October 2009 Archives

I first came to Ellensburg during the summer of 2008, when I temporarily moved here to be an apprentice at CHCI. I remember thinking, as I was driven around town my first day here, "I left California for this?" I was not excited to be here! Thankfully, once the program started, I made friends, and generally didn't have too much free time, Ellensburg began to grow on me. I even began to imagine myself coming back for graduate school, and enjoying living in this little town. Which is exactly where I am today.
    I am now a first year graduate student in the Primate Behavior program at Central Washington University. My time is split between taking three classes and working as an intern at CHCI, and spending time with my dog. Although a lot of things haven't changed from my time here last summer and now, a lot of things have. I think the biggest difference at CHCI is that now I have been invited into ChimpCare, a level of training at the institute where the interns can serve the chimpanzees their meals and interact with them by playing games such as mask and chase (on opposite sides of the caging, of course). I am very excited to begin my training and see where this journey takes me. I have enjoyed getting to know all the other new interns, and spending time with the friends I made last summer. I have even enjoyed being back in Ellensburg, going to some of my favorite restaurants and walking my dog downtown. Overall, I can't think of a better place for me to be!

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Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute

Editor's Note: Tracy is a new graduate student, and will be writing a series of blog entries revolving around adjusting to the culturally new experience that is CHCI.

Home: it's where the heart is. And, according to the Wizard of Oz, there's no place like it. Family and home themes permeated Rockwell's art; John Howard Payne wrote of "Home sweet home;" Frank Lloyd Wright redefined "home..." and I complicated it.

Moving to Ellensburg, Washington, was a very gradual process for me. Having my main "home base" in a Seattle suburb, only two hours away, was both convenient and complicated. I knew I would feel unsettled until I chose a side of the Cascade Mountains and stuck with it. For weeks, I commuted every two days or so, racking up the miles on my little SUV and ratcheting up my blood pressure, as well. The commute was beautiful but tiring, and I found myself getting far behind on what I needed to be working on. I knew I would miss my west side friends and family members, but it was time for the permanent move.

On September 7th, I finally committed to the east side of the mountains, accompanied by everything that I thought I might need.  I say "thought" because I had my boyfriend bring over various sundry items each time he'd come to visit. Scarves, gloves, sunglasses, an extra bag, the dustbuster, extra blankets, a can opener, reference books, art supplies: they all made the march over the mountains, weekend after weekend. And now that my home is full of everything I'll need (and many items that, after some clearer thinking, I probably won't need for the next six months), I finally feel "settled" here.

Getting "settled" at CHCI is another thing altogether, though...