Redistricting Comfort Zones
By: Mackenzie Mckillip, CAS’ 24
Mackenzie with camera next to moth trap
The Laurence Sterne Trust, United Kingdom
Learning to Adult
On paper, I’m an adult. I’m going to turn 20 in a few months. I can, and will, vote. But I never really felt like an ‘adult,’ or whatever that’s supposed to mean, until now. College kids are fiercely independent, but at least in American culture, they don’t match the image when I think of a ‘responsible adult.’ Right now, in my head, I see a person – their skin is still fresh but has some fine lines now, they have nice fitting clothes, they walk with confidence, they appear to know what they’re doing. They have money set aside for bills, groceries, transport, and a little bit in savings. After they come back home from a long day of work, they relax for a little bit, check what’s in the fridge for what’s not expired yet, and then they make either what sounds the tastiest or what sounds the easiest to make – all depends on how long of a day it was. Then they eat, wash up, and sleep, not always necessarily in that order. And they do it all themselves. No one’s holding their hand! That’s what I’m not necessarily used to. For a long time, I’ve considered myself an introvert, but I think this experience has taught me I’m a lot more social than I thought. A weird sort of confidence.
That sounds normal for a lot of people, but it’s not super normal for me. Sure, when I came to Penn I adjusted well away from home. Cleaning, laundry, being responsible for deadlines and learning to speak to strangers. That was all fine. But there were so many people my age there doing the same as me; it was a collective experience, so that made things easier. I learned to cook myself, which I’ve proud of and was always terrified to do. Except on a convection stove, it was on a British AGA. Basically, it’s an oven that’s on all the time. The bottom oven is for simmering, so it’s handy for heating up leftovers or keeping things warm. Heat rises so the top oven is an actual oven for baking and roasting. Then the hobs on top are like burners, but you can’t control them. Just imagine the center on the left side is on high, the edges on the left are medium-high, the center on the right is on medium, and the edges on the right are medium-low. The whole thing is made of cast iron so just the surface will work as low heat. It’s not hard once you get used to it, luckily! It’s harder to plan meals out with portions for one person. Luckily the vegetables from Tesco don’t rot as quickly as I expected.
Childish Charm
The tasks detailed in my internship are many children’s dream: looking at and capturing bugs. Well, to be more specific, it’s preparing a moth trap in the evening to study moths the following morning when they’re resting. But handling them and taking hundreds of pictures of them (with a professional camera, mind you) is certainly part of the job. I’m pleasantly surprised to see how many people are interested in them when visitors traipsing about the gardens in the English countryside come by the moth trap. In my experience as an entomology enthusiast, insects aren’t taken too kindly – but the visitors here are so kind and inquisitive, offering to tell stories about a neighbor they know who studies moths or other insects at a research institute or as a hobby. It really made me feel proud to work here over the summer. Sometimes when I reflect upon myself and realize that my favorite interests include fossils, dinosaurs, insects, and race cars, which are stereotypical delights for a toddler – I feel like I need to grow up.
But I kind of did here in England. Studying moths, gardening, understanding, and sharing the history of the clergyman Laurence Sterne and his home. At Penn, I always feel the need to appear more professional and put together than I actually was; as much of an ‘adult’ as I could muster up to be. That’s Penn Face and I’m sure many can understand that. I’m still not the spitting image of the individual I described earlier, but I feel I’m a lot closer to that person now than I was before, even though I’m not really adhering to Penn’s pre-professional realm. Learning to be independent alone – like, completely alone – is pretty hard, especially in an entirely different country. I think I’m doing it. All while chasing moths that flew into the high branches of a tree to capture it in a small tube and compare it to 5 other moth species that look strikingly similar, but not identical, to it. It just makes me realize that comfort zones don’t always have to progress in maturity to be more independent and serious. While that definitely happened, I’m learning that it’s ok, fun, and downright wonderful to engage in a 5-year-old’s dream job. Ultimately, responsible, independent adults are who they are as a person, not what they work as. I’ve noticed that in America, upon meeting you, people ask you, “So what do you do for work?” I don’t think anyone here in England has asked me that so far. As if work defines a person. This internship, and the UK for that matter, so far has made me realize I’m so more than that!
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.