<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Wil.jpg" style="width: 167px; height: 250px; float: right; " />As a native of northern Michigan, I feel as if I am sensually starved by the rather un-dramatic change of seasons that occurs in the far away state where I attend college. So you can imagine that after two years of growing thin on the dry, windy autumns of Kansas, I find myself joyful to be home once more for the deliciously golden Michigan fall. Even though I will return to college, it is satisfying to be back, if just for a while.</p>
<p>
	In the morning when I go outside, it is crisp and wet; the mist has not yet left the waters of Big Twin Lake, and I can hear the loons&rsquo; screaming call in the distance. Yesterday I climbed up a large white pine as the sun was rising and observed the shadow move down the maple trees, turning them gold in the sunlight.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	My weeks here have been a time of learning. However, instead of the meat and potatoes kind of knowledge, which I acquire at college, this learning is more like carrot cake with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. It is delightful. Before this month, I might be able to tell you a few things about Michigan history; I live here, so naturally I have picked up some knowledge. But honestly, whenever I go to historical sites and museums, most of the information just passes before my eyes without sinking in. &nbsp;But now that I have lived in Michigan&rsquo;s history for a few days, things have changed.</p>
<p>
	I think an excerpt from my journal explains this shift well:</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;This day I once again returned to Hartwick Pines, the last virgin pine forest in the region. Even though this was the sixth time I had been there this summer, for the first time I actually took time to read the signs and really look at the massive old trees. Maybe it was the low angled sunlight that breathtakingly lit up the pine needles, maybe it was that I lived in a 1900&rsquo;s logging camp yesterday, but for some reason, it was so much more real today.&ldquo;</p>
<p>
	Additionally, teaching a subject always gives me a new perspective on the material. I find that while teaching, I learn and remember the material much more thoroughly. Besides, I love to teach. Imagine the looks of wide-eyed attention and wonder on the faces of third grade children as I describe the fur trader&rsquo;s long canoe journey from the Manistee River to Montreal. And the feeling of accomplishment that occurs when I build the children&rsquo;s suspense while striking flint on steel and break that awed quiet into shouts of ecstatic excitement when I announce that now they too can try making their own sparks.</p>
<p>
	Learning to see what has always been around me, learning history, and learning how to craft my words for an audience&hellip; yes, this internship has been a feast of the senses and also fuel for my mind.&nbsp;</p>
