During the last three months or so, with the time that I formerly spent blogging, I developed an interest in the field of community development. This semester, I enrolled in two classes focused on different facets of it, one on civic engagement and the other casually titled "citizenship 101." Both have encouraged my interest in the field, along with a deep passion for the betterment of my own hometown.
In this spirit, I applied for an internship with Danville Regional Foundation in Danville, Virginia. The Foundation seeks to distribute $200 million gained from the sale of the local hospital to another operation company in the form of grants that will improve the community. I will spare all of the agonizing details of the application and interview process (hurriedly apply, scramble for recommendation letters in four days, wait, wait, wait, interview nervously with the man whom you were just told was the former Undersecretary of the United States Dept of Agriculture, wait more)... only to say that it all paid off! Friday, I ecstatically found out I had been selected for one of the ten internships, and since I have not been able to focus on anything else.
Nothing could excite me more than being given the opportunity to live in a new city for ten weeks and learn more about community development and improving our towns and cities. I hope to bring back some lessons for my own hometown and state, yet I hope that I will be able to impact their region in a positive way in my short time there. I'm really not sure what an intern can offer to a foundation of this magnitude, but I am more than ready to learn.
Currently, I should be studying for the Italian test that I have tomorrow. However, I am glued to websites about the Danville area, soaking up all that I can about the region. I feel like I am going to be on an extended vacation, complete with exploring all of the cultural and local aspects of a new place. I may change my opinion about this when I start the internship on May 26, but for now, the sky is the limit when it comes to my hopes to utilize my time this summer.
Much like I did last summer, I hope to use my blog first, to tell about the place where I am going as I find out more about it, and second, to communicate my experiences as I am living in Danville. Towards the end of this week, I should be finding out about potential project summaries on which I may be working. Until then, be expecting to read more about the place where I will be living.
