Switching Gears

The most challenging aspect of this internship has been learning to switch gears quickly and swiftly. We jump around from project to project, software to software, office work to factory work. You have to remember where you left off on one and bear in mind what is left to be done as you move on to a different task. For instance, while the gel-coat needs to settle on the fireboxes, we should be cutting foam for the trimaran. While the carbon tubes are being dried with thermal wraps, we should be working on the CNC for the trimaran hull cutouts. It isn’t easy moving around quickly but that’s what I enjoyed about this internship. It’s more often than not long, fast-paced days and if you’re tired, you need to find that second wind or projects will fall behind. I used to not ever drink coffee, but I developed the habit shortly after the summer began. 

I think the best feature of my internship is that it sucks. It absolutely sucks. Or at least I thought so at first. Every day waking up at the crack of dawn to hail a cab to trek to a factory to work long hours to come home to have no time left in the day to fall asleep to start over again. It’s not exactly enthralling. But this isn’t my career. This isn’t the rest of my life. This is my summer internship that I work through with very little reward, with none monetarily. The solace I find in it is that I’ve learned to keep on going. I can’t imagine the real world gets any easier. I’m glad I’m here. I’m glad I know what it means to have to keep putting forth my best effort even though it may not be what I look forward to in my day. I’ve learned if you don’t love what you do, then at least come to terms with it. You have to do what is necessary, not what is pleasant. I think this is very much a character building experience and I’m happy for it.

Although I may not be working at my dream job, I do have the opportunity to live and travel around Vietnam all while learning what it means to truly work. Having had the chance to explore, I’ve tried all sorts of foods- mostly because the menus are rarely in english so you have to point to something and hope you like it when it comes out. I think my favorite dish is one that’s made right on the side of the road, cooked on a bucket of coals, and almost never served in restaurants. It’s this rice-crepe-taco thing and I crave it nearly every day. I have no idea what’s in it and maybe I don’t want to know, but it sure is good. The best part is on occasion, a woman sets up shop right outside of Masteri and sells them a few days out of the week.