Two Weeks Left
Benefit of summer internship for Emilie comes in new friendships.
Emilie (left) and Katie ended up winning the Euchre card tournament over Nathan (right) and Andy. The game night was one of many experiences — inside and outside of the office — that fostered close friendships during their summer internship. Photo by Sasha Mulvihill
Katie Kent sits across the table from me, only her mischievous eyes visible above the cards she holds in her hand. (She’s interning with our inner city ministry). On my right is Nathan Brown (interning in our computer department), and on my left is Andy Brown (interning in our financial department). Moving clockwise, we each throw down a card.
We are in the middle of a tournament of euchre, a 4-player card game. Tied as we come close to the end of the game, we’re waiting to see who will win the last round and become the winning team for the night.
“Katie, if we win this time, I would consider dancing for joy. And I don’t normally dance,” I say, grinning.
Nathan and Andy have won the past two nights, and Katie and I are unwilling to lose again. Right now, the score is 9 to 3, and we’re winning.
This has become a typical evening on the Orlando Summer Project. We don’t all play euchre every night, but the group that was thrown together this summer is becoming a much more close knit community.
We enjoy playing games or watching movies together when we have free evenings, and it’s not uncommon to see a group of us down by the pool during weekends.
This sense of connectedness spills over into our workweek as well. Often interns who work in the same building together will snag each other for lunch, either driving to a nearby restaurant or eating leftovers together.
Living in community has been one of my favorite parts of this summer. Despite the busy schedules we keep, I have enjoyed the time I’ve been able to spend getting to know the rest of the interns who are here.
Sharing a house with other girls has been a new experience for me, since I commute to school during each semester. However, it’s been an experience of community that I have loved.
Though we’ve only known each other for 2 months, the ladies I live with have become a small family away from home. We laugh together, run together, curl up and watch movies together, read together, and have late-night conversations together. They are the ones who ask me how my day was, and then sit and listen if I need to talk things out.
Community among the interns involves supporting each other, as well. For the majority of the summer, a group of interns have been running together, and seven of us recently registered to run a 5k (3.1 miles) on Friday, August 6th.
Though less than half of us are running, the rest of the group will be there to cheer us on. As a team, we’ll also use the time around the race to initiate conversations with people around us, hoping to be able to present the message of salvation.
I’m having a hard time believing that in another 2 weeks, this community will be going their separate ways and heading home. Many of us start school just a few weeks after project.
Katie and I play our last few cards, securing our victory in the euchre tournament for the night. We forgo a victory dance, and settle instead for some cheering and a high-five across the table.
After our re-match is scheduled, Katie and I head back to our condos, and I begin to realize how much I’m going to miss the friends I’ve made this summer.
Made for Something: Part 3
Made for Something: Part 2