Behind the Scenes Tours

My favorite part of the internship by far has been the behind the scenes tours. I did both of my two tours this week. The first was at Discovery Cove. We were given the opportunity to see the fish room, where the prepare the food for each of the dolphins. To my surprise each dolphin doesn't eat that much per day, I think the average was 18lbs of food. We were walked right up to the trainer entrance to the dolphin pools where the dolphins swam right up to say hello. It amazes me how much they love people. The pools are for the dolphin swim attraction at the park and the dolphins not in use hang out near the employee entrance/dock. The rest of the park was beautiful, lots of sandy beach area and swimming holes. I have made reservations for myself to be a guest there on Monday. My friend, Audrey, will be here today and she will join me on Monday. I'm very excited and I'll be sure to post a few pictures of the park.
Today I had my second tour, It was an Education sneak peak. The education department teaches guests about the animals in our park and leads the special behind the scenes tours that guests can purchase at an extra charge. Today my tour was a variation of one of those guest tours. We visited the rescue center. SeaWorld has rescued thousands of animals and currently with the oil spill we have a full house. Sea Turtles take up a lot of our tanks right now, along with the manatees and dolphins. What I found interesting is that we bottle feed our orphaned manatee pups. SeaWorld designed its own bottle. Behind the scenes at the Shark Encounter (SeaWorld attraction) was extra amazing. They had a small shark out for us to pet! After touching the shark we walked up above the attraction to see what goes on above the aquarium. SeaWorld offers guests the opportunity to dive into the shark encounter inside a cage with special dive helmets, and we saw how that worked. I wish that my tour included the shark dive, that would have been incredible.
I'm sad that I don't have any more tours to do, they have been my favorite days at work. I have one more class and one more seminar. The seminar is with the zoological department, it should be good. Lets hope they bring an animal with them!
Off now to pick Audrey up from the airport. Talk to you soon. Home in 2 weeks!!

Belated Post

Sorry to anyone who has been waiting for a post. I have been spending time with the family and haven't had a chance to log in. The past few weeks I have been working everyday and just saving up money for Disney with the family. We had a great time there. My four year old niece Rachel had breakfast with the princesses, she was adorable in her Snow White outfit. Watching her get excited about all the characters was the highlight of the trip.
My Internship project has been assigned. I need to write a one/two page report on what I think needs to be changed in my department. I have one major idea, and several other minor thoughts on what needs work. I'm not sure if I want to focus on one thing or mention everything. This report will be handed to my leads after I leave, so I don't want to be too negative, but there are just a bunch of little things that I see as no-brainers. I'll be working on that within the next few days. To help me write that report I will be shadowing leads for one week. Seeing how they work, and learn about their responsibilities. Those will be good days, I think I will like that a lot.
Also on Tuesday I will be taking a special Behind the Scenes tour of Discovery Cove. I'm looking forward to that, I have never been over to that park. I'll try and take some pictures and post them.
One of my best girl friends, Audrey, will be here on Friday. Very excited to have a few days to catch up with her. We will be working on our tans and exploring Orlando.
Time for me to go to work today, I'll get better about posts, promise!

Happy Fourth!!!

Happy Fourth of July all! This has been a very anticlimactic holiday for me, unfortunately I worked straight through the festivities. I hope everyone had a great weekend. SeaWorld guests were extra patriotic today, were pleasant even with the dreary weather. Funny story of the day: a lady approached me and asked if the shooter she had in her hand was a vase. I chuckled at her and said, "No miss that is a shooter" she was unsure what a shooter was so I told her "it's a shot glass." She looked a little horrified and decided that the Shamu shooter would not be an appropriate gift. She made me laugh.
Not too much else going on these days, planning for my mother's visit! Shes bringing along my brothers and nieces, I can't wait! I'll go to Disney finally! My niece, Rachel is very excited about seeing the princesses. She thinks I live with them, it's adorable.
I'm rambling now, so it's time for bed. Goodnight and Happy Independence Day! Let me know how your holiday went!

Busch Gardens and Park Operations Seminar

Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in Florida. A group of us took a trip to Tampa and visited Busch Gardens, what a beautiful park! We arrived at opening and practically had the park to ourselves until noon, we rode every ride multiple times and visited all the animals. The highlight of my day was hand feeding the kangaroos. They are set up in a petting zoo-like area, and I was able to get some great pictures with them. Another awesome moment was when one of the tigers jumped up at the glass in front of me. It seemed as if he was looking me eye to eye but I have a feeling he was trying to get a peek at the lady tigers that were kept across the tunnel. After a day of roller coasters, alligators, and all day dining we were hoping to catch their finale show, but a thunder storm rolled in and it was canceled. Overall, a really great day and I recommend Busch Gardens to everyone, the hour drive from Orlando is 100% worth it.

