for course marshalling and I’m getting pretty tight on time to do so.  Working on volunteer recruitment for BNC was probably the low point of my week because I am pretty stressed about it.  I spent a bunch of time outside of the office contacting groups and visiting bike shops about volunteering as well.  On Monday afternoon I programmed with Kirsten at the Kalmia housing site (which I had never been to before).  We took the kids to the Longmont museum and cultural center for the Lego exhibit; the kids loved it and didn’t want to leave.

            On Tuesday I attended adaptive water ski and we had a very full schedule with 18 participants.  The weather was awesome, there was hardly any wind, and the water was warm so it ended up being a great day.  After water ski I went back to the office to work on more BNC recruitment and organization and then spent the remainder of the afternoon working at North Boulder Recreation Center.  I must admit that I’m a little disappointed with the work I’m given at NBRC.  I was initially told that I would be working with the facility supervisor and learning about building administration when I am actually just folding towels and checking patrons in for two hours. 

            On Wednesday morning I worked on the program analysis and researched specific data for the program description section as well as attended the weekly staff meeting.  That afternoon I led a program with the Woodlands housing site.  We began the program at Woodlands by doing an activity involving ‘My Plate’ where I had the kids draw their favorite healthy meal as well as write up how they thought the meal was made.  It was pretty entertaining to see how the kids thought meals such as pasta and chicken potpie were made.  After this activity Brad and I attempted to take the kids to Spruce pool but it ended up being closed due to thunder.   We then took the kids to NBRC to make a healthy trail mix snack and then play water games in the back yard.  Even though my program didn’t run as smoothly as planned (the kids were upset that they couldn’t swim) it ended up working out well and all of the participants enjoyed the day.

            Thursday morning was occupied with fishing in South Boulder as usual.  We ended up only fishing for about an hour and a half due to the fact that it was so hot.  After fishing Brad and I took the kids to get free slurpees at 7 Eleven; they were pretty excited about this even though the 7 Eleven attendant was pretty angry that Brad and I brought in a van full of kids.  Thursday afternoon I was supposed to have inclusion gymnastics with Cassandra but gymnastics classes were cancelled for the week due to a camp.  The remainder of the afternoon was spent working on BNC recruitment as well as the program analysis.   

            On Friday morning I attended my weekly meeting with Colleen and we compiled a list of ways to get more volunteers.  Next week I will be doing some serious work for BNC volunteer recruitment.  On Friday afternoon I led a program for kids from four different housing sites.  We all arrived at the Boulder Reservoir just as they were closing water access due to a storm warning.  I had planned a bunch of relay water games but we were then unable to do them.  Instead we did a ball-spoon race and ball pass game and then took the kids to NBRC for indoor free swim.  I was pretty disappointed that we couldn’t do the activities that I had planned due to bad weather but this program still ended up being the highlight of my week.  During free swim I was able to interact with kids from all different sites; we played water basketball, sharks and minnows, marco polo etc.  I really enjoy programming on Fridays due to the fact that almost all of the kids are together.

            This week of my internship was a fairly short week due to the Fourth of July holiday.  Monday began with working on the YSI program analysis for the 2013 Master plan.  The program analysis needs to contain a lot of detailed information including hours, schedules, demographics, staffing etc.  In order to obtain the correct and specific information I need to email YSI administrator, Alex Zinga with a list of the information that I need.  On Monday afternoon I led my first program with kids from the Glen Willow site.  I started the program by taking the group to the Boulder County Recycling Center, for a self-guided tour.  The kids really liked this tour and were very interested to see how recycling was separated and packaged away at the center.  After the recycling center tour we all went to Scott Carpenter Park to play Spud and kickball, which the kids enjoyed doing as well.  After playing outside the kids wanted to swim at Scott Carpenter Pool because they did not have any swim lessons this week. 

            Tuesday morning I worked the adaptive water ski program.  The water was a lot calmer and warmer this week but we seemed to have had a drop in participants because people went out of town for the Fourth.  Since we had a drop in participants we allowed the participants who attended to go around the lake multiple times as opposed to just two.  On Tuesday afternoon I had an interview for a program coordinating position with the City of Longmont Parks and Recreation Department.  I feel as though the interview went really well and I would really like to get the job; I should hear back from them later this week.  After the interview I worked at North Boulder Recreation Center until 5.

            Wednesday morning began with our usual staff meeting; this meeting included a presentation on the 2013 Master Plan.  The presentation was highly informative but I think that it contained a lot of dense information that didn’t necessarily pertain to YSI.  Colleen and Alex seemed to be understanding everything and following along, especially when it came to the budget, but Brad, Tim, Corina, Kirsten and I kind of got lost in all of the numbers and percentages.  The 2013 Master Plan has been approved and is clearly something that is necessary and takes a great deal of work and planning.  During Wednesday afternoon, Brad and I took the kids from Woodlands on a Fourth of July picnic and then to the Spruce Pool. 

            My week began with the continuation of volunteer recruitment for the Boulder Nites Classic (BNC) event.  I met with Mary Malley who is in charge of volunteer recruitment for the City of Boulder Parks & Recreation.  Mary gave me a bunch more ideas of who to contact for volunteers.  I also created a timeline to track my recruitment process.  Tim and I programmed at the CU bowling alley and then took the kids to swim lessons; it’s crazy how much these kids learn in just one lesson, they are all improving. 

            On Tuesday I worked adaptive water ski in the morning.  I really enjoyed this week’s water ski session because there were brand new people and even a couple of people who have never skied before.  I am really glad that I am able to participate in this program this summer; it is giving me great insight into therapeutic recreation.  After adaptive water ski I went back to the office and worked on some volunteer recruitment for BNC, programs for this summer, and then went to work at North Boulder Recreation Center (NBRC). 

            On Wednesday we had a staff meeting with Jamie where we turned the values that we collaboratively created, into values statements.  This meeting was most likely the low point of my week because I realized that there is a lot of miscommunication, disappointment, and confusion among YSI staff members.  It seems as though a lot of these issues are created from a lack of funding and uniform job expectations among coworkers.  The worst part about this meeting is that the majority of issues that YSI staff are experiencing are most likely going to go unresolved due to the fact that they are out of their control.  After the staff meeting, Brad and I programmed together and took the kids to the pool for the afternoon due to the fact that it was in the upper nineties. 

            On Thursday Brad and I had our fishing program together.  We went to our designated housing site to pick kids up but they were all at summer school.  After traveling to five other housing sites we finally ended up with roughly seven kids.  Now that Brad and I know which kids will be in summer school for the summer, we will have to adjust which sites we take fishing on Thursdays.  That afternoon I had inclusion gymnastics with Cassandra, this week Cassandra had a lot of trouble following directions so she had to sit out for some activities. 

            On Friday morning I had inclusion gymnastics with Jason, this was the highlight of my week.  Jason had a lot of fun in gymnastics but had a little bit of trouble with acting out and not wanting to participate.  These situations were remedied by pulling Jason aside and talking with him as well as by taking a break and watching the group, rather than sitting with his mother by himself.  That afternoon YSI had combined programming at Skate City in Westminster (an indoor skate center).  The kids were all super excited to go and had a great time.  It was really nice to see the kids wanting to help each other learn how to skate and do tricks.