Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The Intern Chronicles: New Neighbors, Old Friends, and Other Amusing Anecdotes

This past weekend we moved 90% of the things I am bringing into the new apartment and had all kinds of delightful adventures! Here is the highlights reel for all the friends and family who'd like to know.

The Apartment

I have a bath and a half, one bedroom apartment that isn't actually terrible at all. My favorite parts so far are my kitchen and my "dining nook" because I have a giant Lazy Susan  in one cabinet and lower cabinet shelves that slide out for reaching pots and pans.  My "dining nook,"  is so named because I moved the table and chairs over into the corner by the window so I can sit in the sunlight. You all know sunlight is a very, very good thing for me.
If you know about my general tendency toward clumsiness, you will also be happy to hear that since my apartment was designed for older adults, I have safety rails along all the hallways, a clumsy-proof shower, and emergency pull switches in every room that will contact security and emergency medical personnel when activated. I sincerely promise to do my level best not to need any of the above features!  

Other highlights include the fact that I now have a 30-second commute to the hospice music therapy office, and there is a pool just downstairs from me. I also don't even have to go outside to get to my new bank. It's part of the same building and is about as far away from me as the hospice office. 

New Neighbors

Everyone I have met so far has been incredibly welcoming and friendly! There is a drummer that lives at the end of the hall, and apparently he drums during business hours. I know this because my new banker told me so when I went to open my internship checking account. The drummer lives above the bank. I live above an accounting firm, but now that I know about the drumming, I don't feel as bad about needing to practice in the apartment. Maybe Mr. End of the Hall and I can start a few building-wide jam sessions. ;)

I also briefly met one of my next door neighbors and he was also incredibly warm and welcoming. I think I'm going to like it here. 

I live directly across from the housekeeping office and down the hall from the building's locksmith. The housekeeping staff have been incredibly helpful and kind so far. We didn't have sheets the first night we got there and there was nobody in the office the next day, but we improvised fairly well with packing blankets. Fortunately, I have sheets for the bed now! 

Speaking of kind and helpful, I forgot to mention that my internship director is plenty of both! She and her husband came up to the apartment on Saturday evening to greet us and help us get oriented and settled. She was also kind enough to get a sandwich platter for us, followed by directions to the nearest grocery store. I cannot wait to start learning from this awesome lady. 

Old Friends
The best part about my new location is that it brings my husband and me closer to a lot of people we have missed since they moved to the KC area. On Sunday night, we had one of Andrew's oldest and closest friends over. He ended up staying pretty late and crashed on our couch. 

If you're one of the people that crashes on my couch at home, rest assured, my open-door, open-couch policy still applies to my apartment and apparently the new couch gets a seal of sleepy friend approval. So in other words, please come by and visit me! 

Miscellaneous Adventures

On Saturday night we successfully navigated our first grocery shopping trip in Lee's Summit and I am now the proud owner of a Price Chopper card. Do I get to call myself a local yet? 

On Monday morning, I had to report to the JKV (John Knox Village) health clinic for my pre-employment drug screening and TB test. Embarrassingly enough, I showed up for my drug screening with very bloodshot eyes. I hadn't quite gotten the hang of my very adjustable shower head yet and managed to blast myself in the face with the hot water. Oops! 

Once we got past the awkward discussion of how I got my eyes so red, I got to advocate for music therapy by teaching the nurse all about it. Well, or as much information as we could discuss in the time it takes to say "Ahh" and get a TB test. 

On my walk back from clinic I encountered a super friendly dog named Angie. Angie's owner was very nice, too, but not incredibly pleased about having to pop out of the back balcony door in her PJ's to stop Angie from trying to follow me home. 

I can't wait to get down to the hospice music therapy part of all this! I'll be reporting for my first day bright and early Thursday morning. Wish me luck and write me letters!


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