Here is a portion of the final report I wrote for my Internship in Psychology class. My internship lasts until the end of October, but the summer class ends in August.
I have served 338 hours
on the ranch, but my internship continues until the end of October. My time
hasn’t been spent in the ways I expected. I applied to the internship expecting
that I would be learning how to mentor children. However, the global pandemic intervened
in all our lives, an unsettling reminder of how little control we have over our
future and plans. Most of my hours were spent maintaining the ranch. I have
weeded for hours at a time, in potato patches or flower beds or along the
roads. I have filled in holes along paths. I have cleaned toilets. But I’m not
sorry that I pursued the internship. I never guessed how many new skills I
would learn. I have learned how to dead head flowers and prune trees. I have
learned how to make birdhouses. I have driven Kubotas and backed them with
trailers. I have bucked hay. I learned how to play horse soccer. Throughout all
the tasks, I never felt like I was at work.
Although I have not been involved in sessions with
children yet, I have been able to apply my psychology education to daily life
on the ranch. Mentoring children and training horses are not the same, but both
involve an understanding of behavior modification. I have exercised my
understanding of reinforcement when riding and training the horses. It is a
great opportunity to take the head knowledge I gathered in the classroom and
apply it to a real-life situation. This season required flexibility from
interns and staff as the board of directors navigated Covid 19. Because of the
coping mechanisms I learned in Health Psych and other classes, I was able to
see difficulties as challenges, adapting to the needs of the moment. My
knowledge of attributions and theory of mind assisted in piloting group
dynamics. The internship is high demand and high control. There are a variety
of responsibilities and tasks, some of which are physically strenuous. There is
also a lot of choice and space for doing the task in the way you think is best.
I believe that, combined with the intrinsic motivation to serve God and kids
who need help, is what makes this internship so rewarding.
My favorite part of the internship is working with the
staff. I have never experienced an atmosphere like this. Each individual is
completely sold out for God. They pray over the smallest decisions, and then
step out in faith. Some of the staff have given up much “better” jobs to serve
the kids who walk up the driveway. Their genuine love for people is evident in
their generosity. I was worried about paying for food during the internship,
since it is an unpaid position. I found soon after arriving that everyone is
constantly feeding us—even families and individuals who don’t have steady
incomes of their own. The staff loves wholeheartedly in a way I can only hope
to imitate when I return home this fall. I think everyone should experience
this kind of community at some point in their lives. The ranch heaps good
things onto the interns: white-water rafting, hiking boots, fishing trips. I
had no idea how much fun the Pacific Northwest was going to be!
Moving out to Oregon was the most intimidating decision I
have made in my life so far. I’ve been dreaming of visiting the ranch for
years, but I barely believed it when I was accepted for the internship. I am
here by the grace of God, despite hitting a deer with my car, running out of money,
a global pandemic, and being diagnosed with a chronic illness on April 25th. Somehow,
everything fell into place perfectly. This internship isn’t about me, I am here
to serve my God and serve the ranch, but I’m thankful for the experience. I’m
doing what I love, applying my knowledge in Psychology, and getting college
credit for it! I don’t think it could get better.
