Hey everyone!  It’s been a long time since my last blog, but I’m excited to let you know how my summer has been going!!

In the past 3 weeks, I have been in 2 countries, 4 major cities, and have taken 6 flights.  It’s been a crazy 3 weeks for sure, but so. much. fun.

I got back from Korea at the end of May; I was there for 2 weeks with the rest of the iPodia class.  We were in this class with students from Germany, Israel, Korea and PKU.  Some of the highlights:

  • Staying overnight in a temple
  • Visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea
  • Visiting Seoul
  • Seeing GANGNAM
  • Attending the World IT Fair, and
  • Most importantly making great connections and friendships among international students!
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Eating authentic KBBQ!!

At a palace in Seoul with Kat!

At a palace in Seoul with Kat!

Hanging out with a Korean guard in the DMZ.

Hanging out with a Korean guard in the DMZ.

Dinnertime at the temple.

Dinnertime at the temple.

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We did 108 bows at 4:30am with this monk.

Our international team - from Germany and Israel!

Our international team – from Germany and Israel!

 

I then transitioned myself to Midland, MI for my internship in Information Systems with The Dow Chemical Company!  After being in LA for 3 years, being in such a small town was a bit of a shock, but I’m learning to enjoy it!

Midland is gorgeous.

Midland is gorgeous.

I’m working on a huge Joint Venture between Dow and a Saudia Arabian oil company called Saudi Aramco.  This JV has been in the works for the past 5 years, and requires a lot of preparation, especially for the Information System.  I am doing project management to ensure all of the metrics are up to date, all the deliverables are on time, and there is accurate reporting.  It’s been a blast so far, my manager is so awesome, and I love the people I work with!

The majority of the employees on my team works in Houston.  Therefore, I flew out to Houston with my manager for the first week to meet the rest of the team and attend meetings.  It was such a fast paced environment, and I loved every second of it!

With the Dow Corporate Shuttle

With the Dow Corporate Shuttle

TEXMEX

TEXMEX

There are over 100 interns at this location and we get together often for social events, and there is an I/S employee who was an intern once himself and enjoys planning events for us.  We took the Dow shuttle (read: plane) to the Philadelphia office, met the other I/S interns at that location, had a tour of the data center, and had a little bit of free time to explore the Philly area.  We checked out Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, which was right across the street from the Philly Dow office.

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Midland Information Systems Interns take on Philly!

Independence Hall provides a pretty nice backdrop, I have to say.

Independence Hall provides a pretty nice backdrop, I have to say.

Last weekend, I journeyed to Chicago for my brother’s graduation from The University of Chicago!  We also got to check out The Bean, had Chicago deep dish pizza, and helped my brother move into his new apartment.  That was so much fun, I love Chicago more and more every time I visit!

Gabara's posing in front of The Bean

Gabara’s posing in front of The Bean

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Congrats, Asher!

The University of Chicago loves its towers.

The University of Chicago loves its towers.

#Barge #ChicagoRiver #Barge

#Barge #ChicagoRiver #Barge

Well, those are the main highlights since I took my last final!  I’ll be sure to update you later in the summer so you can see how my internship pans out!

Talk to you later,

Cassandra