Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear readers!

The zoo is currently enjoying intercession, two and a half class-free weeks with nothing but zoo work to keep us all occupied. I still have to be at the zoo to open and close half the week, but I have three days off a week to spend however the heck I want!

So far I've been spending those days getting things done that desperately need to be done.  Laundry, cleaning cages and tanks, etc. The biggest thing I checked off my to do list last week was selling my car! I am very very sad to say goodbye. The "Bitchmobile" has seen me through some pretty great milestones. She took me reliably to and from college for two years, carried me on my first road trip, and kept on trucking long enough to deliver me and all my belongings safely to California to start my new life.  We have been through a lot together, and she was my very first car, so I was definitely a little teary when I sat in her and said goodbye for the last time.

So, from now until I graduate, I will be getting around on... *drumroll*...

MY NEW FULLY FUNCTIONAL SCOOTER!

I bought this baby in mid October for 400 bucks, and it has been in the shop for almost two months getting almost every single part removed shined buffed and replaced. It's been a very long wait but I am FINALLY able to ride "Scootie Blue." It is so. freaking. fun. Next step is to take the driving test at the DMV to finally get my motorcycle license which will allow me to ride her at night (and with passengers if they can fit on that tiny thing! :) )

It has been sad to spend the holidays alone. I miss everyone back home and it was heartbreaking not to be able to spend Christmas and Wigilia with my family, and I'm looking at a New Years away from my friends as well. Only two more months until my family (minus David) comes to visit, and six or seven more months until I can come home!!

My Christmas Dinner. I managed to recreate Mom's barszcz and what I have affectionately dubbed "pseuduszka!"

This has been going around my college blog platform lately, and I thought I would use it to gather my thoughts for this blog update:

Work: Not making money, of course, but loving every day. My muscles are sore and I come home dirty and wet and usually covered in some combination of food and poop, but I wouldn't trade a single day of it. I hope I never lose the sense of amazement I have - I hope petting coatis and feeding lemurs and ocelots and playing with goats never gets old.

Money: I have none. It's a little scary.

Personal responsibility: Chores like laundry and cleaning tend to fall behind more important things like homework and sleep, but I try to keep up enough so that I always have clean clothes and clean dishes to use. Our house gets a little untidy sometimes but for the most part the common areas like the kitchen and living room stay pretty neat. I pay my credit card bill and rent and utilities (usually) on time. My priority, though, is always the zoo. If it's a choice between zoo work and house work, the zoo comes first. 

Health: Surprisingly good! I think being around all these animals has strengthened my immune system. I've been threatened with the hint of a sore throat once or twice, but I have not been really sick ONCE since I arrived in California! (knock on wood!)

Friendships: Could be better. I like my roommates, and I have a few people in this program that I'm friendly with, but nothing that compares to the friendships I left back home. Thank God for technology, because I miss relationships like that - having people to rely so strongly on, people you can talk to about anything, people you are always so in tune with. 

Family: Miss them every single day! I am so gosh darn lucky to have such an incredible, supportive network at home. I can't wait until they come visit in March because I am in SERIOUS Johnston withdrawal.  I call them every other day or more, but I think the thing I miss most is hugs.

Love life: Going well. Ben and I broke up because of the distance, but eventually figured out that being apart wasn't working for either of us. In a few days, he is leaving Chicago and moving to Austin, Texas to live with his best friend for a few months. He's planning on starting his own dog walking business (check it out at dogsfirst.webs.com!), doing some writing, and padding his creative portfolio before taking a leaf out of my book and moving here to California to follow his own dreams. 

Mental health: Aside from being incredibly lonely and missing everyone I love, I'm doing really well. I am still so happy to be here and totally convinced that this is where I belong. I'm finally on the right path. I'm motivated and working hard. 

In other news, next month we finally get to pick our animal assignments for the summer!! Choices are assigned based on a points system. 2 points for volunteer hours, 1 point if you received no U3s, 1 point for perfect attendance, and 4 points for your GPA. Those with 8 points usually get all their first choice animals.  I am so proud to say that I finished this semester with perfect attendance, all my volunteer hours completed, no U3 points, and a 4.0 GPA!! It's so nice to see all my hard work pay off in a real, tangible way. I'm still doing some thinking about which animals I'm going to ask for, since this is the semester we have to ask for year-long assignments (such as primates and other animals that require a year-long relationship as opposed to a semester-long).

More updates will come later, but for now, here are some pictures to tide you over!

Lemur!

Our ring-tailed lemurs sunning themselves. 

Rocky the Boa out for a show!

Clarence getting some love from visitors.

Happy gator.

This is what happens when one attempts to clean a goat enclosure. That's my broom they are eating.

Smiley goat.

I kind of love them.

For our Arctic Lights event, we brought in real snow for the kids to play in. Some of our animals got to play too!

The cutest coati in the whole wide world.

Did I mention we got to pet baby tigers???

This was the first show I emceed!

And, of course, I can't forget about my very own critters! This was Zazu's first time on the maze I will have to train her to run. She was more interested in what Mommy was holding :)