Welcome to Miami! (A day in the life...)

After a relaxing day in Jacksonville on the beach surfing and kayaking and a not so relaxing day driving we finally made it to Miami! Immediately I understood what everyone had been telling me for weeks- traffic down here is crazy! Everyone drives and it seems like the norm to be caught in traffic for thirty minutes or so. After battling traffic and getting lost (also the norm for us down here) we finally arrived at the place Bekah and I will be staying this summer. The house is owned by a lady named Rosita who is very nice. She has a very nice house and a pool, which I am a frequent visitor to! Aside for the hour and a half commute to work every day I love it!

Almost every day I ride to Florida International University (FIU) with Bekah. This is where she picks him up to go to work for the day and where she drops me off. I wait there for two hours until John, my supervisor, comes to pick me up. That may seem burdensome but so far I have actually enjoyed it because it has forced me to study for the GRE’s, which I desperately need to do! I ride from FIU to South Beach with John to our office.

Our office is smaller than my closet at school (I am not joking), but it works for us. He is the only staff and I am the only intern so we don’t really need much room. We are in a building with other non-profits as well as government agencies such as the beach front community development and children’s services. I am 99% sure that I am the only one in the office that doesn’t speak Spanish, which has been interesting in itself. I am picking up a few words here and there but more than anything this experience has been a good kick in the butt for me to learn more Spanish or another foreign language.

My day usually consists of attending a bartending or language class, offered free from ROC, helping with orientations, and imputing data from surveys. Because ROC in Miami is so new we are still working on a lot of things that most organizations probably have done by now, like creating sign in sheets, brochures, membership cards, etc.

My supervisor has been great! I am learning tons from him because he is very knowledgeable about foreign affairs, especially anything to do with Latin America. He also enjoys learning about things that many people find taboo. For example, right now we are listening to a book on tape about Fidel Castro’s life. I highly doubt I would have ever done that if not for this experience. He also has experience working with unions as well as with ROC so it has been very interesting for me to learn more about ROC and unions throughout this internship.