Settling in at Independent Health

It has been two weeks since I first started interning for the community initiatives department at Independent Health.  I go into work at 8 or 9 on Mondays and Thursdays and leave right before or after lunch break.  When I emailed my supervisor and asked what time she would like me to come in, her response was, “whatever works for you, you’ll begin to realize we’re really flexible.”  This actually freaked me out because then I began to worry about what time’s too early, what time’s too late, what if I come in at an inconvenient time for her on my first day, etc.  I made the decision to go in at 8. I was the second person there and the first person wasn’t even my supervisor.  But the woman who was there with me helped me get all set up and was super friendly and welcoming.  I actually report to her more often than my supervisor now.  I realized that yes, they are extremely flexible at Independent Health.  When I leave the office, my co-workers will say, “see you whenever on Thursday/Monday!”  Everyone is laid back in the department, which is an environment I’m not used to and I really love it.  It’s a great change.  When I am headed to work, I’m actually relaxed, which is an awesome feeling to have.  For the past two weeks I’ve been working on a large project for their Healthy Options program.  It’s a lot of work, so the 4 hours I’m there each day fly by. The department I’m in is a group of 10-12 women. ALL WOMEN.  It’s so nice (no offense to men).  It’s nice because we can have conversations with each other about topics we probably wouldn’t talk about if men were around while also doing our work at the same time.  A big Roaring ’20’s fundraiser is coming up that I’m going to be helping with, so all of the women talk about what dress they’re going to be wearing at the event.  It’s definitely a different kind of environment from anything I’ve ever experienced before.  I’m loving it so far. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. There isn’t one single person I don’t feel comfortable talking to.  We joke and laugh a lot!  I’m glad I chose to do my internship at Independent Health.