7 a.m. The usual morning lineup...

We start at 7 a.m. The zoo is an hour from my house. I left at 6 a.m.

..start on the chores and sweep 'till the floors are clean...

While we wait for the keepers to finish the morning meeting, we move laundry, organize dishes, begin to prepare diets, or yes, sweep.

...polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine up. Sweep again and by then its like 7:15...

Laundry (see above) gets serious when working with primates. Between the sweeping and scrubbing found in individual animal areas, we all could boast some nice shoulder muscles by the end. We also got faster leading to our completion times being farther and farther from lunch...

...and so I'll read a book, or maybe two or three. I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery...

-Being the nerd that I am, the various animal books in the break room made for a pleasant lunch if I ever found myself eating alone. The paintings part is a little more specific to me and Becca. We started an awesome mural in the education area of the main building. The last month's free time was completely taken up by that.

...I'll play guitar and knit, and cook, and basically just wonder when will my life begin...

-Putting on music down at the aviary made for an enjoyable experience dancing with Cherub, the cockatiel, or trying to make friends with the goats as they were much more interested in eating the buttons on your shorts. All the while, you day dream about when you will have the chance to create a real bond with animals you are primary caregivers for.

...Then after lunch its puzzles and darts and baking...

Puzzles to us can mean only one thing: enrichment. Keeping the animals occupied and challenged can sometimes involve some "human enrichment" when finding new ways to put food in non-food or even other food items.

...paper mâché, a bit of ballet, and chess...

-If you've got some time after lunch, a walk with Phoebe, the campus dog, is customary. After hours this lovely creature gets plenty of exercise, but during the day she gets bored. Entertaining her can sometimes look like a hazardous ballet to the simple bystander.

...and I'll keep wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering, when will my life begin...

There's no doubt - this internship is not for the faint of heart. They say that interns in general, no matter where you work, get the shit jobs. Here, however, that isn't an exaggeration or a figure of speech. But don't get me wrong - it was the best experience of my life. I am forever grateful for every second I spend at the Racine County Zoo, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.