This morning I had my first Expert Seminar. The speaker, Tim Currier, was from Park Operations. Tim's job is to manage the attractions portion of the operations department. His co-worker is the manager of park upkeep, the other aspect of operations. He gave us some insight on what goes into planning the show schedules, the prices for attractions, and organization of employees within the attractions. What I found most interesting was the way they schedule all the different shows SeaWorld offers. Every show impacts the amount of sales, either in Merchandise or in Culinary/Dining. Tim and his team plan shows at times that directly benefit the revenue of the park. For example, a Shamu show will get out around the time when families are looking to eat lunch, those families are expected to eat immediately after the show directly outside the Stadium at the close by restaurants. Culinary is given these schedules far in advanced so that they are staffed appropriately for these show breaks. He also talked about they way SeaWorld receives feedback from guests, and how the park responds to the surveys. If enough negative feedback about a certain aspect of the park is given than the department takes action and assesses what needs to be done to enhance the park. He gave us a sneak peek at what happens behind the scenes, I look forward to my next seminar on Zoological Operations.

Communication Styles

For this post I have a fun activity for you, (well I think it's fun, maybe I'm just nerdy!) Yesterday at my communication class we took a survey to determine the style in which we communicate. I recreated the worksheet we did for you all to try. It's interesting. So before I tell you about my result I want you to do the worksheet, after you do it keep reading and I will tell you how to analyze your answers.
Below is a list of qualities divided into four columns. In column A keep a tally of all the traits you feel apply to you. After you have a total for column A do the same for columns B, C, and D. Once you have finished, determine which column was your lowest and which was the highest. Keep reading to see what it all means...
Column A
( ) Accepting
( ) accommodating
( ) agreeable
( ) apologetic
( ) concern for others
( ) considerate
( ) cooperative
( ) dependable
( ) dependent
( ) easy going
( ) empathetic
( ) friendly
( ) generous
( ) loyal
( ) people oriented
( ) quiet
( ) respectful
( ) self- Sacrificing
( ) sensitive
( ) sentimental
( ) supportive
( ) tender-hearted
( ) understanding
( ) unselfish
( ) yielding
_________ TOTAL
Column B
( ) action oriented
( ) aggressive
( ) ambitious
( ) authoritative
( ) commanding
( ) competitive
( ) controlling
( ) demanding
( ) decisive
( ) directive
( ) efficient
( ) forceful
( ) head strong
( ) hurried
( ) impatient
( ) independent
( ) leader
( ) opportunistic
( ) perfectionist
( ) persistent
( ) pioneering
( ) promotes action
( ) results oriented
( ) Strong willed
( ) task oriented
__________ TOTAL
Column C
( ) accurate
( ) cautious
( ) contemplative
( ) conventional
( ) deliberate
( ) detail oriented
( ) diplomatic
( ) disciplined
( ) exact
( ) guarded
( ) intellectual
( ) introverted
( ) logical
( ) methodical
( ) meticulous
( ) objective
( ) orderly
( ) patient
( ) practical
( ) precise
( ) rational
( ) reserved
( ) serious
( ) stuffy
( ) Systematic
________ TOTAL
Column D
( ) adventurous
( ) carefree
( ) changeable
( ) charming
( ) communicative
( ) creative
( ) dramatic
( ) enthusiastic
( ) excitable
( ) extroverted
( ) flashy
( ) humorous
( ) imaginative
( ) impulsive
( ) inspiring
( ) intuitive
( ) non- conforming
( ) opinionated
( ) outgoing
( ) outspoken
( ) playful
( ) reactionary
( ) restless
( ) risk taker
( ) talkative
________ TOTAL





SPOILER ALERT! DON'T CONTINUE READING IF YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN THE SURVEY (AND WANT TO!) THE FOLLOWING WILL INFLUENCE THE WAY YOU TAKE THE SURVEY AND WILL HINDER RESULTS!!!

Okay so if you scored high in Column A you are a RELATER. A relater wants to maintain relationships and fears confrontation. They work at a slow/easy pace and fears confrontation. Basically they are the ones that are always willing to listen and give advice, they are the ones people turn to for comfort.
If you scored high in Column B you are a DIRECTOR. Directors want to maintain success, they are the leaders. Under tension directors will dictate or assert. They work best in fast/decisive work spaces and strives for productivity. Directors fear loss of control and achieves acceptance by using their leaderships skills and competitive nature.
If you scored high in column C you are a THINKER. Thinkers are slow and systematic in their pace and seeks accuracy. Thinkers want to maintain credibility and are the folks who make sure every line is perfectly straight, they strive to be precise. They make deliberate decisions and fears embarrassment.
If you scored high in Column D you are a SOCIALIZER. Socializers enjoy a stimulating, personal, and friendly work space. The socializer is the one who always makes an entrance, they want all eyes on them when they walk into a room. Socializers are irritated by boredom and routine. Decisions are spontaneous and gains security by flexibility.

