So I live in Alaska Now

Here are some pictures of near where I live:

Parts of a glacier in a lake

mountains and a glacier

There are sunny days here!

There is still a wildness here that you can't find in other cities, which is why a lot of people come up here.  It changes the attitudes of the people who live here and the way they live in relation to the land.  I'm definitely enjoying that aspect of Alaska living, it feels different but in a good way.  

So far, it's been fun exploring and getting to know a new place that's so different from Arizona.  The only thing that I'm worried about for the coming winter right now is driving in the snow, since I've never experienced that and I think it will be the most difficult thing to get used to.  But I know that it's something that I will have to do, so I'm coming to terms with it.

So I've still been getting a lot of questions about what I'm doing up here.  I'm one of the 5 2010-2011 dietetic interns at University of Alaska-Anchorage.  For those that don't know, a dietetic internship is the next required step to getting the credential of Registered Dietitian after earning a Bachelor's degree.  There are a variety of internships sponsored through universities, hospitals, food service companies, and health departments throughout the country.  However, they are very competitive due to growing numbers of applicants and same number of spots.  The placement rate for applicants is about 40-50% nationwide, and you're competing against classmates, nutrition students across the nation, and those that have already graduated and are applying for their second plus time.  It takes a lot of dedication and honestly, stamina.  It's not a very quick process.  I started preparing just for the application process a year ago.  But getting matched to a program you chose...there isn't really another feeling like it.

So Alaska was my first choice of internships, because I fell in love with it from the very first time I was here.  I feel very fortunate to have gotten in to my first choice on the first try.  Moving here has been a long road, but now that I'm here, it's been totally worth it (so far at least!)  I'm really enjoying it.  

I've gone through a week of orientation, and I know that I'll be BUSY this next year, but getting so much experience to be able to get a job when I'm done.  I'll probably be posting more on what I'll be doing, but for now I'm packing for my first rotation, a three week stay in Nome, AK.  The strangest thing for me about this trip: I had to buy snow pants.