Monday, June 25
Today was the first day of training. We went to a park and conducted a series of water quality tests and experiments. I entertained myself during transitional periods by pretending one of our sampling tools was a golf club. I was grouped with Brittany and Bevan. Bevan introduced us to a new term that I hope will catch on in the States. He referred to the cooler as "a chilly-bin." We in our group have had many discussions on the topic of accents and dialects. I am apparently the only one who says "rut beer" and "ruf" instead of roof. We are all having a blast. So far, Chirag is the easiest person to talk to. He is from Michigan, so he's about the closest one to me.
Tuesday, June 26
Today was an awesome day. We went to an island outside of Milwaukee and launched our canoes. Canoeing was great, and even though it was Ada's first time in a canoe, we were able to work together as a team and, at some points, even set the pace for the other groups. It was great to actually be in the water. In the shallow parts, I would get out of the canoe and pull us through the tough spots. As the day wore on, I learned what to look for as far as navigable waters, and Ada was improving to the point where I could even take a break every once in a while. We learned a new style of invertebrate sampling called kick netting. I found it very simple and effective. We went to Discovery World and met Mr. Michael Cudahy. He funds the museum, and is a very cool guy. We were one of the first groups to see the new Great Lakes model in operation. It is a scale model of the five Great Lakes, with accurate elevation, working locks, and an atmospheric weather system. After we left Discovery World we went to a Brewers game. I was extremely humiliated when the Astros fans (Brittany and Allison) started screaming at the top of their lungs when Mike Lamb parked a home run for the Astros.
Wednesday, June 27
Today we went to an old quarry to learn how to snorkel or skin-dive. Chirag and I were finally in the same group. We had a blast snorkeling along the shore and the old quarry underwater road. It was awesome to be up close and personal with the black crappies and bluegills while on their beds. The water was cool and refreshing and felt so good on our sun burnt legs, arms, necks, backs, and faces. Brittany got sun burned on her scalp, which was really unfortunate. We went to dinner at Culver's and laughed so hard (this includes adults) that our stomachs hurt and I spit Mt. Dew on the floor.
Thursday, June 28
Today was the quietest day yet. We went on a boat named the Len-Der, but were not able to get the results we hoped for with the side-scanning sonar. We were able to look at some scans Captain Jerry did on different days. He uses the sonar to find shipwrecks, and look at the bathymetry of the bottom. I was on a team with Lewis, Bevan, and Randy. We got a crash course in videography from a JASON crew member. I got to talk baseball with him, as he played division three college baseball. He is definitely the coolest camera man I know. We learned that Maria and I share a very good taste in music and we have lately been performing duet covers of Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd.
Friday, June 29
We went to the Great Lakes WATER Institute today and finished up our tests. We were able to use some really cool testing methods. We used a special machine to test the nitrate levels in the lake. The fun part of the night came later. After we played tackle soccer and freestyle volleyball. We went back to the dorms and videotaped each other being interviewed about completely random things. Bevan was almost locked out of the dorm building. He forgot his key, which works as his ID also. We had to dig through his dirty underwear and laundry to find his key. In the end it was still in the door to his room. He forgets everything.