How did you score, respond to this post and let me know!!!

I was a socializer (not a big surprise!) I measure my personal worth by how much acknowledgment, recognition, and compliments I get. I don't think that is a bad thing, these things are just what motivate me. My lowest score was in the relater column. I need to work on caring more about what peoples feelings are and being more empathetic. Socializers are impatient and relaters are irritated by impatience, so I can see why they were my highest and lowest scores. I think this was an accurate activity and I hope you enjoyed it.

If you need more clarification on what each communication style means, let me know. Have a great night!

Feeling HOT HOT HOT

Holy HOT!!! Today was the first day I worked outside, I'm a steamed vegetable now! It was a tedious day as well. I was responsible for opening one of the merchandise carts, which was a challenge due to my height. I couldn't reach the zippers to remove the curtains covering the register, and I definitely couldn't stretch far enough to pop the umbrella open. Once I had it open, it was hotter still. When the thunder and lightning rolled in I had to close the cart, which was a huge hassle, because I had to reopen it less than an hour later. So Florid a weather is very unpredictable and without fail the thunder came back and I had to close the cart yet again! After that I went home, I was done with my shift and the heat and the redundant action of opening and closing. (Laughs) In other news, I've been working on a lot of Social Activities Council business from Florida. I have everything for the fall booked, which is very exciting. The rest of Executive board and I have been chatting back and forth about tshirts, novelties, and other event planning. SAC conversation makes me miss home very much, I am very anxious to return to Keene in the fall. Shout out to my SAC-ers I MISS YOU!!!! Nothing much else has been going on, same stuff different day. My next class is coming soon. Oh before I forget, I heard that last night in NH it was 32 degrees. I feel terrible for y'all, its 92 here! Goodnight!

Professionalism

On Monday I attended one of the four required classes, it was about Professionalism. Again, Terri was our speaker and again she was very funny in her delivery. She discussed the basics, proper professional clothing, handshakes, eye contact, and behavior. All of which I already knew, the most "DUH" statement she made was that we should never show up to apply for a job in a bikini, apparently that happened. I'm going to use this post to analyze the Personal Strength Audit we completed during the class. We were given 96 questions and we had to rate them to be true (3 points) sometimes true (1 point) and never true (0 points). A few examples; I take great care of my physical health, I have very clear principles, I set clear goals for myself, ect. After answering, there was a chart to place all my scores, every 13th question was related, so 1 and 13 were both on the same topic, Strong Self-Management Competence. The other categories were Developed Values, Goal Orientation, Commitment to Continuous Self-Development, Systematic Problem Solving, Innovation Skills, Influencing Ability, Leadership Competence, Organizing Capability, Commitment to Developing Others, Team-Building Orientation, and Capability to Learn From Experience. We added our scores and compared our lowest to our highest. Can you guess which were my highest? I got a perfect score in Leadership Competence, which was no surprise, but also in Team-Building Orientation. The team building component did actually surprise me as my highest because I've been told that this is an area I need to work on. I disagreed when I was told that, this survey made me feel a little better. One of my lowest scores was in my Innovation Skills. A low score here indicates weaknesses in creativity and planning change, I'm not willing to view thing from a different perspective and not open to new ideas. I can see how I'm a bit closed minded, if my idea works, I like to stick to it. I know this is an area I need to work on. My other low score, which is very ironic and disheartening due to the fact I want to be a teacher. I did not expect to get a low score in Commitment to Developing Others. One of the questions where I scored a 1 was "I carefully look for hidden talents in others." The first "others" i thought of was people I worked with at Stop and Shop and at SeaWorld. Throughout the entire survey I never thought of applying these qualities to teaching. As I look back on it now if I was thinking of my students when completing the audit, I feel as thought Developing Others would be one of my highest scores. Terri called me out a little bit by reminding me that I am going to be a teacher and that shouldn't be my lowest score. I laughed it off but I did make me look back through the survey because it concerned me that I scored so low on something so important to my career. Overall, I enjoyed the class and I'm looking forward to the next one. Today was a day off and I lounged around, didn't accomplish much more than this post. Have a great weekend everyone!