As the old characters and new players converged, I looked forward to reprising my role in a slightly different way. Each rendition of this story always brought its own nuances and I was curious how it would play out this time. These next two weeks would certainly preface the rest of the summer. We would come to understand what we had to do and how we had to do it. More importantly, I would begin to define my “why.”
I was home for two days and it was time to leave again. My consolation was that I would return next weekend and the weekend after that. In a few weeks’ time, I would have three day weekends. It was the semi-normal life that I was looking for. And for a change, I was excited to go back to work. I was excited to meet my crew and see what this field season had in store for us.
We assembled at the field house that Sunday. My crew was nothing like how I imagined. That was neither good nor bad, just different. Before this night, I knew only bits and pieces and I was eager to get to know them. A few days prior, Jonathan was the first to arrive. I recall meeting him some time ago in a calculus class. We were reacquainted during the botany field trips I attended last month. I was impressed with his knowledge and plant identification skills. A nontraditional student, he recently graduated from Penn State with the same degree as me. I don’t remember who arrived next but I vividly remember my first conversation with Jerry. Employed in the field for the last ten years, he had the most experience with these tech jobs. I enjoyed talking about our experiences and feel that we hit it off immediately. Curtis arrived with an entourage. His parents and girlfriend were curious about his new living arrangement and helped him move in. A traditional student, he had one semester left and this job served as a summer internship. After an evening of conversation, I felt the four of us were off to a good start.
The following morning, we began our training — one my favorite aspects of this job. No one would argue that those eighty plus hours were a whirlwind tour of Pennsylvania’s flora, an introduction to our crewmates and study areas, and an understanding of our complex data collection protocol. In my mind, however, this was an opportunity to enjoy the company and intelligence of botanists and ecologists in a beautiful and interesting setting while getting to know the people with whom we would spend our summer. It was all about perspective and I would enjoy the conversation and tidbits of knowledge that I could pick up. Learning is everything to me. If I am not learning or growing in some fashion, I do not belong there.
My fear is that you see something that looks familiar but you aren’t 100% sure what it is. You don’t really know but you think you know and it just isn’t so. That’s bad data.
Marc (primary investigator for the study)
In some ways, I felt more like a teacher rather than a student during this training period. Unbeknownst to me at this juncture, this notion would create the foundation of my “why.” I would begin to view myself as a guide and teacher and be mindful of how I could positively influence my team. As I got to know my crew, their individual strengths and weaknesses and character, I discovered how to work for them.
Red Spotted Newt 
Red Maple Leaves 
Springtime Yellow 
Training in the South
By the end of the first week, the crews were catching on. Their botany skills were improving and they were understanding the data collection protocol. They did well and I was impressed. Most importantly, everyone worked well together and friendships were growing. Next week, we were going north to Potter County to continue training and “team building.”